Chapter 4 Four

CHAPTER 4

Nine days after Karen's death.

Hope River.

Stella and Samuel got out of the car as soon as they reached the path leading to the river at the end of the road. They both decided to come to the place where Karen's body was after receiving a mysterious message yesterday from someone using Karen's number.

It happened to be a Saturday, the building was closed and Stella had no art lessons scheduled. She agreed to go with Sam to the place now.

The sun wasn't too hot because the big trees along the path they were walking along were thriving. Their trunks were strong while their leaves were dense. The wind that blew through Stella's long hair felt quite big because of it.

Samuel stopped his steps when he reached the riverbank. His eyes swept across the rushing water before him sadly before looking down at the grass beneath his feet. "That night, Karen was here. I found her body in this place," she said softly. "Of all the places, why the river of hope?"

Stella threw a sprig of white lily she'd bought at her favorite flower shop onto the surface of the river. "Karen, how are you? I brought your favorite flower." Her black eyes followed the direction of the flower as it drifted down the river. "I hope you like them."

"Stella?"

A familiar voice greeted her from behind, causing Stella and Samuel to turn around.

"Harry?"

The wide-eyed boy looked at Stella and then at Samuel in turn. He was wearing a short blue plaid shirt and black jeans that morning. "Hey, Sam. I haven't seen you in a while," Harry said conversationally.

"What are you doing here?" Samuel asked curiously.

The boy named Harry Clark shrugged his shoulders and smiled slightly. "What do you think, I'm also in the group chat."

Stella squinted suspiciously. "You're here because of... Karen?"

"She's definitely not Karen," said Juna who appeared from the other direction.

Stella, Samuel and Harry were now surprised by Juna and Clara's presence in the river of hope. How could Juna, the office building plumber, come all the way to a place they had long forgotten now with Clara.

Ah, Clara, Stella looked at her curiously. She wondered what reason would bring her best friend to the river of hope and Juna realized it. He crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Don't get me wrong. I came alone and found this child in front of me like a lost child. So I brought him here as well."

Clara glared sarcastically at Juna. "Lost?"

Juna nodded and pointed at Clara's face casually. "You were pacing back and forth while looking at your phone like you were in a daze," he said casually. "What would you call it if you weren't a lost child?"

Stella smiled widely and jumped at Clara. Hugging her tightly as if she could lose her best friend at any moment. "I really miss you, Clara," she said frankly. "Why did you have to stay away from me and be friends with that bitch?"

But suddenly Clara pushed Stella away. She roughly pushed away the embrace that Stella had created for her. She then looked at the long-haired girl seriously. "Her name is Ganisa, not that bitch. Be careful what you say about her, Stella."

Stella was dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Clara then threw the white lily in her hand onto the surface of the river. Just like Stella had done earlier. "I'm here for Karen and no one else," she said curtly. She immediately turned around and left her four friends who were still wondering there.

"Why has Clara changed?" Harry asked Stella. "She also seems to like Ganisa more now. What's wrong?"

Before she could answer, Juna had already dropped a hard punch on Harry's shoulder that made him wince in pain. "Stay out of other people's business. What are you doing here, aren't you busy dealing with work deadlines, um?"

Harry swatted Juna's hand away. "Mind your own business."

Juuna just shrugged her shoulders indifferently and turned back towards the river. "One thing's for sure, I'm pretty sure it's not Karen." Her sharp eagle-like eyes watched the rushing river intently. "How can a dead person send a message? It must be someone."

"When I found Karen's body, her cell phone and wallet were missing." Stella, Harry and Juna suddenly drew their attention to Samuel. "Haven't found it until now."

Harry frowned and considered something. He asked, "Could Karen have been robbed and killed by a criminal?"

Stella pushed her long hair, which was swept back by the breeze. It revealed the bones of her beautiful neck. "What criminal would send a mysterious message to their victim's group chat? There's nothing to do."

Samuel nodded in agreement. "It's a bit far-fetched, but nothing is impossible in this world."

Juna then returned and joined the others in standing up. "Karen is brave and strong. But, could the rumors of her being bullied by the seniors be true?" He looked at Stella and then at Samuel and Harry. "Even if she was bullied by someone, I'm pretty sure Karen wouldn't keep her mouth shut and decide to commit suicide. Especially since she has a wild friend like Stella. Right?"

Stella glared. Her black eyes snapped to Juna for his careless words just now. She did not accept it. "Wild?"

Samuel interjected. "Juna's right. Karen wasn't alone. She had us, but why did she have to die and hide everything alone?"

There was silence for a few seconds until the Bogor-born boy in his fancy blue shirt finally spoke up. "Maybe Karen knew a secret," he whispered.

"Secret?" Stella raised one eyebrow in confusion. "What kind of secret do you mean?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know either. But in the mystery comics I read, the person or witness who knows the big secret is usually killed." He shoved his hands into his pants pockets and looked at his three friends one by one. "Don't you guys know? Death is often considered the only way to seal a secret. That's why people who know big secrets usually always end up dead."

"But what secret did Karen know that someone would bother to kill her?" asked Stella.

"If I were the culprit, I'd just drown Karen in the riverbed," Juna said irritably. "Why would he leave Karen's body on the riverbank, anyway?"

"Maybe he did it on purpose," said Samuel. Making Stella, Juna and Harry turn to him curiously. "Either someone like Karen who knows the big secret out there wouldn't dare to open her mouth or she'd end up dead like Karen."

Stella leaned her face towards Samuel. "You mean, maybe there's someone out there who knows about the secret too, Sam?" []