The next day after the incident, it was already noon when Tannie woke up. The squeaking sound of her pet hamster disturbed her sleep. She opened her eyes and kept rolling from one corner of her bed to the other as she recalled the view inside her mother's room. She felt both mentally and physically drained. It was nothing out of the ordinary in her life; she had started to become weary of the daily theatrics around her and desperately wished to live the life of a normal rich kid she was, partying, spending money on shopping with her mom, going on vacation with her family, and everything else like her distant rich cousins. She paused momentarily and stared at the ceiling with her right hand in the air. "4... 6... 7" " she talked under her breath while counting on her fingers.
Tannie had missed her regular classes for the seventh time in two consecutive weeks. She was studying in a well-known private school with a very high reputation. It was often known for its unbiased rules and regulations, along with a rigorous academic program that challenged students to excel.
Tannie recalled a recent incident at her school where she was involved in an argument with one of the students from another section, whose mother was a maid at her house. Tannie's family fully funded the education of all the children of their household staff until their children graduated from high school. They even established a dedicated fund for that purpose. But a group of these children, feeling entitled and taking things for granted often bullied Tannie, their harassment ranging from subtle taunts to outright aggression. But with time, little Tannie learned to take a stand for herself and flipped the script on her bullies instead of taking things lying down. Tannie had the upper hand in the school as her grandfather was a renowned personality in the country. However, she preferred a life of privacy, for which very few students knew about her personal life after she was transferred to a different section. Even her new friends barely knew about her life other than the fact that a black car picked her up and dropped her off at the school. When the maid's daughter Hanah kept mocking her and talking bad about Tannie's mother, it triggered her, and without thinking twice, and quite unexpected to Hanah as well, she threw a whole plate full of her lunch meal. The student didn't just keep watching either, and soon it turned into fisticuffs that required the involvement of elders.
Tannie was not affected by this incident, but Hannah was expelled. This made some rumors about Tannie's background at school, making her want to skip classes more often. So, at any little opportunity she would get, she kept skipping classes.
Tannie sighed and covered her tiny face with the satin sheet. Abruptly, there was a knock at her room's door. "Miss. Williams, I beg your pardon for disturbing...The chauffeur is here to pick you up.", a voice came from the other side of the door.
Tannie's eyes widened as she sat up straight on the bed. "Damn", she whispered to herself. She turned on her phone, and it was already 12:15! At once, she jumped out of her bed and rushed to get ready.
"Uncle Han, did you prepare the white daisies and the fruit cake I asked you for?" Tannie asked the chauffeur as she got into the car. "Yes, ma'am, without any mistake this time. I especially ensured that they didn't add pineapple, unlike the last time. I am sorry for my irresponsibility last time ", said the chauffeur. "Oh, common uncle, you don't require to be so courteous with me. Just call me Tannie. And it's okay, you don't need to be sorry for the last time, I know it was a mistake. I don't doubt your proficiency at all", replied Tannie. Mr.Han smiled as he continued to drive.
Mr. Han has been Tannie's chauffeur all these years, and Tannie saw him as her own uncle. He was a loyal and honest employee of the Williams family for many years.
The car stopped in front of a public park. The park had been left unattended for many years and hence looked quite shabby. Tannie got out of the car and asked Mr. Han to leave first. Mr. Han obeyed her orders and drove away. On his way back, Mr. Han was a little worried for Tannie as the park didn't seem very safe to him, but he believed, he was not in a position to say anything to Tannie, so he left. Before leaving, Mr. Han said, "Please remember-" but before he could cotinue, "Yes, yes, I know, I will immediately call you if I sense even a slight ounce of danger...you will be right there...I remember it all" Tannie finished the sentence. "Please don't worry, I will be okay. You can rest assured, uncle...now bye. I am running late already. See you".
Though Mr. Han was never able to ask Tannie, he had always been curious about who Tannie met on the 5th of August every year. All he knew was that it was the birthday of a friend of Tannie. Other than that, he was not even sure if this friend was a guy or a girl. The fact that Tannie specifically orders white daisies raises his curiosity even more. Everytime, he can't help but wonder more and more. This has become a ritual for him, as it has already been more than 6 years since this started. In the beginning, Mr.Han was reluctant to let Tannie go alone since the place rarely had any visitor, for there used to be a graveyard near the park earlier, that was later abandoned. But Tannie kept on insisting, and seeing that everything was fine in the first three to four times, Mr. Han was assured that Tannie would be fine.
Tannie kept waiting in that spot until the car got out of her sight. After patiently waiting for a few more minutes, she didn't enter the park but started to walk in the opposite direction from where the car had gone. She continued waking cautiously while looking behind her at some interval, making sure that Mr. Han was not following her secretly by any chance. After a while, her steps stopped. Tannie was standing right in front of that abandoned graveyard. It was a sunny day. Tannie was trying her best to prevent the cake on her left hand from melting while holding the daisy bouquet and an umbrella in her right. She struggled to carry everything at once, but didn't have any choice. Somehow, she managed to open the broken rusted entrance gate and then continued to walk in. The place had been long abandoned and wasn't in good condition, so even the gate didn't have a proper lock. Tannie continued to walk in. She felt nervous looking at the time. "I am doomed today. Why didn't I get up at the alarm?! It's almost 1:00 pm", she said to herself.
Suddenly, a soft but cold breeze ran across her. Tannie was immediately alerted. She knew that was not just any ordinary breeze. "S-see I know I was wrong, I should have set more alarms...ha hah hah...p- please listen to me...", Tannie talked to the air with stammered words. In no time, she felt a figure pass behind her. She continued," I am sorry. I know I shouldn't have been late on your special day, but I can make up for that. Come on...show yourself...See, I even bought your favorite fruit cake and this beautiful daisy bouquet." She tried to sniff the bouquet in her hand when she felt a tickle in her nose and started to sneeze. She continued to sneeze until her eyes teared up. " Lienne!? whe-", speaking as she roamed around that area looking for her friend, Tannie stepped on a block of the worn out path and lost her balance. The box containing the cake slipped out of her hand, and she was on the verge of falling on her face. Tannie clinched her eyelids tight, almost accepting her fate, and preparing for the worst when she suddenly found her torso hanging up from the ground as if someone standing behind grabbed her mid-fall by the dress she was wearing. Tannie, feeling relieved after narrowly avoiding the mishap, pulled herself together, immediately standing straight and breathing a sigh of relief.
"You almost dropped my cake", a voice behind Tannie spoke. Tannie knew this voice! She shot a glance back, and a wide grin spread across her face. A beautiful girl the same as her age stood behind her holding the box with the cake and tasting the frosting of the cake with her index finger. Tannie jumped and jubilantly said, "Lienne! Here you are!!" and proceeded to hug her. "happ-", a hand came and squeezed shut Tannie's lips and stopped her before she could finish the phrase. "mmmm mmmm mm-", Tannie struggled to speak. " Hush!" the girl said and released Tannie's lips. Tannie, wiping her face, said, "Eww, you just licked the finger of this hand." "Consider it your reimbursement for forgetting my birthday!" the girl said while she proceeded to walk forward. Tannie started following her, trying to justify herself, saying that it was not that she forgot the birthday, but woke up late instead. But Lienne was not someone to be persuaded so easily. After a lot of whining from Tannie, Lienne was vexed and yelled while looking at Tannie following her, "OKAY! I got it. Can you zip it now, for God's sake?! Let me have my cake peacefully." Tannie put a finger on her lips and shut her mouth. Just when Lienne started to walk forward, Tannie jumped and hugged her from behind, wishing her a happy birthday. Lienne couldn't keep up her act anymore and started laughing along with Tannie. Tannie gave her the daisy bouquet, and they both went to the bank of the river near them. Tannie lit the candles for Lienne and asked her to make a wish. Lienne vaguely smiled while looking at the candles. "Dead people don't have wishes.", Lienne saHush"Ei! hush..., don't say rubbish and make a wish quickly before the flames of these candles make a hole through my palms", said Tannie, trying her best to cover the candles with her hands, preventing the river wind from blowing them off. Lienne looked at her and smiled. She closed her eyes to keep Tannie's heart imitating to make a wish, and blewout the candles. Tannie cheered and started singing happy birthday songs for her best friend. "What did you wish for?" Tannie asked. "To get rid of you!" Lienne sarcastically replied. "So petty!", responded Tannie. They both laughed and had a lot of small and big talk as they enjoyed the cake.
"Mom has been acting up a lot more lately," said Tannie. "Is it so?" asked Lienne without much surprise. "I was at the hospital till late last night and ended up getting late today. Mom tried to slit her wrist again. I am so tired of these every day! Some days I wish I could just vanish", saying Tannie rested her head on Lienne's shoulder while looking into the blue. Lienne caressed Tannie's head like a mother would to her child and said, "Everything will be fine with time". Suddenly, Tannie said, "Oh! It just occurred to me, sometimes I feel like Mom is being watched, or maybe someone keeps instigating Mom to die. I believe right now she is not in a state to commit any action by herself unless someone directs her to." A sudden terror masked Lienne's face. She grabbed Tannie's shoulders and started asking her if she was sure about it, if she knew who it could be, and if she knew anything about how long it had been happening. Tannie was left flabbergasted and speechless. Realising that it must have startled her, Lienne tried to lighten the situation, laughing it off and saying that she was just curious. Tannie didn't say much and kept resting her head.
Before they knew it, the sun had almost begun to set, and it was time for them to bid farewell to each other. They both hugged each other and said goodbye. Tannie had to stand in front of the park to avoid Mr. Han's suspicion. "I will burn new dresses in your name at home. They will suit you. See you", said Tannie as she rushed out through the gate. Lienne waved at Tannie as she saw her leaving.
Tannie barely made it in time to the park's entrance. Mr. Han picked up Tannie at the entrance of the park meanwhile she was almost struggling to catch her breath. On her way back, Tannie couldn't help but wonder the reason behind Lienne's distraught look back then. It was not the first time that Lienne acted that way. Tannie had noticed that every time she mentioned anything sensitive about her mother in front of Lienne, she seemed anxious or panics. But she couldn't reach a justified conclusion. Tired of the long day, she fell asleep in the car.
Tannie was stirred awaken after a while and was surprised to see that the car was parked inside the graveyard where she met Lienne earlier. She thought she was busted, and Mr.Han deliberately brought her there to confront her. But suddenly her eyes went to the driver's seat and she realized it was empty. She got out of the car and looked for Mr. Han. "Uncle Han!" she called. But there was no response. She tried looking for ,Lienne as well calling out her name, but there was no one to be seen. Not even an ant on the ground. Suddenly, she heard a scream. The voice sounded familiar to her. She raised her head to look for the sound, and in an instant, everything around her began to transform. The surroundings seemed to be in some place from the 2000s. Tannie felt lost when, out of the blue, she saw a man running towards her with a knife. She thought it was a robber who had already harmed Mr.Han. She immediately ducked trying to shield her head. But the man passed right through her as if she didn't even exist at the scene. Tannie was surprised. She looked at her arms and rest of her body which was absolutely scratch free. Still confused and feeling lost, she decided to follow the man. She ran after him until he stopped in front of a girl. With a predatory lunge, he cut off the other girl's escape route. Tannie was getting just a little idea of the situation. But as she took a quick glimpse of the girl her eyes widened and fixated on a single position. IT WAS LIENNE! in blood and flesh. The color was drained away from Tannie's face. Before she could even react, right in front of her, the guy held Lienne by her hair and dragged her to a corridor. Tannie kept screaming at the top of her lungs, asking for help, but she felt like a person who was traped inside a glass cylinder in between the deep sea, inaudible to everyone. She ended up following them all across the hall through which Lienne was dragged by her hair by the man. Her heart felt like it was being crushed in a vise, the air knocked from her lungs with each choked sob. The sight in front of her was heart-wrenching and despairing for her. The guy dragged Lienne and tossed her onto the wall of the old building so hard that it almost cracked. Lienne was on the verge of losing her consciousness. He pushed Lienne against the floor and tore open each piece of fabric she was wearing, along with his confederates, who had been already waiting for him. It gave chills down her spine when Tannie thought of the scenes she was be going to witness next. Tannie screamed at the top of her lungs again almost to the point where her voice was about to loose, begging them to stop, but there didn't seem to be any possibility of them even realizing her existence. Lienne had given up, she accepted her fate as she felt the monsters taking control over every part of her once so pure and divine body, one by one. Each shallow breath of hers seemed to drain the last vibrant colors from her once-blooming body. Tannie witnessed the whole event from beginning to end. A wave of numbness washed over her, anchoring her to the spot as the horrific scene unfolded before her.
A choked scream ripped through the night, shaking the entire hall. Lienne fell unconscious and lay naked, lifeless on the ground. Those men kept playing with the unconscious until they felt bored and left one after another. Now all that left was the first guy with the knife. Lienne, who lay there half dead, and Tannie, witnessing the entire tragedy helplessly. The guy's barbaric act didn't just stop here. He finally took out a knife from the pocket of the jacket he was wearing earlier, which he had put aside before commiting the act. He held the knife up with both his hands and buried it straight into Lienne's left breast, and a fountain of blood splattered onto his face. He started laughing hysterically and kept stabbing Lienne until his hands could no longer hold the knife. He laughed out loud for one last time and threw away the knife. He then went straight near Lienne's lower body and lay down, burying his face between her thighs into her flesh. The whole tragedy unfolded right in front of Tannie's eyes, one after another, which left her shell-shocked. The one who was talking to her a while back in the form of a spirit was lying in front of her with a body bathed in blood!? She was still not able to get a hold of herself. Dizziness took over her, and everything started to look hazy, vague. Tannie couldn't stay still anymore. She fainted and fell to the ground loosing her consciousness.
"Ma'am!? Tannie?!" called Mr.Han. Tannie was woken up, jolted, all drenched in sweat from head to toe, her heart pounding like a drum solo in her chest, the dream evaporating like smoke. " We have reached. Are you okay? You look pale.", said Mr.Han with a few wrinkles of worry appearing on his face. "Just feeling tired," said Tannie and opened the door of the car. "Do you ned any help?", asked Mr.Han. Tannie shook her head, showing denial, and hurriedly left the car. She rushed upstairs, heading directly towards her bedroom as soon as she got out of the car. Tears rolled down her cheeks, making her vision unclear. She couldn't stop recalling those vivid scenes she had dreamt about just a few minutes back. She was about to enter her room in a rush, with her body was still shivering from recalling the dream when she was greeted by a maid from their house. It was the head maid, Mrs. Bailley. Tannie was startled and fainted in her arms.
"Help! Is anyone out there? Young miss has fainted!! Hurry!" the maid called out for help. The whole mansion was alerted, and the workers rushed to attend Tannie without delay. Tannie was rushed to the hospital immediately.