Exchange Gift

Chapter 1 : Grief

"Now, please open your textbook and turn to page 69. We'll learn about..." Evalya couldn't help but wonder why her classmate disappeared one by one every week. She looks to her left, Zafirah's seat who has been missing since last month. She also looks at the back.

Putri's seat which she has been sick since the gift exchange day. The whole classroom is quiet despite almost everyone's disappearance has been increased. "Hey Eva, you okay?" Evalya looks to her right. It's just Qysara. "Not really, I'm worried about Putri and Zafirah. They haven't answered my texts and have been absent for almost over a month. I feel lonely and miserable." Evalya rests her head on the table.

Qysara tries cheering her up by confronting her. "Pretty sure Haiqal can fix your day. Vent to him and it'll be okay! Maybe Zafirah is overseas and Putri is just having a bad sick day!" "Ehem, what are you doing, Qysara? Is there something you want to share with us?" Qysara panics as she just got called out. "Well, I'm planning to visit Putri tonight. So I might get some answers from her." Evalya giggles it off. Oh boy, I hope nothing bad happens.

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"No! I want my child back! She must've been with her friends last month!" The woman yells. "Miss, we have told you everything we know and she hasn't been here or even step a foot on the school ground. You just have to accept the truth. She's still missing." The teacher responds to the woman.

"No! Wait! Her! YES HER! YOU KNOW MY CHILD, RIGHT? ZAFIRAH?" The woman points at Evalya who happens to just pass by. "PLEASE, TELL ME WHERE MY CHILD IS. I'M DESPERATE. I'LL GIVE YOU SOME MONEY. OR ANYTHING. PLEASE. BRING, BACK MY CHILD." The woman who claims to be Zafirah's mother starts sobbing.

"I'm sorry miss but the last time I've seen her in at the nearest mall to school and I never saw her again. I'd tried contacting them and waiting for her return but she never came back. I'm truly sorry." Evalya starts tearing up as she also just lost her friend.

Zafirah's mother starts crying loudly as the teacher tries to calm her down. The atmosphere has surrounded by students. Every student knows the drama and started to become suspicious. What will happen next? Will Zafirah come back? Why is Putri been absent so long?

Who's the key to this mystery?

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"Things are getting quite heated. I can't wait for a plot-twisting truth. Do you agree, Elyza?" "I don't know, Ain. This probably will be a normal case for us detectives." "Get your guts ready. This case might be just a normal case but I had a feeling this is going to be a quite troublesome ride."

"Pfft, whatever. At least we got a job to work on. I'm tired of just studying for exams." High schoolers detectives? Could it be they're going to unfold the truth for the sake of world peace? Find out yourself because I'm tired of narrowing.

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Evalya knocks on Putri's house door. "Is anybody home? I came to check on Putri. Is she home? Hello?" The door opens, revealing the mother of Putri, maybe. "Oh. You must be Putri's friend, Evalya right? Please come in. She's in her room. I hope you can lure her out. We've been worrying since last month."

Evalya steps in. Starting walking upstairs. "I will do my best." They both walked upstairs, standing in front of Putri's room. Evalya starts knocking on the door. "Putri, it's Evalya. Can I come in? Are you alright? Do you need some time alone more?" No response.

"This is about Zafirah."

Putri opens the door. Letting them in and closing back the door. "I'm sorry." Putri sobs. "It's okay, we manage," Evalya replied. "No, about Zafirah. I couldn't help her." That left Evalya and Putri's mother in confusion. "What about Zafirah? Why are you apologising, dear?"

Putri snaps and starts crying. "We were kidnapped. We were locked up and there were dead bodies! Zafirah tried her hardest to keep me calm and look for an exit. Then, he walks in like a saint and starts attacking Zafirah. She told me to run away and I disagree, she probably realises that I'm too weak to stop him. By the time I ran away from that place, I already knew Zafirah died by sacrificing herself for my safety. I AM USELESS. I PROBABLY CAN'T EVEN SURVIVE WITHOUT ZAFIRAH'S HELP. I DONT DESERVE HER. SHE DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER. USELESS. USELESS. SHE DOESN'T DESERVE TO DIE LIKE THAT. IT'S HOPELESS. I'M HOPELESS. WE COULDN'T BRING HER BACK. OUR ZAFIRAH IS DEAD. SHE'S DEAD."

She breaks down and loudly cries like a girl looking for her lost parents. That confession left Evalya in shock. How could it be? Her friend is dead because she's busy to even care about her friend's safety that day. How could you be this bad, Evalya? Putri's mother hugs her and tries to calm her down before she got complaints about being too loud.

"I... What... She's not dead... She's the strong girl I knew. This is just a joke, right?" Evalya sobs and starts breaking down, letting her bottled-up emotions out. "It's all Haiqal's fault. He's the one who kidnapped us and KILLED ZAFIRAH. IT'S ALL HIS FAULT. I HATE HIM. I HATE HIM." Evalya froze from shock. It was Haiqal's fault?

'Haiqal hands her a bracelet that looks identical to Zafirah's ones.'

That explains why he hands Evalya the same bracelet as Zafirah's but why?

' "Damn, I wished that was my birthday gift. I would wear that every day!" '

He did this for... Evalya? Just because of Evalya? Is he that obsessed? Did he kill her classmate just for her? What is wrong with him? Thought flew in Evalya's head. It felt like she fell in love with the right person but still, not the right person. Who would love a psycho and a yandere? Evalya sure wouldn't.

Even if she chooses not to believe that, it seems too coincidental not to believe it. Evalya grabs Putri's hands, looking her straight in the eye with her puffy and red eyes. "We can't let Zafirah's sacrifice be in vain. We'll take a step ahead. We'll kill him. Even if he might die even laying a finger on him, at least it's how we show how we respected Zafirah's sacrifice. We might not be the best of friends but her existence is important in our lives."

Evalya grips Putri's hand in grief. Putri cries loudly again. In her response, she agrees with Evalya. Oh, what a heartful friendship for a mother to witness. She raised a great daughter and a good friend.