Chapter 31: Loranne's Secret

Me and Eric were speechless. That's because while we were eating lunch at the back of the school where the trees give a cool settling and a remediable place of when I had saved Loranne and Loranne had 'saved' me, Loranne arrived with her arm being cast. There was no need for us to ask her what happened since our face should be enough to convey our feelings. 

           "There was an accident when they were testing my ability, and well…this and that happened and I broke my arm."

            We were desperately trying to ask if she was alright, but we ended opening and closing our mouth like chicks asking for food. 

            "I'm fine, it hurts but it's not like I couldn't bare it. I honestly feel bad that because of my failure, I got the professor fired instead."

           Loranne had a face of guilt when there was nothing she should be feel wrong about. As a professor who is responsible of nurturing our ability with experiments and drugs, it is their responsibility to ensure our safety, even from a slight discomfort could lead to a professor's end of career here in Praetor Academy. 

           "Do you think you could still eat with us?" asked Eric in concern. "It's fine, since it's my left hand that was injured, my everyday life could still go normally."

            She said with a smile that tried to comfort us even though she's the one that needs comforting the most. It won't be wrong to say she was used to pain, because her training menu was tough yet fun for her, she would always have at least a small bruise on her, since she was shy to show it, she would always wear long sleeves. Anyway, we ate as usual while conversing our normal days, since the three of us are now in different class, there was a lot of things we could share and we had fun in this simple life of ours.

            "By the way, Eric have you join any club yet?" 

            "It's already been three weeks since the semester starts so of course I have, it's the soccer club you know, but Claudia don't tell me you still can't decide yet?"

            A lump was made on my throat an move my gaze away. One of the biggest difference one you enter third grade in this school, is that you are now fully able to choose and join any club available and let me tell you the numbers are no joke in this school. There are a few I had aim on like the Science Research Club that involves many science experiments and handling chemicals I've been dying to get my hands on, but I can't make a haste choice without properly observing all the clubs. In the end, it took me three weeks without choosing anything. 
            "Then Lora, what about you?" recently, I've started to call her Lora instead of Loranne since it felt long to say it, she seem happy enough that made me wonder if she likes having a nickname. Her spoon stop in the middle before it reaches her mouth, she put it down and went silent. I tried to ask her one more time which she replied, "I'm not joining."
             "But Loranne, it's mandatory for us to join at least one club or it'll affect your grade, or worst you might not graduate because of it."
           "I'M NOT JOINING!"
            Even though Eric had only tried to reason her smoothly, her reply stunned the two of us. Lora seemed to realize what she had done, her face turns pale and she left in a rush without a word. Me and Eric started to look at each other, confused, hoping the other knew what happened but in the end left clueless. 

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Lora must have felt bad for yelling since she kept hesitating on coming up to talk to us even though we didn't mind it that much, we decided came up to her and decide to forget the whole thing. However, the second strange thing happen when father called to my phone and said he would be late so I should either go home with my sisters, or hang out with my friends somewhere near. Out of the blue, I ask of her if I could visit her house. 
            "Hmm, that's a bit...troubling for me." she said  with a slight guilt on her face. Maybe because I've been too comfortable with her that I became carried away, I almost beg her to let me visit her house, saying I wanted to play with her longer. Besides I never play in her house-or in this case her apartment-so I wanted to try visiting just once. 
            Without being able to cope with my pleading, Lora finally gave in since her mother will be away for most of the day. She kept murmuring that 'it'll be fine' or 'just act normal' yet I didn't pay it much heed so I forgot about it soon enough.
             Her apartment was only a short distance from school, so we walked toward it. The usual weeds that were almost as high as my eight year old self had been cut so the lawn apartment didn't look like a jungle anymore. We took the stairs and she opened the lock door that was three doors down the hall. I heard she was living with only her mother, she never talked about her father so I never probed at i, but even her own mother, she only talked about her in general and would usually changed the subject.  
            Anyway, the room itself was small but was I judge enough for two people. The living room consist of only  two chairs and small coffee table with a 20 inch screen television across it. The floor was covered with dark green carpet and you could feel its roughness with your bare feet, and the wall were white with lots of blemished and nothing that decorates it. there was only one bulb lamp hanging, quite old fashion if I must say since she needed to pick up a chair and pull the rope trigger, there's also a folded bed stashed beside the TV and a bookshelves with our schoolbooks stashed by the other. I wonder why though, it's only a small normal living room, but I feel something was amiss, I wonder what it is.  
            "I'll make some tea, so at the meantime, wait for me here and Claudia.... please don't wander the house, okay!" 
            She went to the kitchen to prepare tea even though she didn't need to be that considerate, only in cases like this where the timid and silent Lora would show how independent and hard working she is, but lately she wasn't as timid as before and would openly show her opinion, somehow looking at my friend growing up made me tear up a little like a mother watching her daughter grow. 
            10 minutes passed and there was no sign of her returning, the timing takes too long for someone who was only trying to prepare tea. Out of a whim, I walked around the room. I  know it wasn't polite to do that when she said I shouldn't wander around here, but it's not like I'm going to other people's room right? Is what I thought, but then I head toward where I thought it would be her room, I wasn't sure why but it felt like only that particular room was calling me. 
           That became my first mistake. 
           The one I had opened was in fact not her room, I knew when I saw the clothes and lingerie on organized on the floor, but the room was dark and I had the urge to get inside. It was perplexing why the back of my neck was stinging the moment I got in. I wasn't sure what it is that had pushed me inside but the room was without a doubt weird, actually it's more like chaos. 
            On one side the floor is filled with unwashed clothes, the other side is full of trash bags that piles up with its foul stench, you could barely find the floor. All though the bed was clean, the cleanliness looks like no one had used the bed for a long time. I'm sure the right choice of action was to get out as soon as possible, but again my neck came stinging the moment I turned toward the door.
            I knew from its position that it connect with the room beside it, I knew something bad was going to happen if I open it. As if getting attracted to it, my hands helplessly open the door. I knew if this room was her mother's than the room on the other side would be Lora's. I gulped and open it without being able to hold back the urge that kept stinging me. 
            That became my second mistake. 
            Just like in this room, Lora's room was dark, there was only a simple bed, a desk across it and a closet beside, but other than that it felt like an empty room. She felt the dust that had piled here for at least a year or two. 
            Then... I saw it.....
            A black bag that resemble the worm bed that people used when camping, with it's face the only thing visible and sticking out, I saw the face of a skeleton. At first I thought it was only a nasty decoration, but from the stench that was mostly covered by the trash on the room next door, I touch the bone that had a rough texture but I know was a person's bone. A bad wave over loomed me, yet the stinging on my neck became tingling as if it was happy. 
            "I told you not to wander off."
            I turned where the voice came from which I then saw Lora, with two hands holding the two glasses, her face was wet from tears and her voice was cracked as well. "Why did you have to open that door." 
              It then dawned on me the amiss feelings I kept feeling from when we started to hang out, why there were no photos on this room, why her textbooks were on the living room shelves instead of her room, why there were old bruises that didn't look like came from school, why she was stubborn on not joining clubs. Not all the answer was there but I knew it was connected somehow. 
            When I was racking my brain, she let go of the two glasses, letting out a crash sound that strains the ear and before I was able to react, she had already put her hand around my neck. 

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