Buena Mano Book 1 (Unedited/Unrevised)

I'm O-Ok... Chapter 4.0 Seeds

Chapter 4: Seeds

"I said. ARE YOU SURE you want to know?" the voice said. It gave me goosebumps at first. The shrill tone of his/her voice sounded like it came from somewhere dark. It was a devious and unkind like voice. But who cares, it knew who the girls were talking about.

"I feel sorry for the one they were talking to.." It said as I looked from where it came from but I couldn't determine where it was coming from. All I cared about was that it knows who the girls were talking about.

"Oh yeah? Tell me, who is it so that I could be of assistance to her." I said. I lied of course. I just want to be sure that it's not me.

"This girl's life is pretty much, how you say it? ...Complicated."

After a brief pause, it continued. "She was a little bit, misguided on some facts but she kept her face intact. To be honest, she should be an actress if I could say so myself... But you wouldn't understand even if you two came from the same background."

Actress? Same background? I knew it. They were talking about me. Who else has the capability to keep her true face? Acting? Please. No one could match me! But if that were true...

They know what I was doing. They know what I've been going through. They know every single thing in my life. They know. They know.

"What about the others? D-Do they know?" I asked.

"Why? Are you bold enough to do anything about it? Hmm. By the way they talked, I think it was a recent discovery." It said. I was relieved at first but he kept on talking and what it said messed with my head.

It said. "With jabber mouths like those little ladies. It wouldn't be a surprise if by tomorrow, the whole community knows about her!!!"

I feel as though my reality is crumbling down. Disappearing, moving away towards oblivion. I stared at the wet floor until finally my knees gave out from the pressure.

"I must not let them know. I must not let them know. I MUST NOT LET THEM KNOW!" I screamed to myself. It comforted me somehow and led me to what must be done. I got my bag and took out the blade. My anchor, my reality. I clasped it so hard until my strength left me and I had let go. Blood dripped from my hands and formed a small pool. The water didn't wash it away nor did I want it to.

I just wanted to look at it, savor it, and hopefully find out what am I supposed to do.

"It seems like you know who I'm talking to? Guess there's no point left to say her name out loud." It giggled. At that moment, I knew where the voice was coming from. But it gave me chills, thinking about it. I didn't see anyone came after those two girls left. Then how did it...

It was not that apparent to me, but thinking of it now the voice seemed feminine but masculine at the same time. I took up courage and stood up. I walked toward the door of the cubicle. The same cubicle I heard the voice came from, the one in the furthermost point away from the bathroom door.

I took great care in masking the sound of my steps. Fearing it would scare the person away if he/she finds out that I was walking towards them. I looked at it, there was an out of order sign nailed to it and it reeks of foul smelling odors which can only be detected up close. The door itself was covered in slimy stuff which I'd rather not tell. I'll leave that to your imagination.

Upon closer inspection it was shut tight. More like bolted shut from the outside. All the creases were screwed in with wooden planks. It seems like the ones in charge of cleaning this bathroom did not want anyone to get inside this particular cubicle. Or rather they did not want something to get out.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Why ask? Does it help you to know a spectator in your story? Or do you want to know me so you could silence every voice whose ears listened to every tear you dripped in this place?" It smirked and laughed. By then I knew for sure it was a voice of a man.

A man! Here in a girl's bathroom! Who knows what he heard?! What he saw?!

Wait a minute. What he saw? What he saw... SAW?! An unnatural fear came upon me.

"YOU SAW WHAT I WAS DOING HERE! YOU SAW EVERYTHING I DID!!" I screamed. In my anger I pounded the door and slid down to my knees. I don't know what else to do. My moment. My sanity. My reality was slipping away... I unintentionally peeked at the bottom and saw his shoes. His pants were down as he was sitting at the toilet bowl. I couldn't see any other part of his body, aside from the lowest part of his legs, let alone his face. His legs looked as if he had gone through hell and back. It was burned, scarred, and battered. I closed my eyes and prayed to the lord to take away this pain.

"Kill me now." I thought.

"Now, now. We shouldn't be angry now should we?" he said. I heard him flush the toilet and what seemed to be a metallic sound. I came to a conclusion that he was buckling his belt and was getting ready to leave.

I opened my eyes and the lock inside began to clatter. It unlocked. Logically speaking, he couldn't get out because of the door being shut outside. I thought. He could if he forced himself out of there with something blunt like a hammer.

But the door began to shake. I crawled away fearing what's inside but I could not look away. I tried covering my eyes but it seemed I was powerless from even doing that. I didn't even feel the wet floor dampening my skirt.

A moment later the door opened. But not like what I expected. Slowly, it became ajar as if by magic. No, it wasn't magic. It was an unholy force that opened it. I was sure of it!

Because when it did open, there was no one there. The toilet was empty.