[ Third Person's Point of View ]
"You scared my lungs, Niana. What the heck?!" Bella screamed while gasping.
"Hahaha! Wow, you got startled. It's my first time seeing you shocked." Niana uttered.
"It's not funny, Niana. We're literally talking about a dead person."
"But no lying, I really saw someone behind."
Bella looked back and shrugged.
"Anyway, it's nothing!" Niana abruptly said and grabbed Bella's wrist.
"Let's go to our dorm, Bella."
...
Bella and Niana played chess as soon as they arrived at their dormitory. Niana hasn't won even once.
"Hey, Bella! I think you're cheating or something." Niana irritably pouted.
"Cheating isn't my thing," Bella uttered and moved the queen piece.
"Checkmate." She said and stretched her arms.
"This is our 50th round, and I haven't won a single time!" Niana bawled and lay down on the floor.
*Ding, dong*
They both looked at the door.
"Uhm... Do you perhaps have a visitor?" Niana turned to Bella and asked.
"You know I don't invite anyone," Bella replied and fixed the chessboard.
"Should I open it?"
"Yeah, maybe it's yours."
*Ding, dong*
"Hi! Pizza delivery!" A guy in a yellow uniform and a red cap greeted Niana as she opened the door. He was holding three boxes of pizza.
"Eh? We didn't order that. Maybe you're mistaken, sir." Niana replied with a perplexed face while holding tightly on the doorknob.
Bella glanced at Niana for a while and returned the chessboard to her room.
"But it says here, room 888, to Belladonna Salvador?" The delivery guy looked at the waybill.
"Uh, actually, we don't have enough money to pay for that," Niana said while looking at the boxes of pizza.
"Don't worry, madame! It's already paid, here." The delivery guy handed the boxes of pizza to Niana.
"Thanks," Niana said as soon as she received the boxes and closed the door. She leaned on the door for a while a gasped for air.
Bella went out of her room and glared at Niana.
"So, what are those?" She asked and crossed her arms while looking at the pizza boxes.
"Ah, pizza? Obviously? These are pepperoni, vegetable, and Hawaiian pizzas." Niana smiled and winked at Bella.
"Did you order it? I never knew you loved pizzas." Bella sat down on the couch and yawned.
"Nope. The delivery guy said it was already paid. I wonder where did it come from. But it's free! We don't wanna throw free items, right?"
"Right. It's nice to receive free gifts and things, but that's kind of suspicious. What if there's poison on those?"
"Oh, come on, Bella. I'll be the one to try it first. And if I felt weird, I won't share it with you." Niana uttered and went to the kitchen to grab plates.
Bella sighed and turned the television on.
"Various killings were reported to us by a student from the boys' dormitory at Riverdale street. The witness is here with us."
"Uh.... actually, I'm very sure that what has been happening within our dorm was done by a serial killer. These past days, I noticed that my friends died because of the same issue. Poison."
Bella's eye widened.
"Hey, Bella! What do you prefer? Pineapples on top or not?" Niana asked Bella.
Bella didn't say anything or was paying attention at all.
"So, do you have an idea how your friends were murdered?" The reporter on the television asked the teenage boy, who was apparently a witness.
"No. But I'm sure it came from the food we were eating." The boy replied.
"Bella? Don't you get tired of the news? I mean, who watches the news these days. Everything is on social media!" Niana said while slicing the pepperoni pizza.
"Don't eat that first, Niana." Bella commanded Niana as she was about to take a bite of the pizza.
"Hmm? Are you worried about me?" Niana teased.
"Not in particular. Didn't you hear the news? Some students died in the boys' dormitory, which is just right apart this dorm." Bella grabbed a pizza and observed it.
"What? Would you even know if a food has poison while staring at it? I know you're also craving for that, so go on and have a bite. Let's do it together!" Niana took a bit of the pepperoni pizza she's been holding.
"Wai-"
"It's yummy, Bella! I can say that this doesn't have poison in it." Niana uttered while filling her mouth with the pizza.
Bella grunted in disappointment.
"You're so stubborn. If you die, I won't attend your funeral." Bella leaned on the couch and turned her gaze back on the television.
"Why? Did you even go to a funeral before?"
Bella stopped for a while and glanced at Niana.
"Every day is a funeral, Niana."
Bella and her thoughts, nobody could fathom.
"So, anyway, Bella. Don't you mind taking a bite? I already had five slices, and I don't think it had a side effect in me." Niana sighed and sat beside Bella on the couch.
"No thanks. I'm not hungry."
"Ah, I thought you love pizza."
"Where did you get that information?"
Niana was stunned for a second and calmly replied, "I thought you told me before."
Bella shrugged her shoulders and stood up from the couch.
"Good night, Niana. Make sure to clean those messes up and brush your teeth." Bella uttered and walked towards her room.
Niana suddenly gasped for air and held her chest lightly. She looks like she was choked.
Niana fell from the couch while still gasping for air and thumping her chest. Bella was stunned and abruptly went to Niana.
"Hey! Hey, Niana?!" Bella's eyes widened as Niana's saliva started to bubble from her mouth.
"Niana! Oh gosh." Bella carried Niana on the couch and grabbed her phone.
She contacted an ambulance.
"Hello? Look, my friend here looks like she's poisoned. Probably because of the-"
Bella glanced at Niana, who was all fine and sitting while chuckling. Bella immediately turned the call down.
"What the heck, Niana?!" She screamed.
"Hahaha! Were you really worried? Gosh, I shouldn't have done that! I feel guilty. I'm really sorry, Bella. I just thought of playing a prank on you."
Bella didn't say a word. Her eyes were throwing daggers at Niana.
"Suck your toes. I don't want to see you tomorrow or in the next few days." Bella went to her room and aggressively closed the door.
"Hmm, pizza, huh?" Niana whispered.
...
The next day, Bella and Niana went to school separately.
"Hi, Bella." The campus journalist greeted Bella as soon as she stepped on the school entrance.
"Oh, hi. Good morning." She faked a smile.
"Haven't I introduced myself yet, didn't I? I am Ashton Blaire, a third-year high school." Ashton, who was wearing their blue uniform with a knitted vest neatly, handed his hand to Bella as if he was meeting a new person.
"Hi, Ashton. A pleasure to meet you. You already know my name, so I think I wouldn't introduce myself already." Bella accepted Ashton's hand and shook it.
"You have really soft hands. What lotion do you use?" Ashton suddenly asked while looking at Bella's hands.
"Uhm... I don't use anything."
"Oh, so you might not be probably doing any household chores."
Bella took her hand away and glared at Ashton.
"I live in a dorm. Do you think I don't do any chores?" She crossed her arms.
"Oh, yeah. My bad."
...
Classes started, but Niana didn't come to school. Bella kept glancing at the door of their classroom, probably expecting Niana.
She sighed and thought that Niana was such a petty.
After hours, there were still no signs of Niana. Bella didn't see her either this morning at the dorm.
Bella was zoning out while walking through the hallway. A lot of boys were catcalling her, but her mind was flying.
"What if she's really poisoned?" She whispered underneath her breath.
"Hey! I head what you said!" Ashton came and placed his arms around Bella's shoulders. Bella came to her senses and immediately removed Ashton's arms.
"What are you doing?" She asked annoyingly.
"You're too sensitive!" Ashton teased.
Bella just rolled her eyes and took faster steps to leave Ashton behind.
"Wait! What were you saying? Who was poisoned? I think we need to make an article regarding that. Especially that there were a lot of murmurs happening at the boys' dorm, saying that the boys that died there were poisoned." Ashton uttered.
"Could you please be quiet?! I'm thinking about something. I don't want to be disturbed."
"Sorry, I couldn't help but meddle sometimes. Anyway, I'll advise you if we have a meeting! Sooner or later, we'll be getting to know each other better!" Ashton smiled from ear to ear and waved goodbye at Bella.
He's weird, Bella thought.
...
Bella went back to the dorm after a long, exhausting day. Niana has been on her mind the whole time. She opened the dorm room, but it was locked. That means nobody is inside.
Then where is Niana?
Bella opened the door and went inside. She sighed as soon as she finally arrived. She placed her bag inside her room and saw a note on the fridge.
Bella! I'm really sorry about what happened last night! Trust me, the pixxa isn't poisoned. Anyways, I have an emergency a while back, so I need to go somewhere. Wait for me! Xoxo.  - Niana
"Why is everyone around me being so strange? Is Niana still traumatized because of the arson that happened during middle school? What is she up to?" Bella mumbled.
"I'll find out soon."