As long As You Live

The Broken Secret

It took a few minutes for me to come out of the shock. The hideous looking woman referred to someone called Alpha, repeating the words on the card. I didn't know what to do next, so I instinctively looked at the clock. It read 9:30. Almost time for my mother to return. So I quietly walked up to the couch and sat down, clutching on to the card.

After what seemed like hours, although it was just about 10 minutes, I heard knocks on the front door. Reflexively, I ran up to the door and flung open the door, not bothering to check through the looking hole. There, stood my mom, with a very surprised expression. She entered in, locked the door, and immediately made me sit down on the couch because I was breathless, and as white as snow. After refreshing and changing, my mom sat down, anxious to know why I was so tensed. I didn't know where to start. There was so much to tell. After a quick thinking, I decided to let her mom start. So I just handed the card over to her mother. Her expression changed immediately. I had never seen the woman's expression turn from calm to tensed this fast. Trembling, she looked at me, with utter fury in her eyes, and just asked "What else do you have to show me?"

I quietly led her mom to the control room. I played the video, and the duo quietly watched the footage. The woman entered the house and sabotaged the entire living room. There was an uncomfortable silence hanging in the atmosphere. But when the woman took her mask off, my mom loudly muttered, "Why am I not surprised?"

I swiftly turned to face my mother. Her expression had calmed down- except her eyes. Her eyes were blazing with rage. She kept muttering to herself for a few minutes, all through which I was staring at her mother, dumb-found. Only when my mother got up and exited the room, was I relieved from her state.

I couldn't figure out which fact amused me more- the fact that a mysterious woman entered the house, sabotaged it like a post- calamity scene and left with a chilling confession in the camera, or mom recognizing the woman. I buried my head into my hands. It was too much for me to take. But I needed to know more. So I got up and followed pursuit. I walked up to my mom, who was sitting on the couch staring at the wall, and said "Mom, what's happening around?" My mom looked at me, and for the first time, I noticed that my mom's eyes were teary. "It's all because of me, Honey. It's all my fault." and buried her face into my shoulders. I couldn't figure out if it was the right time for questions. I decided to give it a chance."What are you guilty for, Ma? Why will you be responsible for some petty thief stealing my vase and talking gibberish at the camera?"

Mom looked at her; eyes filled with unexplained remorse, and said "She is no petty thief. It's because of me that her face is hideous. It's because of me, that she killed your father."