FRUITLESS INQUIRIES

"Ouch..ouch!"

That bastard will soon pay for this. In just a matter of days, I'm going to make him pay dearly. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him that my memory came back. I have been making a fool of him for a while. I can't wait to slam it in his face—how stupid and foolish he has been. Ooh, how I will laugh at your face, Ejay Harrison Wells or Matthews De’Mario! I will call you both names that day! My filthy cousin!

That day, I will make you feel exactly how it feels to be played for a fool, and that same day, I will put an end to your reign. To this dirty life you have subjected everyone to. And to your life as well. You think you are the one to decide my fate, but it's me who will decide how your filthy life will end. I will turn the tables on you in a way you will not even imagine.

I continue washing off the blood from my wounds. On the list, the one on the lip is not bad. It's just a small cut that will heal in three days or so. The one on the forehead, well, that will take about two weeks to heal, and the scars will probably remain there forever given that there will be no doctor to attend to me. But no worries. These scars will always remind me of the big sacrifice I had to make for my loved ones. Someday, I will look at them and feel no more pain but joy after attaining victory over this monster.

I hear the sound of my door opening from the bathroom, but I don't care to look to see who it is. Who could it be anyway, aside from that devil again? He must have come back to mock me again, laugh at me, and remind me how nobody messes with him or how he does not forgive betrayal. As if he knows the meaning of betrayal! Screw him!

When I am done with my business, I walk out, and my eyes meet with Bernie's. She must have frozen on the spot after seeing the situation here. The broken door is still lying on the floor, with some pieces of the mirror scattered on the floor.

"Bernie?" Bernie was the youngest of us all in the other club. If I can remember correctly, she ought to have turned fourteen a week ago.

"Gia," she calls. I know she wants to hug me, but she is afraid that she might.

"It's alright. I don't have broken bones, you know." That's what she was waiting for. She hugs me slightly, but I pull her close.

"How can you even manage to make fun of a situation like this, Gia? Gosh! Your neck looks like you encountered a vampire or a werewolf. And your face? My God, Gia!" She exclaims.

"It's nothing, Bernie. Don't worry about me. How are you? How have you been?" I ask.

"Staying strong, as always. This place is not for the faint, you know? Sit down. I will disinfect your wounds." She says, and I know she doesn't want to keep talking about her life here. Nobody would. I sit down on the bed while she starts to tend to my wound, starting with the severe one on the forehead.

"I admire your courage, Bernie. You are strong. Don't ever let that courage waver." I say to her.

"I am the one who admires you the most, Gia. You were able to control that monster before. You dared to do what none of us ever dared to do, not even his business partners. That is why, when you were out there, I was hopeful. I thought maybe there was hope for us. Maybe Gia will find a way to serve us. Honestly," She pauses to look at me, her eyes almost tearing up. "I wish that Ejay didn't find you. Because with you back here again, that hope is shattered now." I hold her hand.

"No, Bernie. You shouldn't lose hope, okay? Whether I am in here or out there, all hope is not lost. And... Ejay didn't find me. I just had to come back." She takes a step back, looking at me in shock.

"Tell me you are joking right now, because if not, then I'm sorry to tell you that I never expected you to be this stupid. Why on earth would you return to this cursed life?" She asks.

"Let's say that; I just had to. It was the only way. Things got too ugly out there, and I discovered that Ejay has something against me." I say.

"I'm sorry. What is this thing that Ejay has, though? Is it worth all this sacrifice?" She points to my face. I know I didn't find my sister the way I expected to, but I don't regret this. She is my only family so far, so this is definitely worth it, even if it was only for her. I know I can trust Bernie, and I think she can help me out somehow, especially because I'm not allowed to go outside this room.

"I want to ask you something first, Bernie." I say.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Since you guys moved here, have you noticed any blonde-haired woman who is tall with long legs and has fair skin? I suppose she is Ejay's girlfriend. You might have seen them together." I ask.

"The elegant lady? Yes. Her name is Scarlett, I heard. And I also heard that she became Ejay's special girl a few weeks ago. She was just a normal, regular girl here before then."

Weeks ago? Could he have made her his when I left? So she went through the hell that girls go through here too? That explains the marks and the horrible state of the photo that Ejay sent me. He must have taken it weeks ago for his wicked future plans. Is that why she hates me? Still, it doesn't make any sense. Did she agree to be with Ejay to escape from the horrible activities of this place? I can understand that, but why does she hate me? That is still a puzzle to crack.

Somehow, I felt like she had a clue about what happened to me from her impression when she saw me. So why doesn't she care where I have been all this time? Where does her hatred for me come from?

"Why did you ask about her?" Bernie's voice stopped me from going round and round with questions that I'm yet to find answers to.

"Her name is Grace Wilsons. She is my sister, Bernie." I confess.

"What?" I nod my head. "You didn't know she was with Ejay?" She adds.

"I didn't. I don't know if she knew I was with Ejay either. There are a lot of things I need her to clarify with her or from whatever true source. I just don't know how." I say this in apprehension.

"It's easy. Talk to her." She says.

If only it were as easy as she says. "That is where the biggest problem is. She does not want to talk to me. Ejay brought her here last night, and it was bad. She wasn't even happy to see me. The other problem is that I'm not allowed to leave this room. Ejay's orders." I bitterly shrugged off the last part.

"That's harsh. Maybe Ejay manipulated her. Maybe he told her stories about you that aren't true." She says.

Could be true. That must be the truth. But what in God’s name could he have told her that filled her soul with so much loathing for me?

"Whatever it is, I need to find out. I need to talk to her alone. Without Ejay being around. Do you know her room?" I ask, and she shakes her head.

"I am not familiar with this club either, Gia. Besides, even if we find her room, how will you talk to her? You can't even leave this room, and she doesn't want to see you, so definitely she will not come to you." She says the bitter truth.

"When I find her room, I will go to her by whatever means. She and I need to have a talk as soon as possible. So, Bernie, if you find anything, let me know immediately, okay? But you have to be extra careful." I say.

"Well, maybe we can find someone who is conversant with this place to help us," she says.

"No, Bernie. We can't trust just anyone. It is too risky. No." I say.

"It's not just anyone, Gia. I trust this one, and I am sure you do too." She affirms, arousing my curiosity.

"Him?" I questioned with confusion.

"Yes. I asked him to be on the lookout outside just in case the monster decided to show up unannounced. I will call him." She starts her way to the door while I stand on my feet.

"Bernie?..." I try to stop her, but she is already opening the door and signaling someone to come in. I don't want to get people involved in this plan of mine, especially people I don't know. It's too risky, and I can't take a risk.

And who the heck is this man that Bernie trusts that much, huh? Besides, she hasn’t been here that long to make such trustworthy friends.

The very first thing I see as the man walks in is the AK-47 gun and the black uniform. Most definitely one of Ejay’s men. He strolls in, my eyes still on the gun. I tense. I watch him as he takes off the black mask while Bernie locks the door.

"What the…" I murmur when his face is completely revealed to me. "Y.O.U., you are alive?" I was in disbelief, looking at Bernie with shock evident on my scary face. More dismay slaps me when I see how they are looking at each other. Am I missing something here?