[ Third Person's Point of View ]
Niana went back to the dorm past six pm. Bella was waiting for her.
"Where did you go?" Bella asked flatly. She was lying on the couch while scrolling through her phone.
"Just... I just went to a friend." Niana subconsciously said.
"A friend? I thought you don't have any other than me?" Bella replied and sat down. She turned her phone off and turned her gaze to Niana, who was still standing frozen at the door.
"No, I mean... Ugh!" Niana grunted.
"Tell me."
"I needed to go to the orphanage. I already miss the kids and the sisters there." Niana looked down while fidgeting her fingers.
"Okay." Bella simply responded and shrugged.
"Sorry, Bella. Uh, I'm tired... I need to go rest." Niana walked faster and proceeded to her room.
*Ding, dong*
Bella looked abruptly at the door and furrowed her brow.
What's this again? She thought.
She went to the door and opened it. It revealed a delivery guy with a blue cap and a pink polo shirt. His skin tone was darker, and he was taller than the delivery guy who delivered pizza the last night.
"Hi, ma'am! Good evening! Are you Belladonna Salvador?" The delivery guy greeted, smiling ear to ear.
"Yeah. What is it?" Bella emotionlessly replied.
"It's a delivery, ma'am." The delivery guy lifted up the plastic of drinks. There were two bottles of milk tea in it.
Bella suspiciously stared at it for like ten seconds.
"Where did those come from? We didn't order anything." She uttered.
"Oh, really, ma'am? But these drinks are for free, someone paid for them. I don't really have an idea who bought it for you, pardon."
"Can I have the details or the contact number of the person who ordered that? I'm sure you have a record."
"I'm really sorry, ma'am. But we can't expose their information just like that. Anyway, here." The delivery guy handed the plastic, but Bella didn't receive it.
"Sorry, I can't receive that. Didn't you watch the news? Some boys from the boys' dormitory got poisoned. It's also for our safety. I hope you understand."
The delivery guy was about to say something, but Bella closed the door immediately.
She smirked as soon as she closed the door.
Interesting, she thought.
...
The following day was a sunny Saturday. Bella and Niana went shopping for groceries.
"Bella? Won't you really say anything to me? Gosh! We're literally together for hours. How can't you at least speak to me?" Niana frowned while pushing the shopping cart. Bella was just gazing around.
"Okay, since you won't really talk to me, treat me a gallon of ice cream. Good with that?" Niana smiled and ran towards the ice cream section. After a minute, she came back holding a gallon of strawberry ice cream.
"A delivery guy delivered a drink last night. Did you order without telling me?" Bella spoke out of the blue without making eye contact with Niana.
"Definitely not. I'm not really into drinks, you know. Besides that, I don't have enough money already. Our allowance is just enough for me." She replied and placed the ice cream gallon on the shopping cart.
"Really?"
"Yeah. But it's kind of getting suspicious. Didn't the delivery guy tell you who was buying those?"
"No. I feel that the person behind it is up to something. I think these killings are happening because of me." Bella said under her breath.
"Na-ah. Why would they kill others if their target is just you?" Niana shook her head and started to push the shopping cart once again.
"Dumb. They are serial killers. It's natural for them to kill multiple people. Probably, the person behind it wants me to react to the deaths."
Bella thought deeply.
"Well then, we should stay vigilant." Niana looked at Bella from behind and smiled.
After an hour, they proceeded back to the dorm while holding bags of groceries in both hands.
They both got startled when they saw cops at the entrance. They rushed to go inside and noticed that the room was full of cops and detectives right beside their room. A 'police line do not cross' was placed on the room door.
Room 889. Under investigation.
"Oh my goodness, Bella. What the freak happened here?" Niana gasped.
"I don't know."
They placed the groceries in their kitchen and went outside to meddle with what was happening.
"Uh, excuse me, sir? What happened?" Bella asked a police officer.
"Hey, kid. You shouldn't stick your nose here and return back to your room." The police officer replied rudely.
"Sir, we figured out that the girl was poisoned last night." Another police officer uttered.
"Doesn't she have any roommates to stand as a witness?"
"Unfortunately, she lives alone."
The police officer looked at Bella and Niana.
"Do you girls live here too?" A tall lady detective approached them.
"You're a detective. Yeah, obviously." Bella rolled her eyes. The detective grinned.
"So, do you girls know what happened to here?" The detective asked.
"Nope. We didn't hear any suspicious sound as well last night." Niana replied.
"Okay."
The detective turned away from them, but Bella spoke.
"There was a delivery guy last night. He delivered drinks to me, but my roommate and I didn't order anything."
"Really? You didn't accept the drink?"
"Yeah."
"You should come with us to the station." The detective commanded.
Niana and Bella came with the cops to the police station.
It's been a while since I haven't visited a place like this, Bella thought.
Basically, they just mainly asked Bella about how the delivery guy looked. That was just it. The police officers also investigated the boys' dormitory and discovered that many deliveries were happening. It was probably the root cause of the poisoning incidents.
"This case must be done by a serial killer." The detective muttered.
...
The dorms were now guarded by guards. Deliveries were temporarily prohibited.
"Bella, don't you think the girl in 889 died because of the drink that was supposed to be for us?" Niana said while sitting on the couch, staring at nowhere.
Bella was playing chess on the floor all by herself.
"I already thought of that," Bella replied and moved a pawn.
"Then it's a good thing you didn't accept it. We're probably dead by now."
"Only a fool would accept those."
"So you're saying I'm a fool?"
"I didn't say anything."
Niana pouted and turned the television on. She squinted her eyes as she saw the news.
"Hey, Bella. Is that the delivery guy you saw last night?" Niana muttered and pointed at the television. Bella immediately looked at it.
"Yeah, it is him."
The guy on the television was crying.
"I didn't know the drinks had poi...poison, ma'am. The girl from room 889 said that she was interested in d...drinks, so... so I had no choice but t...to give it to her." The guy bawled and sniffed.
"Do you know where those drinks come from?" A reporter asked.
"No. I tried contacting the one who ordered it, but he can't be reached."
"So it was a guy?"
"Yes."
"Hey, Bella. We could've probably died. Good thing I slept early last night." Niana was stunned by the news but was still able to speak agitatedly.
"Only you would die." Bella teased.
"Wow, I could've forced you to drink, you know."
"Be wiser, Niana. Foolishness is a killer." Bella smirked.
...
Bella couldn't sleep. She was thinking of many things while lying on her bed, staring at the white ceiling of her room.
She sighed heavily and checked her phone.
Unknown number: Hey, ms. Salvador! This is Ashton! Tomorrow, we'll start meeting each other! I'm looking forward!
Bella hissed and turned it off immediately. She looked at her ceiling again.
"I wonder if you were alive." She whispered.
She glanced at her window, noticing a shadow of a person. She sat down immediately and swallowed.
"Who's that?!" She screamed.
She grabbed a knife from her cabinet and gripped it tightly. She slowly walked towards the window and opened it. The cold breeze of the night air touched her skin and made her hair flew.
She looked at both sides but saw no one.
Someone can't climb up here, she thought while looking around.
There was a small space where someone could stand, but her room was on the second floor. How could someone climb this high?
Bella laughed loudly.
"Who are you?! Are you the one who attempted to poison me? I'm alive! Come on, show yourself!" She screamed, and her eyes changed. The pupil in her eye grew more pointed and smaller. It's what she looks like every time she is about to kill.
"You know, people were always there to kill me even if I didn't do anything to them. They tried to harm and hurt me, but did they succeed? NO! Hahahaha!" She gasped for air after laughing.
"If you want me dead, you must show yourself, coward!" She closed the window and turned around. She saw Niana standing at her door, frozen.
"Bella, what are you doing?" Niana said while shivering on her long pajama polka dress.
Bella hid the knife behind her and smiled. "Nothing." She replied.
"I already saw it. Why were you screaming all by yourself? Have you gone nuts?!"
"Shhh. Somebody was right in my window." She went towards Niana and placed her knife on Niana's chin to raise Niana's head up.
Niana was terrified.
"Bella, d...don't kill m...me." Niana stuttered while her eyes widened, looking at the knife placed on her chin.
"I won't. I just want to look at your face." Bella smiled and pulled the knife away. She went to her bed and brushed her blanket.
"Go to sleep now, Niana."