Matt had awoken in complete darkness, save the light directly above him. His hands were tied up tightly with rope and gagged with towels. He also smelled gasoline.
He tried to speak, but with the gag in place he could only manage to make muffled sounds. He yelled as hard as he could, but it seemed nobody was there.
Matt at this point was terrified, but he took deep breaths and tried to remember how he could have ended here.
Only one name had been in his thoughts at that moment.
Phoebe Maddox
~*~
It had all began when Matt had meant the petite girl in freshman year. Like most people who have met Phoebe for the first time, he had found her adorable. She had bright blue eyes that sparkled without much effort, her raven black hair in pigtails along with her height just made her look like an innocent child.
After all the classes had finished on their first week, he had finally decided to walk up to her. She had been fixing up her things to prepare to leave the classroom when he stood next to her desk.
She looked up at him at surprise, and he wanted to melt due to the severe cuteness she was giving out.
“Yes Matt?” she asked.
“Uh..hi Phoebe. I was wondering if you wanted to study together in the library today.” Matt had said. He tried to ask casual, but made himself seem confident.
She looked around. Nobody else was there. Phoebe turned back to face the taller boy. “Just me?”
He smiled. “Yeah sure why not?”
Her eyelids fluttered a couple of times, processing what was going on. But then she just smiled.
“Yeah…sure.”
They had gone to the library as friends, and had done so for several weeks. They had spent lunch together and sat beside together in class.
After a month, they were officially together.
~*~
After 2 months, Phoebe’s core self was pushing itself out.
The couple had hid in the corner of the library, where everyone supposedly went to make-out in private. Matt had taken her there in the hopes to finally get some physical affection, but Phoebe would not let it pass.
“I…don’t really feel like doing this Matt.” She whined.
The boy frowned. “Oh come on Phoebe. We’ve been together for 2 months. I have needs.”
She sighed. “Can’t we just study? You said you’d help me out with geography.”
He groaned. “Phoebe…come on…it’ll be fine.”
She glared at him and for the first time her eyes were piercing. Her voice was a few pitches lower, and this surprised the boy. “Matt, I am not doing this and that’s final.”
Matt was taken aback by his girlfriend’s presence. Her once sweet self had left, leaving an aloof girl in front of him. If he had wanted to persist, he no longer found the courage to do so.
He stepped back a bit, hands up in defense. “Okay…I’m..I’m sorry.”
“Good.” In a flash she was back to her old self. She smiled. “Now, will you help me with that geography homework?”
~*~
The lack of affection in the physical sense aside, there was another thing that got on Matt’s nerves when it came to Phoebe Maddox. From the beginning, he had noticed that Phoebe always had a call that had to be taken in private, and she would disappear momentarily. When she had returned, it would be as if nothing had occurred. In other instances she would just not go to school, and her friends would insist that she was not well. He had let that pass during the courting stage, and about a couple of months of the boyfriend-girlfriend stage.
But today was the last straw. He had been a victim of Will’s severely loud alarm clock which volume had managed to reach the whole dorm, found that his breakfast had been stolen by someone who had yet to admit to it, and scolded in class for passing a note to Phoebe, which he believed would not have happened if she had taken in sooner.
“Who is this person you keep calling?!” He demanded when she had returned to wherever she had come from. They were in the cafeteria, and shared a table with some of the boys, being Sam, Kenneth and Cid. They had chosen to eat in peace, ignoring the lovers’ squabble.
She smiled and sat down beside him. “It’s nothing dear.”
Matt rolled his eyes. “This is the nth time you said it’s nothing. Phoebe, you obviously seem very committed to this caller. Tell me who he is. Is this another guy you’re seeing?”
Phoebe was highly insulted. “Of course not!” She pouted. “How could you think of something like that?”
“Oh I don’t know…you never talk about those calls…you always disappear after a while…” He massaged his forehead with his hand, given a headache was coming on.
While he was trying to ease his headache, Phoebe’s right hand slowly picked up her fork from the table. Her blue eyes were aflame and she was just about to let out her frustration…
…but she felt something vibrating in her skirt pocket. She took a sneak peak at the caller ID before she hesitantly put the fork back on the table.
“I’ll be right back.” She said distractedly before she walked briskly out of the cafeteria.
“Oh you’re not-“ Matt was about to hold her back but a hand had held him down. He faced Sam, who shook his head.
“Leave it alone Matt. I’m sure it’s nothing.” He assured.
Matt elbowed Sam’s grip. “Easy for you to say since you don’t see if that Blair has been making calls behind your back.”
Sam’s eyes narrowed. “Matt…that was uncalled for….”
“I don’t care! I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I demand to know what’s going on with my girl.” Matt yelled as he stormed out.
Sam sat down and continued to finish his food. Cid had glanced at him.
“Aren’t you…going to go after him?” Cid asked.
He scoffed. “Let him be. I’m sure he’ll be able to handle himself.”
The boy with the glasses had been worried when he caught Phoebe with the fork. He had managed to catch the light in her eyes, and it was slightly disturbing. But he figured he had been just seeing things.
Matt searched furiously for his girlfriend, pushing away anyone who had unfortunately been in his path. The shorter girl took no notice, her attention focused on her phone as she looked for a quiet place to take it.
She had turned a corner in the hall and Matt thought it would be a dead end. He turned and was about to yell out her name…
…but his voice got caught in his throat at what he saw.
There were a group of tall muscular men in suits and sunglasses, awaiting Phoebe. She put her phone in her pocket, and when she spoke, the small hairs’ on Matt’s back had risen.
“You couldn’t have been more subtle boys?” She glared at the man at the center, the tallest one of the bunch. “Billy, I told you to get a custodian’s uniform.”
He raised both his hands in defense. “Apologies, Ms. Maddox but none of them could fit. We knocked out the guards and avoided all the cameras. I am certain we will not be caught.”
She snorted. “Very well” Phoebe pulled out her phone and stared punching on the keys quickly. “I’ll have Natasha double check just to be sure. Did you bring me what I asked for?”
The man to Billy’s right handed her a suitcase. He held it and opened it for her. Phoebe smirked. Matt could not see what could have been inside, but he had a good feeling it wasn’t good.
“Wonderful. Good job boys.”
Matt’s voice had slowly returned. “Ph-Phoebe…”
Phoebe whipped her head to his direction, her eyes widened. The three men became apprehensive.
“Ms. Maddox…” Billy started. “Should we-?”
She raised a hand to his face. “I’ll handle it.” She whispered before walking towards her boyfriend, placing her phone back in her pocket.
The men said nothing but stayed and kept their guard up in case their boss needed back up.
Phoebe started her conversation with a smile. “Matt dear…there’s something we need to talk about.”
Matt looked at the three men before looking at her. “What’s going on?”
She sighed. “Well…I really didn’t want to talk about it. I figured it wasn’t something that you had to know. I…am a dangerous girl.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What...do you mean by dangerous?”
She shrugged. “Well…my daddy is a very powerful man, and powerful men have a lot of enemies.” She twirled a finger in her dark locks, her gaze averted. “Papa always has someone after him. He doesn’t have to worry though. I do what I can.”
Matt was still confused. “So why are these men…?”
“I hired them to keep an eye on Papa. Sometimes, if need be…I take care of it myself. The boys here were just giving me the things I needed.”
“W-what?”
Phoebe pouted. “Well it’s not easy for a little girl like me to get some decent equipment.” There was a twinkle in her eyes. “Would you like to see my blowgun?”
“Wha-What would you need a blowgun for?!”
“Ugh, I just told you! I need it to…take care of things for Papa.”
“B-by what?” His eyes widened in aghast. “You don’t m-murder…”
Phoebe shook her head. “No…it doesn’t have to be murder…I try to avoid that case…but…” The corners of her lips formed a smile. “If it comes to that…well…there’s nothing I can do.”
Matt was at a loss. When he had chosen to be with her, he hadn’t expected to have someone like this. He didn’t like the way she had explained herself, as if possible physical assault was as light as an offense as talking in the library. He didn’t like those men behind her and the anxious feeling he was getting in his stomach.
But to add the cherry to the top of the cake, he didn’t like that there was a darker side to Phoebe Maddox, a side that she had tried with all her might to hide from most…especially Matt.
Phoebe wasn’t an idiot; she knew fairly well the consequences of doing what she could do. She had known that from the beginning and had done her best to fit in. But this was Matt, and now that he had known he of all people had to understand her. He loved her, after all…right?
He cleared his throat, mostly to quell his nerves before he spoke again. “So, does that mean you will be taking another ‘sick day’?”
She smiled sincerely, glad that he seemed to have understood. “Yes, it seems I’m…out of the weather.”
He sighed deeply, but smiled back. “May I at least know what exactly you are going to do?”
She glanced around to see if anyone else may be looking before speaking in hushed tones. “Papa had an employee who threatens to leak out highly confidential information about the business in exchange for an unreasonable sum of money. Papa is at a loss at what to do, so I thought it would be nice to see if I could negotiate.”
Matt nodded as if trying his best to sound like this was nothing big. “So, if that doesn’t work…”
She chuckled, a tad too dark for the boy’s taste. “I will make it swift.”
“V-very well” He managed to say. He leaned in and kissed her.
The three men were taken aback, and wondered if they should have done something, but Phoebe had not moved from her spot.
When he pulled back, her pale cheeks were red from the blood flushing to her face. Her eyes were still wide with shock, but when she locked them with his they softened.
“One more thing Matt…you won’t tell anyone about all the things I do, right?” she whispered.
He shook his head. “No, don’t worry about it. Now, take care dear.” He said softly.
She nodded, and turned to run back towards the men. They walked away into the shadows.
Matt turned in the other direction, his thoughts flooding with plans. He couldn’t let this pass.
~*~
In his room, Will Yi stared at his dorm mate incredulously. He wasn’t sure if he was hearing things right.
“You want me to get contact details on Phoebe’s dad?” He repeated, mostly for his sake than Matt’s.
“Yes. I need to talk to him about something.”
The other boy eyed him carefully. “Why don’t you just ask Phoebe yourself? Why do you need to go through me?”
“It’s a surprise. Phoebe hasn’t introduced me to her dad yet, and I want to make myself known. I really like her, but I know her dad is very protective of his little girl. I think if I made the initiative, he’d be fairly impressed.” Matt smiled sheepishly.
Will whistled, fairly impressed, not knowing that it was all an act. He faced his computer and typed.
“Well, while I think you’re asking for a death wish I think I should be able to pull some strings for you.” In a matter of minutes, Will pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, scribbled something and handed it over to Matt.
“This is their home address and phone number. You will NOT tell Phoebe I gave this to you. She’s nice and all, but I seriously think sometimes she’s more than what meets the eye.”
You have no idea, Matt thought as he skimmed the details and tucked the paper in one of the pockets in his pants.
“Thanks for the help Will.” Matt turned to the door.
Will’s eyes were glued to his computer. “Yeah sure. Good luck with that.”
~*~
In the house of Mr. Maddox, the telephone line had rung. Mr. Maddox answered it himself, given it was his personal line and very few people had known of the number.
“Hello?” He said.
“Hi…is this Mr. Maddox, Phoebe’s dad?” the voice on the other line said.
Mr. Maddox’s eyebrows furrowed; the voice was definitely not familiar. “Yes this is he. Is this from the school? Is Phoebe alright?”
“Hi Mr. Maddox, this is Matt Roberts…I’m a friend of Phoebe’s.” Matt was in his dorm room, standing in the center. He figured he’d be more formal if he stood, as if the man on the other line would feel that given his stance.
“Good day Matt. Is there something of the matter?”
Matt took a deep breath before he answered. “Sort of. Mr. Maddox, there’s something you need to know about your daughter. She’s…not well.”
Mr. Maddox sat down in the nearest chair in his study, the phone still pressed to his ear. “What are you talking about?”
“I just found out recently that she’s apparently been meddling with some bad people. She actually involves herself with things that I think-and I personally believe you would think- are not appropriate for a teenager.”
“She isn’t smoking or taking drugs is she?” His tone was more concerned that upset.
“No…worse Mr. Maddox. It seems that Phoebe has been your hitman. She has been skipping school to handle your matters herself. There were these guys in suits came here yesterday and handed her a suitcase. I couldn’t see what it was, but I’m pretty sure it’s not legal to bring in to the school grounds. She said she would be handling some matter of an employee blackmailing you.”
The older man was hesitant to believe this tall tale. He had known that Phoebe would every now and then get sick, given he got some calls from the school about it. The nurses were skeptical, but Phoebe insisted that she wouldn’t lie about such a thing and her father had believed her.
However, that issue of the blackmailing was highly sensitive information and that wasn’t supposed to reach his little girl. He had only told very few people in confidence.
“Do you at least remember one name of the guys in suits?” He asked.
Matt could never forget. “One of them was named Billy, sir.”
Mr. Maddox’s chest tightened. Billy was one of those very few people in confidence he had spoken to regarding the matter.
“Alright Matt. I don’t really believe this whole hitman story though. My daughter is a delicate little girl and I doubt she could hurt a fly, let alone a person. However, I will look into this concern of yours.”
Matt smiled. He was pretty sure this was enough. “That’s all I ask for Mr. Maddox. It’s up to you what to do once you’ve confirmed my information.”
“Alright. Good day Matt.”
“Good day Mr. Maddox.” He hung up the line and took a deep breath.
Matt didn’t want to break his promise with Phoebe, but he knew deep in his heart that this was wrong. She was just a teenager! Even if she had matters to deal with, her father could always hire someone. He also didn’t like the way she was totally at ease with the thought of murder. The girl needed guidance, and he would do anything to get that.
He loved his sweet Phoebe, and wanted her to stay. He believed once it got settled, maybe after some consulting she would be okay.
~*~
Natasha closed the program on her laptop then glanced at Phoebe, who had heard everything. They usually eavesdrop on telephone conversations for their amusement, but by luck they had stumbled on to this line, and when Phoebe picked up the mention of her surname she told Natasha to keep the line and listen.
Her facial expression was covered in a flurry of emotions, ranging from anger to disappointment to sadness. Natasha felt sorry for Phoebe. She was one of those who had rooted for them in the beginning, encouraging her friend to take a leap of faith.
Belinda sat beside Phoebe on the bed, unsure whether it was safe to pat her on the back. She knew her friend had serious trust issues, and thus knew that Matt knowing Phoebe’s sideline was a big milestone in their relationship.
There was complete silence for about a minute.
Then Phoebe whispered harshly. “Get him.”
The platinum blonde glanced at the ebony haired girl. She nodded sadly.
~*~
Matt had been sleeping peacefully that night. He was tired from all the events of that day, and was also a heavy sleeper.
He did not hear the lock of his door open.
He did not hear the footsteps walking towards him.
He didn’t initially feel the blanket slowly being pulled off him.
When his eyes fluttered open, he did see two shadows by his bedside. By instinct he was going to yell, but he was knocked out before he could do so.
When he woke up, he was gagged and tied to a chair.
~*~
He was whimpering, tears rolling down his eyes. There was obviously nobody to hear him. He wondered how long he would be here, trapped in the darkness. He could see nothing beyond the darkness, and that alone terrified him. There was nothing nearby he could use to get him out, and he didn’t know what could have been hiding there.
After about 2 minutes, he heard a small voice sing.
Got a secret can you keep it?
Swear this one you’ll save
He heard light feet dragging on the floor, as if slowly walking towards him. The voice was soft but eerie, sending chills down his spine. The words were slowly, as the source was taking her sweet time and letting her voice bounce off the walls.
Better lock it in your pocket
Taking this one to the grave
The voice was getting louder as it got closer, and he started to struggle with the ropes binding his hands, but the knots were too tight. He wasn’t sure what was coming, but he didn’t like it one bit.
If I show you then I know you
Won't tell what I said.
His eyes were slowly starting to see a small figure coming up to him. Her eyes were a blue haze, as if possessed, and her face was dead of emotion. It seemed her hands were behind her back.
Cause two can keep a secret
If one of them is dead
Phoebe was fully exposed to the light now, making her look like a ghost with her pale skin and straight dark hair, let down covering the sides of her face. Matt yelled as loud as he can but it was muffled. She took no notice of his cries. She continued with her song.
Cause two can keep a secret….
She held that note softly as she displayed her left hand, holding something that was reflecting to the light. With a flick, he had seen a small flame.
All the blood left his face at the realization. He now understood why it smelled like gasoline. Phoebe gave a twisted smile and Matt swore he may have seen the devil in her eyes.
If one of us is dead
~*~
Matt was found 2 days after, curled up in the janitor’s closet babbling nonsense. The police tried to get to him to talk about what happened to him, but he couldn’t say anything coherent. He could barely form a sentence.
His parents arrived and took him home, and Matt was never seen again.
Nobody had ever found out what had happened to Matt Roberts. But the class 3-3 had known that it definitely had something to do with Phoebe. The day after Matt was gone before he was found again, they had sensed her aura emanating strongly, putting everyone else on the edge. Some had thought it was because she was depressed over what happened, but her two friends had known better. It was only by sophomore year that the truth had leaked out when Phoebe had told the girls and they understood and the secret stayed within the dorm (They made a rule to keep her away from utensils and from cooking which Phoebe had no choice to agree to). The boys hadn’t got the full story, but they had known enough that the girl was nothing like sugar and spice.
The day Phoebe had “taken care” of Matt, Will had been confronted by the girl, and he could see from the glare in her eyes that she had known what he had done. However, she had respected him for his talent, and decided to spare him in case she may have needed him. Besides, she didn’t need any more casualties.
After finding out that Matt was taken away, Mr. Maddox lost all doubts on his daughter. Phoebe had called him to explain that Billy only told her because she begged him to talk (Mr. Maddox knew how hard it was to resist her plea) and that Matt had found out because she mentioned him in one of their conversations. She insisted that the whole “hitman” story may had been some symptom of Matt’s mental breakdown, given that they were having a hard time with their relationship and he was just making himself feel better. It was a far-fetched story to anyone, but Mr. Maddox believed her. The important thing was that his little girl was safe and sound.
From that day, and for about a month, the girls would hear her hum the song “Secret” before she went to bed…and every time she finished it….
She would chuckle darkly.
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