Chapter 40: Lora's Identity

Everything started to come into pieces, yet I still don't know the identity of the corpse. The other crucial parts I need right now would be proof, or else everything would only be my conjuctuary and it's also the hardest thing to get. 

            I wasn't sure if it's the right course of action, but I believe that checking out her phone would lead to something. However, not using her phone meant she isn't even holding it right now, but for Zilla not to be able to track it, either it's destroyed or someone had taken off its data.

            Finding the phone....might be an impossible task. Now what to do next, "There's the approach of getting Lora to talk, will she answer if I ask?" 

            Most likely not, I answered to myself. Again, I'm hitting against another wall, not knowing what to do next. 

           "Lady Claudia, is something the matter?"

            Zilla's word of concern brought me back to reality, I ask for her to continue telling me her finding since I doubt she call for just that. 

            "Yes, you see....there is a troubling thing I found..." Zilla explain in a short an detailed, but she was roundabout what she meant to tell me. When I got the meaning of her findings, my phone almost slip from my hand and I hardly....no, I had refused to believe. However, with Zilla the one checking, there's no room for doubt at the fact and my hand began to tremble along with my wavering heart. 

            "I need to meet Lora."

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 I knew just asking her to come out would result in vain, so I had made sure to ambush her on her way home, her scream when I tackle her from the side was simple adorable, which is also why I was depressed how she step back as if she had seen a ghost.  

            "So what do you want to talk about?" Said Lora with her hands crossed against her chest. She might try to look overbearing but to me, she didn't look any different with her always nervous self. Sometimes I wonder why she was so silent, why she barely talk about herself, why I was the only one she was so closed to. 

          "Lora, we're friends right?"

           Her cheeks began twitch at my question, her eyes look down and quickly look back at me, she open her mouth but only until a few seconds pass did her voice came out. 

           "No, we're not, not anymore" her lips quiver at the last sentence and her eyes glistened. 

            Toward that I..... "But you know Lora, I still think you're my friend, no matter what you think of me and no matter who or where you're from, that fact won't change for me. That's why, I want us to talk properly."

            Lora began to hesitate to look straight at me, her eyes started wondering at every corner as if trying to find an escape route and her feet kept tapping on agitatedly.  "There's nothing for us to talk about" she said flatly and started to walk briskly past me. I couldn't help smile wryly how she acts as how I imagine she would. 

           I blocked her way, stopping her from her tracks. "Then just hear me out, because  I just want you to listen, please...." 

          Lora began to yield, seeing me partly pleading for her to lend her ears. "You know Lora, these days I've been thinking about how much I didn't know about you and what you're thinking of, and it made me think how much I want to get to know you." I took a deep breath before I resolve myself to continue, "I know what I did may be rude to you but these past few days I've been investigating about you and you're family. That your father died 2 years ago, your mom doesn't have a stable job, that someone's been helping behind you two.....I should just get to the point, Lora—who are you?"

            Lora had her eyes widen when I said that, but rather than staying surprised or getting flustered, she made a heavy sigh and made a wry smile as if a burden has been lifted off from her shoulder.  

           "Aren't you worried that I knew?"

            "I knew I should be, but oddly I feel at ease when it's from you" she said with eyes that said she had given up on something. "How much do you know?" She asked.

             "I don't know how much I am right, so can I tell you what I think happened?" Lora nodded in consent and leaned toward the wall surrounding her small apartment as if saying she has time. 

            "Your fath—I meant Loranne's father, everything started from his incident was it? At that night 2 years ago, he called out toward a certain man, a man who he works together with and he held that man's weakness. I don't know if he was blackmailing or was convincing him to stop and give himself up. I'm not sure if that's correct but I thought it was the most probable motive....for him to get killed."

            Lora didn't rebuke and silently listen so I continued. "That day, he also got a call from his wife, and I thought what if....what if she had accidentally listen to the conversation  up until he was thrown off the balcony. The fact that her husband was killed by her former lover was too much for her to handle, driving her insane....so she ended up killing her daughter, which is also the killer's daughter. The man didn't want his connection with his wife to be known so he had made sure to replace her daughter so the police would stay out of his way."

           Before long, even when she tried keeping her poker face but her breathing became clearer toward my ear, even I myself didn't want to continue further, but....I had to.

           "He then probably bought or adopted an orphan girl similar to or had her undergo a face surgery to impersonate his daughter. He then had her stayed with her and threaten the two to keep on playing mother and daughter, probably because she had lost some of her sanity or maybe because she regretted killing her own daughter, in the end she accepted you, but at the same time she couldn't help but lash at you since you were brought by that ma–"

           Before long, I cut off my words seeing her cry. There was too much burden and pain she had to keep all alone, she was wiping her tears as it continue to flow. I lean beside her and waited until she starts to calm down. 

            "Done?"

            "Done"

            Her eyes and nose were bright reds, and now and then she would hiccup between her erratic breathing. "Mother is....a difficult woman and pitiful as well. She isn't in a normal state of mind so I tried to sooth her as much as I could....ah don't think that means I don't mind being beaten, it's just that when she calms down she would often care and love like a mother would, Claudia might not believe this though" she said with a weak laugh. 

           "That's also why the corpse is still there, for some reason when she holds her, she calms down, she also makes sure the one watching doesn't know the corpse existence. By the way, I had make sure to hide the listening device around the house when you came over so don't worry about being watch" 

           My eyes widen at the last part, now that I think about it, it wouldn't be weird for me to get watch from my suspicion movement that day, more so if they had a listening device which they should if anyone intends to surveil on someone.

            "Thanks" 

             Lora nodded in response. We stood there in silent, unable to find the right words for each other. The streets were silent, yet time to time the sound of motorcycle roaring would pass us by and we both would always ended follow it by gaze. The sun and sky had yet to dye red, but it wouldn't be long for sure. 

            "Don't you find me despicable?"

            I turned irritated at her after hearing her question that had took me by surprise, "Why in the world would you think that?"

           Lora bit her lips, hesitated to answer, "Aren't I despicable, an orphan girl that has nothing, to be given a place to live, taking another person identity and living her life while she rots at my own house."

            "You didn't had a choice for that"

            "No Claudia, if I was given a choice, I would without a doubt choose this life knowing it's a sin. That's why, I deserve to be alone."

           "Then why did you approach me, why did you become my friend?" Without meaning to, my words were louder and had took Lora aback. I tried to hold back my words as to say the words properly without startling her. 

            "I may have given in to my desire, that time when you said you wanted me as a friend, I was so happy that I didn't care about anything and just wanted to stay with you even if it's for a while, and I...I was tired of being alone." 

            I hug her tightly to her surprise, my chest tightens and I was at the verge of tears like her. She slowly lifted her hand and hug me back. "I'll keep on staying with you, don't think I let you cast me aside after all this time." 

            Lora nodded again and we stayed where we are until she let go from surprise after I ask her to let her show me the skeleton once more. 

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You know how many artist gets inspiration from weird habits. Mine seems to come from stress, just had my first midterm test, and there's 6 more to go. I want to laugh and cry. 

After I finished it today, I had that moment which I was satisfied but then I realized there was a similar setting of another story -_-

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