The faint sound of water running could be heard as my eyes slowly fluttered open. The space next to me was empty. I turned to my right and looked at the time. The clock read 6.19 am. I kicked off the blanket and forced myself to get up as I walked to the bathroom, a strip of light gleaming visibly from below the door.
"Aiko?" I called out. "Are you in there?"
"Yeah?"
"Isn't it a little early to be getting ready for school?" I asked, rubbing my right eye with one hand. We usually got ready for school around 7 since school started at 8.30.
"I'm taking a bath," she responded, "I don't know, I really needed one after last night."
"Okay then," I replied through a yawn before falling back into bed, sleep wrapping itself around me in no time. I could hear the quiet sound of chattering but my body decided to ignore it.
Moments later, I was awoken once again. My heart was racing from the lack of sleep. I turned to my right once again to check the time and realised it was already 7.12. Quickly, I got up and headed to the closet. I checked myself in the mirror that covered the door.
My hair was in a brown tangled mess and there was a little bit of eyeliner in the corner of my eyes that I did not bother to wash off properly. My eyes were drooping from exhaustion. I looked away from Aiko's mirror and towards the bathroom door. The light was no more.
Calmly, I knocked on the surface of the door. "Aiko?" I called out.
No answer.
Maybe she was eating breakfast downstairs already. I cracked open her closet to get my set of school uniform, noticing that both pairs of her set seemed to still be hanging in the closet. Completely untouched. My eyebrows knitted into a frown. That was odd.
I shrugged it off and took the hanger of clothes from the closet and pushed open the bathroom door. My heart stopped when I peered into the bathtub. It was completely dry, with no sign that anyone had taken a bath in there. Very, very odd. I could feel my pulse racing at the sight and I started to panic.
Where did Aiko go?
Slowly, I hanged the clothes on a hook in the bathroom and went downstairs to see if she was there. I held the railings as I walked down the stairs, my breath shortening from the anxiety that bubbled inside of me.
I nearly collapsed when I saw that the house was completely empty. I checked the shoe rack and saw that all of her shoes were still there which meant that she couldn't have left the house. The silence was absolutely deafening and my racing heart seemed to pound louder and louder.
I walked towards the dining table when I realised that something sat atop the surface of the table. It was a thick book with leather skin. I had never seen the book before despite the amount of time I spent with Aiko, On the front read 'Aiko Hirayama' in bold letters.
My hands trembled as I opened the cover that led me to the first page. Taped to the first page was an almost paper-thin pen drive that stared back at me. Without wasting any time, I took out my laptop from my backpack that was sitting on the sofa and plugged it in.
A folder popped up and inside were two files. One was an audio file and another was a document. My hands were still shaking from how nervous I was as I decided it would be best to click on the audio file first if I wanted my questions answered. I clicked on it and braced myself for what I was about to hear.
"Daria, if you're hearing this right now, don't worry. I'm going to be gone for a while but I'll be back soon," I heard Aiko's voice speak as I listened intently to the audio file. I felt a surge of relief pass through me when I heard her statement.
"I'll be back," she spoke, taking a deep breath before saying, "if you can help me out of the mess I'm in."
Her voice brought me worry. It was hushed and filled with terror as she continued talking.
"Daria, I am in serious danger right now. I need you to help me, Daria. You're the person I trust the most in my life and I think it's time you found who I really am. It's going to be a lot for you to digest but please believe me. If you want to know the truth about me, go to Turin."
My eyes widened at the mention of the location. Turin?
"Go to Turin and find Gian. He will answer all your questions," Aiko continued. I was filled with confusion now. Gian and Aiko had only meant twice in their lives. How would he know anything about her?
"Not only that, Daria, bring my journal with you and ask Gian for a guy named Lucien. Both of them will help you out. And the three of you must help me. I trust that you will succeed, Daria. You're a confident, amazing, powerful girl. I know that."
My head was spinning. I had no idea what to expect, though all I knew was that Aiko really needed me. She seemed to be stuck in a dire situation that I was completely clueless about. Who knew that my best friend was someone I seemed to not know at all?
"I love you, Daria. Please save me."
The audio came to an end and I stared at the screen with my mouth gaping, unsure of what to do next. I knew that Aiko was in danger but why? What could be threatening her? How could I possibly be of help? I just a naive seventeen year old girl who couldn't even spell 'reminiscence'.
If it happened to be a mafia don or something that kidnapped Aiko, I would lose no argument required. My skills at combat were at a strong null and I had no weapons to protect myself either.
Before I could switch off the laptop, I realised there was still one more file I had to open. The document next to audio file was waiting to be opened. I clicked on it and examined the document.
It was an electronic plane ticket to Turin. The flight was set to leave at 11.30 which happened to be in less than 4 hours from now. My heart rate sped up as I double-clicked on the document and printed it out from the printer that Aiko's father owned.
I quickly slid my laptop back into my backpack, as well as the journal and slung the bag over one shoulder. Before I knew it, I was cycling back to my house which was three blocks away from Aiko's.
When I arrived, I chucked the bicycle somewhere on the grass and ran up the steps to the front door of my house. I unlocked it and made a dash for my bedroom.
The moment I closed the door behind me, I took a deep breath. This was really happening. Two things I had never expected to happen in my entire life: going to Italy and my best friend in danger.
Before I started packing, I took a sticky note from my desk and wrote a note to Alexia that I would be away from a school camp for the week. I knew that a day would not be enough to find my missing best friend.
As I was arranging clothes into a suitcase, I realised I should inform Gian that I was going to visit him. I placed one more shirt into the bag before zipping it up and putting it by the door of my bedroom. Then, I took my phone out of my pocket and made the call I never thought I would make.
"Hello?" I heard his mellow voice speak.
"Gian?"
"What's up, Daria?" he asked. He seemed to excited to hear my voice which warmed my heart a little. "You never call."
"About your text last night," I slowly said, "I'm coming over. You better be there to pick me up from the airport."
I heard Gian exclaim, "Woah! Really?"
I laughed, feeling my chest relax for a fleeting moment from the amusement. After listening to the audio, the insides did not seem to calm down. "Yes really."
"What's the occasion?" he asked. "And how did you get the money for a plane ticket?"
"I have my ways," I lied.
"You got a job?" Gian asked excitedly.
"Yeah, I did."
"Really?"
"No. Not really."
"Then?" he asked, confused.
I simply said, "It's Aiko."
"Really? She's so kind, buying a ticket for you and all," Gian gushed. I leaned against the frame of my bed as I spoke on the phone to him.
I sighed before saying, "No, Gian. I think she's been abducted."
Silence.
"Hello?"
"Sorry, what did you say? Abducted?" he repeated, unable to believe the words coming out of his own mouth. "What the hell?"
I replied, "Yes, abducted. I think. I don't know."
"What do you mean?" Gian asked, his voice laced with concern. "Aiko is the most immaculate person we know. Who would even want to abduct her?"
"That's the thing," I responded. "But she left me some clues to help save her. Which confuses me by the way. How would she know that she was going to be in danger?"
"Oh yeah. That's weird," I heard Gian say. "What did she leave you?"
"She left me a journal and a pen-drive."
"Interesting."
"And," I continued, "she said I needed to go to Turin if I wanted to find answers. She said you know the truth about her, whatever that means."
"I do," Gian nonchalantly said.
"Wait really?"
"Yep," he said. "Look, Daria, we'll meet up when you arrive and I'll explain everything."
"Are you sure?" I asked, my voice alarmed. "You can just tell me everything now. I'm really worried, Gian."
"I'll tell you when we meet up, Daria," he softly replied. "Don't read the journal yet. We'll examine it together to see what she left behind for you."
"Alright then," I replied. "Oh yeah. She mentioned a guy named Lucien."
"Lucien?" Gian asked as if trying to recall where had heard the name from. "Oh yeah I know him."
"Aiko said that he'll be able to help us," I informed him. My knees were now up to my chest as I sat on my bed.
"Yes I think he will be," Gian responded. "Look, let's stop talking about this."
"Why? I seriously need to know what's going on, Gian," I spoke, my voice almost pleading.
"I'm afraid it might be too much for you," he whispered.
My eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"When's your flight?" Gian quickly said, dropping the previous subject of our conversation. "Shouldn't you be leaving for the airport right now?"
"It's at 11.30," I responded, ignoring the fact that he refused to answer my question. "You're right. I should probably go."
"I'll be there at the airport to pick you up. I can't wait to see you," he told me, his voice sounding genuine.
"Me too," I replied and for the first time this morning, my body felt at ease.
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