Kate sat up in bed, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She looked around the room, trying to calm herself down, and was relieved when her sister Mia walked in.

Mia’s concerned face immediately put Kate at ease, and she gave her a small smile. “Just a bad dream,” she said, her voice still shaky.

Mia nodded, taking a seat on the bed next to her. “You really pushed yourself last night,” she said. “Gilt wanted me to check on you and make sure you were resting.”

Kate raised an eyebrow. “Gilt said that? That doesn’t sound like him.”

Mia shrugged. “He seemed genuinely worried. Anyway, I took care of breakfast already. You should eat something.”

Kate looked at her sister skeptically. “Are you sure you cooked? What did you make?”

Mia grinned. “Risotto. I watched some cooking videos on YouTube last night and decided to try it out.”

Kate’s eyes widened as she took a bite of the risotto. “Wow, this is really good! You’re a natural.”

Mia blushed, clearly pleased with the compliment. After a moment of silence, she hesitated before speaking up. “Um, Kate? I hate to ask, but...do you think I could borrow ten dollars? I’m a little short on cash right now.”

Kate could sense her sister’s nervousness and gave her a reassuring smile. “Of course, no problem. What do you need it for?”

Mia looked down, biting her lip. “Just some personal items from the store.”

Kate nodded understandingly, not wanting to push her sister. “Here you go,” she said, handing over the money.

Mia hugged her tightly, clearly grateful. “Thank you so much, Kate! You’re the best!”

Kate smiled and hugged her back. “Anytime. You know I’ve always got your back.”

***

Van stepped out of his apartment building, taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air. His eyes were immediately drawn to an eagle soaring overhead, basking in the warm glow of the sunrise. He couldn't help but marvel at the bird's effortless grace and freedom, a stark contrast to his own life.

He stretched his arms, feeling the satisfying snap of his joints. “It's a beautiful day,” he muttered to himself, before making his way down the bustling street. Van was always cautious, avoiding the sketchy parts of town where gangs tended to congregate.

As he walked, his mind wandered to the recent headlines about mysterious incidents occurring in the city. The police claimed it was just a wild animal, but Van couldn't shake the feeling that something more sinister was at play. How could a mere animal outsmart the police?

Suddenly, he heard Kate's voice calling out to him. He realized he had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed her waving. She was with Timothy and the rest of their group, talking excitedly about the party they were planning to attend that night. Van was preoccupied with his food, barely registering their conversation. When they left, he noticed that Lester was missing, but didn't bother to ask about him.

Kate approached him as he finished eating, concern etched on her face. “Hey, is everything okay? You've been really quiet.”

Van was taken aback by her genuine concern. He hadn't realized he was projecting negative vibes. “Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought.”

Kate regarded him skeptically. “Are you sure that's all it is?”

Van shrugged. “Yeah, it's nothing. What's up?”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Kate hesitated before confiding in him. “I think my sister is hiding something from me. She's been acting strange lately, almost too sweet.”

Van nodded understandingly. “That's tough. Have you tried talking to her?”

Kate shook her head. “I doubt she'd tell me the truth, even if I did.”

Van felt Kate's eyes on him, and he realized his mistake. “I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure she has her reasons for keeping things to herself.”

Kate let out a deep sigh. “I know, I'm just worried.”

Before Van could reply, their teacher interrupted them. “Mr. Koelson, if you don't mind, would you spend your spare time with the principal?”

Van was surprised by the request but knew better than to argue. “Sure, no problem.”

Kate gave him a sympathetic smile. “Good luck.”

Van nodded, feeling a sinking feeling in his stomach. He hoped this wasn't going to be another lecture from the principal about his troubled past. As he walked towards the principal's office, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread, wondering what fate awaited him.

***

Van sat on a brown cushioned chair inside the principal’s office. He read the name “Enrick Malfis” on a standing log. The principal, commanded a strict figure, possessed a robust physique that seemed to demand attention. His formal suit choked his plumpness, clearly a bad impression of his lifestyle. Nevertheless, his presence imposes authority. Van did not dare to return the stare. The only sounds were the ticking clock and the clicking pen in the principal’s hand. Van felt feverish.

“Do you have any idea why you are here, Mr. Koelson?” the principal finally asked.

“Not that I remember doing anything mischievous, s-sir.”

“You were considered a person of interest regarding the murder that happened in the Maryvale Forest.”

“Excuse me? Not that I disrespect you, sir, but you must have mistaken me for someone else. I was at home that night.”

The door opened, and a police officer and two teachers entered. Van recognized the officer as Bella Hemlock.

“Mister Van, I believe we met before. There’s a recent murder case in the Maryvale Forest. You’re a person of interest,” Officer Hemlock said.

“What? Are you accusing me? And what made you think that I’m involved?” Van asked.

“Well, we found footage of you running on the streets,” Officer Hemlock said, showing him the video.

“No, I swear. I was just doing parkour,” Van stuttered.

“In the middle of the night?” Officer Hemlock questioned.

“Yes.”

“Then you would likely consider it as such. I promise I don’t know anything about it.”

Van’s aunt Dally burst into the room, rallying with her strict face.

“You can get out, Van,” she spoke.

“What? Just go and close the door,” Dally said.

After Van left, Dally confronted the principal and Officer Hemlock.

“What are you doing? I know this is a bit much, but your nephew is a suspect. One of my men caught him last night,” the principal said.

“Before you rushed to investigate him, you should have come to me first,” Dally said, almost yelling.

“This is the reason why we wouldn’t tell you,” Enrick said. “Because you should let your emotions rule first before anything.”

Dally sighed heavily. “Okay. That kid is a troubled one, he doesn’t have any friends back in his previous school. So that would make sense as to why he is like that.”

“We can’t take that risk, Dally. What if he’s working with them?” Officer Hemlock said.

“No, he’s not. He’s just another troubled kid that needs attention not to be detained. We are not the law. We’re part of the constitution that helps nurture students,” Dally replied.

The three stumbled at the fact of their positions

“Don’t you guys ever do that again, alright?” Dally warned

When the rest left, Dally talked to Enrick.

“I know that you’re afraid that they will come back, but there’s no need to be afraid anymore. We defeated them.

“But at what cost? We didn’t defeat them, Dally. We just managed to screw them out of this city.”

“I know. But it doesn’t need to be like this. Not to him, not to everyone.”

At that moment, she knew that Van’s course would flow more than what she and Mick envisioned for him.

***

A stuttering bulb woke her up. Her eyes popped open, and she stared at the source before looking outside the window. Dawn was approaching fast, and beyond the orange rays, birds flew in the northeastern direction.

In another flicker of the bulb, Kate rose from her bed and turned off the switch. “Dumb fuck,” she swore. In the right corner, there was a table. Her notes were a mess from studying late. Pages of the book were folded, sheets of paper lay on the ground, and even the lamp remained on. She could already tell that the bill would be high.

When Kate walked out of the room, she saw Mia carrying a handful of clothes. Even though Mia was downstairs, Kate could hear her heavy footsteps. Kate followed her to the bathroom, where clothes were sprawled on the floor, and others hung on the washing machine.

“Are you up early?” Kate asked, glancing at her clothes on the ground. She seemed disconcerted as she spoke but regained her composure as she continued to do her work.

“Uhm, yeah. Just need to make sure that there won’t be any heavy chores greeting me when I come home.”

“Alright then.”

After washing her face and staring at herself in the mirror, Kate took a deep breath and continued. For a second, her reflection became distorted into a twisted smile before she left.