¿* Pinked * Memories *?

¿* Chapter Five * The Other Man *?

"What did you say? What do you mean Dorothy's inside there?!" Riya repeated, unable to believe his ears.

"Well that's what her name was. Besides, they look exactly alike, it's like Ms. Doris was copied inch per inch. There's no doubt they're twins!"

"You got it the other way around, its a he, and it copied her..." Shiine argued weakly.

"Huh?!" the guard asked, confused.

"But this is impossible, Miss Dorothy's dead! Look, we even have an empty coffin for her, see?" Cha-cha said as she pointed to the rosewood coffin.

The commotion was starting to spread and they all nodded in agreement.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT WITCH IS STILL ALIVE?!?!?!?!?" came a chorused shriek from the back rows.

Pushing others out of their way, Yakku and Chiremeko emerged from the crowd, their eyes burning with anger. Yakku was beside the guard in a short while and started slapping some sense into him. Chirimeko positioned herself behind the guard, and was pulling the poor guard's hair apart.

"She can't be alive, not now, not when I have my Prince Seravi all to myself!!!" Yakku said in between hits. Her eyes were like daggers and her teeth were sharp.

"What do you mean all to yourself? He's mine do your hear me?! MINE!!!" Chirimeko protested. She stopped attacking the guard and engaged in a verbal contest with Yakku.

"Hey! You weren't in the picture until about minute ago!" Yakku shouted back. "You weren't there when Prince Seravi was so depressed and lonely!!"

"That's because I only found out about it recently!" Chirimeko defended. "Besides, it doesn't matter. Any which way you put it, I have higher chance with him because I'm older than you... hee hee hee hee," Chirimeko ended with a classic high-pitched laugh.

"YOU SHUT UP!!!!!" Yakku screamed, unable to think of anything to counter Chirimeko's statement. Yakku lunged at Chirimeko and they started fighting, Chirimeko posing like a cat and Yakku twirling her potions in hand like pistols.

The poor dazed guard fell to the floor.

"Oh my," the Queen said, approaching the starry-eyed guard. "Is this true? Dorothy's still alive then?"

"Makes sense, we haven't found her body anyway!" Cha-cha's father piped in.

"She--she's still... alive?"

The voice came a voice from the forgotten front ranks.

"Huh?" everyone turned to Seravi who had been momentarily ignored.

"She's-----inside there?" he said as if he was under a trance. He turned his attention to the house.

The glassy look took over his eyes,... then he started frowning and frowned deeper, until his eyes cleared and were back to their deep green selves again.

With one move, he passed the gates and was now on the other side. Before any of the guards can stop him, he dashed towards the house, away from sight.

"Hey!! Go after him!!" One of the guards said. There were a cluster of them now, at the gate.

"Uhh, sir, I think he's should be the least of our problems now..." one of the guards said, his voice somewhat quivering.

"Huh? Why?" The chief guard said and turned to the one who spoke. Then he gave a shriek at what he saw.

"Let's follow Teacher Seravi inside!" Cha-cha yelled for the others to hear.

They grunted in agreement.

"Everyone get ready to ram the gates!" Riya said in his loudest voice.

"For Teacher Dorothy!" Shiine added.

Now the crowd looked like bulls, nose flaring, one foot scratching the earth and getting ready to ram the gates.

Cha-cha and some of her friends were suddenly dressed like they were about to do a marathon run. Riya was even posing like an athlete and was advertising a particular product.

Sherwin the referee appeared in front, riding in his cloud. He raised his wand.

The guards grew afraid. They started to move away one step at a time.

"Y-You can't come in here..." one of them said, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.

"If w-w-w-we...let you in... they'll have our h-heads..."

Their eyes grew more determined. There was a glint in Sherwin's eyes. "On your mark..." he said.

"P-p-p-please have mercy on us!!!" the guards pleaded with them.

Everyone posed or kneeled as if getting ready to run.

"Get set..."

"N--n-no, I'm too young to die..." one of the guards said, then he ran away.

"Go!!!!"

The gates came tumbling down.

¿¿* *??

Everyone wears masks.

She knew that...

She was not naive...

So... seeing the people around her now, all their identities protected by their external covering that they wore on their face...

What were they hiding?

Will they ever take if off?

She raised one hand and felt the cold, hard surface of her own mask.

Are they able to see through... me?

.....

"You're so deep in thought..." came a voice that pulled her out from her own reverie.

Her grey eyes turned towards the owner of the voice.

She saw a tall gentleman wearing a mask that was made of smoothed jade stones that were custom-fitted to his face. It covered the features around his eyes, starting from mid-forehead and ending with a curve that goes from one cheek, curves back to give room for the bridge of his nose, and goes downward again through the other cheek.

His piercing green eyes, it's color amplified by the colors of the precious jewels in his mask, his aristocratic nose, the lower part of this face and his small curved mouth were the only thing that were visible. He had long hair that almost matched the color of his mask, neatly tied behind his neck. He wore a simple-but-expensive looking tuxedo and he was holding a glass of champagne on his left hand.

He started walking towards her and even breached the extra distance that should be maintained between a gentleman and a lady.

He brushed back a stray hair that had fallen over her pure opal mask, also customized just for her.

"How did you know it was me?" she faintly asked.

"I will be able to find you, no matter what comes between us..." came his reply, his fingers traced the smooth surface of her mask.

A small smile formed on her lips, unconcealed. "What are the chances that you would mistake me for my sister?" she asked weakly, her eyes shining.

"None. I don't even want to consider such a circumstance," he replied, slightly frowning, and then smiled.

They stared at each other for a moment, never letting go of each other's eyes, each reflected happiness and contentment.

"How are you feeling?" he asked after a while.

She looked away, "Not too good..." she replied after a pause. She cast down her eyes and reluctantly released her next words, "I feel an uneasiness in me... It's making me restless..."

"You think its too soon?"

"No!" she answered immediately, looking up to him. "It's not that," she shook her head repeatedly. "Its just that there's so many people here today... And they're all strangers... I-I..." she lowered her head again.

He nodded and cupped her face, raising it gently to level with him. "Do not strain yourself too much... Remember you're still recuperating..."

A smile slowly formed on her lips.

The man paused and looked at her. He smiled too and then leaned in closer to kiss her.

Their lips almost met when---

"Excuse me sir, pardon my intrusion," interrupted a black-dressed man wearing sunglasses, bowing a little bit to the lady. "There's a phone call for you inside the house,"

"I see..." the man replied, he looked back to her and to the man again. "I'll take it inside," he said to the man.

The man in black bowed again and left.

He turned back to her, and they forced a smile to each other.

"Duty calls," he said apologetically.

"Its alright," she said, not looking at him.

"Would you like to come inside with me?" he asked.

She shook her head and smiled a little. "I think I need more fresh air... I'll go for a walk inside the hedgemaze,"

"Alright," he said, he picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. "Wait for me, I'll come find you..." he said.

She quietly smiled and nodded.

He took a bow and left.

She started walking heading towards the hedgemaze's entrance.

The edges of her long white dress glided smoothly through the grass.

She passed through the crowd and headed straight to the green gates that marked the hedgemaze's start.

She raised one hand and lifted the mask off her face...

....just as Seravi arrived at the scene and looked around.

His eyes scanned the place. Everyone were wearing masks. His eyes settled on a retreating figure of a woman dressed in blue. Her hair was pinned up in a chignon. And she was demurely walking away from the crowd.

Something in Seravi stirred. Without him fully being aware, he started to walk towards that lady.

He started walking faster and faster until he caught up with her, just before the entrance to the hedgemaze.

He grabbed her arm and turned her around.

With the force of his pull, the pin in her hair came loose and golden locks flowed like water. Her mask dropped to the ground and lay there, blue against green.

"What the--? SERAVI?!?!?!" the last syllable came out in a very high pitch. "Oh my god! You're here!!"

There was something wrong... Could it be...?

She fell into his arms and embraced him tightly.

Seravi realized his mistake and was severely disturbed. "Oh no! Not you!!!" Goosebumps started to appear on his skin.

"Ahh, Seravi I knew it!" Doris said, rubbing ITS head against his chest. "I knew someday you would realize your love for me... ohhh!!!!"

"No! No! Get away from me!!" he said with passion. He threw IT to the ground and backed away.

But it was as if nothing happened, for in a second, IT was back on Seravi's side, and locked him in a death-grip.

"Nyaaahhh!!" Seravi cried outloud as he struggled to get the vile thing's hand away from him.

The crowd started to notice them and they slowly came around them.

"Seravi, Seravi, I still can't believe it!! I must be dreaming! You finally realized your love for me and came! At last, my long wait has ended..." Doris chanted in a magical trance.

"Yes, this is all a dream it's a NIGHTMARE, please wake me up!!!!" Seravi pleaded. He wriggled, he stretched and he tried using telepathic energy, anything to get the ITS grip away from him, without touching IT as much as possible.

But, for Doris and all ITS love, he didn't succeed. He was about to resort to serious magic when suddenly, a voice snapped them out of their animation.

"Doris! Shame on you! Stop this unholy act at once! So help me god, I will disown you right here and now..."

The voice was successful in capturing ITS attention. "But, but mother!!" Doris said, IT, gave away a little and Seravi immediately used the chance and threw IT as far away from him as he possibly can.

ITS scream and fall wasn't even heard anymore.

Seravi immediately brushed away anything that the IT had left him and then finally settled down.

"Seravi... isn't it?" the male beside Doris' mother said. "How are you, you who had dishonored your family and this house so long ago?"

"Does the peasant way of life suit you well?" Doris' mother asked right after.

Seravi frowned, choosing to ignore the sarcastic remarks. "Where is Dorothy?" he asked bluntly.

"Hah! And I suppose you expect us to just hand her over to you?!" her mother said in a voice quivering with anger.

"Guards! Take him away!!" The head of the household said as he lifted his arms in gesture of the command.

....

.......

He raised an eyebrow and looked behind him. "Where are the guards?!"

A panting company of Cha-cha and the gang stood behind him, looking around.

"You mean to say that the guards at the gate were all that you had?!" Shiine asked, smirking. "We already took care of them, right Cha-cha?" he asked, turning to the others.

Unfortunately, they weren't paying attention. "Wow! Look at all those dresses! Are those jewel masks for real?! Wooow!!! They're so rich!!!" She was wide-eyed and was checking out the dresses of the women there.

And Riya was in heaven, gobbling down almost all the food in the buffet table. "Mmmm-hmm-hmm~!! Yummy!!!" he said.

"I see you've brought quite a troupe of firebrands with you," Doris' father said, raising an eyebrow.

"Firebrand?! You call us firebrands?!" The King said, The Royal Family came to the scene.

"Oh, your majesty, I did not see you..." Doris' mother said, immediately adapting a respectul tone and bowing.

"Now, now," Cha-cha's mother said, trying to calm down the King. "Let's not make anything about it,"

"She's right, Father you're so hot-headed!" Carlos said.

"Well, I'm sorry..." Genus apologized.

"Would you kindly tell us," Cha-cha's mother started, looking back to the others behind her. "Is Dorothy alive, and if she is, where is she? What happened?"

"Ah! So all of you have come for her!" the Doris' father said. He turned towards her wife and urged her to speak.

She raised an eyebrow, and exerted no effort to hide the fact that she was severely irritated by the question and the obviousness of the answer

She took a deep breath and started speaking. "Yes, she is alive..."

The crowd immediately fell silent.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, and upon seeing the relieved expression of Seravi, she frowned in distaste.

"And she's getting married," she added quickly.

"Hurrah!!" Yakku and Chiremeko squealed in delight. Most of the others suffered from silent shock. Seravi winced.

Cha-cha opened her mouth to speak, when Doris' mother raised her hands to silence them, and directed their attention to the jade-masked man who has just emerged from inside the house.

"You'd best address him, for further details about the coming event..."

They all turned to see the jade-masked man coming down the steps of the house with such posture and grace.

Seravi turned his attention sharply to him.

"Here is the man, who our daughter will be wedded to, come this time tomorrow,"

By that time, the jade-masked man was already upon the crowd, looking at everyone through his mask.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to them, my future son-in-law?" Doris' father said to him.

He gave a little nod in reply. He then raised one hand and slowly removed the mask from his face.

Everyone either gasped, or cried because of shock.

Yakku and Chiremeko gave the loudest shriek of all.

The man that stood before them now was a more refined, more affluent version... of Seravi himself!

Their eyes met, green against green.

The man smiled amusedly and slightly cocked his head.

"Well Hello there..." he said looking only at Seravi whose eyes were also wide with shock.

"Little brother..."

¿¿*!*??

¿¿***?? New character! As with the rule, the next chapter will come after 48th post! Hehehe...
Oh yes, could you possibly help me solve a mystery? Does anyone know what Dorothy's last name is? Same question goes for Seravi. Because I can't keep calling their parents Doris' father or Dorothy's mother anymore, its tiring. Well, if there aren't anyone who does know, then I'm open for suggestions as to what Dorothy and Seravi's last name would be. Post your suggestion! More details on the new character, next chapter.