Suddenly someone clears their throat. "I want to know something Amy!"
My heart skips a beat when I look at the owner of the voice.

Mr murderer stares at me, his eyes demanding an answer. Oh dear! We all remain quiet and 'James' narrows his eyes at Mr murderer. Why does 'James' always do that?

I cough and try to look confident, but only I know how terrified I am right now. I get the feeling I used to get whenever he used to come face to face with me those days. I used to be afraid of him then. And I am almost afraid now."Yes Jhon, What do you want to ask me?", I attempt a nonchalant question, but the nervousness is evident in my voice. My mouth is suddenly very dry.

He snorts. "Are you sure that you are ready for my question?", he challenges, but not in the  joking way that he always does. There is a tinge of darkness noted in his voice. That darkness in which his voice is  telling me that he is suffering with the cold or flu, when in fact he is not. This scares me.

He has definitely noticed that I am trying to ignore him. He is angry with me. He is disappointed with me.

"Why are you avoiding me?", his voice comes out bitterly and to the point.
I somehow knew that question was coming. But as soon as he says it, my heart feels heavy and I think that I want to cry. I hold in my tears and look down. I can't look at him straight in the eye.

"So it is true. You are trying to avoid me.", he spits. "Why? Answer me dammit!", he shouts. My body shakes under the power of his voice.

I look up at his hurt face and sigh. The others just look at the two of us in confusion. James still throws those invisible daggers at Jhon, with his stare.

"Jhon. I...."
"Jhon! Now I'm Jhon for you?"
"Please let me explain"
"So you really do hate me as much as you first did. Just because of that stupid accident. And what about last night? Those moments meant nothing to you?" Oh, there's that darkness again.

"Last night?", fake James questions me. "What moments? Is something going on between the two of you?" I can hear a tinge of his possessive nature. "And what accident?", he carries on. Sabby urges him to be quiet.

I switch my attention hack to Jhon totally ignoring 'James's' question. "Jhon, I don't hate you."
"Then why are you acting so weird with me since this morning?", it now comes out as a whisper.
"Because..."
"Because what?"
"Because I don't want to feel the way I  am beginning to feel for you. ", I admit. I finally succumb to his wrath.

Oh no! What did I say? I instinctively put my hand to my mouth, but have to remove it immediately for air as my body demands for more oxygen. 

Mr murderer's expression changes from anger to confusion and then to realisation. We remain  quiet for a while. Then... would you believe it? He smirks. Like he actually smirks. Without thinking, I want to explain my previous answer. "I...I mean...no...not like that...I mean.", I stutter.
"Like how then?"

When I know I cannot escape, I turn to the only way I can avoid this subject,
"You have already asked your question. I don't have to answer any other questions."

The others watch like excited spectators. "Let's just get on with the game.", I change the subject.

"No. I think that this game has gone too far. We should just stop playing it.", James suggests. Layla nods in the affirmative. No! I still have more questions to ask. My heart races like crazy. I suddenly forget about Mr murder and my focus is only on James.

"Nope. This game is not over. It would not be fair that the others don't get a turn.", Richard states.

"Richard, this is not the High Court of Johannesburg. It's just a game and I have just decided that I  don't wanna play.", Layla pouts.

"Aww is the baby scared? Is she hiding something?", Richard pinches her nose and she gives in. She has to. After all it is Richard. She is however disappointed that I had hidden the fact that I knew about Richard and Malak.

This time, I nervously take the chilled bottle in my hand and rotate my fingers as I spin the bottle.
Round and round the bottle goes until finally my wait is over. I get what I finally want. I almost jump up in excitement.

James!!!

 I will finally get to ask him the question that I had  wanted to ask this whole time. The reason I suggested we play the game in the first place.

When he sees the bottle facing him, he wrinkles his nose. "I would like to ask James a question.", Sabby shouts to my astonishment. No! I cannot let her ask the question. I can't let this opportunity go. "No can I  ask him something.", I plead with her.

"But you already  asked Richard." "Pleeeseeee", I pout and open my eyes the widest that I can trying to portray the puppy dog face, and I think that I succeed in doing so after Sabby gives in. "Okay, but I am asking the next question." And I nod vigorously.

I take a deep breath and face James .  He frowns at me for the hundredth time. I feel very confident, but as soon as I look at his blue eyes, I become hypnotised once again. It is if I am looking at the endless ocean. I wonder what skeletons these deep eyes are drowning, or have drowned. I don't know why, but I smile. I realise this when he smiles back at me. I switch back to reality and clear my throat.

"Ooh interrogation time. I feel like a criminal", fake James states and chuckles, and for the first time I sense a nervous output from him.
"Go on...ask as many questions as you want Amanda!"
"Are you sure?" He just nods. He has no idea what is going to hit him. The others will be shocked too, but I have to ask this question.

"How did Malak die?", as soon as I say it, I want to go back in time and rephrase the words. I do NOT like the word die.

His face falls flat. Did he really think that I was going to be easy on him? He puts his face back into place and looks at me expressionless. "She had fallen in the bathroom and had hit her head on something. The impact was so fierce that it took her life." He says it as if it were obvious since everyone knows this answer.

He is clearly lying to me. He had mentioned something else the last time. I just smile. "What is Malak's full name?", I ask.
"But...you already asked a question...I don't have to..."
"Uhuh...you just said that I could ask you as many questions that I could."
He gives me this defeated look.
"I...I don't remember."
I chuckle.
"What was the colour of her hair?"

"Amy please stop!", Richard shouts. "Richard please let me ask him the questions. " He just shakes his head.

"So James, I'm still waiting for the answer."
"Uhmm Brown I think.", he answers. I stare at him and smirk. He knows I got him.

"Blonde...her hair was blonde and Malak Leo Smith was her full name.", I tell him.

He forces a smile. "Oh..."
"It's so funny how you and Malak were such good friends last year and you don't even remember the colour of her hair... knowing her full name is something else."

I lean on my elbow that sits on the table to get closer to him. "I am not done! I have more questions and you will speak the truth now!"  I take his hand and place it in my forehead the Indian style. "Swear on me, that you will speak the truth." His eyes begin to water. He knows that he is almost caught. He knows that I know that he is lying.

"Okay! I swear on you that I will answer all your questions truthfully." He states and I nod surprisedly. The others don't know what is going on, but they do know that this situation is one very serious one.

"I will ask the first question again. How did Malak die?"
He gulps and looks at his hand on my head.
"She....was...ki...killed by someone.", he speaks the truth.

I nearly fall off the bench when he speaks the truth. I had expected him to lie again but he doesn't. I slowly take his hand off my head. Does he really care about the fact that he swore on me to speak the truth? If he didn't care about me, he would not speak the truth? Who is he?

"What do you mean by she was killed?" , Richard questions fiercely. I turn to Richard and place my palms on his. "I will explain everything to you just now, please let me ask a few things from James." Richard pulls his hand away from mine.  Sabby puts her hand over her mouth. Layla is already crying. Mr murderer looks so confused.

I turn back to James. "How do you know that Malak was killed?", I ask curiously. He smiles at me genuinely, and the nervousness that was on his face disappears. "I was one of the first ones who heard you scream. I came in and I was the one who brought you outside."
I frown. Really? Was it him? I remember that day...how shocked and traumatised I was. How I felt myself being pulled away from the room. Yes! It really was James. He was there.

I look at him, but this time, I don't  know how to see him. Do I look at him as a friend or as a criminal. "Why was your name not on the list of witnesses?", I ask.

"Because I had left as soon as the security team was alerted."
"Why?"
"Because I was afraid of being recognised!"
"Are you a criminal?"
He laughs and shrugs.
"I don't know...maybe." Why am I now believing every single word he is saying.

"Did you kill Malak?", I whisper. This moves him. "What? NO! Are you crazy Amy?" He shouts. "Is that really what you think of me?"
"I honestly DONT KNOW WHAT TO THINK ANYMORE.", I shout back.

He extends his hand out to me. "Amy I promise you, I have nothing to do with Malak's death. I swear." I look at his hand but don't take it. He gives me an intense stare and finally gives up as he takes his hand back.

"How did you know my room number?", I ask.
" I had followed that Detective and he lead me to you.", he answers honestly. Wow! That is pretty truthful.
"Why?"
"Because I was worried about you.", his eyes tell me that he is being truthful.

"Why were you worried about me?", I ask. I didn't realise when the tears fall from my eyes.
"Amy...because I know that you have gone through a lot. I didn't want you to have a nervous breakdown"

"I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!" I scream.
"I know...you always have.", he states. I frown between my drying tears. "How do you know so much about me? How do we have so much in common?", I ask frustratedly.

He doesn't answer. He just smiles.
"Okay then...what is your real name?", I finally ask. I sniff as I wait for an answer. The others are too shocked to speak.

I notice the tears on the sides of his eyes but he wipes them away quickly. "I'm sorry Amy, I have to go!", he states and gets up to leave. I shake my head from side to side and get up too and hold the bottle in my left hand as I prepare to throw it at him. "No!" I stop him. "you have to answer my question."

"Amy...please believe me...I am not a bad person. I don't wish for any ill to befall upon you."
"And how can I just believe that?", I stress.
"Follow your heart!", he says those familliar words. Follow my heart!!

"Okay, at least tell me your real name.", I persist. "I know that you are not James. I know that the real James Whittaker is in culinary school in Australia. Please just tell me the truth. What is your name?", I plead.

He walks away. "What is your name?", I scream one more time.

Then, he turns around and opens his mouth. He says the name that makes me freeze on my ground. Each letter is a hammerblow. The bottle in my left hand falls to the ground and breaks into small, sharp shards. I fall onto the bench seat as soon as he says the name.

The tears just fall.

"Jameel."

He said Jameel.

J...A...M...E...E...L

I look up again and he has disappeared. Like he always does.
Jameel.  Realisation punches me in the face.

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Dear readers:

Very dramatic chapter! (chuckles) I know. I was waiting since forever to write this chapter, and finally it is published.

James...Jameel...get it.

Do share your thoughts with me. Tell me how I can improve my writing.

Well what do you think about this chapter?

Do vote ,comment and share.

Mwaah. **** chow!!

Love you
Yours truly

Amina