CHAPTER 44

The cold wind gushed in through the open window and blew over Raven's face, leaving him more frustrated than ever. He took another sip of the whiskey in his hand and finished the fifth glass. What am I suppose to do?

His Father was cheating on his Mother with another women and he was sitting there drinking his heart out. He didn't understand how to feel about the situation.

Having never raised a finger at his  Father's decisions even when he felt it was wrong, Raven was hardly able to hear his own thoughts. His respect and trust towards him was fading away slowly and he didn't know what he might do if he saw him right now. Talk, argue...murder?

It was a long week since he asked his Mother to leave for Japan. She always said she loved the calm air of that country and Raven felt, right now she needed it more than ever. It was also a week since Richard came home. Is he ashamed of what he has done or is he enjoying his time with that bitch?

Raven ran a hand through his hair, trying to control the building rage and suddenly, he felt empty. In the past two years, he stood against everything that came at him; alone.

Because he knew he had no one to lean on. Nothing to loose, until now. There was someone slowly filling the void within him and he felt the need to be with her.

I have to see her, Anna.

He dug into his pocket and took out his phone. He didn't even have a chance to see her all week. He dialed her number on the screen, when a loud crashing noise came ringing to his ears. 

What was that?

Raven slipped the phone back into his pocket before walking out of the room. He scanned the surrounding and— there was something off. He walked through the corridor, running his eyes all over the place. Making his way down the stairs, his eyes widened when he saw the coffee table in the hall shattered in pieces, and beside that was lying a body.

"Miss. Jones" Raven hurried to the lady and kneeled beside her.

He called her name and shook her shoulders but she did not respond or open her eyes. Panic filled his senses as he continuesly tried to awaken her. He picked up her wrist, checking her pulse and sighed of relief when he felt the pulse under his thumb. She was alive.

What the fuck happened here?

He looked up. The door was open, and lock broken. From where he was crouching on the floor, he could see two pairs of legs lying on the ground. The guards lay unconscious outside the main door. He looked around but there was no one standing other than himself.

Raven stood up quickly and took out his phone again, but this time to call the cops. Someone had broken into the mansion when he was just upstairs. Only if he was not puzzled at that moment, he would have heard the footsteps that approached him. But before he knew, something heavy came crashing down at the back of his head.

"Argh!" Raven stumbled down to his knees with a thud, holding his head. A throbbing pain spread across his head, down his back as he panted, unable to breathe. Blood trickled down his head as he ducked his head down and it seeped into his eyes, blurring his vision. 

The two men standing behind him watched him closely, one with a leftover piece of the vase that he'd smashed against Raven's head. He dropped it on the floor and grabbed Raven's collar, stabling him up on his knees to look forward. Raven squinted his eyes, his limbs numb and unable to fight back. The piercing ache was spread all over and his eyes started dropping. The men held onto either of Raven biceps and dragged him forward, on his knees. The sound of heavy pants echoed in the mansion as they swept him towards the door. By then, his eyes were burning with the blood brimming in them and just before he passed out, he saw a silhouette at the door. Oddly enough, even in that condition he could make out who it was. Christine.

***

Impatiently tapping her foot on the ground Anna waited for the bus to arrive. Late. I'm running late.

She glanced at her watch for the eighth time sighed. An odd feeling was rising within her, leaving her restless. It wasn't the bus. It was something else. But she couldn't place a finger over it.

She glanced down at het phone.  Mark. I hope he didn't leave already.

The diary and everything written in them, still occupied her brain. Especially the last entry.

Anna rubbed her temple frustratedly. Did Raven know about it?

She brought a hand up and placed her palm against her chest.

"Why is my heart racing?"

She had spent the whole week going around trying to find answers to her questions. With Mark's help she was able to find plenty of them. So much was going on behind Raven's back. It hurt her to know that he'd been kept under the shadows for so long. But she still didn't know how she'll tell him everything. She was more than sure that Mark could help her, and that was the reason she was on her way to meet him.

Anna looked up biting the insides of her cheeks and her eyes locked with an unknown pair of eyes from across the road. A man standing at the far end corner of the street, tall, broad and dark was staring at her. Dark, because of his clothes; black T-shirt tucked in his black jeans and topped with a black leather jacket.

Black leather jacket? I've heard that somewhere. He had a black face mask too which covered half of his face except his eyes and that made it impossible to recognize him.

She diverted her eyes away from the uneasy stare of the person and continued tapping her foot on the ground while looking in the direction of the bus. No signs of it.

Involuntarily, her eyes shifted to the man again and he was still staring at her, standing there like a wood log, without moving a limb. Those hooded eyes were staring at her like he would come running to her any second and pounce on her.

Danger. She sensed danger from him. Anna didn't know why but she remembered Granu saying, "Energies never lie", and at that moment he was radiating some really bad energies towards her with that constant staring.

Anna broke her gaze away because of the sound of the bus honking and saw it approaching the stop. Thank Goodness.

She briefly glanced at the man who did not move an inch from his place in the shadows. The bus stopped right in front of her, shielding her from the man's prying eyes and she quickly climbed in. After paying the fair, she found an empty seat at the back and sat down comfortably with her sling bag resting on her lap. The bus took off and she sighed of relief. What a creep!

Her eyes locked on her phone as she read the address from Mark again. Okay, near Care's Complex Building. Mark had helped her so much throughout the week but not once did she get to ask him anything. Not even his last name. But it was more than obvious that he cared for Raven.

Raven's only friend.

Nodding to herself, she looked up just to be met with the same pair of prying eyes, as the tall figure stood at the door of the bus, staring into her direction.

What? When did he get on?

Anna shifted, scooting closer to the window and sank down in her seat. Why am I hiding? She didn't know. But she didn't want to be noticed by him.

She glanced up and he was still looking at her. Oh, God. She gulped and kept her head ducked low, all the while feeling his eyes on her.

When her stop was announced, Anna quickly grabbed her purse and stepped out from the other door, avoiding him. As she moved away from the bus, she was the only one who got down. Did he finally leave?

The bus took off and disappeared from her sight before revealing a figure that was standing behind it. Black leather jacket.

Anna frantically turned around and took out her phone. Walking away from the bus stop, she made her way towards Care's Complex. I need to get there.

When she turned back, the man was following her with fast, long strides. Her breathing picked up the pace and so did her feet. She scrolled through the phone contacts wanting to find Mark's number and weirdly felt her fingers hovering over Raven's instead.

No, not the time for it.

Finally, she found the number and pressed "call". She was aware of the footsteps approaching her from behind.

There was no reason for anyone to follow her. Anna clutched her sling bag. Maybe he is just going the same way. But it didn't explain why he was staring at her all the while like a maniac. She briefly glanced behind. He was jogging towards her and raising his hands up to as if to catch her.

That was all needed for her feet to go on full speed. Anna turned around and sprinted away from the man with her phone still pressed against her ear. As expected, she heard his racing feet, following het pace. She clutched the bag to her chest and ran as fast as possible.

"Hello, Anna?" Mark's voice rang through the phone. Christ!

"Hello, Mark." Anna breathed in between each word. Her throat was turning sore.

"What's happening? Why are you running?" She could hear the sound of engine starting and was glad that he was with a car.

"S-someone is fo-following me." Anna could hardly speak. She looked back, he was still running behind her.

Mark cursed, frantically turning the steering wheel, onto the highway. "Where are you, Anna? I'm coming."

A tear rolled down her cheeks and Anna realized she'd been crying all this while talking to him. The sounds of footsteps had disappeared as Anna glanced back. There was nothing but thin air. Where did he go?

She swirled in all the directions but he was no where in sight.

"Hello? Anna?" Mark impatiently called out.

"I don't know where I am." Anna looked around and saw a familiar car. She gasped. Mark's car.

"Mark?"

No response.

"Hello, Mark?" Still no response.

She looked at her phone only to find a pitch black screen. The phone was dead. Shit shit shit, No.

Mark was sitting in the car, hurriedly dialling Anna's number. He was just across the road from where Anna was standing. She could get to him.

She took a brief step when a hand landed on her shoulder. She stilled.

"Anna." An unfamiliar voice called and urged her to turn around.

She gasped when the man in black jacket stood before her dangerously close. His mask was down and he didn't look that scary but he was still following her so she was instinctively scared, almost shivering.

"Please, Anna. I just want to talk. I am not going to hurt you." He said almost pleading.

She looked back and Mark's car was still there. She could just turn around and run to him but this man.... What does he want?

"Talk..talk about what?" Anna stepped a little away from him and he lowered his eyes to the ground as if holding in tears. He gulped before a name slipped through his lips. "About Areum"

Anna's eyes widened at the mention of the name and suddenly all the blood draining from her face. What else do I have to hear now? She had heard too much and was still absorbing half of it. And before she could, something struck her mind.

The man in black jacket. Areum had mentioned in her diary. He was the one following her.

Anna clenched her fist, more furious than scared. That girl, she went through all that because she couldn't fight back.

"Who are you?" Her eyes searched for his and he looked up.

"I am Austin." His voice was small like he was ashamed to say his name.

"And what do you have to say about Areum?"

He fumbled with his words. Like fighting some unseen inner battle, continuesly blinking.

"Areum, didn't commit suicide." He said and Anna's heart stopped for a moment.

What?

Somehow, Anna knew what he was going to say further but silently prayed that it was wrong.

"It was a murder,"