"Holy freaking hell!" Alice exclaimed.

I slightly jumped in my position, looking at her in surprise. "What's wrong with you?"

She glanced at me from her phone's screen, blinking. The look on her face was of pure horror. "God, Gracie, you need to look at this."

I urged myself not to make a face when she called me that. Just because Fraser called me that without my permission, she thought she could follow his steps too.

"Look at what?" I asked, looking around the strangely silent cafeteria. It wasn't as loud as it always was. Mainly because so many hadn't come to school today. All because of the recent storm warnings expected in Hayward city. Which again, was strange.

Alice, still with wide eyes, turned her phone's screen towards me. I frowned before looking at the Instagram post she was showing me. It was a video.

Of white furry rabbits.

"You don't like rabbits?" I glanced at her questioningly. She just shook her head frantically and so I looked back at the video.

The rabbits were jumping around a grassy field, which for some reason, looked like a small compact place. Or maybe it was the angle of the camera. Either way, all I saw were rabbits.

Nothing horrifying.

I was about to look up from her phone again when something happened. Just one second and sudden sharp darts flew out of nowhere, almost hitting every one of those small creatures.

I gasped lightly in response. And then the video ended.

"I know!" Alice looked at my surprised face. "I thought it was just one of those cute animal videos, but then they all died. Like literally, somebody killed those rabbits."

I rubbed my face with my palms, closing my eyes. "Why are you even watching such videos?"

"I am not." She defended herself before switching off her phone. "I wasn't expecting that to happen. Those poor rabbits."

How come somebody even made a video of that?

"Hey, talking about Instagram," She looked at me. "I didn't get a chance to ask you where you ran off to yesterday night?"

I couldn't even think of a way how both of those things were connected.

"I told you." I murmured. "I couldn't find you guys in the chaos."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh, you don't even know how scared I got when I heard those gunshots."

I had gotten scared too.

"I mean, it was serious." She added. "Even the police came."

"They did?" I asked in surprise. I thought it had gotten under control.

When Luca had ran away.

"Yeah." She nodded with a frown. "You didn't see that? The police was like everywhere."

My face must've still remained clueless for which she added, "The gunshots. I think a woman got injured. I did see that guy in black. He had the gun. But I think there were more people involved in this."

I nodded slowly.

"They arrested that guy in black. And they're also charging him for Anna's murder." She said.

My surprise seemed to reach a higher level at that. "What?"

Alice nodded and leaned back, fidgeting with the grey strap around her arm. "It was all over the news today, apart from the storm warnings."

They were considering Anna's death a murder now? All this time, they were so sure that it was an accident. And now it wasn't?

Wow.

I hadn't known that. I hadn't known anything.

"Where's your phone anyway?" She asked. "I texted you today when I was in Economics. You didn't reply."

My mind, however, was still trying to wrap around the information Alice had just told me.

"I lost it yesterday at the Carnival." I replied.

Luca knew those guys. If the police really thought they had something to do with Anna Wilson's murder—

"What? Really?" She seemed even more worried than I should've been.

I realized that I had actually lost my phone when I came back home last night. It hadn't been with me. And now, I had no idea how to get it back.

"How will you get it back?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing together in response. "I don't even think you'd get it back. Somebody must've taken it by now. You need a new phone—"

"I'll do something." I waved it off. "About what you were saying earlier, did the police find any evidence before charging that guy for Anna's murder?"

She seemed surprised at my sudden change of topic. "Yeah. Well, I think so." She said. "They can't possibly charge him without any evidence."

I remembered back to that day when I had seen Anna's body lying behind those dumpsters. Those black rose petals around her.

If that guy really had anything to do with her murder, he must know something related to those strange black petals too.

For some reason, I knew I had to do something. Because I knew this was my chance, my only chance to figure out those answers.

•••••

I shouldn't be here.

I mentally cursed myself at my lack of confidence. What was wrong with me? This might be my only chance to know something related to my parent's murder.

I couldn't just let go of it.

Before another thought could've conjured up in my head, I rang the doorbell.

The air smelled like rain even if it hadn't started raining yet. I wrapped my arms around myself, looking sideways at the wooden fence separating our houses.

I heard footsteps before the door opened. Looking up, I saw Marleen dressed up in her work clothes—assuming that were her work clothes.

"Grace!" She smiled at me before peeking her head outside and looking up at the cloudy sky. "I'm getting so late and it's going to rain soon. Wait, what are you doing outside? Come on in."

She stepped aside, motioning at me to get inside. Hesitating at first, I finally stepped in as she closed the front door behind me.

"What brought you here?" She asked with the same warm smile as I followed her inside the house, in the lounge. I gulped, feeling my throat drying up. I needed to get this together.

"I needed to talk to...Lucius." I looked at her.

She picked up her coat before turning towards me. I saw surprise in her eyes but she hid it well. "Sure, honey. He's up in his room."

Something inside me sighed in relief. Maybe because I had been expecting him to not be here.

"I was leaving anyway." She picked up her keys before walking over towards the front door. Then she gave me a gentle smile. "I'll see you later."

I nodded as she left, before closing the front door. When I was left all alone in the lounge, I realized how actually stupid this decision was.

Luca would kick me out. No way in hell did he appreciate my presence around him. And now, I was in his house.

Frowning, I started making my way upstairs. When I looked out of the big glass window in the hallway, I realized that it had already started raining. Marleen was right.

I stopped in front of his room and looked at the familiar brown door. I never hesitated before knocking on his door. I never thought twice before coming here.

But that was back then.

And this was now.

When I knocked on the door, all I received was silence. Which was strange since Marleen had just told me that he was in his room. I frowned, my stomach twisting in response.

I raised my knuckles to knock again but almost instantly, the door flew open. I took a small step back in surprise, looking up at Luca. His blank expression however took seconds to turn into a frown.

"How did you get in here?" Was the first thing he asked.

I looked away from his eyes, trying to form coherent words. "I needed to ask you something."

The frown didn't leave his face. "And you just came in here?" I tried to hide the surprise on my face. He made it sound like I had barged in his house without any permission.

"Look, it's important. I wouldn't have come here otherwise." Sudden irritation seemed overwhelming at this point.

Why couldn't he be nice for few freaking seconds?

"Well, I'm sure you can ask your important questions from somebody else." His hand moved over towards the door knob as he stepped back inside his room. "Because I, don't have time."

Though before he could've shut the door on my face, I stepped closer. "Wait, please. I-I really need your help."

That, I think, was the worst thing I could've said. But looking back at that moment, I had felt like if I didn't figure this all out sooner, I'd just lose it. Completely.

And deep down that scared me.

Luca inhaled deeply before dragging his hand through his curls. That's when I noticed the large white bandage wrapped around his palm. My eyes trailed over to it, a strange sinking feeling settling at the pit of my stomach.

I broke out of the staring only when he stepped towards me, which took me off guard. I stumbled back a little as he stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him.

Almost as if he really didn't want me in his room, nowhere near it. Which wouldn't have hurt if I were a stranger to him.

He acted like I was.

"What is it?" He asked, looking down at me.

I blinked and tried to ignore the impatience in his voice. "Yesterday at that Carnival, those guys who were after you, you know them, don't you?"

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze not leaving mine. "Of course, I know them."

"Who were they?" I found myself asking.

There was silence for the next few seconds before he cared to respond, "I'm not telling you that." He looked away then, in exasperation. "This was the important thing you needed to ask?"

I felt my palms getting clammy with sweat. I could hear the faint noise of rain pattering against the windows. Even the slightest thing seemed to overwhelm me.

"You're the only person I know who can tell me about them." My voice was almost a whisper this time, but he heard it.

He leaned back against the closed door, looking at me. "You need to give me a more valid reason than that, Rose."

Of course, I knew that.

"There are some things..." I trailed off, not looking in his eyes in particular. "...and I think those guys might know something related to those things."

He kept looking at me with a neutral expression, as if this still wasn't valid enough.

"I have been a witness to a murder and I think that guy who got arrested knows something about it." I rushed it out. "Or the person who sent those guys after you."

I saw him raising an eyebrow at that. "Why are you getting involved in murders?"

Sometimes, you didn't get a choice.

"It happened in front of me." I felt my cheeks heating up as I looked at anything but him. "Back in Manhattan."

When he opened his mouth to say something, I really hoped he wouldn't ask me whose murder it was. I really wished that.

"Chase sent those men." He said, the frown coming back on his face. "Chase Denver."

I had no clue who he was. My face must've shown my clueless state as he added, "He's the guy behind it."

"I need to talk to him then." I said.

He gave me a look at that. "You want to talk to a guy who kills people at spot? I never thought you were this desperate."

"Well, I need to talk to him." I clenched my jaw in irritation. "Where does he live?"

Luca rolled his eyes and straightened up. "He has headquarters everywhere. I'd need to ask Ryder about his whereabouts."

Once again, I had no idea who Ryder was.

"And you would tell me when you find out about it?" I asked him. I tried not to show the slight hint of hope in my voice.

To my surprise, he stepped closer, leaning down to my eye level. "I can't guarantee you that." He stated. "Besides, what do I get for helping you?"

My eyes widened a little at that. My heart beating a little faster. "I...don't know what you're talking about."

I saw hints of a smirk tugging at his lips, but then again, it could just be my imagination. "I think we both know what I really want, Rose."

_______________________________________________________________________

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