Chapter 11: Her Diary

JADE:

My tears were streaming down my face as I walked towards my dorm.

I can’t believe it! My best friend doubted my version of what had happened between me and Kix!

As soon as I was able to reach my dorm, I went straight into my room, and I immediately plopped myself on the bed.

Four years ago, my life was ruined because of Kix Sarmiento. He was my high school classmate. He was nothing special… He and I existed in two different worlds. He was into sports, and he loved being the center of attention. I was a quiet kid who loved books and studying. There was no way he would notice a girl like me, but thinking that thought was the first of the many mistakes I had done when it came to him…

After showering me with affection and declaring that he loved me and no one else, he started to loathe me without a reason.

The worst part was that, at the end of it all, he was able to turn all the blame towards me. I became abhorred by many. I became a target of their abuse…

After that incident in the bathroom, a lot of people started to doubt my sanity. They thought I had simply gone crazy.

It didn’t matter to me at all, however. The important thing was that my parents believed me, and Dianna, my best friend, believed in me too, or so I thought…

I wiped my tears away at this point. There was no use getting sad about what had happened before… I can’t change my past, and I certainly can’t convince people if they don’t believe in my story.

I have to focus on the now. I opened my laptop and started researching about Marian one more time.

I looked at the things I had procured from Marian’s locker. There was a USB stick, her phone, which was out of batteries, and the stacks of paper she had about auto suggestion. There was also the blood-smeared card from earlier. It had led me into a new clue about Marian.

There was one last clue written on the card. I tried once more to see if I could decipher the numbers that were smeared by blood, but it was no use. The stain had already dried.

There were still the numbers ‘98756’ written on in that were still highly legible, so maybe I could start with that. I typed the numbers in the computer and searched the Internet.

I searched for hours, following any links in the Internet, but there was nothing I could find about the numbers at this point that made any sense.

After a while, I fumbled at the USB stick. I inserted it to my laptop, hoping that it contained more clues that will lead me to the real killer.

As expected of a college student, the USB was filled with files related to her field of study: Psychology. There were files marked as projects, home works, and research. There were very minimal pictures, and when I opened them, they were all related to her course. There weren’t any personal pictures.

I scanned through its contents a bit more. There must be something, anything that would lead me further into the truth inside these files...

I was about to give up my search when I saw it. Bingo! As soon as I clicked a folder entitled ‘Mine,’ I found a solitary folder with the title ‘Diary.’

This could be a real gold mine!

Happy to have found it, I hoped with all my heart that this could lead into something good.

When I opened the folder, I was dismayed to find that there were merely ten entries. The files were named after the dates they were made. I opened the first of them. The title was’ May 21’:

Dear Diary,

I did it! I finished my second year in college successfully!

Although things had not been easy since I had to work and study at the same time, I was able to do it. I am so happy!

I can’t wait to join the regular semester in a couple of weeks and become a third year student! I’m sure things will be more exciting.

If my mom and dad had somewhat survived, will they be proud of me? I’m really going to be a new person after this. I am going to be a happier, friendlier, and more confident person. Just wait for it. 

Love,

Mari

I clicked another entry. This time, I picked something that should be close to the date of her disappearance and accident. It was entitled ‘Aug 4’:

Dear Diary,

As always, my subjects are hard, but it’s extra hard this semester since I opted to get advance research classes.

Good thing I had set my mind to choose a topic for research beforehand. I’ve already collected a lot of research materials on hypnosis and autosuggestion too, so my paperwork will probably run smoothly.

I plan to start recruiting respondents on my social media account too. I wanted to know the general opinion people have about autosuggestion, and possibly make friends. I’m already getting excited on the prospect of knowing people who are interested in this topic. I don’t want to stay lonely too…

Love,

Mari

Marian’s unspoken words pained my heart. She was clearly feeling a bit lonely.

I sighed. Although I am surrounded by friends, I feel lonely too, especially after discovering that my own best friend doubted my story…

I clicked on the next entry, ‘August 7’. It read:

Dear Diary,

I found something very curious.

In my research, I came across a forum, and they were talking about a website called “The Red Shoes’ Curse.”

At first, I thought it was just a site that wanted to scare people. It talked about the origin of the fairytale. Later on though, I felt like I was reading a confession.

Recently, two college students had been brutally killed. They were all over the news. The police said no suspects were identified yet.

The writer in this website, “The Red Shoe’s Curse,” he’s saying he killed them – two female college girls - because they were inflicted by a curse.

What do you think? Should I look further into this?...

Your Friend,

Mari

My heart wouldn’t stop throbbing. What the hell did Marian just wrote here?

My reverie was quickly shaken by a sudden rap at the door.

I stood and looked at the peephole attached to the door before I even considered opening it. Who could be on the other side?

I half-expected Dianna to be there. She must have realized she had hurt me deeply and probably went there to say sorry. I wouldn’t be able to resist her for long, so we would probably make up, if that will be the case.

My heart stopped. It wasn’t my best friend at all who was on the other side. It was someone totally unexpected. I felt my heart went out of its rib cage in utter surprise.