The Blood Pearl

By Anusha Thatavarthi

Naina Sahil is a Harvard undergrad student who is leading a perfectly normal life until her roommate Mitchell is found murdered in their apartment. She is still recovering from the shock when strange things happen in the apartment. She has to find a roommate soon so she can stop being paranoid about being alone. Noah Carlson, a cute boy, shows up in response to her advertisement of wanting a new roommate. They live together. But then the real horrors begin as Naina realizes she is being chased by a bunch of people with strange evil powers who could be possibly the murderers of her roommate. Amid of the evil magic people and strangely behaving Noah, Naina comes to know the center of all conflicts is a pearl given to her by Mitchell before she died. What is the specialty of that pearl?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pencil
• Release date: Mar 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9789354380198

Book preview

words.

CHAPTER-1

It was a chilly night. I had to pull my hood on to my ears tighter to prevent the cool air from entering my ears. My shoes were making a funny sound on the sidewalk.  Winter is coming, I thought, feeling like a Stark of the Winterfell. It was still November and the chill already settled in the air. Usually, winter is the time of the year which makes me think of home back in India. I would have been sitting on the couch in my parents' home, warm and watching TV.

I'll be there for the summer break . I assured myself and increased my pace. I was an undergrad student studying engineering at Harvard University. It had been two years since I had come to the USA and winter was always my least favorite time of the year.

I have to go check on my car tomorrow. I thought, picturing my car sitting in the mechanic's garage. Having to take the bus was annoying the hell out of me. It was a good five minutes walk from the bus stop to my apartment I shared with Mitchell Smith, my roommate for two years. She was a dreamy, literary student from Boulder. We were not exactly the thickest of the friends, but we got along just fine. As I rounded the corner, our brick apartment came into view. It was a decent apartment on the third floor with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen.

I tried living in dorms for a month and concluded that I could use some privacy when my former roommate's boyfriend barged in while  I was changing into my nightclothes. So when I found the flyer of Mitchell wanting a roommate, I immediately contacted her and after a week I moved into this apartment. The rent is a little higher but it was a decent neighborhood and I could come back from college to a peaceful apartment.

I opened the gate and entered the lobby. It's already 8 pm which was late for my usual schedule. I usually come back to the flat at 6 pm if I don't have any plans with my one and only friend Jane from university. But today my book club at the university had a meeting and I was late. I took the elevator to the third floor. Normally I would have taken the staircase because that was the only form of exercise I do. But today I was too exhausted to do so. I didn't know why but a feeling of uneasiness settled on me as soon as the elevator came to a stop on the third floor. There was this weird feeling in my stomach like something bad had happened.

The hallway was dark except for dim light and empty like it was midnight instead of eight' O'clock. The silence was so thick in the air. I scolded myself for being paranoid. The reason for my paranoia was my first introduction to the United States was through Hollywood horror movies and whenever I caught myself walking alone in dark, empty hallways I felt like I was in a horror movie. The elevator dinged. I almost jumped out of my skin at the sudden sound.

I turned back to find Mrs. Lewis coming out of the elevator with her German Shepherd on a leash by her side. She was an old woman of sixty-five who lived across our apartment. She sometimes reminds of old Rose from Titanic. She has the exact mop of white hair though her skin is not as wrinkly. Her husband died five years ago and she is living alone. My mother instilled in me to always respect old people. So, I introduced myself to her as soon as I moved into the apartment. I kept the old lady company sometimes when I was free. She kind of reminded me of my grandmother who died when I was thirteen.

Mrs. Lewis. I smiled at her. Her dog Tom looks like a tough boy but he is the most friendly dog you will ever see.

Hello, darling. Mrs. Lewis smiled at me fishing out keys from her wallet, How's it going?

Ah. The usual college stuff. I answered patting Tom on the head.

It's high time you find yourself a boyfriend, girl. I don't know a single college girl in the whole of Massachusetts who returns home before midnight on a Friday night. She winked at me.

I told you my parents are strict, I said walking with her to our flats which were at the end of the hallway. That was half-true and the other half was I simply didn't find that special guy anywhere.

Is your roommate home? Mrs. Lewis asked. There was not much affection in her voice when she mentioned Mitchell. I didn't know why but she never seemed to like Mitchell much.

I don't think so. She usually comes home late. I shrugged. Mitchell had a boyfriend Kevin, a handsome African-American boy who was also from the university. He is as reserved and formal as Mitchell herself. He came to the apartment a handful of times in the last two years and we usually acknowledge each other with a smile and a nod. They usually hang out outside.

Good for her. Mrs. Lewis muttered. We arrived at our doors.

Good night, Mrs. Lewis, I said and took the keys out of my jeans pocket.

Good night, Naina. She said and went into her apartment. I unlocked the door and entered. The apartment was dark. I was right. Mitchell wasn't back yet.

Mrs. Lewis was right. I'm the only girl who spends Friday night at home. I sighed audibly and felt on the wall to find the light switch. I switched on the light.

When I think back to that moment, I can divide my life before switching on that light and after switching on that light. Because when I switched on the light, I found Mitchell's lifeless body sprawled on the living room floor in a pool of blood.

CHAPTER-2

Could you please repeat what you saw when you came? Detective Graham asked after I drank a glass of water to wet my throat which had gone dry. I was dimly aware of Mrs. Lewis’s reassuring hand on my shoulder. I started talking and my voice sounded robotic to me. It felt like I was just a spectator and someone else was talking to the police.

I came to the apartment at 8 pm. I had a small talk with Mrs. Lewis in the hallway and unlocked the door. The lights were off. When I switched on them and I saw her..... I trailed off from there. I didn't remember what happened next. I tried to recall but in vain. Everything was a blur until the cops started questioning me.

I heard Naina scream. So I came here running and found Mitchell dead. I called you. Mrs. Lewis said, squeezing my shoulder. I didn't know if it was because of her fear or for my sake.

Did she have any enemies you know of? Any fights recently? Detective Graham asked. His hawk-like eyes were focused on me, observing and assessing me. I knew I was on his list of suspects. At this point, I might be the only one on the list.

I don't know. She was a very private person. She never really shared anything too personal with me. I said. It hurt to use past tense when talking about Mitchell. I was also wondering how little I knew about her. I lived with her for two years and I didn't know anything that was not on the public record.

My mind reeled back to the day I first met Mitchell. She was a sight. She was a tall girl with some freckles dusted on her face that only added to her cuteness. She had a pair of green eyes and a charming smile on her face. She used to put anyone at ease. She was not a chatty one but you wouldn't be bored when talking to her. You couldn't help but like her.

My eyes turned to the spot where I found Mitchell dead. The cops occupied the place and put on that tape which said crime scene . I never in a thousand years thought I would see that thing in my apartment when I was watching those crime shows. A chalk figure was drawn in the position of Mitchell's dead body and the body was taken to the hospital for post mortem. The Mitchell I saw earlier or rather her dead body seemed like a manifestation of my worst nightmares. Some cold part of my mind noticed that the blood was coming from the back of her head. Someone must have knocked on her head when she was not looking.

Did she have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Detective Graham asked, pulling me out of my dark thoughts.

Yeah. Kevin Collins. I answered absentmindedly. I told him whatever little details I knew about Mitchell's quiet boyfriend. The detective noted everything in a pocket notebook.

That's all for now, He said putting the pen and book back in his pocket.

I'm afraid you have to stay out of this apartment for two days. We still have to collect some clues. Do you have a place to stay? He asked with a little concern in his voice.

Yeah. It's fine. I'll stay at my friend Jane's. I answered.

Good. Could you give me her address? He asked and noted it on his mobile.

Come on girl. You can wait in my apartment. Mrs.Lewis offered me. I never heard the oldness in her voice until now. She sounded so weary and shaky. I had a feeling she was keeping it together for my sake.

Yeah. Sure. I said and stood up. My body felt like it was walking through lead. As though someone had cast a slow spell and the world was moving slowly around me. Tightness gripped my heart but I was not crying. Maybe I was still in a state of denial. I followed Mrs.Lewis into her apartment and called Jane.

**********

Are you really fine on the couch? Matt can sleep here . Jane asked apologetically as I finally settled on the couch in her apartment she shares with her boyfriend Matt. Her honey-blond hair was up in a messy bun on top of her head. Her hazel eyes are filled with worry for me. I never have seen her so quiet and reserved. She just filled energy wherever she was. But at the moment I was grateful for the quietness.

Yeah. I'm fine. I just want to sleep. I said still not sounding like me.

Good, she paused thinking about what she has to say next. I didn't blame her. It was not every day you have your friend crashing on your couch because her roommate was murdered.

Do you want to talk about it? She asked gauging my reaction. People were observing me tonight like I might lash out and bite them. Maybe me not crying at the sight of the gory death of my roommate was freaking them out. Well, it was freaking me why I was not crying. Maybe I was a cold-hearted person and I didn't feel anything for people.

I shook my head. She nodded indicating she understood.

Where is Matt? I asked looking around the apartment to find Jane's goofy boyfriend.

He is out for a boys' night. She explained and added after a second, Well, you should get some rest.

She got up, switched off the lights, and went into her bedroom. For the first time since I switched on the lights in our apartment, I was engulfed in darkness. A shiver ran down my spine. I am not usually afraid of darkness. But the incidents today convinced me that anything can happen in darkness and light brings the horror to the eyes of the world to see. I didn't bother to change into my nightclothes. I laid up on the couch, my eyes closed waiting for the sleepiness to come. In spite of how exhausted I thought I was, I couldn't sleep. For the first time in hours, the real question entered my mind.

Who killed Mitchell?

I felt bad for not paying much attention to her when she was alive. If I had, I would have known what was going wrong in her life. I could have given the cops some insight to catch the killer. Justice could be done. But now, I was as oblivious to her life as any other person.

My thoughts turned to Kevin. Did Kevin murder Mitchell? That seemed more possible because Kevin had a spare key for the apartment, though he never used it in my knowledge. He always used to come around with Mitchell. I racked my brain for the little information I knew about their relationship. They always seemed happy around each other and Kevin was a well-mannered man. They both seemed so perfect to each other and whenever Mitchell talked to me about Kevin her face lit up like a thousand volts bulb. I couldn't imagine what in the world could lead Kevin to murder his girlfriend.

Then it hit me hard, which I was trying to deny all night. Mitchell Smith is dead. Brutally murdered. If I had returned to the apartment as per my usual schedule she would still be alive. May be watching a late-night TV show or tiptoeing into the kitchen to have a midnight snack. I could never see her again. I just lost a good person in my life. Then came the grief in a series of uncontrollable sobs until I slipped into sleep unknowingly.

CHAPTER-3

Two days had passed since that fateful day and I was back in our apartment. It was a chilly evening. The sun had already set. I observed the small apartment which had somehow become the location for a gruesome crime. There was not a single change in the apartment, almost like the past two days were a nightmare and Mitchell could walk out of the kitchen any moment with a coffee mug in her hand, her auburn hair up in a messy bun. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and started towards my room. Our living room leads into a small corridor on either side of which our rooms lie facing each other. I reached my door and before opening it I looked at her room. The door was closed. For a second an urge to open the door filled me. Just to open the door and see if things were like before or not. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Even though she was not in this world, it still felt like I was going to trespass into her private space.

According to detective Graham, her parents arrived after five hours of the murder. That was after I left. They collected her belongings the next day and went back to their town with her body.

I was shocked to realize that Mitchell never mentioned her parents and I never bothered to ask her about them. I had never even seen their pictures anywhere in her room. I used to talk a lot about my parents with her though.

Jeez!

It was like seeing her for the first time. I was amazed at how disconnected I could be with people to whom I think I have some connection.

I quickly opened my door, threw my bag on the bed, and fell on it myself. Despite the strangeness in the apartment, it felt good to lie in my bed again. Though Jane and Matt were nothing but kind to me for the past two days I couldn't help feeling like an intruder. Third-wheeling was not my strongest suit and I was always grateful that Mitchell and Kevin never hung out in the flat for a long time. And that brought my thoughts back to Kevin.

He was on the run. Detective Graham said when I called the station yesterday morning. His mobile was switched off and SIM was deactivated. We haven't traced his location yet. But we will.

He didn't venture any more information than that. Maybe he didn't believe me enough to fill in all the case details to me. Maybe I was still one of the suspects. For all, I knew there could be a disguised cop outside the building spying on me. I rolled over, opened my bag, and took out the laptop from it. I recalled the conversation I had with Jane this morning.

What about your new roommate? She asked when we were sipping coffee in her kitchen.

'Huh?" I asked, baffled by her question.

You have to find a new roommate, you know? You can't afford that apartment on your own. She said matter-of-factly.

I bit my lip. I completely forgot about that. I was still shocked by the murder that normal things stopped to matter. Of course, I had to find a new roommate. I never searched for one before. That was going to be a lot of work. I sighed.

Back in my room, I sat with the laptop composing a flyer. I had to put it up on the notice board. It's hard to find one in the fifth semester. Most of them would be