Paper Dolls

Chapter 5

The alarm rings and my mind wakes up before my body does, automatically knowing it's 5 am. I don't realise that I've slept in a state of tension until a sharp lancinating pain shoots down my neck and spreads through my arms and fingers. 

The pain settles into numbness and I groan as I try to move my hand. All I can feel right now are the pins and needles that have spread across my skin. It is only then that I realise I am still clutching the note in the palm of my hand. 

My fingers unravel as sensation slowly returns and I stare down at the small crumpled piece of paper, nestled snugly against my skin. 

Dalia didn't kill herself. She was murdered. 

Seven simple words strung together into a sentence that could change everything. But the person who wrote them remains anonymous. I'd torn through the black lace envelope, searching for another hidden note or any telling sign to show me who this belonged to but there was nothing. 

The whole thing must be someone's idea of a sick joke and the rational side of my mind told me that it is just a prank. There is no way Dalia could have been killed. The police had ruled that out, hadn't they? 

Whatever the media reported had to be true. Right?

"Morning sunshine," Binna murmurs from the bunk bed above mine. She tosses and turns, making the metal rattle and I stare at the opened letters on the work desk in our room. 

I had forgotten to place them somewhere not so conspicuous. The letter with the black lace frills sits under the others, torn into shreds like I had ripped it open out of fury. I hope she doesn't notice. 

"Morning," I croak. My body is as stiff as a block of wood and just thinking about the long day ahead makes me feel exhausted. 

"I'll shower first," Binna says as she climbs down and I hear the soft pads of her feet hit the floor gracefully.  

I cast a cautious glance at the table but she doesn't point out the mess. Instead she grabs her towel and heads to the bathroom. The shower runs and I take this opportunity to stuff all the fan mail into an empty drawer. I decide to get rid of the torn up letter but the small note remains in my hand like it has been glued there.

I can't seem to get rid of it and I don't want the girls finding this in the trash either. So I do the only logical thing and keep it by my side as I bathe and get ready for training. 

Binna and I always take the bus to Firefly because using the driver only builds up the debt we owe to the company and reducing any amount owed seemed like a smart way to go. Our debt accumulated by training lessons was already so significant, not to mention the amount of money it would take to debut. 

Just thinking about how much I currently owe my company makes me stress out to no end so I brush it off.

I pull my boots up higher and tug my scarf so that it fits snugly around my neck as we wait by the crowded bus stop. A SUV stops right in front of our dorms and I watch JinJin, Grace and Rachel get inside. 

Being a rich trainee certainly has its privileges but I would choose taking the bus any day over sharing a ride with them. 

"Slept well?" Binna asks from my side and I turn to see her staring at me. 

She is wearing a grey hoodie and her long black hair flows like silk to her chest, covering the words Ninja Turtle 2. Her dark cat like eyes are visibly tired but her lips curve into a smile and she's always had the most infectious smile. 

I find myself reciprocating even though her question brings me back to the small note currently residing in my side pocket. I don't know what to do with it but something keeps me from throwing it down the drain or nearest dustbin, even though that is probably the wisest thing to do right now.