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What did 'FirstFloor' mean? Or did it even have a meaning? She didn't click on the pop-up. She just waited and stared at the screen wanting to know what would happen next. On the verge of having a heart attack, she picked up the phone after one ring and answered with a frightened hello.
''Kori!'' came a panicked voice from the other side of the line.
''What know, Rachel.''
''Did you check the paper?''
''Hnnn?''
''Go get your paper and check the front page. Then tell me 'hnnn'.'' came a cold reply.
Kori obeyed to her friend's command and after pulling the chair away from the door, she slightly opened the door and snuck her hand outside. Dragging the paper back inside, she shut the door and still kneeling on the floor she read the top-story's title: 'He Scarred Her for Life'. She heard that before. Memory was NOT her strong suite. She hoped she wasn't going crazy.
Turning the pages to read the whole story, a picture of her caught her eye. Her? In the paper? In this story? Reading further, the whole story of her getting attacked the other day and being saved by Richard was twisted up. The writer clamed that a man witnessed another young man by the name of Xavier Redd running after Kori Anders who was being chased down an alley. The story continued saying that he (Xavier) ran after her and actually saved her.
…which was completely WRONG.
She made her way back to the phone and yelled: WHAT IS THIS?
''You never told me all of this.'' Rachel protested.
''Well I thought it wouldn't really be of your interest.'' She replied innocently.
''Hell YES this is of my interest! Kori, Kori. You are so young, so naïve!''
''Oh please.''
''But seriously Kori, this is serious. Xavier seems to be a very nice person. I mean, saving you and all. You should call the police if it ever happens again.''
Kori stayed silent for a moment then replied. ''It didn't happen that way, Rachel. Richard is the one that saved me, not X!''
''What are you going to tell me next? That Mr Wilson, your land lord, saved you?
Kori's eyes widened. ''No. I would never lie about something like this, I swear. By the way, Wilson is a creepy one-eyed land lord that comes up stairs from the first floor just to see me.''
''Oh. I feel some obsessing-over-ruling-wanting-to-see-Kori land lord. Strange.''
''What is wrong with you? This isn't the natural Rachel I have come to know.''
''Please. Don't ruin the moment.'' She said in response. ''So what about this whole story? Xavier likes you a lot; I guess he would save you from ANY kind of danger''
Kori's jaw fell. ''Damnit Rachel! Believe me; Richard saved me! Xavier left me right after I got out of the super-market.''
''Since when are you on Richard's side? You hate him so much that you actually say that he's the one that saved you?''
''Yes!''
''You're story isn't standing up correctly. ''
Furious, Kori threw the paper to the floor. ''You have to believe me.''
Rachel took a deep breath. ''Just to clear one thing up, Wilson is a well known person on this side of Gotham, Kori. He always helped out the community, he loved to donate to charities and school outings.''
''This is not a discussion on Mr. Wilson.''
''Anyway. Believe what you want to believe, Kori. But you'll see…''
After a few silent moments, Rachel hung up.
This could not be happening…not in her life. She was telling the TRUTH. It happened to HER not to RACHEL. Why should Rachel say the opposite if she wasn't even there? Maybe she thought Kori was going crazy. She looked back at the screen and read everything that First Floor wrote while she was occupied with the hectic phone call. A simple 'hello' was sent by the stalker. She waited for a moment.
FirstFloor says: Did you figure it out yet?
She had to answer and find something out.
Star.light says: Figure what out yet?
FirstFloor says: My game.
Star.light says: I know it's not funny. What exactly is your game?
FirstFloor says: I've been leaving you clews all along. Don't tell me that you didn't figure it out yet.
All along?
Star.light says: What kind of clues?
FirstFloor says: I'm not dumb enough to tell you, Kori. Figure them out yourself or prove that you're not the brightest candle on the cake.
That son-of-a-nut-cracker.
Star.light says: It's just a matter of time till I get you.
FirstFloor says: I don't think time is on your side. Take care of making smart moves and your golden heart; I don't think you want to lose THIS game.
Star.light says: I don't give up easily for what I want, just so you know.
What do you want? It was true.
FirstFloor says: Neither do I, just so you know.
Star.light says: What exactly is the prize here? Money? Personal belongings? I hope this game is worth while.
FirstFloor says: During these past few days, what have you been trying to save from me?
Kori's eyes widened. She was trying to save her LIFE from him. He was completely obsessed. Why would he want to take her life? What did she every do…
She thought for moment: if she lost…
Yeah.
He wrote again…
FirstFloor says: This game will be worth while if you don't forget to play. If you get distracted for a moment, you might lose everything. So don't worry. I'll take care of any distractions that may come in the way, to make it easier for you.
Star.light says: If you touch anyone I love, that you may think is a 'distraction' to our game, I will definitely make it a hundred times worse for you.
FirstFloor says: No. It's just between you and me now. Ready to play?
Star.light says: Yeah, I love games. I hope you know who you're up against.
First.Floor says: Of course I know who I'm up against: KORI. Do you know who you're up against?
It was a chance she had to take, right?
FirstFloor says: You're move.
CONVERSATION TERMINATED.
Her move. What should she do now? How should she play? What would be the best tactic to use? She had to start by finding the clews. WHAT clews? He said he left some all along. Maybe they weren't meant to be seen or found? All her ideas floated in her brain, incapable of finding a place to settle down.
''KORI! Think.''
She pulled out a paper and a pencil. While thinking of a list of suspects, two names popped in her mind before any other name she could think of.
Karmen was number one. Who else would want revenge on Kori rather than her own sister? Even though Karmen was the popular one, the strong one, the smart one, the talented one…Kori seemed to be more sociable than her sister. Kori was friendly, pretty good in school and a lot of male eyes would be staring at her. Kori couldn't really understand why she would get all the attention rather than her sister, that is also very attractive. But it's life.
Writing her name down anyway, Kori thought that she might have hired someone else to do the dirty job for her.
In second place was Xavier. He was a guy, who at times, could be very aggressive. He could fit the part perfectly since he doesn't take rejection from women too easily. Since Kori didn't answer him for them being a 'couple', he could have gone overboard. She also remembered that he left her right before she got attacked, few days ago. He was young, strong, had a deep voice and was pretty athletic.
Still hoping it wouldn't be one of her closest friends, she wrote his name down anyways.
She glared back down at the paper and thought about its title. 'He scarred her for life'. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment.
The last time she heard that was on the last conversation with the stalker. She asked who he was and his only reply was: I am the one who scarred you life. Literally.
Literally…she repeated in her mind.
Yeah, it means, and I quote from my dictionary: in a literal manner; in the strictness sense OR actually; really OR in effect; virtually.
And what EXACTLY does literal mean? She asked sarcastically.
Restricted to the exact, stated meaning; not figurative: the literal sense of the Scriptures OR—
I think you didn't understand it was sarcastic…
SARCASTIC: an ironical or scornful utterance; contemptuous—
Thank you VERY much, for that unnecessary piece of useless information.
You are VERY welcome for that unnecessary piece of useless information.
So…he was the one who scarred her literally.
LITERALLY: a literal manner; in the strictness sense—
''OKAY! OKAY!'' she said, flipping the pages of the paper reading the other titles. 'Schools and security', 'Strange murders', 'Alligators and—
She went back a page. 'Strange murders. Gotham city, what's going on?' Reading further, descriptions of various murders in Gotham and Steal City caught her attention. So far, two other women had been killed in their homes. Strangled or drowned. The only two ways used to kill these women. Described to be very nice people, they had friends in the surrounding areas. Nobody who was put under interrogation every mentioned someone that might have wanted to get revenge from them.
Of course, Kori thought, things aren't always as they seem…
But then, another crucial detail caught her attention…
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cryingdove, XX