GAME OF MURDERS...

Martha approached her cell phone, ringing inside her handbag. Opening her bag, she snatched the device out of it.

She read the person calling, and for a moment, I saw her smile fade away. I noticed her eyebrows narrowing. However, she hung up the call and slid it back inside the bag.

Holding her bag, she turned towards me with a bright smile on her face once again. She walked at a slow pace towards my bed and sat on its edge.

"Who was it?" I asked with a confused expression.

"A friend of mine. Nothing serious. I'll call her later." She replied and threw a careless smile at me.

"Are you sure?" I felt the need to confirm. After all that has happened, I think I lost my easy trust.

She nodded in assurance, broadening her smile without uttering a word. Placing the bag near my side table, she got up to unpack a tiffin box for me.

"I completely forgot. You must eat something. You had a lot of medicines, and now you need food." She said casually. She wasn't facing me, but I knew something, or maybe someone was disturbing her.

"Martha?" I asked with hints of suspicion in my voice.

"Umm-hmm." She replied without turning.

"I-is someone disturbing you?" I finally spoke out my hesitation.

She turned on her heels with a surprised look on her face. Nonetheless, her expressions altered as she noticed my worried and dubious look.

"My sweet sis!" She moved forward and gently placed her hand on my cheek.

"I'm fine. It was just an acquaintance. I swear no one's disturbing me. Don't stress yourself out. Okay?" She said politely, and I couldn't help but nod.

She smiled wholeheartedly and removed her hand from my cheek. I kept watching her face making an attempt to study her feelings.

"Now," she said. "Have some food. Once you feel better, we'll go see Hannah."

Hannah! Oh, she is still in the hospital! What am I doing here then?

"I'll have something on the way. Let's just head towards the hospital where Hannah is." I said, more like, pleaded, urgently getting down from the bed.

"Hey, hey! Wait up. You have to get some food. I'll take you there, but you need to finish this." Martha commanded, and I felt helpless.

Unwillingly I had to finish those pulses and veggies and whatnot. Finally, after twenty minutes or so, I won my war against the tiffin box, and my tummy had conquered it all.

I know I sound like a toddler right now. But I can't help it. I just hate vegetables!

As soon as I was done, I changed into a pair of clothes Martha had brought for me. It was a deep blue, plain, silk, knee-length gown with a mist of golden strings woven near its bottom lining. It seemed like fairy dust. Paired with it was a golden legging that extended just below my ankle.

I rolled my hair up in a bun and placed a matching deep blue beanie over it. Ready to get out of this sick hospital. I sighed and went out of the room where I found Martha waiting for me.

I walked towards her, and she handed me my belongings as soon as I reached near her.

"Here! Take them. It has your cell phone, and that's a new handbag as your previous one was," she paused, trying to find an appropriate word. "Stained, I guess." She completed, pointing out things before placing them in my hands.

"Thanks for all of this, Martha!" I said. And I meant it. She had taken care of me the most, right when I needed it.

I don't know what I might have done without her.

"I'm your big sis, isn't it? It is my job to take care of you. No need for these formalities." She said with her signature kind smile and booped on my nose affectionately.

After a few moments, we were out of the clinic. It was actually a bit big for a clinic and a bit small for a hospital. It was between the two.

We walked swiftly towards the hospital where Hannah was admitted. According to Martha, it was somewhere nearby. And after a ten-minute walk, I could see the hospital building standing tall with its characteristic red cross making it distinct from the others.

We approached the elevator and awaited its arrival. Hannah's room was on the fourth floor. We confirmed it at the reception before proceeding further. In the meantime, neither of us talked much.

Martha knew I was tensed. Many-a-times, she opened her mouth to speak but kept silent in hesitation.

Finally, the doors of the elevator separated, revealing the fourth floor of the building to us. It was the general ward.

Bed number 345. We searched amongst all the other beds.

343...344...345! There it is!

We spotted the bed, and I quickly dashed in that direction.

"Hannah!" I shouted her name with tears filling my eyes as I yearned for a glimpse of her.

Hannah, lying on the bed, and a few people around her turned their heads towards me. I didn't pay heed to them.

Walking straight towards the bed, I stood beside Hannah and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Are you alright?" I asked with a trembling voice.

"I'm better," she said with a brief nod and smiled, looking at my caring eyes. "How are you?" Hannah asked.

"I'm fine. What would happen to me?" I replied, gently passing my fingers through her hair.

"You were in a hospital the previous night." Hannah made an attempt to remind me.

I completely forgot about what happened yesterday.

Oh! How much it affects your memory seeing your best friend lying on a hospital bed with fractures and injuries!

All other problems seemed secondary at this point.

We had a light chit-chat about Hannah's wounds and their recovery. She had a plaster on her right arm, which might take a week to get better. The rib fracture will also heal in the meantime. So, she was advised not to lift heavy loads or participate in any sort of strenuous activities.

The doctor had prescribed Hannah to stay in the hospital till this evening for another dose of injectable medicines. After which, she was allowed to be discharged.

Only after a while, I noticed Tiana was standing there too with a few of her friends. She was smiling at us as we talked. Hannah introduced me to her, even though I had met her a couple of times before.

Technically, I didn't meet her. I just saw her with Hannah whenever she visited our college. I knew her, but maybe she hadn't seen me before.

After a brief introduction, I remembered about Grace. She was nowhere to be seen. I turned my head all-around to find her, but she wasn't there.

"Where's Grace?" I asked, making a failed attempt to find her.

"She went to college," Hannah replied, and my head immediately turned towards her. Disbelief taking over my expressions.

How can she leave her best friend!?

Studying my looks, Hannah quickly added,

"She received a call from the HOD. She had to leave. But don't worry. She said she'll ring up as soon as she is done." Hannah explained.

We kept doing purposeless chats before Tiana and her friends left to grab some snacks from the timmies. Martha had an important call to take, so she left too, leaving just the two of us behind. Hannah and Me.

"Are you really alright, Emi?" Hannah asked as she noticed we were alone.

"I can't get that scene out of my mind. As much as I hated Zendaya, the fact that I saw her dead body was sending thrills through my spine." I sighed and let out everything that was going on in my mind.

"Don't worry! We'll figure things out. Everything will go back to normal soon." Hannah comforted me, reaching out her unplastered hand to hold my fidgeting fingers.

"I hope so," I said with a sad smile.

"Hey, I think you should check out something," she said, pointing towards her cell phone placed on the side table.

"I received a text message right before our play. Maybe you should read it. It's the latest one." Hannah added.

I picked up her cell and tapped a few times on the screen to open the message application. The topmost text was received from an unknown number. I clicked on it, and it popped open.

It read -

Welcome to the game of murders..... 

******
You are the best person in the world!!!
You know why?
'Cause you're reading my book hehe.

Now, I'm being cringey, I know, lol.

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~Toodles :)