Jevan Baven was a handsome, smart, fit, and filthy rich guy. Despite how intimidating he might have seemed, any girl who got him would obviously have hit the jackpot. Same should’ve been with Kiran. But what actually made Kiran so scared of him even after she got the chance to score him?
___
Flashback to 2003
“Wow, you’re from the new family in the corner house, number thirteen, right?”
A woman working at the orphanage near Kiran’s house grinned widely as she accepted a large box of cake from Kiran’s hand. Her hand then ruffled Kiran’s head, who was seven at the time.
“You’re so sweet. What’s your name?” the woman asked Kiran warmly.
“Kiran,” the little girl replied, but her face seeming unfocused. She kept staring at the garden in the orphanage, looking at a boy who seemed busy doing something there.
“That’s Jevan,” the orphanage worker said. “If you want, you can play with him for a bit there. You don’t have any other kids here to be your friends yet, right?”
Kiran nodded. “Can I?”
“Sure thing!” the woman said again and laughed.
Once the woman gave her permission, Kiran smiled happily and immediately ran towards the garden. However, as she approached the boy named Jevan who was squatting, her steps instantly halted. She saw that the boy was actually playing with fire.
“Who are you?” asked the good-looking Jevan without smiling at all.
“I’m Kiran,” Kiran answered while looking at the fire near Jevan’s feet. “Are you allowed to play with fire here?”
“Why? What’s it to you?” The boy seemed indifferent.
“My dad says kids shouldn’t play with fire,” Kiran reminded him.
“Little kids also shouldn’t go out alone, especially near dusk like this. But your parents sent you here, didn’t they?” Jevan replied, staring at her. A few seconds later, his forehead furrowed. “You’re… new here, right?”
Kiran nodded. “Just moved in yesterday. Mom asked me to bring cake to this orphanage.”
Jevan’s eyes suddenly gleamed upon hearing that. “Since you’re new here, do you want me to show you something?”
“What do you want to show?” Kiran curiously asked.
She felt like she was starting to get braver to approach the boy. However, as she stepped closer, she suddenly caught a whiff of burnt flesh near Jevan’s feet. Kiran was stunned to realize that the source of the smell was actually a small bird’s carcass crackling in the flames beside him.
He fell silent for a moment, then grinned and said, “I’m burning this bird until it turns to ash.”
___
Three days later
“Are you sent here alone to deliver food again?”
Jevan’s sudden voice made Kiran, who was peeking inside the orphanage door stealthily, jump. She turned around and saw Jevan behind her. He seemed to be walking hastily from outside, then picked up a stick lying on the corner of the porch, not far from where Kiran was standing.
“The others are sleeping inside,” Jevan said without turning to her. “If you want, just put your food on the porch table. I’ll tell them it’s from you.”
“Where are you going?” Kiran asked again, feeling curious about the boy.
“I found something interesting,” he said.
Kiran knew Jevan was a bit creepy. But her curiosity got the best of her, and she reflexively followed the boy. Only when he realized he was being followed all the way to the far end of the garden did Jevan turn and furrow his eyebrows.
“Why are you following me here?”
“I just wanted to see what you were going to do with that stick,” Kiran honestly answered.
“I’m going to kill a snake with this.”
“W—what? Kill a snake?” The little girl suddenly scared.
“Yeah, I don’t like snakes.”
“You… you’re going to kill a snake just because you don’t like it?”
The boy didn’t answer her anymore. He now seemed to be walking cautiously towards a row of bamboo trees, and suddenly looked excited after moving his stick towards the bushes under some bamboo trees.
Just moments later, Jevan suddenly swung the stick in his hand repeatedly and very hard towards something. Once he finished, he turned to Kiran and then offered the stick to the girl.
“It feels good. Do you want to try it too?”
He asked casually. However, Kiran, who had already noticed blood on the tip of the stick and saw two baby snakes nearby with their heads crushed, lapsed into silence. Just a few seconds later, she decided to run away from Jevan.
____
Three Days Later
“Kiran, I went to the orphanage and talked about that boy you mentioned,” Kiran’s father said as he stepped into the living room of their house. “I told them that because of that boy, you’ve been having nightmares lately and constantly running a fever.”
Kiran, who was lying on the living room sofa and wrapped in a blanket, suddenly sat up and looked at her father in shock.
“You complained to them about Jevan?” Kiran asked her father. “Why did you complain? What if he gets mad at me?”
“According to people around here, that kid often seems to kill animals!” her father said again. “How could a kid enjoy killing animals so casually like that? Maybe he’s got some psycho blood in him!”
“What did the people at the orphanage say about it?” Kiran’s mother suddenly chimed in.
“They didn’t say much, just that they’ll try to talk to that Jevan kid.”
“Dad! What if Jevan holds a grudge against me?!” Kiran yelled from the sofa. Her face now displayed fear. “You shouldn’t have complained about Jevan! Now I’m scared to go there again.”
“Well, you don’t need to go there anymore,” Kiran’s father quickly replied. “What’s the point of you going there if you always come back scared and having nightmares?! You wouldn’t want to play with such weird kid, right?!”
“Besides,” her father continued, “do you remember what your Nini said? She said, don’t get close to people with a hot black aura around them. Your fate will be very dangerous and always unlucky when you get close to those with a hot black aura.”
Unlike her mother, who didn’t believe in mystical stuff, Kiran’s father strongly believed in them. That’s why whatever Kiran’s grandma said to him, would always be believed and held firmly by him.
“How do you know that Jevan has a hot black aura?”
“Your Nini said there’s always death around people with hot black auras. I heard that his mom died giving birth to him. He also likes killing animals. He must be the one your Nini meant! Anyway, from now on, you’re not allowed to go to that orphanage or get close to that weird kid anymore, you got it?!”
___
One Week Later
“You really didn’t know that the person next to the orphanage owner when you reported about that kid was their adoption agent? You really didn’t know?”
Kiran, who was playing outside, near her parents’ bedroom window, suddenly bacame quiet as she eavesdropped on her parents’ conversation.
“I didn’t know,” Kiran’s father replied, sounding a bit guilty. “I thought he was also a staff member at the orphanage. I didn’t expect him to be their adoption agency’s agent.”
“The kid got taken off the list to be handed over for adoption by new parents,” her mother said again. “The staff who cleaned the orphanage garden earlier told me that the adoption agent is always very careful with the children’s characters at the orphanage. Because you said that in front of them, there’s a good chance they’ll never recommend that kid to prospective parents.”
“So, he might have trouble getting adopted?”
“Yeah, poor kid. He even prepared his best clothes to meet his new prospective parents. Because you were careless in reporting him when their adoption agent was there, that kid might never make it onto the adoption list.”
“I… I was just trying to protect Kiran. She kept having nightmares and getting sick from playing with that kid.”
Kiran’s mother sighed. “Usually when we meet, the kid always nods politely to me. But this morning, he didn’t. It seems like he knows that we’re the ones who made him miss out on adoption.”
“I feel bad for the kid,” she continued. “They say he’s really smart, but if he keeps staying at the orphanage without adoptive parents, how will he grow up?”
___
2004
“They said Jevan was hospitalized?” Eight-year-old Kiran asked the orphanage owner she met at the nearby shop near her house.
“He’s been discharged since yesterday,” the orphanage owner replied with a smile. “Kiran, ever since your dad passed away, why have you been braver playing outside until this late? Be careful, okay? It’s not safe for little kids to be out at night.”
“Is it true that Jevan ended up in the hospital because he was beaten by an adult?” Kiran asked again, still focused on the topic of Jevan.
“There were some dogs in this neighborhood that died from poisoning. They say Jevan is the most likely suspect. Maybe feeling accused, Jevan got angry and threw rocks at them until one of them got hit and his forehead got torn. That’s why he ended up getting beaten.”
“Jevan threw rocks at them?”
“Lately, he’s become a bit aggressive towards people around here. Plus, he’s been training in martial arts from one of the orphanage security guards who used to be a soldier. Jevan often hits people because he feels stronger now,” the orphanage owner answered with a weary expression.
“Hasn’t Jevan been adopted yet?” Kiran asked timidly.
The orphanage owner shook her head. “Not yet, because he’s been getting into trouble lately, our agency has had a harder time finding him adoptive parents. He… might have trouble getting adopted because of that.”
___
End of the Year 2011
“He’s so handsome, but why is he on the avoid list of the seniors?”
“Are you brave enough to approach him and tell him that our teacher wants him to join the ceremony?”
“No way! I’m scared of him.”
“So, how long are we going to keep doing this and just watching his cubicle? The teachers will get mad. We’re the ceremony assistants!”
Kiran glanced at two eleventh-grade girls in her school who seemed puzzled in front of the health room door. The two girls had been there for fifteen minutes, just staring at one of the closed cubicle in the area with fear.
Sixteen-year-old Kiran tried to avoid them. That day, she was determined to avoid her classmates who planned to tease her at the school ceremony by pretending to be sick. But unfortunately, both her seniors had already spotted her.
“Hey, you’re from the tenth grade, right?” one of them called out to Kiran.
Hearing their call, Kiran felt extremely annoyed. She knew exactly that she would be asked to do what they didn’t dare to do since earlier. However, Kiran also knew that it was very dangerous for a junior at their school to refuse a request from their seniors.
“Yes?”
“Since you’re here, could you please wake up the twelfth-grade student in that cubicle and tell him to join the ceremony?” the person said with a smile directed at Kiran. “Just let him know that the teachers have requested his presence at the ceremony. We’re the ceremony assistants today, so we’re quite busy. Would you mind waking him up for us? Thanks!”
Kiran couldn’t protest. As expected, the two eleventh-graders ran off as soon as they made their request. Whether she liked it or not, Kiran, unsure of who she was supposed to confront, had to make her way towards the mentioned cubicle. She took a deep breath before speaking.
“Excuse me, may I come in?” Kiran asked as she approached the cubicle. “I was asked to…”
Kiran’s words trailed off as she opened the curtain covering the cubicle. Inside, she found a man she hadn’t seen in her neighborhood for years, Jevan Adrian, fast asleep in the health room bed. He was sleeping so soundly that he didn’t hear the voices of the two eleventh-grade girls or Kiran’s call.
Is this really Jevan? Feeling a little hesitant, Kiran approached. This person… is now my senior?
Unbelievable! The thought screamed in her mind. What has he been eating all this time to grow up so attractive like this?!
Kiran gaped at Jevan’s appearance, which had become extraordinarily stunning. However, her eyes suddenly caught something unusual on Jevan’s forehead.
It looks like something scratched his forehead, Kiran said to herself again. His face also looks very pale. Is he really sick, and not here just to avoid the ceremony?
At first, Kiran was just silent as she observed him. However, for some reason, she felt sorry for Jevan and ended up taking a wound plaster from her uniform pocket. Considering she was always teased even though she was still a newcomer, the girl always carried wound plasters in her uniform pocket.
Driven by that sense of pity, Kiran decided to discreetly stick the plaster on Jevan’s forehead. Unfortunately, her sudden movement woke Jevan up. The guy now looked at her and immediately grabbed her wrist above his face.
“Who are you?!” he snapped. His voice sounding heavier than when he was a child. “What are you going to do to me?!”
He asked who? This person… doesn’t remember who I am?
“Uh, I was just asked to tell you that the teachers want you to join the ceremony,” Kiran replied nervously after a few seconds of silence.
Upon saying that, surprisingly, a rather large golden-green butterfly suddenly flew into Jevan’s room and circled in front of Kiran’s and the man’s faces. Whether because the health room was its hiding place, or maybe because the plaster Kiran put on Jevan’s forehead was adorned with flowers, or maybe it just chose the wrong location… the butterfly suddenly landed on Jevan’s nose.
Kiran was stunned. Her index finger slowly lifted towards the beautiful butterfly. However, she did it not because the butterfly landed on Jevan’s nose, but because she knew it was a rare butterfly called the Paradise Birdwing.
“D—don’t move. That butterfly…”
Kiran’s words came too late. Jevan, who appeared angry, suddenly grabbed the butterfly from his nose and immediately crushed its tiny body with his own hands until it instantly died.
“Damn insect!” he cursed without feeling guilty.
The man then rose from the health room bed and just left without saying anything else to Kiran. Kiran’s attention now shifted to something on Jevan’s body that she had just noticed and made her shocked half to death.
On the lower part of his body — precisely on his left waist — there was a medium-sized blood stain that seemed to not stop bleeding. He was obviously injured by something, most likely a stab, but… the guy seemed like he didn’t care about it at all.
___
A Week Later
“Are you looking for Jevan? He hasn’t come to class because he’s just been discharged from the hospital,” a guy in Jevan’s class said to Kiran, who was standing in front of him. “You’re from the tenth grade, right? Why are you looking for Jevan? Be careful, he’s a real troublemaker and just got stabbed.”
“Uh, last week he left his iPod in the health room after he left. Someone said he was already at school today, so I wanted to return this to him,” Kiran explained to him.
“If someone spotted him at school but he didn’t show up for class, that means he’s skipping,” the guy replied casually. “You might wanna check the garden area next to our school, he’s often sneaking off there for a smoke.”
Kiran had no intention of following Jevan’s classmate’s advice. Yet, somehow, she found herself in the mentioned garden, searching for Jevan.
What she witnessed a minute later would haunt her for years to come. Before her eyes lay a group of infamous thugs, sprawled on the ground with serious injuries.
Not far from her, she observed Jevan crouched over one of them. More horrifyingly, his hand appeared to be attempting to extract a knife lodged in the body beneath him.
Witnessing this, Kiran was instantly gripped by a profound shock. So terrified, she involuntarily collapsed to the ground, trembling. Her gaze fixed on Jevan’s blood-stained uniform. Somehow, he now noticed her presence and shot her a menacing glare.
“Who are you?” The guy asked the same question as a week before to Kiran. “Why is a girl like you here? If you don’t want to end up like this person, you better leave quickly!”
___
2014
“Did you guys let him go?”
Kiran inquired of the police who had held Jevan for two weeks following her report linking him to Selia’s parents’ death. “Why did you let him go? He’s really dangerous.”
“We had no choice but to release him,” a police officer responded after taking a deep breath. “What could we do if the victims’ own daughter defends him and bolsters his alibi?”
“Selia? Selia defends Jevan?” Kiran asked, looking puzzled. “W—why would Selia defend someone who killed her parents?”
“Apparently, she saw the suspect waking up from the park near your school when the gunshots were heard from the direction of your neighborhood,” the police officer replied. “Your school is close to your residential area, right?”
“Besides, you only saw Jevan when he left Selia’s house in the evening, right?” continued the police officer. “The forensic team already has results. Selia’s parents were killed an hour before you saw the suspect leaving the house. So, it’s a bit difficult to keep Jevan here when the murder weapon isn’t even on him.”
“I’ve seen him stab a thug in the garden area next to our school. How does he always manage to get away so easily?” Kiran protested. Panic evident in her voice. The girl still harbored a grudge against Jevan, who had threatened her life before.
“I understand,” the police officer replied. “A few weeks ago, he was also suspected of being involved in the murder of his own brother, along with his brother’s child and wife. These two cases may be related because the assistant to Jevan’s late brother was Selia’s dad. But, there’s no solid evidence to incriminate him.”
Kiran’s eyes widened. “His brother? Jevan … has a brother?”
“He’s filthy rich now, so it’s difficult to incriminate someone as wealthy as him,” another police officer commented without directly addressing Kiran’s question.
Kiran was even more surprised. “Rich? Since when is Jevan rich? Are you talking about the Jevan who used to live in the orphanage near my house?”
The police officer patted Kiran’s shoulder reassuringly. “This case hasn’t been closed yet, Kiran. So, don’t worry. We’ll keep investigating. We’re currently focusing on finding new clues. There’s a street food vendor who passed by Selia’s house and claimed to have seen two people entering before the gunshots were heard. So, we’re searching for those two individuals.”
“Someone entered Selia’s house before Jevan?” Kiran inquired again.
“That’s what the vendor reported. He only resumed his rounds after being absent for two weeks, so … we’ve just learned about this. Additionally, there’s a recording of Jevan’s conversation with the emergency service after the incident. He was the one who requested an ambulance to come to Selia’s house at that time.”
Kiran began to doubt her previous accusation against Jevan. “Did Jevan know that I reported him to the police?”
“Not yet. Despite his attempts to coerce us into revealing the witness who accused him of Selia’s parents’ murder, we’ve remained silent,” the police officer replied.
Kiran froze. “He was looking for me? Why?”
“Perhaps out of frustration,” the police officer suggested. “According to his lawyer, Jevan was supposed to be in Indonesia only for his winter break from his campus, but his brother passed away upon his arrival. Consequently, he had to extend his stay in Indonesia. Moreover, he was detained here for a considerable period.”
“Jevan has a lawyer?” Kiran asked, bewildered. “And is it true that he studies abroad?”
Asked in that manner, the police officers seemed puzzled by Kiran’s questions.
“He’s studying in New York. Weren’t you aware? He was your senior at school two years ago,” one of them remarked. “During his brother’s case, he received limited permission from his campus to stay longer here. However, due to his prolonged detention, he encountered significant issues with his campus. That might be why he attempted to locate you.”
“Ho—hold on,” Kiran stammered, breaking into a cold sweat. “B—because his campus activities were delayed, he holds a grudge against me?”
“According to his lawyer, Jevan had to defer this semester and convert it into a semester break. Consequently, he’ll have to prolong his stay in New York to complete his studies later. Yet, he was supposed to commence work at his late father’s company.”
“Furthermore, he was evidently upset because the real culprit … might have already fled and disposed of crucial evidence while he was detained here. It seems he tried to uncover the perpetrator himself but failed due to your report, which led to his detention.”
“He appears to be vengeful, but don’t worry,” the police officer continued with a broad smile that was rather disconcerting. “Even though he attempted to bribe us to reveal your identity, we won’t divulge it. So, he’ll never learn that the witness who reported him … was you.”
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