Angelica continued watching the video with a curious look on her face. She tapped on the screen to see the video length, but it had no timer.
“…”
Soon, a girl wearing a half-face mask and pure white hair appeared in the scene and sat on the couch. Her hair was so white that it almost seemed translucent. Even Jane’s hair wasn’t that white— it had a silver shade.
She was wearing a white gown with golden linings and embroidery. She seemed to be in her late teenage years judging by her voice, but Angelica wasn’t sure as her face was covered with a white mask.
She moved her hand forward and beckoned someone behind the scene.
[Come on! Come here already. Stop being so childish!] she said to someone.
A second later, a boy wearing a white mask and a white suit walked into the scene and sat on the couch beside the girl. He also had white hair, just like the girl.
[I am nine years old, so I am technically a child, and it makes perfect sense if I act like one,] the kid said.
The girl tapped on her lap and said, [Then come sit on my lap.]
[We should focus on what’s important.] The boy looked at the camera and said, [We should explain to her first. I don’t think she has any idea what’s going on.]
Angelica raised her brows in confusion and muttered, “What’s this? A comedy gig?”
[See? She thinks we are jokers,] the girl said to the boy. [I told you wearing masks was a bad idea.]
[But we need to hide our identity. As they say, precaution is better than cure.]
[Oh, come on. As if you really mean it.] The girl rolled her eyes. [You are just too shy to show your face on camera.]
[Well, not everyone is a pervert like you,] the boy scoffed softly.
[I am not a pervert!]
[You will be in a few years.]
“Lame…” Angelica mumbled. “They are making silly jokes that aren’t even funny. Who are they, and what are they doing in Rudy’s house?”
[Look! She still thinks we are clowns. I told you we should explain everything to her first,] the boy said to the girl.
SIGH!
The girl sighed and said, [Even if we do that, she won’t understand. But go ahead and try it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.]
The boy looked at the camera once again and said, [You must be confused, but let me explain. We can’t tell you who we are, but we are your allies.]
“Is this what they call breaking the fourth wall?” she wondered.
[Ptt!] The girl let out a laugh after hearing Angelica’s comment.
[Stop laughing and help me out!] the boy shouted at the girl.
[Okay, okay. Don’t sulk now. I will try to explain in my own way.]
“…” Angelica raised her brow.
The girl looked at the camera and said, [Hey there, Angelica. This is not a comedy gig, nor are we trying to make you laugh. You called our earlier conversation lame, and I am deeply hurt by that.
Putting that aside, I am sure you are freaking out right now. So let’s start with what’s happening. This is not an ordinary or pre-recorded video. This is live.]
“…” Angelica stared at the screen without saying anything.
[Say something. If you keep staring at us like that, we will feel awkward.]
“Is this Rudy’s trick to prank me?” Angelica asked herself.
[No. As I said, it’s not a pre-recorded video. Nor a prank.]
“I don’t believe you. This is a video file dating to the year 1999. How would it be live when the video is from 1999? ”
[Then do you have any other explanation on why we are interacting with each other? Do you think that’s possible? As you said, this video is from 1999, so how do you think we are having a normal conversation if it’s not live? No one can guess questions and reactions accurately.]
“I am sure Rudy can do anything,” Angelica shrugged with an unimpressed expression on her face. Seemingly, she wasn’t convinced by the logical points made by the girl.
[That’s… true. Damn, what am I supposed to say now?] The girl turned to the boy, seemingly hoping he would help her.
[Don’t look at me. What happened to ‘I will do it my way’, huh?] the boy taunted.
[But you told me she is dumb, and she clearly is not. If she was dumb, she would have believed me.]
[Hey! I never said she is dumb.]
[You did! You always talked about how dumb Angelica is!]
[Lies and slander! I always said that Angelica asks stupid questions sometimes, and that’s her charm.]
[Stupid questions are equal to stupid people.]
[How does that make sense?!]
[A doctor would ask questions about medical conditions. A lawyer would ask questions about the information. The police would ask questions about the crimes. A teacher would ask questions about school. Hence, only a stupid person would ask stupid questions.]
[Did you really just say something illogical in a completely logical way?]
[I made my point.]
[Again, Angelica is not stupid. Nor dumb. Don’t call her that, or I will get angry.]
[Wow! I can’t believe it. This is new. Anyway…] the girl turned to the camera. [What do you want us to do to make you believe this is not a prank?]
“How about you start by taking off your masks?”
[Uhh… He asked me not to do it, but sure. He will pout for a few hours and go back to normal.]
The girl took off her mask and revealed her face.
“….!”
Angelica’s eyes widened upon seeing the girl’s face, and she couldn’t believe her eyes.
[I know you must be surprised, and you will be unable to comprehend what’s happening, but don’t worry. Everything will make sense once I tell you, but you will have to trust us. You can ask any question you want, but we are short on time, so let me explain everything first, and then you can clear all your doubts.]
The girl smiled and said, [Let me introduce myself first. My name is Jessica.]
