MONSTER OF THE UNKNOWN

THE TRUE SARA (BONUS CHAPTER)

I know this might sound a bit egotistical and self-absorbed, but I feel like the world was made just to confine me in solitude. A lot of people think being born rich automatically equates to having a perfect problem free life, but they
couldn't be any more wrong. Possessing so much only creates an endless void that's impossible to fill.

For as long as I can remember, I've been bombarded with the most arbitrary expectations from everyone
around me. My parents have always made it abundantly clear that I wasn't allowed to rank anywhere below number 1 in any thing I did. Academics, sports, competitions, whatever it may be. They even forced
me to start taking five language courses simultaneously since I was seven (English, Mandarin, Japanese, Italian and German) 'cause they believed raising their child as a polyglot was a prerequisite to ensure she
was fully capable to continue their billion euro company.

"If you don't take this seriously, you'll end up as poor and miserable as all those beggars on the side of the road. Is that really what you want for yourself, Sara?" They would tell me stuff like that when I was little anytime I slacked off, so I eventually just developed this unrealistic desire to be perfect all the time.

Family aside, school wasn't any better. None of my so-called 'friends' actually gave two shits about me. Most of them only talked to me because of their parents, not 'cause they wanted to get to know me. My parents had a plethora of business partners, so it was kind of mandatory for their kids to act all chummy to one another. The rest who didn't fall in that category were just interested in what they could profit from being on my good side. All my friendships were more or less business transactions than actual 'ententes
cordiales'. They would even make fun of how lonesome I was behind my back thinking I didn't notice.

Back then, during our lunch breaks in middle school, I remember occasionally observing two of my classmates-a Latino boy named 'Mathéo' and his best friend, Aaron-as they spent it together. I don't
think they actually talked to anyone else in our year, but it didn't look like they cared. To be honest, if it wasn't for the difference in their skin colors, I would've assumed they were twins. I craved for a friendship as genuine as theirs. I would have done anything for it.

In a way, I eventually got a sense of what that felt like. The building block was laid during one of my schools Friday fencing classes. I had been practising excessively all week in order to be in top form for the
inter-school state fencing championship and ended up dislocating my knee cap while having a mock match. The wound was so serious our instructor had to call an ambulance to take me to the hospital for
proper treatment. I ended up getting admitted there for ten whole desolate days. My parents were always too occupied with work to bother coming to see me, as expected, and my fake friends obviously
never tried reaching out. It was just me and the doctors until one fortunate day.

Sara. A friend of yours is here to see you. Should I let him in? Mr André, my doctor, asked me one evening and I agreed without thinking. Deep down, I hoped it was Thomas Thijs (my longtime secret crush
whose parents worked for mine), but I was surprised to see Aaron walk through the door.

"Hey, Sara," the boy said to me a bit timidly as he sat on the door beside my bed. At first, I refused to respond 'cause I thought he was just there to make fun of me, but he just kept talking anyway. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, I know you were probably expecting someone other than me. I just don't think you should go through this on your own. You helped me once when I needed it, so I decided to repay the favour.

I had no idea what favour he was talking of. It had only been once that I had spoken to him before that day, but I didn't recall it being anything special. Nevertheless, it was nice to finally have a conversation
with someone so down to earth who didn't have any ulterior motive for associating with me. It was like I had met an angel straight from Heaven and it didn't take long before my feelings for him began to
develop. Even after I was discharged from the hospital, I kept on coming up with excuses just to spend more time with Aaron. Regardless of if it was in school or some boring cheap restaurant, all that mattered was that I got to hang out with him. I even became friends with Mathéo just so he would know he could trust me. I knew how much their friendship meant to him and I didn't want him thinking I was some attention hungry bitch that didn't get it.

I guess all of it worked 'cause Aaron eventually asked me out on an actual date a few months later. I still remember that evening so vividly that it feels like it was just yesterday. He took me to the cinema for a re-showing of his all-time favorite movie, 'Sous l'État de Paris', and it was magical. In my point of view, it was like the entire world revolved around the both of us and with him, I never had to stress about trying to be infallible. It was the greatest form of euphoria and bliss for me and I never wanted to lose it.

After the movie ended, it began to rain heavily. None of us thought of bringing an umbrella, so we had to run through it like that to enter a cab, and that was the moment it happened. As we sat beside each other in the taxi, our bodies and clothes completely soaked, a certain ambiance settles in between us. We both stare into each others eyes for what feels like an eternity before Aaron takes the initiative by gently cupping the side of my face and pulling our lips together for a kiss. The sensation of his warm mouth against mine was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It might not have been the first time I had kissed a guy, but it was the first time it triggered such an emotional reaction in me. It was truly the beginning of a story that I would never let come to an end.