Project: Socialize

A long silence continued on as I stood there facing the closed hotel room door with Luna behind me. It was an awkward and tense moment for me. Luna stood behind me with her head low as if something was on her mind, but it was that thought that bothered me. Her silence made it almost impossible for me to initiate conversation of any sorts. In addition, the idea that I'm now in a hotel room with a girl made my heart race and clouded my train of thought.

I looked down at the key card the theater club president had thrown on the ground and picked it up. I then inserted the key card into the card slot by the door in order to activate the power in the room and summon the lights and air conditioning. Then, I waited.

The door could be opened from our side, so it wasn't like we're trapped here. However, it will be awkward for me if I were to take the initiative. Open the door, and Luna might feel offended by the possibility that I didn't find her attractive. But suggest we stay some more time here might make it sound as if I was after her body. Therefore, I'm in a bad situation, surrounded on all sides with no real options except wait for her to make her decision.

I glanced over my shoulders at her, taking in that troubled expression on her face. She seemed to be thinking about something at the moment and wasn't ready to say anything. Therefore, I must continue to wait for her. In the meantime, I must stand still and not attempt anything because if I were to make my way further into the room, then that will basically imply that I want to stay longer.

After standing there for about a minute, I heard a soft chuckle from Luna. Turning my head to check her reaction, I saw a faint smile on her pale face as she gazed into my eyes and made eye contact. Those amber eyes of her's were extremely absorbing as it seemed to force all of my focus to be directed to her. However, what's weird is that in her eyes, I saw a strange determination that I wasn't sure where it had stemmed from and for what purpose that it served.

"Let's rest here for a bit," she said, her words causing my heart rate to increase and blood to flow to my face as they might contain a secondary meaning. "It's better than standing outside."

I let out a sigh of relief as she turned and walked further into the hotel room because the latter part of her sentence revealed to me that her intent was simply to have a place to sit and recover before heading home. Therefore, knowing her decision now and having her consent, I followed her further into the hotel room.

Luna had walked up to the window and opened it before continuing over to one of the chairs surrounding the round table and sat down, and I followed after her. I was quite hesitant in each step I took since I was with a girl and alone in a hotel room. I worried that she might mistake every sudden move I make as an attempt on her chastity. Therefore, I made sure to make every single movement of mine appear extremely easy to identify.

I sat down on the chair opposite to the one Luna had sat down in. Then, I started looking around. The girl before me seemed to have a content smile on her face as she sat there with her eyes closed. She seemed to have given me plenty of trust to not do anything, or... does she want me to do something?

With a blush, I shook that idea out of my head and looked around the room. It was quite a spacious room with extremely modern furnishing and decorations. However, the lights were extremely dim in this room, making the room quite dark and moody.

"So," Luna finally opened her eyes after a minute and started speaking. "How's your day been?"

"It's alright," I responded in a boring manner out of nervousness. "It's just that I'm pretty tired from the day. I spent all morning with the others in my club at the Festival, and once we're done I'm dragged here..."

"That sounds pretty terrible," Luna laughed.

"How about you?" I then asked in order to keep the conversation alive.

"For me?" She said with a dreamy look on her face as she crossed her legs, revealing more of her white thighs, leaned towards her right, propping her right elbow against the arm rest of the chair and resting her chin on her right hand as she stared out the opened window and at the bustling city outside. "Today wasn't very interesting," she said. "But yesterday, when I was with you, it was."

"T-that's good to hear," I awkwardly replied.

"Alevian," she then said with a slight chuckle in her voice as if she's amused by my reaction. Although her face was still pale, but she seemed to be in a better mood and exhibited greater vitality. "What's your relationship with Muria and Irina?"

"I would say we're acquaintances," I responded. "Probably just that."

"Hmm? I would say you're more than that."

"Then I don't know..."

Luna then chuckled and remained silent as she stared out the window. However, an alluring smile continued to exist on her face as she sat there. Her posture was nothing sort of erotic, but for some odd reason it seemed to have an attracting effect on me, causing me to keep my eyes focused on her. It might be because she's someone of the opposite gender, but I believe it's not that reason. Rather, it felt like it's something with those eyes of her's... something about her being the complete opposite of me. Her freedom was something that I never dreamed of having, and yet, it intrigued me to the point that I can't move my eyes away.

"Come to think of it," she continued speaking, her voice exhibiting the effects of fatigue once again. She turned her face away from the window and back towards me, and that was when I first realized how light her skin color was. It was to the point that the neon lights from the outside world splattered on her face as if it was a white canvas. "I've only started speaking with you yesterday, not counting the few times during the Committee meetings."

"Right," I nodded, confirming her statement.

"I feel like we should get to know each other more," she smiled in an energetic matter that seemed odd when compared to that lightness of her skin.

"How will we do that?" I asked, thinking of the many ways one could get to know the other person more.

So through more conversation? I thought. Like asking each other questions about what they like and hobbies and stuff?

"Let's play Two Truth, One Lie," she said with a voice filled with vigor and enthusiasm along with a smile that complemented it.

"W-what's that?" I asked, surprised by the suddenness of that suggestion and the fact that I've never heard of that game before.

"You've never played it?" she looked at me with a blank expression of surprise. "The rules are, each person says three statements about themselves, and two of them has to be a truth, and one of them has to be a lie. Then, the other person has to guess which one of the three is the lie."

"I see," I nodded my head as I comprehended the simple rules. "Doesn't sound too difficult."

"Alright," Luna smiled. "You start."

"Me?"

I was surprised that she wanted me to be the first to start the game. However, based off that smile on her face and that nod, it would appear that I have no way out of this. Therefore, I began brainstorming two truths and a believable lie about myself. It's actually quite difficult when I started trying because it really makes you look at who you are yourself. This game really works as a way for someone to recognize themselves.

"I don't have any friends," I started. "I usually stay home, and I had a girlfriend in the past."

"Hmmm?" She stared me in the eye as she thought over my three statements in search of the lie. Then, she closed her eyes and frowned, as if trying to decide on which one, which surprised me since I thought it shouldn't be that hard. "The first one?"

"Wrong," I responded. "It's the third one."

"You've never had a girlfriend?" she sounded quite surprised by the reality that she had discovered. "I thought guys like you that're pretty interesting would definitely have had a girlfriend. Besides, you have friends, don't you? Like Loyd."

"I never had a girlfriend," I sighed. "And as for Loyd... I don't know if I can truly consider him a friend now even though he was one in the past. We're just so different from what we were back in the day..."

"You got me," she said in a frustrated voice, although there weren't any real hints of frustration on her pale face. "Now it's my turn."

I sat up straight and focused my attention on what she was about to say. It was quite odd how much effort I was giving this simple game, but for some reason I felt like it's actually quite fun, a feeling that I thought I would never experience with someone else.

"I'm still under eighteen," she said while gazing into my eyes.

That's believable. She seems quite young.

"I actually don't have many close friends," she said her second statement.

That's the lie. That has to be it. Someone like her should be able to make plenty of friends.

"And lastly," she paused and a smile appeared on her face. "I suffer from a terminal illness."

"Huh?"

Her last statement surprised me and confused my brain with how strong of a statement it was. However, while I appeared surprised, my mind was furiously working and trying to find which one of the three was the lie. For some reason, no matter how I spun things, I keep coming up with the same conclusion: I want the third statement to be the lie.

"Haha," I laughed as my heart rate increased out of my own anxiety. "That's a bad joke to make."

I observed her face and took in that smile of hers. It was a smile that troubled me, one that seemed to be veiled by so many mysteries yet it appeared as if it wasn't so at the same time.

"The lie," I started speaking. My voice lost its confidence and started to tremble. "The third one is the lie."

"Wrong," was her answer.

Her one word answer, so simple and yet so powerful, echoed in the silence that ensued us. A gentle breeze blew in from the world outside, moving her hair about and concealed her amber eyes. On her face was a countenance so calm that it seemed to brought with it a chilling effect on the world for I felt extremely cold as if my body had started losing its warmth. The world seemed to fade to white, leaving only her existence still being detected by my eyes.

"I'm going to die soon..." she whispered in a cold, and calm voice.