Beth

Kaiser drives me straight to his house for a clear reason: his mom’s answers. Her appearance in one of Alexandra’s photos crying makes him wary. But curious about their secret relationship. Was it a secret? Or Kaiser’s mom chooses not to say anything about it anymore?

I sit on the couch with no clue of what’s going on, seeing him going upstairs.

While waiting for him to call his mom sleeping in her room, I take my time looking at the surroundings of his house. There are no changes since my last visit. I was still fifteen years old back then. Six years later, the house remains the same. The whole structure is white. White walls, couch, floors, kitchen, and bedrooms? I assume. The true pillows in different strong color variations give accents to a balance. Likewise the carpet in maroon and the moldings in chocolate colors.

Along the walls are the artworks of his mom. She’s a painter by profession, and his father’s collectibles hang there as well. Wooden carvings—looking antiques but too modern and new—in different designs.

I grab one true pillow and place on my lap. I lean against the back of the couch and glance in a big wall clock hanging above the cabinet in front of me. It’s already two o’clock in the morning.

There I realize we spent more than an hour in Uncle Lucas’s secret room before we decided to drive here. If not because Kaiser drives his own car like in a race track, we wouldn’t reach here earlier.

I jerk when I hear a loud yawn and a loud creak from the door upstairs. I see Kaiser beckons someone behind him as he goes down the stairs. I stand when I see a woman stretching her arms high as if she doesn’t care about having visitors, yawning over and over. Even when she steps down the staircase.

Until she stands in front of me and smiles, rubbing her eyes with her hand. She extends her arm reaching my shoulders, grabbing them and hugs me tight. “Oh, Beth.” She releases me from her grip. “I didn’t expect I’d see you again this way.” She turns her head and sees the wall clock, clucking and returns her sight on me. “At this hour.”

I smile as she yawns again and sits on one of the couches, next to me. Although she doesn’t look in good condition, she still looks beautiful. I know where Kaiser got his looks. Born with a foreign father and a beautiful mother like Marissa. What else could I expect?

Kaiser sits on the couch in front of me, near his mother, leaning his torso forward and his elbows on his lap. Without ado, he grabs the photo he got from the secret room and gives it to her. She grabs and looks at it closer, recoiled. “Why are you in the photo, mom?” His inquiry leaves his mom sighing.

“When I looked at this photo, I remembered how terrible it was for her. She was only twenty-two years old. She was almost the same age as you are when she surrendered to the authorities for her mistakes. It was terrible. Really bad,” she says, trying to keep her tears behind her eyelash. Although she tries to hide them, her bloodshot eyes couldn’t.

She leans sideward with her elbows on the armrest of the couch, crossing her legs. She places her fingers on her temple, supporting its weight. Without losing her sight on the photo she holds.

“How do you know Alexandra Montenegro?” I ask, mustering my courage, though it seems a bad timing. From how she looks right now, she looks uneasy. Uncomfortable with the weight of the queries rising from us. But she has to answer them to resolve our curiosities.

“Alexandra was my best friend. The three of us: Jessica, Alexandra, and I,” she says, almost stammering. It is clear she tries her best to keep her grip to respond.

“Tell us what you know about her, mom,” Kaiser adds. She sighs and appears like she recalls everything about her twenty years ago. She takes time to think of those times both the happy ones and the worst, the only thing we know so far.

“Well… I do that think telling you her story will somehow make me relieved of the pain inside my heart.” She pauses and glances at her son, holding his hand as if she wants consolation as she reveals.

Kaiser and I only know parts of the infamous night slayer. But we don’t know Aunt Jessica and Aunt Marissa’s experiences make it a big deal to dig into their best friend’s life. For a project.

At the back of my mind, I am guilty and shameful. My motive is wrong. I take the story without knowing the scale and the people involved. I thought of having a great story. How painful, how tragic, how sorrowful her life is.

The nation knows the bad side of the Alexandra: That one murderer sentenced to death she deserves. But behind the judgment is a woman who left a family in agony because of it. Until now, both of them stuck in a thought of their best friend. Her life stopped at a young age inside the prison without listening to her plea. Not even once.

When she surrendered, the media came and the news spread like wildfire. Politics came into play, using her for their own gain. Everyone, who took an active part in her judgment, became elected public officials.

Her legal counsel, who could have defended her well, refused to do his job given the circumstance of the case. If she had known her fate would end like that, she could have run away and hid for good. At least, she’ll remain alive, though succumbed to full isolation.

What made her surrender? That’s another mystery to resolve. Lots of questions run through my mind this time. And never there is a peaceful second since I take Alexandra’s case for my project.

Somehow, in some ways, I become attached to her story as if I’m trying to help her even she’s already dead.

“She kept her private life hidden. And as much as I wanted to tell you everything, there are some aspects she chose not to tell us. But I could only say what I know. We’re close friends. But, she’s the type of person who doesn’t tell every detail of her life. She is quite an introvert, peculiar, but a strong woman. She can fight.” She pauses and giggles before she adds, “She fought back against the bullies.”

Kaiser tilts his head, releases his hand from her mom, now a bit comfortable sharing her side of the story. He leans sideward, copying his mom, listening.

“I remembered one time, the bullies in San Nicholas University, we called them the VIPs. The Very Important Persons whose members from rich families. Their leaders Natalia and Vanessa, both are children of the board of trustees. That time, they had me as their target. But she fought back like Lara Croft. She was amazing. I never thought I’d see an action film in real life.” She explains while she boxes imitating Alexandra’s fighting movements and laughs. We giggle as well. She continues, clearing her throat from laughing. “But that leads her to trouble.”

My eyebrows furrowed and tilt my head. “What happened?” She flushes and smiles as if she witnesses something romantic. She giggles like a fan girl, too, covering her face with her hands.

“That was the time Giovanni, the eldest son of the school owner intervened.” My assumption is right. Giovanni has a direct relationship with Alexandra. That makes the lead of the hidden message. Yet, the possibility of a romantic bond between them never crosses my mind either.

“You knew Giovanni, too, mom?”

“Who wouldn’t know Giovanni? He was a man every woman loves. He is a man every woman dreams to be with. A tall, handsome, pale-white skinned as if he’s a regular in a spa, but… a cold individual. That sounds sexy, doesn’t it?” she asks, glancing at me, winks. I jerk while Kaiser rolls his eyes.

She continues, “He doesn’t attend classes most of the time but he gets a high score during exams. He’s a smart guy. Pretty smart.”

“D-did you like him, too?” Kaiser sounds hesitant when he asks the question to his mom. It’s weird for him to do that, given she married his dad later on. I smile as I find it cute seeing him embarrassed.

“Of course, I did,” she says without hesitation. “But not that much as the VIPs. They were protective of him. In fact, they’re obsessed with him. Their lives revolve around him. Nothing else. They bully every woman who likes him. They made sure they’re the only women who’ll get close to him.”

“That makes Alexandra the target,” I say.

Kaiser looks at me as well as Aunt Marissa, who keeps smiling, and nods. “You’re right,” Aunt Marissa says.

“So what happened next?” Kaiser asks. She smiles, thinking of the times in the past. She straightens herself in her seat and leans against the back of the couch. She wraps herself with her arms.

“Something interesting happened to Alexandra for the very first time. What he did there stunned everyone. It was… it was beyond imagination.”

“What did he do?” I ask.

“The office of the prefect of discipline called us and the VIPs. Mr. Villarin, the school disciplinarian, called Alexandra too,” she sighs with a smile.

“And then?” I ask.