They entered Skylar's compound and headed straight for the entrance door to the living room. Pressing the doorbell, they stepped back waiting for someone to answer the door. When no one did, they pressed again and again. Still, they were greeted by silence.
"I don't think anyone is around," Ifes said when they had gotten tired of ringing the doorbell.
Mandy stared. She was sure something about Skylar worried her. Could her instincts be wrong? But she didn't think she had ever felt that way before.
"I think we should be on our way. Maybe no one is around," Ifes said. She was able to decode her friend's facial expression.
"I think someone's in there. You know how deep Skylar sleeps. Maybe she's taking a nap, and the main gate wasn't locked when we entered." Which was more of a reason for Mandy to be afraid.
"The gatekeeper wasn't there either. I'm thinking he left the gate open for the owners to have access into the building when they return from wherever they went."
Mandy gazed at her friend thoughtfully. "You reckon so?"
"Yeah, maybe we will come check on her later. She should be awake by then."
As they whirled around to walk back to their car, Mandy's trepidation was palpable. She called out to Ifes who was a couple of steps ahead of her. "Hey, Wait up! I have an idea."
Ifes turned her head.
"Instead of going now, I think we should go wait for her in the garden. The garden's just behind the building."
They reached a consensus and ambled around the building to the garden.
As they drew closer, they saw a silhouette standing on a table under a tree. It was Skylar. They moved closer, and saw a rope furled around her neck.
Gasping, they drew back, perplexed and scared. What was she trying to do? Take her life with her own hands? No! Maybe it was all a mistake. They went closer, got a clear view, and gasped in horror.
"Don't come close!" Skylar yelled at the intruders.
Mandy covered her mouth with her palms, gaping in stunned silence.
"What are you trying to do, Skylar?" Ifes asked as though the scene was yet to register in her head.
"What can you see?"
"But why this, Skylar?"
Mandy again stepped forward and tried to reach for the ropes. "And you wouldn't even allow us to come close to..."
"I said don't come any step further or else!"
Mandy drew back, gasping astonishingly.
"It's already too bad enough that you two barged into my house poking your nose around!"
The duo gazed up speechlessly, afraid that any word or action they took without proper calculation might make their dear friend plunge into her doom without thinking twice.
"One more step from any of you and I will end it sooner than you thought I would," Skylar threatened. "Well it wasn't like I was never going to do it anyway. It wouldn't make much difference if I did it now or later."
"Alright, Skylar, we won't try to stop you. But as your friends, don't you think you owe us an explanation for trying to take your own life with your own hands?" Mandy said.
"Oh! Trust me, you really don't want to hear it."
"You think so. Okay, why don't you try us?"
"And you will leave my house after hearing it?"
Mandy didn't know how to answer that question. Would she hear the full story and leave her friend to commit suicide? Surely she could not accept such terms and conditions.
Skylar stared into Mandy's eyes and saw the uncertainty then shook her head. "I know you wouldn't leave me be after telling you, so maybe I'll just go ahead and do it right now."
Mandy's lips parted, she wanted to say something but her trembling lips wouldn't let her utter a word.
"What I'm about to tell you is a secret I have kept from, not just you, but our friends."