The Girl Behind The Mask | Chaelisa

Chapter 14

A distant, high-pitched voice gently roused her from her heavy, alcohol-induced slumber. She tried to succumb back into the numbness brought on by sleep; willing her mind to shut down and slither back to blankness; disappointed when she discovered that her wish would not be granted. Once the mini concert began playing in her aching head; guest starring little ‘Jackhammer Dude’ and his ‘Scottish Pal’ playing one hell of a sharp bagpipe, she tossed all hope of going back to sleep to the wind.

Her senses gradually began to return and her muscles started to quiver as awareness crawled in; feeling as though the weight of a clan of morbidly obese elephants had settled on top of her limp figure. Even twitching a single finger required far more effort than she was willing to exhort.

The voices were becoming clearer with every shallow breath she gulped; fully aware of the burning sensation the cool oxygen produced as it found its way down her throat. Her tongue felt as bare as sandpaper and although she was still on the brink of consciousness and incoherence, she swore there was a sharp object jabbing into her shoulder blade.

“If she dies, do we get dibs on her fortune? You know… by association, and all? Is there still time to forge a will?” A small, still somewhat muffled voice spoke out, and even in her haze, Lisa determined the voice wasn’t an unfamiliar one.

“If so, I call dibs on the jet skis and Porsche. It’s about time Papa Smurf retires!”

More poking. What is that?! Is Jiyong back? Jiyong is that you? Who the fuck is Jiyong? Why do I keep repeating the name Jiyong?!

She wanted to speak, but although her brain had fully awakened, the rest of her body wasn’t ready to follow orders quite yet.

“Kid, between the ribs! Get a good, well-deserved jab in there.” Another familiar voice instructed, and she immediately felt the poking conclude on her shoulder and start between each rib. I’m gonna fucking kill Jiyong!... Once I can fucking move! GET OFF OF ME, you FAT ASS ELEPHANTS!

She tried stirring, and felt her arm plop off the side of the… Shit! Why is my bed so fucking hard and uncomfortable?!  Another small stir and her nose dipped into a crack between two wooden planks. Hey! Where the fuck is my mattress?! Did Tiffany get rid of it? Ahh, is this another one of Jisoo’s fucking pranks!?

Snickering. Chuckling. More poking. “She feels like mush. I might as well be poking a blob of jelly right now. Think she’s ticklish?!”

Oh, fuck. Oh, hell. YES, I’m VERY TICKLISH! She tried prying her eyes open, but a coat of eye gunk glued the lids together into an inseparable bond.

“Give it a go. Stay away from her nasty pits though. She smells like a mini bar that lost a fight to a garbage truck, only to get tossed into fresh sewage.”

Slim fingers suddenly dug into her sides, wiggling relentlessly until her body finally caught up with her brain and she jolted back into a semi-sitting, semi-kneeling position. Her eyes ripped open, and a yelp escaped her parched throat.

“It worked!” A startled Axel, hair tousled and grin widely spreading over his face, stared up at her in baffled amusement. “Gooooodddd morning, sunshine! Gosh, you really do reek…” His nose wrinkled, and Lisa had to blink a few times to bat away the confusion. “Did you spend the night out here?!”

Looking around, she finally noted that her bed had been transformed into an uncomfortable, wooden, public bench. Looking up at the second figure that stood a few feet away, arms crossed and face sporting a not-so-friendly scowl, it finally dawned on her that she wasn’t at home. Jennie stood her ground, stiff and watching, while Axel continued blasting question after question.