THE TRUTH

PRESENT TIME

_____________________________________

AMBER'S POINT OF VIEW

"All of you tormented her, but she did not complain. She tried to redeem herself, when in fact, she didn't even owe you anything."

My recollection of the past was cut when the woman in front of us speaks all of a sudden. I raised my head and look at her blood-shot eyes. She's trying to stop her tears from falling.

"She left your lives and started anew, but fate had a different plan. She had to come back even though she had all the reasons not to. She had to faced all the people who almost destroyed her life again. She tried to detached and distant herself from all of you because she wanted to live a peaceful life!"

My forehead creased. I don't understand. Why does she seem to be referring to someone else? Why is she addressing herself in other's point of view? I'm confused!

"But all of you are bunch of brutal and merciless demons! You tormented her to death! You killed her! My sister pleaded and begged on her knees but you didn't listen!"

My mouth fell on the floor. I was deaf for a moment, unable to process everything. I met the raging eyes of the person standing in front of us.

"W-Who are you?" I asked underneath my breath.

The corner of her lips quirked up. "I'm Asther Blare Sullivan, the sister of the person you mercilessly killed."

That familiar surname triggered a strange emotion inside of me. Even my other friends were just staring at the empty air, apparently trying to digest the revelation. None of us knows the existence of this woman. Astreia never mentioned that she has a sister.

Uncle Hector never introduced his family to us when he was still serving for my father as the latter's right hand. We just met them when my father took them on our house when Uncle Hector died out of a car accident according to the police investigation. But this woman is a complete stranger to me. So how?

I flinched on my seat when she suddenly lunged on my direction  and grabbed my jaw. "How can you live a normal life knowing that someone suffered because of you, Amber?! Where did you get the guts to smile and act as if no one died in your hands! How, Amber?! How?!" The veins in her neck almost popped out as she spout those words.

I clenched my fists and look at her with the same intensity. "She deserved it."

I saw how the fury in her eyes scorches more.

I sneered. "Your sister deserves to die. The blood of the person who ruined our family is running on her veins! My mother left me, you don't have any idea how devastating it was. That whore was the reason why my mother left me all lone! If they hadn't came to our lives, we would have been fine. Your mother was the reason why our lives became mess up!"

I catch my breath after shouting those words. Silence took over the corners of the room. My eyebrows furrowed when she laughs out of the blue.

"You are really stupid." I glared at her. She's smirking while looking at me as if I'm the dumbest person she has ever meet. "All your reasons are as pathetic as you." She walks behind me that made me vigilant. "You're unreasonable and outrageous. You killed my sister because my mother destroyed your family?" She laughs harshly. "You're hilarious."

I can feel her breath on my neck, sending quiver down my spine. I was holding my breath while she's blabbering those words, afraid that she might attack out of the sudden.

Her presence is making me paranoid!

"Let me tell you a story to enlighten that clouded minded of yours," she said while walking around me.

"There was once a family who's contented of what they have. They may not have those deep pockets and opulence, but they were happy. Everything was fine, but life is indeed cruel... no, some people living in this world are cruel. One of the child was abducted. Do you want to know who was I referring to?"

All of us listened to her intently.

"It was me, Amber. I was abducted by those nefarious criminals. Imagine the trauma that I felt during that time that I was caged inside that dark and filthy room. I was just fourteen years old that time."

She lets out a bitter laugh. "My family tried to look for me. But the people behind my abduction was far more powerful than us, they couldn't do anything but to get worried sick of my disappearance. I was imprisoned there for almost a year. It made me confused as to why my abductors did not even hurt me physically, they just kept me behind those closed walls. I didn't even have the chance to attend my father's funeral and witness his face for the last time because I was fucking there! Locked up and confined inside that wretched place!"

Anyone who can hear her voice can feel the contempt and despair laced on it.

"But it was all part of the plan to lure my mother inside the devil's territory." My brows snapped together. "Starting from my abduction, to the killing of my father, it was all schemed by the man that my family trusted."

A lump clogged my throat. My heart is clenching in fear as beads of sweat started to form on my forehead.

No, it couldn't be.

"Your wicked and ruthless father planned everything, Amber! It was not us who destroyed your family. It was your father who plotted everything just to get us under his control!"

"What?!" Sloane and Pierce exclaimed in chorus. Ethan and Evan gasped in surprise, while Ashley's mouth fell open.

Tears brimmed my eyes. My father may not be a good husband and a parent to me, but he's not that evil.

I shake my head fervently. "No! No! Stop lying! My father would never do that! Stop trying to fool me!" I screamed my lungs out.

Asther scoffed. "I'm not making up stories, Amber. I am not as atrocious as your vile father." She stared at me with a flat expression. "He ordered his men to kidnap me and took advantage of the situation. Then he proceed on eliminating my father by putting an explosive on the car that he used when his death took place."

"That was all an accident!"

"It wasn't, Amber, it was a complete ruse, even the investigation result was perfectly intrigued," she responded with a strong conviction.

"W-Why would my father do that?"

There's a moment of silence between us.

"Because he's obsess with our mother."

My face turned pale. I pursed my lips, but end up saying nothing. I seemed to swallow my tongue. I just stared at Asther with confusion.

"Atticus looked at my own father as the only hurdle of completely possessing my mother. That's the reason why he killed him. After that, he asked my mother to live in your mansion as a token of gratitude of my father's contribution to the company. Having no choice, she agreed, thinking that Atticus' succor was genuine. But that was the biggest mistake that my mother did."

I thought I already heard the worst revelation, but what she said next tremble my entire sanity.

"Atticus raped Esthrella, Amber."

Those words kept ringing in my ears like a distorted disc. It's like something is squeezing my heart with every passing seconds. The silence around us is making it hard for me to breathe.

"No..." I said in a barely audible voice.

Asther smiled sadly. "Yes, Amber. He did it. That's how evil your father is." She looks above the ceiling. " The support that he gave to my mother and sister was just a facade of his true intentions."

I throw her a confuse glance. "W-What?"

"He raped her in exchange of my freedom." A tear escaped her eyes. "It didn't happen once, Amber. Your father molested my mother repeatedly. And you know what's making me more sick? He made it seemed like what happened between them is an affair when it's clearly not!"

The tension went to the roof.

I don't want to believe her. Heck, what she's saying right now is against my father! But the emotion that comes along with her voice is telling me to believe her. Everything that she says are making sense. I feel so ashamed.

"They were able to escaped his hands. They took me with them and we live in peace on a sequestered place where your father had a hard time finding us. But that tranquility did not even last long when my mother discovered that she was pregnant with the man who sexually abused her!"

The erratic beating of my heart doubles. Every passing seconds is suffocating me.

"She was depressed, Amber! Every day was a pure torture for us, we suffered because of the trauma that your father inflicted on us!"

Asther tried to stop the relentless falling of her tears. "But you know what pushed my mother to the edge?" Her gaze narrowed at me. "When we heard the news of my sister's death. That's what pushed her to commit suicide! I lost everything because of your family! "

My breathing hitched.

"Now tell me..." She cupped my cheeks. "Tell me that we're the one who ruined your perfect pristine life!"

I regret everything. I want to hurt myself for not questioning my father. I let my anger blind me, the reason why I wasn't able to know the truth. My conscience is eating me up.

I bow my head. "Sorry. I-I didn't know," I uttered breathlessly.

She heaved out a sigh. "I'm sorry too, Amber," she said softly. I raised my head and met her gaze. Her lips slowly curled into a grin. "Because conscience has no place in my heart right now."

My blood run cold when she suddenly throws a knife on my direction that immediately pierced into the wall behind us. I felt a pain on my left face, the edge of the knife grazed my left cheek which immediately bled.

"An eye for an eye."

I was rooted on my seat, afraid. Her burning eyes bore into me.

"I will make sure that you will taste the pain that you have inflicted in our lives," Asther said, her voice dripping low.

The woman leaning on the wall walks beside her, the corner of her lips rising. "Hold your horses, Blare. Don't forget that this bitch was also indebted to me, and she has to pay for all those years of my sufferings because of her selfish intent," Summer interjected.

"W-What are you going to do with us?" Ethan asked, stammering in fear.

Asther sneered. "Don't worry, Ethan, we'll just hurt you all-" she walks towards his direction and grab his jaw tightly. "really... really bad."

"Don't you fucking touch my brother!" Evan intervened.

Asther turned her attention to him. "Aw, how dramatic." She even sighed heavily to taunt him. "The bastard who mercilessly molested my sister is acting like a damn hero for his beloved brother. Why, Evan? Are you afraid to experience the same suffering that you made my sister experienced?"

Evan averted his gaze and speaks no more.

"Kill us, then."

My forehead creased. All of us looked at Pierce who said those words. His face was void of any emotions. Asther arched a brow at him.

He grinned. "You want to kills us to avenge  the death of your family, right? Then do it," he said emotionlessly.

"What the fuck are you saying, Pierce?!" Sloane asked, his voice rising. But he did not even spare him a glance and continue staring at the two woman in front of us.

"What will you gain with your planned vengeance? Will it change something?" He scoffed. "Even if you successfully killed all of us here, it will never change the fact that your mother and sister are already dead, and they will never come back to life no matter what."

Sadness passed through Asther's eyes.

"You will still live a sad and solitary life, and it will never change even if you witness our deaths."

Summer's eyes narrowed. "Shut up." She turned to Asther. "Don't listen to this bastard."

Silence hover around us. Pierce's words seemed to trigger an unnamed emotion on Asther. For a few moment, she just stared at us.

"You're right," she said and smiled sadly while nodding her head. "Even if I murder you all here, my family won't rise to the grave anymore. I'm not stupid enough not to realized that." The emotions on her face disappeared. "But you're wrong at the same time. What will I get from killing all of you? Satisfaction." She smirks. That sinister smile sends a subtle shiver on my body. "The satisfaction of seeing your bodies bathing in blood- lifeless and cold. That would be a heavenly sight."

Asther and Summer laugh together. I look at the anxious face of my friends, their eyes are roaming around, probably trying to look for something that will help us to escape. Sloane and Evan are also trying to untie the knots of the rope, but they miserably failed because it was too tight. They really made sure that we're helpless against the two of them.

My eyes widened when I remember someone. Fuck, where the hell is she?!

"W-Where is Lorelei?" I asked nervously.

Before they could answer, someone opened the door.

"Lorelei? She's dead now."

Shock is an understatement to describe the reaction on our faces. H-he was one of them?, But h-how? W-what's his reason for doing this?!

"A-Aeron..."

"W-Why?"

Ashley and I uttered in chorus.

"You fucking traitor," Evan said, his voice laced with contempt.

His gaze settled on him, and I saw how his eyes scorches with rage. "How does it feel being in a pathetic and hopeless situation, Evan? It's frustrating, isn't it?" He chuckled humorlessly.

"W-Why the hell are you doing this? W-We didn't do anything bad to you!" Ethan asked, his eyebrows are knitted, apparently confused and loss.

"To me? None. But to the woman I love the most? Yes. You did something unforgivable. And the only thing that can at least atone for your sins are your lives."

Without any preamble, he lunged towards Evan and grabbed his collar. He looks like a wild predator looking down at his prey. "You took Astreia's life, the woman who gave me reason to continue living. The woman who stayed at the lowest point of my life."

We gasped in surprise. My eyebrows furrowed. I suddenly remember those times that I saw them together before. So that explains why he's so warm and kind towards her despite the dispute between us. He never conspired with us to trample Astreia.

Aeron couldn't contain his emotions anymore. He started punching Evan's face. "I wanted to defend her from all of you, I badly wanted to clear her tainted name even if it means severing the amity between us because all of you believed Amber's erroneous accusation! But she begged me not to meddle with her problem. So I did. I tried not to bat an eye with the torment you hurled at her. But you crossed the line." His voice became more dangerous. "You killed her."

Evan's lips were already bleeding because of Aeron's strong and repeated blows. Even his eyes were almost swollen. He coughed when Aeron tighten his grip on him. "You don't have any idea how much I longed for this day, Evan. I've been itching for the day to witness your horrible death with my own eyes. And that day.... is now."

THIRD PERSON'S POINT OF VIEW

The tension inside the room skyrocketed. The three of them stared at their captives with a creepy smile.

"Do you want to save yourself, Pierce?"

Pierce raised his head and stared at Asther with a furrowed eyebrow. "What?" He asked.

The woman smirked. "Among the six of you, you're the one who did nothing to my sister. You did not lay your hands on her. Though you didn't do anything to saved her either, that's understandable since they are your friends. Now I'm giving you a chance." To his surprise, Asther handed him a hand. "Choose someone that you want to kill. Your life in exchange of someone from your friends."

His mouth went agape. What she said was all true. He was against their plan with Astreia. Though he understands the pain of his friend, Amber, he thinks that what they did to their former classmate was too much. Despite his reluctance, he couldn't do anything but to watch the girl's sufferings.

Still, he can't abandon these people who are looking at him with a 'you won't do that, right?' look.

Pierce shakes his head. "You're crazy."

The grin on Asther's lips vanished. "What? I'm already giving you a chance to save yourself. That's a generous offer, Pierce. I know you're not stupid enough to choose these monstrosities."

Pierce's mind is in mess. He wants to save himself from the wrath of the people in front of him, but he can't abandon his friends either.

He sighed after collecting his resolve. "I will die along with them," he said with finality.

Asther huffed. She shakes her head. " I am beyond disappointed. Oh well-" she shrugged her shoulders. "I can't do anything about your pathetic decision. Now watch your friends suffer."

She walks towards a closet.

Ashley shudder on her seat when Asther stands in front of her while holding an ice pick, its sharp edge gleaming with the light. "No! Please don't!"

The latter stared at her blankly. Without saying any words, she stabs her eyes using the ice pick.

"Ahhh!" Ashley's cries of anguish resounded in the room. She's quivering on her spot because of the pain. The others just stared at her in horror.

"Ash..." Amber uttered breathlessly.

Blare showed no mercy and dig the metal pick deeper on her eyes, she continuously do it until she was satisfied. Her lips are curved into a sinister smirk. She held the pick until it sank into her head, and Ashley's voice faded on thin air. She pulled the ice pick out, and blood ooze out of her eyes. Sloane's stomach almost churns with the grisly sight in front of him. He saw his friend's eyeballs rolling on the floor, it was pulled out of its socket.

"Oops! I think I stabbed her eyes too much!" Asther laughs along with Summer and Aeron.

Ethan's face blanched when Aeron walks on his direction. He can't hide his fear anymore. He knows that their lives will end tonight, and the people standing in front of them will decide that. The former's face went sideways when Aeron punched him forcefully. He can see the wrath on the latter's eyes.

"I still want to play with you a little, but we're already running out of time. Goodbye, Ethan," Aeron whispered right on his ears. His eyes widened when he felt an excruciating pain on his chest. He didn't even notice the gun that he's holding. Blood came out of his mouth. Aeron shot him without any hesitations. He looks at the man whom he thought as a friend. A sad smile made its way on his lips.

"Noooo! I'm going to fucking kill you! You bastard!" Evan screamed when he saw how his brother slowly close his eyes. He tried to break out from the ropes binding his body, but a cold and sharp knife pointed on his neck petrified him.

"Your voice ticks me off so much, you need to be silenced now," Asther whispered at him in a dangerous voice.  "Aeron, open this guy's mouth." The man complied. He tried to fend them off but he could only do so much with the ropes rendering him immobile. Evan's distorted scream filled the room when Asther slowly cuts his tongue

His heart is beating erratically while looking at the portion of his flesh on the floor. Tears brimmed his eyes. Suddenly, Aeron forcefully lifted his face. He can't see any pity on those pair of orbs. Accepting his tragic defeat, he closes his eyes. Not so long after, the sound of a gunshot echoed through the corners of the room. Evan's head hangs low.

Amber is already crying on her seat while watching the horrifying scene. Three of her friends are already dead.

"Don't worry, Amber. You will follow your friends soon, hmmm?" Her blood run cold when Summer's cold whisper fondle against the skin of her neck.

.