Revealed

by Stephanie Appadou

  Revealed

  What if you could read minds?

  A novelette by

  Stephanie Appadou

  ∞∞∞

  “In life, there are mysteries and secrets. Sometimes, they are better kept undiscovered and be blindly cherished. Discovering them can break your soul into irreparable pieces – "

  ∞∞∞

  Introduction

  The Gallaghers' eminency is beyond words of acclamation. Mr Robert Gallagher is a man of an inexhaustible dynamism in the business world, topping Forbes' list for the last six years. The betrothal of her daughter, Eva, to the millionaire, Greg Salinger – made the buzz of the city.

  Socialite, Eva Gallagher, is known for her jaw-dropping lifestyle and charisma inherited from her late mother, Rachel Kristen Gallagher. Often coveted by many, Eva is deemed to be living a lavishly perfect life – a thing which will be proven wrong after an anomalous encounter with a childhood friend.

  ∞∞∞

  Chapter 1

  The encounter

  The glistening sunrays broke into Eva’s bedroom. As her phone buzzed, she woke up arduously and switched off the alarm which had pestered her slumber. After mustering the exiguous courage to get up, Eva shuffled to the bathroom while grabbing the pair of denim trousers which was on the comfy divan.

  It was a day which impeccably resembled any usual day, but it was indeed a day to remember – it was the day.

  While Eva was doing her hair, there was a soft, timid knock at the door.

  "Come in," Eva said in a firm voice.

  It was Crisilinda, her housemaid. "Good morning, ma'am," she said, "Mr Salinger has sent a letter for you."

  "Oh, thank you! Have a nice day Crisilinda," Eva said in a bubbly manner.

  As the handmaid left the room, Eva impatiently opened the envelope of the lavender-scented letter.

  Hi Eva,

  Hope you had a soulful sleep flavoured by sweet dreams.

  Love,

  Greg.

  Eva blushed at the verse of her lover – for she knew he was her soulmate.

  Before meeting Greg, Eva was dating Dave – an ambitious cordon bleu chef. She was totally in love until she fell in an absolute disillusionment. Eva was outraged when she discovered that Dave had raped Athena (her long-time best-friend). The worst part was that Dave had totally denied all the facts and did not assume his responsibility. At first, Athena truly wanted to resort to abortion since she felt a great animosity towards the unborn one. Nevertheless, she was still uncertain.

  Thanks to Greg's romantic facet full of endearments, Eva started to believe in love once again (a thing she once thought to be impossible). She fell head over heels for him.

  Eva clutched one of her designer bags and got out of the $700 million mansion. She then got into her Lamborghini which was the limelight of the streets. As agreed, Eva headed to the ‘Cafe of Hills' (the most renowned cafe in the area) for her rendezvous with Athena.

  "Hi, Eva! Finally, you're here. You have the adroitness to always turn up ahead of time," Athena said laughingly as Eva hotfooted in.

  "Hello! Oh, really sorry," Eva replied, "Y'all know that I'm such a slugabed!"

  "Yeah, a plague affecting the young generation!"

  "Aye, inevitably," Eva replied, anchoring her eyebrow at Athena's sarcasm.

  They chuckled and hugged each other tightly as if they had not seen each other for a decade. Eva blushed, then took her seat.

  "I've already placed the order," Athena added.

  "Thanks, dear!"

  Seated next to the window, Eva wandered her eyes around the antiquely furnished cafe – depicting a whilom taste. Within some seconds, a jolly waitress served them.

  "Have you heard about the murder which took place last Wednesday?" Eva asked.

  "Yeah, very horrifying. Lana was the custodian of her two little brothers. The poor kids are traumatised – they saw the disjoined corpse of their sister, " Athena replied as she seemed to be well informed.

  "I pray that the murderer is soon caught! He is worthy of capital punishment!" Eva cried out with vehemence.

  "Don't say so... We cannot play God. It's not our job to do justice in such a way," Athena wisely commented.

  "The purpose of the law is to do justice, and if justice means capital punishment, then we should comply with it," Eva firmly stated, "and for the sake of deterrence, such a sentence might prove to be efficient."

  "Capital punishment requires you to take the life of someone, and that makes you a murderer too. Then, there would be no difference between the murderer and the executors of the death penalty," Athena collogued.

  Eva took a sip of her latte while digging for a counterargument in her mind. It was undeniable that Athena was way more perspicacious than her.

  "If one does find a couterargument within seconds, this mean that there is none," Athena added as she knew that Eva wanted to oppose.

  With a hangdog face, Eva abruptly asked, "Anyway. How are you doing?"

  "I'm ok, and what about you?"

  "I'm good, just feeling too much pressure," Eva grumbled to herself.

  "That's the life of a socialite. You have to constantly make sure that your social image is abiding by the utopian ideology of the society."

  "Yeah," Eva nodded. "Oh, yesterday I have contacted the officer. It seems that you have not yet lodged an official complaint against Dave. Why is it so?"

  "I have forgiven him. I just want to forget all this," Athena replied while lowering her eyes.

  "Are you sober? Rape is not just about a body being molested – it's about one's soul and dignity being disgraced. You cannot just forgive him like that."

  "Forgiving him has freed my soul from the disgrace which was burdening me. I've overcome all these now," Athena replied while trying to restrain her tears from contradicting her statement.

  Eva looked at her friend with pity, but she remained still. Eva then added, "I'm sorry, it's entirely my fault..."

  "Don't say so. You are the most amazing person in my life, and you better not say something like this again."

  "Hum... Yeah," Eva did not attempt to persist for she knew that Athena was stubborn.

  Minutes of silence overtook the air.

  "By the way, I am going to miss you a lot. Now that you are the future Mrs Salinger, Greg will snatch you from me,” Athena said softly.

  "Oh, Athena... Nothing can sever our friendship. You will forever be my sister."

  "Hope so... Because you know that you are the only family that I have..."

  "Yes, don't worry, Athena," Eva assured her.

  Athena then hugged her while letting some drops of tears to roll down her face. She then said, "Sorry, but I have to leave now. I have an appointment."

  Eva decided to order another latte along with some cookies. As she savoured her latte with relish while going through her agenda, her attention was caught by a guy passing by the windowpane which was beside her. It was a man of a firm countenance: he had coffee-coloured hair and was dashingly dressed. What caught Eva's attention was his familiar face. Eva quickly scrutinised him from head to toe, trying to figure out who he was. After some long seconds of bethinking herself of the latter's face, she then realised that it was Christian – her childhood friend.

  Eva promptly got up while nearly dropping her latte and rushed out of the cafe.

  She pulled Christian's coat and exclaimed, "Christian!"

  Quite perplexed, the man turned towards her.

  Eva babbled, "It's me! Eva! Your childhood best friend! Don't you recall me?"

  The man seemed to recognise her. "Oh, I see! It has been a long time since the last time I've seen you," he replied. There were no emotions in his voice.

  “Yes!! It seems like a century since the la
st time I saw you!"

  "Yes," Christian replied firmly.

  “Actually, I was at the cafe. Would you like to join me?” Eva proposed.

  “Hum. Yes. Why not?"

  “Great! Let’s go,” Eva exclaimed. Soon, a blithesome smile was well rendered on her face.

  They entered the cafe. Eva ordered for the best-selling macaroons as well as another latte. As they took their seats, Eva started to chit-chat about the past, the present and so on. While enthusiasm crept onto Eva's heart and face, Christian's boldness was impermeable.

  As the waitress served the macaroons and the latte, she creepily looked at Eva and everybody else was doing so. Yet, Eva did not pay them any attention.

  A moment of absolute silence emerged. Christian did not take a single sip of the latte.

  Attempting to crack the fortress being built by Christian, Eva said, "It's nice to see you again after such a long time!"

  Christian abruptly stood up and mumbled, “I’m sorry… I’m feeling really sorry for you – for everything.”

  Eva sounded genuinely puzzled. “What? What are you apologising for?”

  Christian's face conveyed jumbled feelings, but he said nothing. Eva was unceasingly questioning him, but this was to no avail. Christian then removed his necklace from his neck and put it into Eva’s palm. Finally, he said, “In life, there are mysteries and secrets, sometimes they are better kept undiscovered and be blindly cherished. Discovering them can break you into irreparable pieces. Your perfect life, as it seems to be – will be turned upside down. I'm sorry..."

  Eva was dumb and baffled. Christian then turned away. She tried to stop him, but only a mere breeze came through her lips.

  The friendly encounter as it seemed to be, turned out to be a queer one. Eva looked at the necklace in a glance. It had an antique beguiling emerald crystal. Still gravelled by Christian's eerie attitude, she let out a sly smirk and put it in her bag. Having no courage to finish her latte, she left a tip of $40 on the table and left the cafe.

  ∞∞∞

  Chapter 2

  The necklace's charm

  The clock struck six. Eva dashed into her bedroom. She almost forgot that she had promised Athena to visit her in the evening at approximately seven o'clock. Eva went through her closet, took out her favourite jeans and an off-white silky top. Eva was downstairs in no time. She grabbed her favourite shawl from the couch. On the spur of the moment, the emerald necklace crossed her mind. So, she went upstairs once again. Eva grabbed her bag and tenderly took out the necklace while contemplating it with amazement. It was for sure a quintessential accessory to her basic outfit. She gently put the necklace, and gazed at its charm in the mirror while still wondering why Christian gave it to her. Howbeit, it was of little importance to her now.

  Eva got into her car, buckled up and sped. On the motorway, she turned on the radio – ‘The Thrill Is Gone by B.B King’ was playing. Eva blissfully smiled as she remembered that it was the main song during her engagement with her beau. Suddenly, she felt giddy and slammed on the brakes. Drivers honked, making her dizzier. Eva tried to get a grip on herself, but the dizziness nearly blasted her head. Within some seconds, a sudden peacefulness seized her. This bizarre moment left her astounded, but she blamed her lack of sleep.

  While driving on a narrow street, Eva saw an old lady walking her fluffy Pomeranian. She beamed to the greyed-hair lady. The latter smiled back, “I wish I could drive too! But...”

  Eva slowed down her car and asked, "Oh! Why don't you?"

  "What? Why don't I...?"

  "You said you wish you could drive, then why can't you do so? It's never late to do something new."

  Perplexed, the lady added, "Hum, I did not say anything... But you're right... I wish that I could drive. But, how have you guessed it?"

  Eva was disconcerted. She tried to convince herself that either the lady was fooling her, or maybe her own mind was playing some tricks on her. Eva smirked and drove away without giving any explanation.

  Heading to her friend's apartment. Eva stopped by a supermarket and rushed in. She grabbed some snacks and put them in the basket that she had taken at the entrance. Going through the beverages, Eva took out a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge. She then took a bottle of red wine off the shelf – a ‘Château Les Ormes Sorbet’.

  Eva has been in the queue for only five minutes, and she was already exhausted to the bones. She panted out of impatience.

  “Good morning!” The cashier greeted Eva with an enlightening grin.

  Eva greeted the jovial cashier. Suddenly, she was puzzled. Yet, Eva was not able to understand the sudden shift in her own emotions. She felt as if she had developed such empathy that the aura of the cashier was submerging hers. In fact, she thought that the cashier was feeling worrisome despite putting on such a real smile. Once again, Eva thought that her mind was playing some tricks on her, and that the lack of sleep was to be blamed. She laughed at her own madness. Rolling her eyes around, Eva suddenly had a blurred sight of a small boy lying on a hospital bed. The hallucination ended in a twinkle of an eye as the cashier's phone rang.

  “Excuse me,” she apologised to Eva before taking the call.

  Eva was able to overhear part of the conversation since the call volume was high. The cashier was talking about her son’s sickness. Eva was absolutely baffled. The little boy of her vision was surely the cashier’s son. Eva recoiled out of confusion with her eyes goggling at the cashier. After some seconds, the cashier tended the bill towards her. Eva paid the note, took away her snacks and beverages, and rushed away without losing another second. She felt out of breath.

  Eva strolled to her car while pondering about these peculiar things – first, the old lady and now… the cashier.

  Once in the car, Eva felt a tickling sensation near her chest, it was the necklace. She looked at the chain, it had an unusual lustre. Eva abruptly remembered Christian’s words about her life being on the edge of being turned upside down. Yes, she understood it, it was all about the necklace. The chain embodied something magical that enabled Eva to penetrate the minds and feelings of others.

  Eva wondered why Christian gave it to her, and above all – she wanted to know the reason for which Christian was apologising. However, all this information was of little significance according to her. She was so overwhelmed by the idea of reading minds that she started to smile like crazy, until she could penetrate the perverted mind of the gentle-looking married man passing by her car. Eva remembered the man's face being featured in a magazine – in which he was described as a preacher who fights for women's right to be respected. "Ironic and disgusting," she said to herself.

  Driving along the boulevard leading to Athena’s apartment, Eva continued to play all the scenarios in her head while drinking her sparkling water.

  ∞∞∞

  Chapter 3

  Dear Loyal Friend

  Eva feverishly knocked at the door – impatient to tell her forever best-friend about her encounter with her old friend, as well as her new powers. There was no response. She was going to knock once again when the door was instantaneously opened. A grey-haired lady of a stout figure was standing in front of the door – with an apron in her right hand. Eva was confounded. She thought that is was not Athena's apartment.

  “Hello! You must be Eva, right?” The lady asked with a never-ending smile.

  “Oh! Hi! Yeah!” Eva replied, trying to figure out the lady's identity.

  “Please, come in,” the lady said. She then added, “I’m Rosie! Ma'am informed me that you might show up today. She was indeed in her very high spirits! I guess you must be very close to each other?”

  “Yes! We’re best-friends!!!” Eva blurted joyfully.

  “No, we are not best friends,” a voice firmly cut in. That was Athena's voice.

  The latter was coming down the gilded-handrail stairs. Eva and Rosie were bewildered by this bold statement.

  Athena then let out a naughty laugh and added, �
�As I said, we are not best friends. We are sisters!!!”

  Both, Rosie and Eva, laughed at this tricky situation. Athena then jumped into Eva's arms and squeezed her tightly – a sincere hug.

  “Hi, sis! Wait, I’ll back in some minutes! I have something for you!” Athena exclaimed to Eva. “Please, take care of my girl!” She ordered to Rosie while going upstairs.

  “Please take a seat, ma'am!” Rosie said.

  Eva put the snacks and the bottle of wine on the table, before taking a seat on the comfy wine-coloured couch.

  “Coffee, tea or…,” Rosie asked, uncertain of Eva’s tastes.

  “Hum, I will just have a glass of water please!”

  “With ices on the top?”

  “Yes, please. It's sizzling out there," Eva replied.

  Rosie went out of the room to get the glass of water. Eva was longing to tell Athena about her powers. She wished that her best friend would come back before Rosie as she did not want to talk about this openly, in front of the housemaid.

  After some minutes, Athena rushed down the stairs with a bag in her hand.

  "Here I am," Athena said while joyfully handing the bag to Eva.

  Eva asked, “What’s this?"

  “Open it girl!!”

  Eva curiously opened the bag. It was an elegant navy-coloured dress. "Wow!"

  Before Eva could utter another word, Athena said, “I wanted to gift you something to commemorate your engagement with Greg!! I hope you like it!”

  “Oh, thank you so much! It’s so lovely! I really love it!” Eva exclaimed with a grin. She then murmured, “I have something to tell you...”

  Athena cut in and said, “Okay, but first, give me another hug my dear future bride!”

  They both laughed and ended in a sincere hug.