Behind The Mask

The Note

---CANDY'S P.O.V.---
(Finding Raja's note.)

My need to pee was what woke me up that night. I took care of the issue and then went to check on the girls. I tucked them all in. When I came to Raja's bed in the corner, I gasped. It was empty!

I should've known she'd pull something like this. Since I wasn't allowing her to leave the orphanage alone, she felt the need to escape herself.

I thundered down the stairs to the kitchen.

I knew it. A note. Nothing much. Just the three words that made my heart skip a beat.

I MUST KNOW.

Oh, Raja.

Shadow.

I knew it. Shadow. That stupid---

I didn't think. I crumpled up the note and ran out the front door.

👤👤👤👤👤👤👤👤👤👤👤👤👤👤

As I approached the alley between the supermarket and the Jazz House Hotel, I began to sob when my flashlight revealed that it was empty.

I'm too late, I thought between tears. Raja is gone.

I hated myself for letting it happen. I knew Shadow was real, Raja's suspicions were true. But I'd never actually spoken to Shadow, so I knew nothing. But she was a stranger than had followed Raja her whole life. I knew she was somehow dangerous. And I knew I was right when she hit Raja upside the head, but I became confused when it seemed it was Shadow that had brought Raja to the hospital that day.

Raja cracking her head open was her own fault. Shadow hadn't made Raja chase her. Raja did that on her own. So I didn't blame Shadow for that. And I didn't blame Raja, either.

But now it was too late. Raja was who-knows-where.

I didn't know what to do. So, I went back to the orphanage and called the police.