See No Evil

Day 1

Click… Clack… Click… Clack… Click…

Clack.

 I wake up, gently, the sound echoing off into the distance of my mind. Was it real, or a dream? I’m alone, in a bedroom. A bedroom I’ve never been to. There is a checkered blanket on me, and below that clothes, clean ones. Men’s clothes? I’m not sure. They seem to fit me. I look around: the window is open, a light summer breeze stumbles into the room, lifting the curtains. The room is bland, empty: a closet, the door closed, some shirts hung up on its side with illegible writing on them. By the closet is a mirror, facing the bed. I look into my eyes within the mirror: the makeup from my face is gone. I must have been wearing makeup, right? I look to my sides now, searching for the familiar shape of my phone in the darkness. 

 On a small bedside table I find it: I tap on the screen, try to turn it on. Nothing. On the table is a cup of water with a small white pill next to it on a napkin. It seems odd, unnecessary. They could’ve just placed it on the table. I don’t take the pill and I don’t drink the water, instead I try to stand up, but when my feet touch the ground they don't sense it for a second, as if my body was still dormant, lazy. I struggle to stand up, my legs shaking under my mass; I hold onto the side of the bed and lift myself up. I look around. Where are my clothes? Does my mom know I’m here? This thought flashes through my mind like a memory. I grip my temples with my thumb and middle finger, massaging them; I try to remember what happened, what time it is. Suddenly, I hear noises from outside the door. Sounds of a group of people, talking. They seem familiar. They laugh. A memory flashes into my brain, my friends, a night out: we went back to his house. I’ve never been to this place. Or have I? A plushie on the bed, some mascot of a football team, stares at me through the dark. I’ve seen it before. 

 I take a deep breath and open the door: the sounds become louder, a group of men, and the sound of a girl laughing with them. I recognize them. They are my friends. The feeling of relief coats me like a blanket released onto my shoulders, and as fast as I can, I stumble down the stairs. They are sitting around a small dining table, music plays silently in the background, an ambiance for their conversation. When they see me, they fall silent for a second, but then one of the boys, Jacob, stands up.

 ‘Katie!’ he yells, and they all start yelling, chanting my name. I laugh. They are my friends, and I am safe. Jacob comes up to me: he’s drunk, I can feel it on his breath as he hugs me.

 ‘You passed out real good, Katie’ he says as he guides me to the table, pulling out a chair. 

 ‘Yeah, we were a bit worried’ another laughs. Mark, that’s his name. I look around, and I look at the girl. She is smiling, but she’s silent, not looking in my eyes.

 ‘What time is it?’ I ask. One of them lifts his phone towards me: it’s six in the morning.

 ‘How did I pass out? What happened?’ the boys start laughing again.

 ‘Well, I think you drank a bit too much, Katie’ Jacob says, reaching to his neck. Around it, two necklaces. A cross, and a flower: a lotus, maybe. Suddenly I look at the girl because I feel her staring at me. Her dark skin seems shiny, as if she’s been sweating. Her features are unfamiliar, beautiful; I try to figure out who she is, but I assume she could be the friend of one of the boys.

 The others continue the conversation, and the girl stands up; I watch her walk away into a dark hallway at the other end of the room. The boys don’t react, as if she was a ghost, and I start contemplating whether she’s actually there. 

 ‘Who is she?’ I ask suddenly. They stop, all look at me, as if my question was confusing.

 ‘She’s my girlfriend. Naomi’ one of them says, a boy with sharp features, like a hawk. He says it as if I should know this already. It makes sense, as I don’t know him either.

 ‘I’m gonna check up on her’ I tell them, but they are already back discussing something about the German stock market. I stand up and follow the girl; the hallway is so dark that I can’t see the end of it, so I try to turn the light on but the switch doesn’t work. I call out her name, but she doesn’t answer, so I walk down the hallway. At the end I find a room, the door closed: it must be the bathroom. I knock.

 ‘Naomi?’ I whisper. She doesn’t answer, but after a few seconds she opens the door. A tranquil smile spreads on her face which I can only see by the appearing white of her teeth, and behind her the dim light of the room illuminates the back of her head, her curls coated in a yellow halo. Her features are hidden in the dark.

 ‘You’re Kate, right?’ she says. Her voice seems familiar, but it could be just very similar to someone else, someone I know. ‘I think we haven’t met,’ she chuckles, and I smile; her presence seems warm.

 ‘Yes, I’m sorry, I must have been out of it yesterday.’ I say, rubbing my arm. She tilts her head to the side, like a bird: a unique movement, almost striking.

 ‘I just got here recently, you have nothing to be sorry for’ she reassures me, taking my hand. Her palm is warm and soft, and as she looks up to me I can see a glint of green in her eyes.

 ‘I’m glad you’re here, tho’ she smiles. ‘It’s always more fun when there are girls’ she winks at me, and lets go of my hand. I feel numb after her touch, as I stand there in front of her in the darkness. 

 ‘When are you going back to the city?’ she asks. The city?

 ‘What do you mean?’

 ‘I mean, how long are you staying here?’ Suddenly I feel weak. I reach for the wall and grab the silky fabric covering it. Under my fingers is a pattern, I can’t recognise it. ‘Are you okay?’ she sounds worried, and suddenly light beams into my face. She turned on the flash of her phone, and her features become clear now, soft and puffy like a doll. A mole on her cheek adds to her tenderness.

 ‘Where am I exactly? Sorry… I thought I was…’ she reaches out towards me, confused.

 ‘You’re at the beach house’ she answers, her voice seems distant. ‘At Jacob’s beach house.

 As she says those words, a flood of memories rush back into my brain like a tsunami. Sand grinding on my feet, the smell of the ocean: a train ride with my friends. I shake my head.

 ‘Do you not remember? You came here yesterday, I believe.’ she tells me, her eyes observing my face.

 ‘Yes. I’m sorry. I think I remember.’ I answer, my voice sending vibrations through my body. ‘I think I need to sleep a bit more’

 ‘Of course! Come, I’ll walk you to your room’ she takes my hand softly and escorts me up the long stairs by the hallway. The boys don’t react: they are too immersed in their conversation. Naomi opens the door of the bedroom I had slept in and takes me to the bed, lays me down, tucks me in. 

 ‘Get some rest’ she says, walking to the door.

 ‘Naomi?’ I say into the dim morning light. She turns around.

 ‘Thank you’

 The ocean sways in the distance, its rhythmic sound swallowing me whole.

Day 2

Click… Clack… Click… Clack… Click…

 I feel movement by my side. It’s dark, as if my surroundings were painted black, as if I was inside a pit. I can see a slash of dim moonlight oozing through the closed curtains, like a slit in my reality. Again, something moves by my side; I freeze, trying to look. A body. I feel its warmth floating towards me in the air. I smell a scent of lavender, mixed with… soil? I turn now, and I see a girl laying next to me: she is asleep. I look for my phone, turn on the flashlight, careful not to point it directly at her face. Her dark skin glimmers in the flash, and I notice a mole on her cheek. She seems familiar, but I don’t recognize her, as if my mind was trying to reach for a clue, but it’s not enough, it’s not significant. It’s two in the morning. I stand up, slowly, drinking from the water on the bedside table. There is a pill placed on a napkin, I scoff: useless formalities. I walk to the door and open it, as silently as possible. I step out to the hallway illuminated by the moon and walk to the window. The ocean stretches along the dark horizon and I stare into its infinity, trying to recall yesterday’s events. I will remember tomorrow, I think. But it’s already tomorrow. I laugh at myself and turn around, walk to the bathroom. My face is rough, and on my arms, I notice a bruise. I inspect it, its surface tender under my touch; tiny capillaries reach towards its center, like a small crater on my body. I look into the mirror again, trying to remember what happened. I’m at the beach house. I’m with my friends. Jacob, Mark, Timmy, they are my friends. 

 I must have fallen, hit my head. That would explain everything. I stare into my vibrating eyes within the mirror, they blur into the confusing mess of my vision. Someone knocks on the door and I’m pulled back into reality. 

 ‘Come in’ I say without thinking; the door opens and the girl peeks in, the one who just minutes ago was laying in my bed. She smiles, uncertain.

 ‘Hi?’ she whispers. I motion for her to come in; the door closes, wrapping us into the otherworldly atmosphere of the bathroom. A moth circles in the air, bumping into the green tiles. Like a hospital.

 ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. My name is Naomi’ she says and reaches out for my hand. I shake hers, it’s soft, like a powder puff.

 ‘Yes, I don’t remember either. I’m Katie,’ I reply, smiling. She has a gap between her front teeth, a striking feature.

 ‘This might seem like an odd question, but…’ she pauses, bites her lower lip. ‘Where are we?’ I stare at her, trying to guess if she’s joking. But her face is pale grey and her eyes glint with a scared ember. 

 ‘We’re at the beach house. Jacob’s beach house’ I think for a second, trying to figure out who this girl could be. 

 ‘Oh, Jacob…’ she looks down, glaring at the tiles. ‘Yes. He’s the friend of my boyfriend.’ We stand there, silent for a few seconds. Something, a tension settles onto the air.

 ‘I’m sorry…’ she shakes her head and looks at me again. ‘Are you sure we haven’t met before?’ she asks. ‘You’re so… familiar.’ I stand, locking eyes with her, because I feel the same. She tilts her head, like a bird, and pain slashes into my head. I frown, reach to my temples. ‘Shit! Are you okay?’ she puts her palm on my shoulders.

 ‘Yeah, I just have a headache. I think I fell yesterday.’ I point at the bruise on my arm.

 ‘Come’ she says ‘They must have some medicine in the kitchen.

 We move, like spirits, through the hallway in the embrace of the moon. As we make our way towards the kitchen we see a light: two figures, shadows moving within it. We slow down and Naomi takes the lead, stepping into the kitchen. Two of the boys, Jacob and Timmy, are standing by the counter, talking; as we step into the light they fall silent, looking at us.

 ‘Hey guys’ I say and they stare at us for a moment. Finally, Jacob straightens up.

 ‘Hello ladies’ his ivory smile stretches across his face. ‘What can we help you with?’ he reaches to fix his necklaces, the lotus flower winking at me from the dark.

‘I just need some painkillers’ I say, walking up to them. I stop next to Jacob and he hugs my shoulder.

‘Yeah, well, Katie is slowly becoming an alcoholic by the day’ he remarks, looking down at me. ‘I couldn’t be more proud’ the two boys laugh, Naomi waiting in silence.

 ‘So you two…’ Timmy starts, pointing at me and Naomi. He doesn’t continue, as if he wasn’t sure about what his question is.

 ‘She’s a great roommate’ Naomi says, smiling at me.

 ‘Yes, definitely. We sleep like babies’ I laugh, taking a pill with a glass of water. The boys stand there, as if waiting for us to leave, so we go back to our room with Naomi, lay down on the cold bed, listening to the night breeze as it blows up the curtains, slides in under our lashes.

 ‘Katy?’ I hear her voice.

 ‘Yeah?’

 ‘Have you noticed something strange in this house?’ her voice is low, as if someone could hear us right in this moment.

 ‘What do you mean?’ I ask, even though I know what she means. For a second, there is silence, the ocean whispers through the thick night.

 ‘Why are there no locks on the doors?’