Liana's POV:
As we kept following him, we somehow ended up in a dark alley. Honestly, I didn't even remember which side we came from. It felt like a maze of tiny houses stacked too close together.
Laura clutched my hand tightly. "Are we inside a slum or what?"
I swallowed hard and shook my head. "No… it's all buildings around, but maybe the place is just too crowded."
She glanced around, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I told you we shouldn't follow him. Now we've lost him and our way. What do we do now?"
Guilt twisted in my stomach. I should've listened to her. But here we were. I opened my mouth to say something when we suddenly heard footsteps from the other end of the alley, and a low whisper: "They're here… just finish them."
The words made my blood run cold. I froze for a second before forcing myself to breathe. "Take off your shoes," I whispered quickly. "Barefoot won't make much sound. We'll move quieter that way."
We slipped off our shoes and started tiptoeing ahead. Every sound felt louder than it should. The footsteps behind us grew closer, and we could hear the echo through the narrow path.
Laura shot me a glare and hissed under her breath, "See? He isn't your protective bodyguard. He's got goons now. Do you even realize what'll happen if they catch us?"
I lowered my head and kept walking without answering. She was right. The worst could happen… but I couldn't let anything happen to her because of me.
After a few tense turns, we hit a dead end. My heart was pounding louder than it should in my ears, while my palms were slick with sweat.
Laura's eyes darted around in fear. I could see her blinking rapidly, maybe trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall.
The alley was dim, and from the far end, I could see the glow of torchlight approaching. Just before the light hit us, someone yanked us into a small house. The door closed softly behind us.
My breath caught as I turned to see who it was. But her back was turned toward us. She signaled us to follow. We didn't think twice.
She led us through a narrow passage into a bedroom. Then she took off her jacket and smiled. "Hey… remember me?"
Relief flooded through me so fast that my knees almost gave out. I threw my arms around her. "How could I forget? You gave me your bike when I needed it, and now you saved both me and my bestie."
She chuckled softly. "I thought you'd forget me."
I pulled back from the hug, still catching my breath, and looked at Laura, who was eyeing us suspiciously.
"You can take off your mask, Laura," I said as I sat down on the edge of the bed. My hands were still trembling out of fear. Laura hesitated before slowly removing her mask. The girl gasped quietly when she saw her face.
I cleared my throat, trying to break the silence. "I think that day I forgot to ask your name."
She turned to me with a faint smile and walked over to get some water. "Yeah… you were in too much of a hurry."
Laura crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Yes, she could be sharp with people she didn't know. "Then say it now."
The smile faded from the girl's face, replaced with something that looked like hurt, or maybe disappointment. I felt a pang of guilt and shot Laura a look, but she only glared back.
"Eliza Voss," the girl said quietly. "I'm Eliza Voss, a student at the University of Tech." She placed the tray of water on the small table.
I smiled gently and took a sip. The cool water slid down my throat, washing away a bit of the fear still clinging to me. Laura just hummed and sat beside me, taking a sip too.
"You guys can rest for a while," Eliza said softly, setting the glasses aside with a small smile.
Her room was small, more like a student condo, but it felt cozy enough. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "It's fine… really."
Laura crossed her arms and murmured, "Yeah… fine. The room's like a coffin."
My eyes widened at her cruel words. I turned toward Eliza, who had lowered her head, pretending not to hear. My jaw clenched and I hissed under my breath, "Behave, Laura... At least be grateful she helped us or..."
"Or what, huh?" Laura snapped, pointing a finger at me. "I told you not to follow him in the first place!"
I grabbed her hand and glared right back. "And I told you not to follow me if you didn't want to!"
Before it could escalate, Eliza quickly stepped between us. "Guys, please… stop fighting. You both seem a little drunk."
Laura looked ready to fire back, but froze when Eliza lowered her gaze. Something flickered across Laura's face... maybe guilt, before she turned away. "Yeah… whatever. I need some sleep, even if it's in a coffin."
I bit back my urge to punch her and took a deep breath instead. Then I turned to Eliza. "So… you're a college student?"
Eliza forced a small smile and nodded, glancing toward Laura. "You might want to wash up first," she suggested gently. "The shower's that way." She pointed to a door. "It's small, but clean."
Laura hesitated for a moment but said nothing and just walked toward the bathroom.
I rubbed my forehead, letting out a weak laugh. "I really am a bit drunk."
Eliza smiled, "I have some oversized clothes. They're clean, don't worry. You both can wear them."
She was honestly too kind. I leaned back on my hands, watching her for a second. "So, you live alone here?"
She nodded and pulled a chair closer, sitting across from me. "Mm-hmm. I'm an international student, so yeah… I live alone. I work part-time at a supermarket, and this is all I can afford."
Wow... not just helpful but dedicated too. I nodded approvingly. "That's impressive. But… why this area? It doesn't seem safe."
Eliza grinned widely, and I could see her eyes sparkling a little. "You're right... it's not safe... But I'm a trained kickboxer."
My jaw dropped, and I sat up straighter. "Really?" I asked, impressed.
She nodded proudly. "Yup. Besides, the safer places are way too expensive." She pouted playfully, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Working in a supermarket, you should still be able to afford somewhere safer," I pointed out with a chuckle.
But her smile faltered. She looked down, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her shirt. Something was off, and she wasn't ready to share everything.
So, I decided to let it slide and placed a hand gently on Eliza's shoulder. "This place is beautiful, actually. And about Laura.... she can be mean to people she doesn't know. Don't take it personally, okay?"
Eliza hummed softly and managed a small, grateful smile. "I'll grab some clothes for you. Sounds like Laura's taking a shower."
I nodded, watching as she walked to the corner closet and pulled out two oversized T-shirts and two pairs of trousers. "Will these work?"
I frowned slightly as the tags caught my eye. "These are new?"
She nodded, placing them on the bed. "Yeah. I bought them yesterday."
I smiled faintly, picking up a shirt and trousers before knocking on the bathroom door. "Laura, take these."
She cracked the door open just enough to reach out and grab the clothes before shutting it again.
When she came out, I took my turn in the shower. I could hear them talking faintly through the door, but honestly, I didn't care, unless Laura said something that might upset Eliza.
It was surprising that we were still awake and somewhat sober after drinking so much just hours ago. Maybe danger sobers you up. Or maybe we were just too scared to let the alcohol do its job.
I pushed the thought away and stepped out, toweling my hair. Laura was already asleep, and the room was dimly lit. Eliza sat at her desk, studying, her eyes turning toward me as I entered.
She chuckled. "You look good in baby pink."
I grinned and sat on the bed. "I know. My…" I paused, not sure how to define what Ethilia and I were at this point... I hesitantly bit my lower lip..
Eliza seemed to notice and teased with a playful smirk, "Lover? Or crush?"
My eyes widened for a moment before I laughed. "Not sure… but she always says baby pink suits me."
Eliza leaned her elbow on the desk and rested her cheek on her palm, raising a brow. "So you're saying LiAura isn't real?"
I giggled and shook my head. "As lovers, no. But as friends? We're besties."
She stretched and smiled. "You should rest. I'm honestly amazed you're still sober after all that club drinking."
I raised an eyebrow as she picked up her phone and showed me something. It was edits and trends about us. I groaned and fell back on the bed. "Don't show me those."
She laughed softly, turning off the main light and leaving only the desk lamp on as she went back to her studies.
I watched her for a moment, wishing I could help somehow. She'd saved me twice already, and even though she was sweet, something about her told me she wasn't the type to easily accept help.
However, I glanced at the clock and it was 5 in the morning. My eyelids became heavy, and I let myself take some rest.