24. TALL FIGURE

Alina’s mother paced furiously in Alina’s condo, her eyes darting to the clock every few seconds. Her husband had not arrived yet, and her frustration was reaching a boiling point. She had been convinced he would be there by now and couldn’t understand why he was late.

“This is absolutely ridiculous!” she fumed. “How could he be so irresponsible? He promised to be here at a specific time!”

At that moment, Jace, Alina’s brother and the unfortunate bearer of the diversion stumbled into the condo, looking disheveled and out of breath. His face showed his nervousness as he tried to muster a smile. “Uh, Mom, I’m really sorry—”

Before Jace could finish, Alina’s mother, having realized Jace’s trickery, grabbed her shoes from the entryway and began hitting him with them.

“You! You lied to me!” she shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. “I knew something was off! How dare you!”

Jace, trying to dodge the blows, winced in pain. “Ow! Hey! I didn’t mean to—”

Alina, who had been in the kitchen, heard the commotion and rushed out to find her mother attacking Jace. She quickly climbed onto the dining table, desperate to stay out of the fray.

“Mum, please!” Alina yelled, trying to be heard over the commotion. “It’s not Jace’s fault! It’s mine!”

Alina’s mother, mid-swing, glared at her daughter. “It’s your fault? What are you talking about?”

Jace, ducking behind a sofa, shouted as he tried to protect himself. “Yes! Alina asked me to do this! It was her idea!”

Alina’s mother’s gaze shifted to her daughter, her frustration clearly evident. “Alina! Explain yourself right now!”

Alina, her heart racing, shouted back, “Mum, I just… I didn’t want you to make a scene at Caelan’s house. I thought if I kept you here, it would be better!”

Her mother’s expression softened slightly, though her irritation remained. “So, you had Jace trick me into staying here? And now I’m here, waiting and being made a fool of?”

“Yes!” Alina said, her voice trembling. “But I didn’t think you’d react like this!”

Jace, who had managed to evade most of the blows, was now sitting on the floor, trying to calm the situation. “Look, Mom, it was supposed to be a harmless diversion. I didn’t mean for it to turn out like this.”

Alina’s mother took a deep breath and sat down on the sofa, her frustration turning into a mixture of confusion and exasperation. “Well, if this was your plan, it wasn’t very well thought out. You’ve only managed to make everything worse.”

“Look, I’m really sorry,” Jace said, rubbing his sore arms. “I just followed orders.”

Alina, still perched on the table, tried to reason with her mother. “Mum, please, let’s just talk this out. There’s no need for violence.”

Her mother, still holding the shoes, sighed and nodded. “Fine. But you’re going to explain everything. And Jace, you’re going to tell me what exactly happened.”

Jace, still recovering from the ordeal, gave a sheepish smile. “Of course. I’m really sorry for everything. It was all just a mix-up.”

Alina, finally climbing down from the table, sat next to her mother, her expression a mix of relief and apprehension. “Mum, I really didn’t mean to cause all this trouble. I thought it would be better if you didn’t confront Caelan directly.”

Her mother looked at her daughter, her anger slowly dissipating. “Well, you certainly managed to make a mess of things. I just hope this doesn’t turn into a bigger fiasco.”

Jace, managing to stand up and smooth out his ruffled clothes, gave a weak smile. “I promise, no more tricks. Let’s just try to sort this out and avoid any more surprises.”

Just then, the lights in the condo flickered and went out, plunging the entire building into darkness. The sudden change in environment startled them, and they scrambled to find a source of light.

“Mum! Jace!” Alina called out, her voice tinged with panic as she fumbled in the dark. “We need to find a flashlight or our phones!”

As they moved about, trying to locate something to illuminate the room, the entrance door of the condo creaked open with a loud, eerie sound. The darkness seemed to deepen as a streak of lightning illuminated the figure in the doorway for a brief moment.

A loud crack of thunder followed, and the tall figure standing in the doorway appeared like a ghostly silhouette against the backdrop of the stormy night. The figure’s ominous presence, combined with the thunder and lightning, caused them all to scream in sheer terror.

“Who—who’s there?” Alina’s mother shouted, her voice wavering as she grabbed her daughter’s arm.

“I don’t know!” Alina cried, clutching the sofa for support.

Jace, equally frightened, tried to move towards the figure but stumbled over a lamp. “This isn’t funny! Who’s messing with us?”

Another flash of lightning revealed the figure more clearly, and they all recognized the familiar outline of a person. The thunder rumbled once more, and the lights flickered back on, revealing the figure in full and making them all shriek aloud, as if they have seen a ghost.