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.
---
Austin's POVI arrived at the station before the dawn breaks, I saw some constable moving around the whole place."Sir, you're early." Jason greeted me."What are doing here? Did you not go home last night?" I asked him."Aaron won't let the team go home until we found the suspect." He answered and started drying his hair with his towel."That guy, where is he?" I asked to him."I think he's at the evidence room" upon hearing it I went upstairs and go directly to the evidence room. I entered in and I saw him watching something on the monitor."What are you staring on, too early in the morning?" I said to him, and I realized that he's sleeping soundly."How dare you sleeping in here while the team is up the whole night?!" I yelled at him and smacked the back of his head."Austin! That hurts!" he shouted when he woke up."That hurts? Get a grip Aaron. I'll be out later." I said to him."Where are you going?"
Quianna's POVI saw the rescuers immediately responded to where the driver is. They are preparing for moving the victim out of the car and I just watching them silently and still worried about how badly that woman got injured."Ma'am are you sure someone is here?" one of the rescuers approached me and seriously asked me about it. I looked at him confused and glance at the driver's seat side of the car."Yeah, she's badly hurt. She's bleeding all over her face." I explained to him, and I saw him looking very confused like what in the world I am talking about."But, no one is here, ma'am." When the rescuer said that words to me, I felt my senses left my whole body. I feel numb, I definitely saw someone in there, bleeding badly."What are you talking about?" I just said to him and run towards the driver's seat. I looked at it and saw the seat was empty but there were traces of blood on some parts."Maybe somebody helped her to get off from the
Austin's POVI am standing here in front of the Imperial Hospital, Quianna should insured her life as she's always entering hospital since the day we've met. I directly headed towards the information desk and asked the room of Quianna. When the lady gave me the room number, I immediately walked towards the elevator and calmly pressed the floor button where the room is located. This time, I think we should stop thinking that everything is happening unusual, for it was really unusual. We should start asking how it happened and who's behind it, that's my agenda with Quianna today."Come in." she said upon knocking once."You knew that I'm on my way here?" I asked her immediately and put a basket of fruits on the table beside her."Yeah, Dylan told me." she answered and scanned the basket."You don't have to bring something like this." She said and started picking the grapes."This will be the last, can you stop going to hospital?" I sarcastical
Quianna's POVAfter Austin left, I think about all the things he said to me. Should I really need to leave the company for good? Do I have I focus on investigating my father's case? When should I tell of this to Dylan? I know I should trust my best friend but there's something about him that kept on telling me not to spill every detail that Austin and I have. I felt somewhat bored as I stare at the four-cornered white walls of this hospital room. I stood up and pull the dextrose stand with me as I walked through the hallways, it was a night of quiet and chilling place for me, this is the reason why I hate hospitals, I hate places that have no person in it, I hate to be alone.I continued walking and I reached the end of the side of the hospital where the rest place was located. It is a huge place enough for people who are visiting their loved ones in this floor, it also has tables and chairs used mainly by the doctors and nurses who are staying all night just to attend
Austin's POVQuianna received another message, why does it have to be now? The cases kept on piling up, but the culprits and suspects are still out there, free, and unknown by the police. After the dispatch happened during the terror attack, the person who's seen at the CCTV was discovered to be a corpse and now the whole force is being pressured by the media, they said that the police became soft on catching criminals that is why we are letting them free, all craps they are saying.After she called me, I immediately run out of the station and get in the car, I put the address on the map and it's somewhat far from here. I put my seatbelt on and stepped on the accelerator hard. I hope she's still doing okay despite of being pressured and worried about her mother, she should not loss another person especially if were dealing in some supernatural phenomena like this.*Phone calls*"Sir! How could just leave us here?" Jason said as soon as I answered the call
Quianna's POVAfter that incident, Austin and I head directly to Imperial Hospital. I need to talk to the head doctors there, not to ask what happened with my parents, instead, I need to know my allies to control the board of directors, after all I am now the president of the management. I don't know if I should tell this to Dylan now or just at the day he arrives back here, but I am sure news will immediately reach him.But on the other thought, I should call Aina. She's a forensic doctor under our hospital and he's father is a close friend of dad, I am sure he will help me especially in convincing the directors to support me. Note to be taken, our hospital has two sides as what rivalries always have. First side is to my grandfather's era wherein the other doctors are still under the close friend of grandpa, they have the highest position in every department of the management of hospital like finance and legal departments. Meanwhile, the other side is my parents', the
Quianna's POVAfter couple of weeks, the funeral was immediately taken care of, even the reading of my parents' last will testaments. Even if it is obviously that I am the one who will inherit everything they had, legal procedures are required for me to remain credible and reputable towards the shareholders and the society. Dylan already arrived last week, and he helped me with the needed documents and even closing mom's case. But still I did not say anything to him, except from the things that the police stated about the case. Austin and Aina are only the one who knows my plans, I know I should not keep this from Dylan. I would definitely tell everything to him when I finished doing things that I should do in the first place."Yana, let's go." Austin said to me, and I just gave him a nod."You don't have to go with me, though." I said to him as soon as I get in his car."I insist." He answered and started the car."But what did you call me? Yana?"
Austin's POVAs no one is speaking between us during the whole ride, I just focused on my driving and constantly glancing over her who is currently looking through the window, letting out a deep sigh and also glancing at me. Looks like she has a lot of things going on in her mind and she just cannot voice it out."Why are you glancing over me?" I asked as I cannot take any longer silence while she's stealing glances from me."Nothing." she answered and look outside again."Don't ever try doing it." I said to her seriously, but I was about to burst into laughing right now."What do you mean?" she asked and looked at me"Don't ever try having a crush on me." I suddenly said to her, and she just laughs it off. I just smiled and laughed also."Silly punk." She just said while still laughing."Why are you looking at me?" I asked again."I said it's nothing." She answered and I did not say anything again.I continued dr