Chapter 7 Decision

• 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 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.
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