My heart was beating so loud I could barely hear what the hell they were saying.
If they headbutt me, I might black out. If they knock out a tooth, I do not have money to fix it.
My mind was scrambling for anything that looked like a tool to knock the shit out of them, but I was nowhere near anything I could reach.
"What? You Serena?" one of them questioned. Even these people think I look exactly like her.
"Serena? No, you've got the wrong—" I faked a smile to appear polite.
"Shut up!" the other man barked, pointing a jagged finger at me. "You think we'd forget what you did, huh? You think you can walk around like nothing happened?"
"I.....I don't know what you're talking about!" I stammered.
"Don't play dumb. After what you pulled that day, you think we'd just let it slide? You know who it is, don't you?" the first man sneered.
You know who it is, don't you?" the first man sneered.
"You must be mistaking me for someone else," I yelled.
"Don't even try to deny it. You might've fooled them, but you ain't fooling us."
I began to rethink what I was getting myself into. I had no idea she was living a life like this, and it in a place so dangerous that even my dad wouldn't be safe here. The streets were empty of regular people, but the ones who were there had wild tattoos, looked massive, and carried all kinds of weapons. There wasn't even a proper address. I couldn't find anything specific. The address I had led me to this street, this place, and it made me feel like giving up on my search for her.
What had she done to make these people angry?
"What do you want from me?" I finally choked out, hoping to buy myself time.
"You owe about a thousand dollars. You little scammy thief. I should have known you were a notorious thief. If you want to survive this night, you'd better bring that money."
To my astonishment, a man with beautiful eyes and a black hat stepped forward, grabbed the men, and slammed them to the floor. I don't know how he did it, but he took them single-handedly. The men groaned and immediately apologized.
"What did he want?" he asked.
"They wanted my money. They said I owe them a thousand dollars," I replied.
He pulled out a sack of cash and threw it to them. "That's two thousand dollars. So, you know what? Stay away from her. Because the next time I see you with this girl, I'll kill you. Do you understand?"
They nodded their heads and ran away like cowards.
"Thank you so much. Thank you for helping me," I smiled as I dusted my dress. I recognized him. He was the guy I had seen at the voice talent contest.
I had no idea someone could have this effect on me. The moment his words left his lips, my heart pounded harder.
Oh, that scent of his, I wanted to breathe it in all day.
And his eyes… they weren't just brown. They were a rare shade of brown.
"What is your name?" I asked as I leaned forward.
He simply nodded and walked away, just like that. He didn't say a word.
I picked up my scarf and made up my mind to leave. Just as I turned, a random guy approached me.
"Hi. Are you lost or something?" the random guy asked as he picked up my earrings that must have fallen.
"Yeah, I'm looking for someone. I'm looking for this lady," I said, showing him her image, trying not to sound too desperate.
"Oh! That's Serena. You....I thought you were her for a moment back there. You do look a lot like her. Wait! You're not Serena?" he asked, as he leaned in closer.
"Yeah, I'm not her. I'm Miwa. We....we're completely different people." I stammered. "I was about to leave before you came. Nice meeting you!" I gave a slight bow, then turned to leave. I had gotten myself into so much trouble today.
"Wait, please!" the random guy called out. I paused and turned over to face him.
"Can I see you without a scarf?" he asked softly.
I nodded and pulled off my scarf, revealing my face. His expression immediately changed, and I could see the shock and curiosity written all over it. He stepped closer to me, and I instinctively took a step back.
"You… you look just like Serena without her mask," he said, studying my face intently. "She always wore that half mask, and I always wondered why. This must be what she looks like without it. Are you two sisters or somehow related?"
"Um...I don't know. I don't think we are," I replied.
"You look beautiful. You don't need to hide yourself. And...red hair?" His hand reached up, gently brushing against a strand of my hair. "Why have you been hiding this?"
"Hey, I haven't been hiding anything. I'm new to this area, so I have to be undercover, you know, cover up a bit of myself since I'm a lady. I don't want to appear too flashy or draw too much attention. I don't usually wear a mask or scarf. It's just, I prefer to keep things low-key sometimes, especially going to places I'm not familiar with."
I paused, meeting his gaze. "Like I said, I'm not Serena. I'm not her. I....I am Miwa."
"Miwa?" he repeated. I watched as my name rolled off his tongue. "You look so much like my friend…"
He immediately saw how uncomfortable I felt and pulled his hand away from my hair, taking a step back.
"I'm sorry, my lady. I didn't mean to...."
"Don't apologize," I interrupted.
"But what are you doing here at this hour? It's dangerous for a lady to wander these roads alone, especially someone like you. Is there something you'd like to tell me? Maybe I can help."
"Since you know her and you're a friend, I would like you to take me to her. Please," I uttered as I took a step forward. "If you want me to explain the reason, it's kind of complicated. I don't even fully know the reason myself. I just want to talk to her, that's all. I want to clear my doubts," I replied with a smile. I hope he wouldn't lead me to a random place where females are being sold. Besides, it's late at night. From here, I could see that the road forward was pitch black, no streetlight that could have been of great help to me.