There is definitely something odd going on, Cale thought. It was over two weeks ago when he started noticing small changes about her. The woman in question was none other than his bestfriend Anya Marcelline Acosta.

Cale has always been the outgoing type. Befriending people is his specialty. However, his friendship with Anya started not by his own doing but literally because of coffee. Still, Cale was glad that he had become friends with her even at the expense of his 'precious' pants. They have the same taste in music, in sweet foods, and even in movies and shows. Most of all, they feel comfortable talking with each other. He feels like Anya is a long lost sister of his from another parent.

Now, why would Cale believe something's changed?

Well, for a start, she knows how to reign in her temper now and become tactful. Hurray! (Insert a big thumbs up)

The Anya he knows likes to speak her mind especially when she disagrees with something. He admires her for that but her assertive manner of speaking isn't for everyone. Her friend is the kind of person who does not like nonsensical talks. She likes to listen to the truth to find solutions rather than listen to a lot of bullshit others say just to cover up the real problem. Unfortunately, most people do not like the truth. These days, she speaks in a gentle and calm way even when she's arguing which creeps him out a lot. One can still see her irritation rise up from time to time when she twitches her left eyebrow. She's probably trying really hard to control herself, he thought.

Sounds minor enough? Another thing is that she's very pushy and stubborn. When she wants to know something she'll pester that person endlessly until the secrets out or she looses interest in it. It would usually take days. However, this time she seems to just let things go easily. She only questioned him once about his break-up and that's it. She let him off the hook and never asked again. The woman she knows would rip anyone's ears off if her inquisitiveness isn't satisfied.

Finally, Cale noticed she looks paler than usual. He asked her the other day if she's sick but she said no. Anya always had a bright porcelain skin that makes her stand out in the crowd even with her 5'4 stature. She has thick jet black hair which she had trimmed in a long bob. For the years that he'd known her, she always liked to don heavy eye make-up emphasizing even more her cat-shaped eyes. However, a few weeks ago she stopped that habit of hers and merely put light and muted colors. He did ask her about it and she just told him that its too tiring to put it on.

Cale thinks he's becoming a mother hen when it comes to his bestfriend. No one can blame him though. He had seen Anya become depressed once. That was at the time of her parent's death. She completely cut herself off from the outside world for an entire week after her parent's funeral. He understood her and only called to check up on her once in a while. When she came back to work, he got even more worried. It was clear enough that she's been repressing her emotions. Her smile was different back then, like it never reached her heart. It took almost an entire year for Anya to find her light again.

Nowadays, she seems to always be in deep thought. It got worse after New Year. When they eat lunch or go home together she just sits quietly or stares in space. At first he thought she must be tired from work but it doesn't seem to be the case. Afterall, she would just start blabbing nonstop if she feels swamped by work.

He was still thinking of ways to coax Anya in sharing her thoughts when he glanced outside the window of his office which was located on the second floor. Two towering gentlemen were standing near the small lawn laid out with yellow morning glories in front of his office building. He does not recognize them as fellow employees. He couldn't quite put a finger on it but it seems like these two look a bit odd. He couldn't see their faces clearly. Strange enough he saw a familiar black-haired woman walking toward them. It was Anya. They spoke for a bit after which Anya bid them goodbye and went back inside.

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He was still staring outside the window when his phone rang. He picked up his phone and smiled as he saw who it was.

"Hello," Cale answered.

"Good morning Cale," a sweet voice came from the phone.

"Same to you too. It's been a while since we've spoken."

"Yeah, about that.... I need a favor."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Baylan City's police station, three men and a woman can be seen focused on reading investigation reports. They were seated around a conference table each with a file in hand and coffee on their side. They all looked tired like they haven't slept properly for days.

They were clearly swamped with work. For weeks now, they have been investigating the deaths of an old couple and the college professor and students that visited them a few days before Christmas. Then, there was also the death of a young housewife in her home. The latest of these unfortunate events is the death of an unidentified man whose body was found in the city's park just before New Year's Eve. These series of mysterious events have garnered the attention not just of the local media but also that of the entire country.

"This year doesn't look good for us. I've never seen things like these before," a man who looks like in his mid-forties says as he takes a sip from his cup of freshly brewed coffee. He is Lt. Col. Joaquin Davino who is the acting-chief of the Baylan City's police station. He has been reviewing the files submitted to him to see if they have missed anything.

The smell of coffee wafts through the air making the young gentleman seating across Lt. Col. Davino stand up and grab another cup from the coffee machine placed near the door. He is Police Chief Master Sergeant Raphael Elon Abad.

Suddenly, the door bursts open revealing a young man wearing a blue cap with the Baylan City police station logo on the front. He's carrying a bag full of burgers and fries.

"I'm sorry it took me a while guys." He takes a seat and passes the food to his colleagues. "How's it going, Addy?"

The man with the wide and mischievous grin is Police Lieutenant Jonathan Constantino. The man whom he called Addy is Police Lieutenant Adrian Trent Velasco.

Adrian, who was busy writing notes on his notebook immediately looked up and glared at the other man.

"When will you stop calling me that, Nate?"

Nate gave a small chuckle. "I'm sorry Adrian. I can't help it. You looked like you were gonna strangle that pretty lady who called you that."

Adrian glared at Nate even more.

"Who's this pretty lady you guys talking about?" asked Raphael who returned to his seat with wide eyes.

"I think I heard Adrian call her Anya." Looking back at Adrian he continued, "You guys must be pretty close for her to give you such a 'cute' nickname."

They all looked toward Adrian with questioning eyes. Even Lt. Col. Davino was eyeing him discreetly.

"I thought you are in a relationship with Cale," asked the only woman in the group. She is Police Captain Zohura Sehar Akeel. She seemed as curious as the other guys.

The room suddenly became cold. After hearing his former lover's name, Adrian stood up and excused himself to get more files from the station's archive.

"I think I said something wrong." Zohura said as soon as the door closed behind Adrian.

"Don't stress yourself too much. Adrian knows you didn't mean it. Just give the guy some time. He'll open up when he wants to. Otherwise, it's none of our business," Lt. Col. Davino assured her.

Looking back at his files he continued, "So, back to that massacre. We only recovered 26 bodies eh?"

"Yes, Chief. There are supposed to be 24 students, their professor and the old couple who owned the place. One girl is still missing. Her name's Felicity Sanchez," Raphael replied.

"It's been more than two weeks now. Do you think she'll survive in that mountain?," Nate said while unwrapping his burger.

Raphael quickly retorted, "It's either she's dead or hiding. She can either be a witness or a suspect."

"We need to find her. She could be the key to solving all of this," Lt. Col Davino spoke.

"But how? We have practically searched the entire area for days now," Nate asked.

"Wait a minute. I think I know someone who could help us or rather I know someone who knows someone who could help us," Zohura suddenly exclaimed.

"Who?"

"Well...."