Masked Enemies

A spicy scent diffused in the air. Crimson high heels and loose ties, this is a graduate’s life. Lucy Sun smiled as she stepped onto the dance floor. This was perfect, she thought. Her exams were over. She has three best friends and is happily engaged. Fate has treated her well. Tonight, she was going to have the time of her life and put the stressful days behind her. A new stage of her life was about to begin.

Nicole Ng was reluctant to come to the party. She had dug into the school system all afternoon while the other girls went out to shop. The acceptance information was crucial and after hours of decoding, she finally found it. She’d liked to have stayed home to wait for the confirmation to a safe security access. But to not come to the party means that she would have to explain her absence on the most anticipated event of the year. What could she say then? That she wanted to find out in advance the local names that were accepted to Princeton and hack the school’s security code and rummage into confidential information? For this reason, she spent another hour transferring the whole process to her phone so she could check it at the party. After all, what could be more normal than replying to a text message?

Nicole took out her phone for the tenth time that evening. 95% loaded. She looked up to see Lucy and her fiancé Evan swirl pass them.

“She looks happy,” Anna commented.

“Yes, I’m happy for her,” Nicole agreed. “Her fiancé’s the perfect man. He’s got the looks and the money. Most importantly, he loves her.”

“Awww, it’s like a fairy tale come true!” Wendy wore a dreamy expression as if lost in her own world.

“Snap out of it Wendy.” Anna interrupted, clearly irate. “What if he’s going for her looks? Men cannot be trusted.”

“You’re just jealous Anna.” Nicole retorted. “I know he used to be your ex.”

“What--!” Anna looked at her friend incredulously.

“You’ve been making snarky comments ever since Evan proposed to her.”

“That’s not because—“

“Admit it. You hate seeing them together.”

“I...”

 “Guys, stop!” Wendy cut in.” We’re all friends here and Anna broke up with Evan a long time ago!”

Just then, Evan hurried over pulling a staggering Lucy with him.

“She drank ...” He stated breathlessly. “I wasn’t paying attention and she downed a whole glass of wine thinking it was grape punch.”

“You idiot!” Nicole rushed over. “Lucy!”

“She’s a goner.” Anna sighed exasperatedly. “The girl can’t hold a drop of liquor.”

Evan stood to a side feeling emasculated while the girls took over.

“Help us! Don’t just stand there!” Wendy cried.

Together, the five of them helped Lucy pass through the crowds and out the door onto the driveway. Evan drove them back to the girls’ dorm.

“Way to ruin a night out.” Anna muttered.

That night, Anna lay awake in bed long after Nicole had drifted off. They have always been roommates and understood each other almost too well. Wendy and Lucy had arrived later and occupied the last vacant room. The four of them have been friends since the first day. They went through so much to get to where they are today so how come she can’t brush off this uneasy feeling in her chest? To say she wasn’t the least bit envious of Lucy would be a lie. She had loved Evan and she still does, probably.

Lucy opened her eyes to adjust to her surroundings. She wasn’t quite sure where she was. None of the optical arrangements around her made any sense. Her mind was in a haze. Groggily, she sat up. The party, she remembered.

“Are you feeling better?”Wendy was sitting by her bed.

“What happened last night?”

“You drank this purple liquid called wine.” Wendy stated. “It’s a graduate’s party Lucy, you should known better than to drink random beverages. Alcohol isn’t restricted from these parties.”

“Spare me your lecture.”

“You were lucky it was Evan who was with you.”

“Yeah...could you get my pills?” Lucy remembered.

“Where are they?”

“Second drawer from the left.”

“Here you go,” Wendy handed her a small bottle filled with white tablets. “I’ll get water.”

 “Thanks.” Lucy took the pills and plopped them into her mouth while Wendy hurried to fetch the water. The lumps on her tongue had begun to dissolve. A sudden chill went through her and she quickly spat them out onto her hands. They were bitter. The taste was faint but it was there. Not many are able to recognize the threat but Lucy can.

“Here’s your water!” Wendy came in.

“Thank you.” Lucy replied as she took a big swing and gulped down the non- existent pill. With a smile, she laid back down.

Before she was sure, she’d play along.  

Although the three girls were as close as friends can get, the competition for the number one spot is intense and morals and respect can go out the window in desperation. Lucy had kept her spot at first place ever since she enrolled at Star Academy. Nicole came close at second and Wendy and Anna were never below top 50. It wasn’t in her place to suspect but it is difficult not to do so when someone is after your life, take the pill incident for instance.

Lucy has been taking the pills from that same bottle everyday when she realized they were just vitamins. Although she would still sneakily swallow her real heart-control pills in secret.

Who would switch her heart-control tablets for vitamin C? The morbid question repeated in her head. Lucy was more meticulous than ever in watching her friends’ behaviour. Even the smallest details can give them away ---- what she had learnt from devouring the 10 volumes of Sherlock Holmes. The dismal thought was that all possible suspects included her friends, those she trusted most. They were the only ones who could have done it. No one else had access to her privacy. The problem was that they all have the shrewdness(cleverness/motive) in them, each in their own way. Their friendship seems almost belittled by the indelible wall from this incident.

She will be patient and wait.

(To be continued... )