01

I suddenly woke up panting. I also felt very thirsty for reasons I couldn't explain. My chest heaved violently, as if I hadn't breathed in years. I can feel my cold sweat dripping. Every part of my body is cold and painful. I can even feel my neck aching as if something pricked it, and I groaned when I touched it. Damn! What the hell happened to me?

I waited for my vision to adjust; it immediately cleared up after I shook my head a few times. I found myself on my tiled floor, but another thing I noticed was the sound of my pulse near my neck and the sound of my clock thumping in sync. That's so loud in my ears that I can hear even the bug scrapes around the corner of my unit. When my vision cleared, I felt that it was twice as clear as before, for reasons unknown to me. I once again looked around and at myself, who remained sitting on the floor. I pushed my body up while thinking about why I was there. What happened? Why did I sleep on the floor? Why does my body hurt? Last night? What happened to me?

I have no clear memory of last night. I can't figure out if there is one or if maybe I just got drunk and fell asleep on it. I shook my head because my memory was hazy. Why can't I remember anything? Why do I have the impression that there is? My attention was drawn in a particular direction when my phone rang, which echoed inside my unit. I immediately walked in that direction and answered.

"P02, Avery Raven, speaking."

"Eve, I'm home!" Everything I was thinking slipped away when I heard her voice.

"Lilo?"

"Uhuh? How's my cop doing there, huh? I haven't heard from you in a while; you've been extremely busy. I guess I'm lucky today that you answered my call. Where are you? Let's meet!" I just hit my forehead because of what she said. I chewed my bottom lip, unsure of what I wanted to say. I'm in the middle of processing what happened to me; it's simply bad timing, but I can't stop thinking about Lilo. It's going to make me miserable. "Ah, I'm at my unit. Meet me at Starbucks."'

"Yay! Call me when you get there, Labyu girl!" She hung up the phone after saying that. I gripped my waist. I exhaled deeply and looked up before closing my eyes firmly. I feel like a piece of me has been stolen, and I don't know how to reclaim it. I could feel my throat getting dry, so I opened my eyes and headed into the kitchen while scratching my head to fetch some cool water to relieve my thirst. I could hear the sound of drinking water from my throat. I drink more than ten glasses, yet it does not satisfy my thirst. I cleaned my lips with the back of my palm before slamming the glass against the counter sink. I can't believe it didn't help.

Annoyed, I went to my room to shower. After that, I got dressed in cargo pants and a gray sleeveless shirt, which I tucked into the cargo pants I was wearing. I took one of my guns and put it behind me before wearing my black leather jacket. I took my wallet from where my badge was and hid it inside the jacket. I braided my chestnut brown, wavy hair before getting my police cap and wearing my combat boots. I also took my digital wristwatch and my work phone. I do have my personal phone, but I rarely use it; I even barely opened it. I only use my work phone and the phone in my unit.

After getting dressed, I grabbed my car key and chose my China Gray Aston Martin DB11 AMR. I am a car collector, and that's my obsession. In fact, I love my car more than people. I loved them more than Panther, who was my first boyfriend. I'm twenty-five and have only had one ex. I was too focused when I was a teenager, and then I was busy studying criminology when I was in college. And when I gave myself a chance to date, the man just cheated on me. Guys, they can't live without sex.

I dashed to Starbucks. I called Lilo again, and she immediately answered and pointed to where she was.

I parked my car first and stepped out, but I felt a little dizzy as if I was going to lose my balance, so I leaned against my car. The sun is high and hot; it is hurting my skin, and I feel it is debilitating. I can feel my sweat. It was just quick, and I was able to recover, so I hastened to enter, but I was at the entrance when I suddenly shuddered. What on earth is this?

My forehead furrowed as the feeling of dryness in my throat worsened. I can smell some aroma that doesn't come from coffee. It's something weird, but I feel like I need it. I can feel my mouth salivating. I swallowed a couple of times as I could feel myself becoming dizzy again. What the hell am I feeling? I gritted my teeth and forced myself to walk inside, but something truly compelled me to taste that fragrant substance that appeared to promise it could relieve my thirst. Damn it!

I clenched my fist and chose to straighten my back, then walked straight ahead, not looking at anyone inside. I am feeling something strange, and I am dealing with it. I can't believe I'm experiencing an internal battle at Starbucks. Iced coffee and some cookies were waiting for me when I arrived at the table where Lilo had chosen to wait. Perhaps she ordered as she waited for me. I removed my cap and looked at her, who looked me over from head to toe before smiling. I couldn't move anymore; she excitedly stood up and hugged me.

"I freaking missed you, my dearest cousin!" I closed my eyes as her scent lingered in my nostrils—sweet and delectable. Fuck!

I immediately opened my eyes, which widened in response to what I had just thought. As I looked down at my cousin's neck. It was very exposed. I'm not sure what's wrong with me. I can see right through it. I can see her veins. I can see her blood. I can see the placements. I felt dizzy again and held her back, knowing that it was the only way I could retain my sanity. I pushed myself to calm down by closing my eyes again and taking a very deep breath.

"Can we sit now, Lilo? It's too much to stand here." She slapped my back and returned to the chair. I followed and sat in front of her. She took her iced coffee and sipped on it while raising an eyebrow at me, so I just shook my head and grabbed the one for me. I lifted it up, but I stopped it the moment the straw touched my lips and frowned. I ignored the strange smell of the coffee and took a sip, but I was surprised that I didn't taste anything. I just want to drink water.

"What? Don't you have anything to say? Are we just going to sip coffee here? C'mon, Eve. It's been a while since I went to France. So, are we like this now? Duh! We can do more than this, right? You just became a police officer, and you forgot about me.." I sighed. Here she is again. Lilo's my only cousin and relative left. Our parents died. Hers were sick; mine were killed. My whole family died at once. I was not home six years ago. Until now, justice has not yet been served. Nobody has been able to figure out who murdered my family. Unlike my aunt and uncle, Lilo's parents died of illness. Lilo and I have the same outlook on life, and we also share the same fate. My dad's an only child. Then my mom has a brother, Lilo's dad. While her mother is the only child. Our family is super small, and that's why Lilo means so much to me since we're the only ones left and we're like sisters.

"I'm sorry, okay? I've been very busy with my work. And you know... I can't just tell you because even I, can't remember... I'm actually having a hard time right now, Lilo." I admit. She put down her drink and sighed.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I just missed you. But are you okay? I think not. Always take care of yourself, okay? I can't lose you. Why are you still in the police, doing police work now? As for you, working as a police officer is like putting one foot in a hole. You should just come with me to become a fashion designer."

"You know why I pursued this, right?"

"I know; that's why I didn't stop you either. But! All right, I won't ask about that anymore. I respect your privacy when it comes to personal matters. But maybe you won't hide your relationship status, so you already have a boyfriend? I want you to get married so I can be a rich aunt. I shook my head and grinned.

"You going to marry first before me, bish. You're doing some nasty things while you're in France. I know you. and I'm not there yet. I won't marry unless I find a man who doesn't care about his d*ck's pleasure anymore." She rolled her eyes at me.

"Doing what? No. Like! Do you think I will have sex with anyone? It's a no-no, my dear. And I beg to disagree with you. Man needs sex, but he can choose not to tolerate it, others can't really look for a reason." I just nodded and laughed at her defensiveness. I don't know if she's telling the truth, but I just let it be her life. And about what she said, I couldn't agree more. I want a man who will love me first and is willing to wait for me no matter how long it takes for me to give myself, not just a man who's just after my body and just wants pleasure.

We didn't finish the conversation when my boss called. He assigned me to another job, which is why I left and said goodbye to Lilo. She told me that she would first go home to the province where we grew up. We have an ancestral house there where she will stay. It's in our hacienda, and only the two of us are responsible for it. Maybe next month I will visit there too. I will take leave for my cousin. Now, I'm going to do my work first, and I'm assigned to the office today; it's boring, but I must deal with it.

"Raven," someone yelled my last name, so I turned to face whoever had called me, and discovered that it was Trey Sanders, one of my colleagues and one of my operations mates.

"Oh?"

"Here, coffee." I looked at the hot coffee he put down for a few seconds before looking back at him.

"Thank you," I answered sparingly and looked back at the monitor. He sat on the swivel chair near me, and I could still feel his eyes fixed in my direction.

"I was in front of your condo last night; I pressed the buzzer several times, but you didn't see me out." For a brief while, I was amazed, and indistinct memories returned to my mind. My thoughts came back to me earlier, and I realized that there was something else I needed to remember and figure out. I turned to see Trey, and he was staring at me intently.

"I fell asleep early. I was damn tired after the flop operation." I lied. I don't even know what to say because I don't remember what happened last night. I pretended to drink the coffee he gave me, although I didn't taste anything. I'm not sure why I lost my sense of taste. I should have this checked out; I may be ill.

"Can we eat lunch together later?" he bluntly asked, and I stopped again.

"Uh, sure." There's most likely nothing wrong. It's time to make amends for not opening my door for him last night. He looked satisfied with my response and returned to his work. I was working when I overheard Trey and my other officers conversing. They were quite a distance away, yet I grimaced since I could clearly hear their conversation. It was only a whisper, yet it was crystal clear to me.

"You finally asked her, which is a good thing because you've always been sluggish, and that Panther beat you."

"Relax; they're over; I'll make a move now; I'm not going to let her go."

"Of course! That's our man. How lovely is Avery, right? Oh my! If she falls in love with me, I'll marry her."

"Stop talking, Velasco! She's mine."

"It's not my fault; you've always been foolish, but seriously, best of luck with Avery; she's great, brilliant, and a good cop."

"That's why I love her," they yelled, but stopped when I turned around. They both gave me the peace sign as Trey grinned and winked. I shook my head and returned my attention to the monitor. Damn! I just heard their freaking conversation unintentionally.

What is really happening to me?