Quianna's POV
"Then I am just stuck at being your friend?" Dylan said to me.
"Are you drunk?" I jokingly said to him.
"I did not drink." He answered, another silence happened between of us.
"But why are you acting like a drunk?" I asked him.
"Who's drunk? I am not drunk!" Aina suddenly intervenes and collapsed after she said that.
"Yana…"
"Just go home, Dylan. I just want to breath fresh air." I said then get my jacket.
I left Aina's apartment and sat on the wide bench here. I looked up and I saw a lot of stars shining at the dark sky. They looked so beautiful together, then this crazy idea suddenly crosses my mind, what if those stars are actually planets and people lived there, our parallel selves living at one of those stars choosing the things we do not do at this planet we currently live. That's so amusing, people are the same, but their lives differ on what choices they apply.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" I saw Dylan walking towards me.
"Nothing, just staring at those stars up in the sky." I answered.
"Do you believe in destiny?" he suddenly asked.
"If you're asking a realistic person like me, I am not." I truthfully answer.
"Really? Now I hope you just believe in it." he plainly said.
"I don't want to hang my life in that so-called destiny or fate and just accept all things that happened around me. I want to know why, I want to know how to stop or go with it. I want to know what the options are and decide with it." I explained to him.
"Then I can see that you're a strong woman, Yana." He said to me and smiled.
"Yeah, that is why I will go with it until the end." I suddenly said.
"What are you talking about?" he cluelessly asked.
"I want to investigate why these messages are sent to me and what are the meaning behind it." I firmly said to him and he stare at me.
"I know that I cannot stop you anymore, judging from your eyes." He said the chuckles.
"Yeah, that is why I want you to cover it up for me. mom would be so worried if I do not go to work." I said to him and pleading to let me do it.
"Alright, but I cannot always say excuses where are you or what are you doing. And! I want you to update me." he clearly emphasized it.
"I got it, sir!" I shout them offered her a salute, we both laugh, and he stopped for a moment.
"So, you'll be with that detective always?" he just said.
"What?"
"That guy, seems like he's a competent detective."
"Oh, I am the only one who'll investigate it." I immediately said to him.
"What? Then let me help. Two is better than one, they said." He replied.
"No, you don't have to. I don't want to burden someone. I'll be good." I insist with him.
"But still remember that it only takes one call for me to go where you are." He said to me.
"Now, I really have one person behind my back." I happily said then smiled at him.
"I just wished that I will not retain only behind you." He quietly said.
"Dylan, you're my best friend." I just said and he did not reply.
"Oh! There you are!" we both looked at someone and it's Aina, still drunk.
"Aina! Just sleep already. You're still drunk." I said to her and guided her inside her apartment.
"Yana, aren't you a little annoying?" she suddenly say.
"What are you talking about?" I answered.
"You knew that Dylan likes you and you're just ignoring his feelings." She seriously said.
"But you also knew that we can't be. We're best friends." I said to her.
"Grown man and woman cannot just be best friends after all those years of being together." She said and sat down.
"I cannot give back his love." I said to her, sadly.
"I know that is why you're so annoying." She lastly said and slept soundly.
What can I do? I need to know who killed my father, I need to protect my mom and now there's someone who can actually help me. I will not waste this kind of opportunity, I decided to take it and if does not solved anything at all, maybe that's my signal to stop all this madness.
*Phone Rings*
"Hello?" I greeted.
"Hi, Quianna. This is Austin." He said.
"What happened? Did you catch him?" I asked immediately.
"We were at the inn, but we did not see him anywhere. He was seen at the CCTV but his face is not identified. He vanished." He explained.
"What? Then the case will be an unsolved one?" I asked.
"Maybe, if the culprit is still not identified even after a month of investigation." He answered.
"I think the culprit is involved with the messages schemes we received." I explained.
"That's what I also thought."
"But, is there another way to catch him?"
"We'll see during the investigation." He answered.
"Wait, Austin." I said before he ended the call.
"What? Is there something wrong?" he asked and I first look around to see if Dylan is nearby.
"I received another text." I started.
"What does it say?" he asked.
"It says my father's corpse is missing. I went to the cemetery a while ago and the urn is empty." I explained.
"What? How could that be?"
"I also don't know. I will visit the hospital first thing in the morning tomorrow." I said to him.
"What about your job?" he asked.
"My best friend would take care of it. He's the boss after all."
"Yeah, I remember, then I'll go with you tomorrow." He said.
"Okay, I'll meet you at the Imperial Hospital." I said then ended the call.
"Someone called?" Dylan suddenly asked.
"U-uh, someone from the office, I said I will go back tomorrow." I answered.
"Really? Are you sure you can?" he's still worried.
"Of course, you don't have to worry about me." I said to him.
"Alright, then I'll go home now. You can stay here with Aina's." he said to me.
"Yeah, that's what I decided too. Let me walk you at the lobby." I offered to him.
"No, it's okay. Just have a rest and see you at the office."
"Alright, bye." I just said then she left the apartment.
I sat at the other side of the bed opposite where Aina is lying. I just hope that everything will be okay, Austin said that the woman wanted him to convince me to team up with her. Looks like it was not originally like this, those people are unknown to all of us but strangely it does feel familiar. I stood up and went in the bathroom to wash up.
I looked at the mirror and it somewhat looked déjà vu to me. the mirror has a cracked at the side, the shower curtains that looks very familiar to me, but I cannot think where I saw them.
"Remember those? We were fooling around, and you suddenly stroked the mirror with the curtain rod." I was shocked when Aina suddenly talked beside me, I did not notice her presence at all.
"Really? I don't remember." I said to her.
"What are you talking about? We've been here last week." She said to me looking sobered.
"What? We did not see each other Aina ages ago." I answered to her.
"Shut up, girl. We saw each other and we both bought that shower curtains." She explained.
"You're still drunk, maybe I am not the one who's with you." I said to her.
"Really? Ugh. My head hurts I'll just lie down there." She said then walk towards the bed.
I feel confused all over again, why did she said that? I haven't been here since she moved apartments again. I was shot at my back, so I think it's not some partial amnesia. Maybe she's just too drunk to think straight? She looks so sure about that memory of her, it was detailed that if I was really not here, I will be still convinced that it really happened.
I just finished up showering and went to bed. I just need to go there early in the morning.
The next day…
"Yana! Wake up!" I can feel Aina kept on shaking my leg to wake me up.
"What do you want?"
"Aren't you going to work?" she said.
"What time is it?" I asked while still half-asleep.
"9am." After she said that I can feel that my adrenaline rush and get up immediately.
"Why did you not wake me earlier?!" I yelled at her.
"I tried! But you did not listen to me!" she yelled at me also.
"But still!" I just have no time to bicker at her. I grab my clothes and go in the bathroom immediately. After some minutes I went out and grab my bag to leave her apartment.
"Yana! Grab some food first!" I hear her yelled.
"I have no time! I'll just buy on my way!" I replied and run towards the elevator.
When the elevator door opens, I hurriedly entered and press the closing button numerous times, but it still does not close.
"Quianna, decide wisely." Someone outside the elevator talked to me. I looked at her, but I cannot see her face.
"Wait!" I yelled when she suddenly vanished, and the elevator immediately closes going downstairs.
---
Quianna’s POVI started driving quick beyond the maximum when Austin texted me the location of the accident. I was nervous, scared and even unstable at the same time, but I do not have the time to be weak. I thought I already overcame those struggles, Aina lived after that day, Austin also lived even though I am not still sure if he died in the other world. But Dylan, he do not have the right to feel comfortable or even relaxed knowing that there is no direct evidence, in the beginning. But now, Aina got another one, but her life became in danger, I do not deserve to be called as her best friend or even the one to receive those messages.I arrived at the location of the accident, and I saw a car parked in the middle of the road and somewhat little smoke was coming out from the front of that car. I quickly get off and run towards the driver’s seat to check if Aina was still there, but she was not. I was in mental breakdown, do not know what to think, my mind
Quianna’s POVI stayed on the ground as long as I wanted, my tears were already dried because of the cold gusting wind of the night but I am still here on my knees. I looked up in the sky and it was dark grey in color, despite of the night being calm, I could still sense its gloominess. I slowly stood up as I decided to go back to the ward, I should be doing another plan of catching Dylan’s tail instead of sitting in this place alone and crying. I do not have the time to feel the pain, to feel the sadness, to feel the pain that both of us were having.It was all pointless.I walked towards the door and turned the doorknob slowly, when someone at the other side pulled the door and I forcedly let the door opened without me exerting any kind of effort. I stood firm as I looked of who could that person be. I smiled weakly when I recognized his cold face staring back at me. He slowly walked towards me and I was just waiting for him to arrive in front of m
Quianna’s POVI sat on the couch here in the VIP ward where Austin was resting, I personally asked for this room as a private place for the four of us to talk about the plans. In this separated room from the others, as well as from the other wards, no one could ever notice the people who would go in and out from this place of the hospital. This is exclusively made for the family, a ward that all of the relatives could go whenever something happened- and now that I do not have any family now, I could use this to whoever I wanted.I looked on Austin and he was comfortably lying on the bed while sleeping. It is already past midnight but I cannot sleep. I have to think straight and plan my next move, the enemies would not stay still knowing that their mission of killing Austin, the thing that they expected will happen did not take place in this version of the parallel world.I heard pairs of footsteps from the outside and walking towards this direction. I quic
Quianna’s POVThe clock struck on midnight and I am the only one staying in the house. Because of the conflict that our group made, every one of them has their own thing to be done, or to do just to save me in this hell. I was sitting on the cold tiled floor at the living room and leaning my back against the couch I am trying to fit myself in between the glass centerpiece and the long couch in this part of the house. In front of me was a huge transparent fiber glass window, but it was open halfway leading the cold evening breeze coming in as the white plain curtains were moving in the shadow. It was pitch black inside the house, I have been here since Aina left hours after Aaron and Jason did, she said that she has something to do for the case that he now has to leave.Not saying anything to me or even a hint, she left without turning back. I only kept on staring blankly, letting out deep sigh of worries and frustrations not only for the situation we are in but m
Austin’s POVI looked around the crime scene, just judging by the look of the room, I guess there had been a fight that leads for his demise. Aaron keeps walking around even if the only thing that he should be checking is the drawers of this table, I searched all of it, even the insides and under of the furniture, to check if there could be any secret compartment- but there is none. The forensics might also get the results from the prints they got in this room, Aaron is glancing over me and I realized that we got the conversation we are needing right now. I nodded at him and both of us went out from the room, stood by the end of the hallway and even look around checking for people who might eavesdrop from our conversation.“What happened?” I asked to him and leaned on the wall.“When Jason and I got in the room, he is already dead.” He answered to me.“Not that one.” I said and he looked at me.“What
Austin’s POVIt was a brief confusing moment for me, why the regional office would open that case again, and on top of that, it looks like a confidential and close investigation to me. She stares at me as I looked at her in my puzzled look, I do not want to any anything, as I might say something that I was keeping to myself- Yana’s case is not known to anyone, especially to the police force. As what Yana said to all of us, this case is extra special, not only that it does not have a direct suspect, but at the same time evidence are difficult to find.Child murderer, that is the name of the case in which Dylan was connected to. Based on the database, he is the victim of that crime but the name was telling something otherwise. His mother committed suicide but the only one who witnessed that crime was himself, Dylan- in which should be the witness not labeled as the murderer.“Why would that case resurface again?” I asked to her and she plai