I didn't see what was on the SD card that night. My new roommate didn't give me the chance to do that. When I just laid my hand on the cover to open it, Noah's voice boomed through the apartment, "Hey Naina, will you be a dear and come here once?"

No, I won't be a dear, I wanted to say. But I didn't want a fight on his very first day here. I got out to find him still on the couch with the TV remote in his hand.

"Could you share your Netflix password?" He said waving towards the Netflix logo on the TV. I rolled my eyes pulling the remote out of his hand and typed the password.

"There." I said tossing the remote control on the couch, "Can I go inside now?" I asked with mock obedience, hoping he would catch the sarcasm. But no, he was too thick for that. Why do all the hot ones have to be dumb?

"What are you going to do, cooped up in your room at 7 pm? Watch something with me." He said patting the spot beside him as though I was the new one here.

"No thanks, I have more important things to do," I said thinking about the SD card waiting on my bed.

"Too bad. I thought we could bond as roommates watching this show called.....You." He said, succeeding in catching my attention.

"You're saying you've never watched this show before," I asked to confirm.

"Yeah?" He said, wondering what I was up to.

"You've no idea what you were missing, my friend." I sat beside him ready for a rerun of my favorite show. We ordered a pizza and finished dinner, never pausing the show.

That night we watched the ten episodes straight and by the time I got into my bed with puffy and sleepy eyes, I didn't even remember my name.

**********

On Friday night, I was cooped up in my apartment as usual. I was on the couch trying to choose a movie when Noah walked out of his room all dressed up as he did on the day of our date. On close inspection, I came to the conclusion that it was the same dress. I couldn't help but feel wow. Blue definitely suits him.

Noah caught me staring at him and awarded me with a smirk.

"I take it you like what you are seeing." He said cockily.

"I didn't say anything about liking it. If I liked it six months ago, the dynamic between us would have been different." I said more cockily. He definitely brought the worst out of me.

"Same to you." He said lamely like a middle schooler and walked out of the apartment closing the door behind him. I smiled, shaking my head at how easily I could get a rise out of him. Living with Noah was going to be anything but boring.

The apartment suddenly felt quiet as soon as I realized I was alone. I knew living alone was not new for me but I started feeling a little uneasy and jumpy. I started surfing through Netflix to distract myself but that was just not doing the job. Every little sound was making me jump out of my skin.

Then suddenly I remembered about the SD card I left on the bed last night. I woke up late this morning after last night's binge-watching and I had to get ready hastily to get to college on time. So, I hadn't made my bed this morning. I ran into my room praying that I didn't kick the card to some corner of the room in my sleep. I was really bad at searching for things.

But fortunately, the cover containing the card was still on my bed waiting for me to disclose it's secrets. I didn't waste a moment in getting the card out of the cover and inserting it in my phone. I quickly got into the SD card folder. There were a video and an audio clip in it. I was not sure if I really wanted to open them. They might contain something that could never be unseen. On the other hand, they might be the key evidence to Mitchell's case. I had to take this step no matter how creeped out I was. My finger hovered over the play button for a second before clicking it.

The video started out dark and the camera was moving a lot. It went on for ten seconds before it was focused correctly. The video was showing two hooded figures in a distance. They were clad in red robes. I couldn't even tell if they were male or female. The camera was showing the side angle of the two figures. Nothing could be seen except their hands. In the background, there were other people who were dressed similarly, with their heads down.

All these people were in some kind of large space in a building. Sunlight was forming a spotlight for the two figures standing in the center. The rest of the room was illuminated by big torches placed in holders at several intervals.

The setting was so otherworldly and medieval that I was almost sure it was clipped from a periodical drama. But the video quality was not of a TV show but looked like it was shot with a secret camera. The taller one of the two figures had a big brass bowl in his hands. I assumed he was male due to the build. He passed it onto the one standing in front of him who drank the contents as soon as they were given the bowl. Then the tall one crossed his arms, placed them on the short one's shoulders, and looked up at the ceiling. After a few seconds, he removed his arms. The short one placed the bowl on the ground and went to stand with the rest of the crowd.

I was really confused about the proceedings going on in the video. I couldn't understand how any of this could be connected to Mitchell but I was sure this was not something to be ignored.

The camera started moving in the direction in which the tall guy was standing. I figured the camera was fitted in someone's dress and the particular person was walking towards the guy. Now, the camera was facing the tall person and I was right. He was a male. I could just make out his beard. The rest of his face was covered with a hood.

He started chanting something. I couldn't put my finger on the language. From this angle, I could see there are more people standing there than I had seen earlier. The chanting stopped. Another hooded figure came from the crowd and handed the tall guy another bowl. I couldn't see the contents inside. There was some more chanting before the bowl was passed to the person standing in front of me.

The bowl contained a thick red liquid which was alarmingly looking like blood. A wave of nausea hit me causing me to hit the pause button. I walked out of the bedroom into the living room taking quick breaths so as to stop nausea. I propped on the couch, tossing the mobile on the coffee table, holding my head in my arms staring at my mobile. Finally, I decided to get to the end of this. I hit the resume, ready for whatever creepy thing that was waiting for me.

The bowl came close to the camera as the person drank the blood. I had to force myself to watch it. Then the same procedure as earlier was repeated and now the camera person entered the crowd like their predecessor. The video went dark again and then stopped. I waited if anything else would be shown. But that was it.

I clicked on the audio clip. My heart went racing as soon as I heard the voice and the message it delivered. It was Mitchell's voice.

It said, "Don't lose the pearl I gave you. Don't tell anyone about it. Don't let them have it."

I placed my mobile on the coffee table once again with my head in my hands. Sweat beads started forming on my forehead in spite of the cold winter, as soon as I realized she was addressing me. The person to whom Mitchell had given the pearl was me.

I sat there shaking with the realization that my dead roommate had left with me an important thing; important enough to make a recording for me and hide it in a secret compartment in her closet. Another thought came into my mind making a shiver run down my spine. Mitchell should have foreseen her death. That's why she left these things for me.

As I was pondering over these possibilities with increasing fear and confusion every second, a cool hand landed on my shoulder.