CHAPTER SEVENTEEN : Woman in Black

(Flashback)

"Come live with me"

"You're out of your mind"

"I see the bastard side is still living in you"

"The only bastard in this situation is you for thinking you can just show up out of nowhere"

"This is your only way to pay me back"

"Pay you back? For what exactly?"

"You ruined my family"

"Maybe you should've thought about that when you were raising your kid"

The woman in black fell silent.

"Oh, right! You were never there, too busy traveling the world, huh? If that's your case, never show up at my door, telling me that I ruined your life. You only have yourself to blame for that"

"I never expected you to understand"

"Then why did you bother to come all the way down here? You could have called if this is all you have to say to me" She grinned at the end of her phrase.

"You're an albatross. It's only a matter of time before you destroy the roof they have put over your head"

Words left her defenseless this time.

"That's right. They will die too, and then you'll blame yourself for it for the rest of your life, and you'll regret taking my offer twenty years later when you're an alcoholic and when all that's left for you is the beer in your hand" She waited a moment and added, "Just like your dad"

Alina's eyes grew bigger, "You knew my dad?"

The woman left her with no answer and walked away.

Alina had too much pride to give her the satisfaction of replying.

She returned home to find Eren having a friendly conversation.

Questions were still surfing around her head, thinking of millions and millions of options for how the black woman knew her father. She also had a baby in her hands.

(End of flashback)

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(A voyage to the future)

Many eyes whined, many souls were shattered. They were only five people and that was more relationships than what Alina had hoped for.

The funeral was held in the same church that had sheltered the beautiful broken teen girl.

Those same five people that truly cared about her were there for her, they were late. Sister Janet took the stand to say her words. Selena couldn't get on her feet, she finally had the chance to watch her dream come true, Alina made it a reality when she became her daughter, it wasn't a year yet and she had already lost her.

The variety of emotions of guilt, devastation, feeble self-control over her consciousness, protecting her baby should have been her soul purpose, instead, she ignored her rescue screams. Drowning in her ocean guilt, Patrick patted her on her lap bringing her back to the living land.

Lydia returned home early after the burying ceremony, she lied to her parents about a school project to attend her only real friend's funeral. Everyone in town thought it was a relief, the killer crawling their streets is finally gone and their beliefs never changed. In the eyes, framing Alina for the murders seemed the logical solution to their worries, you can't blame them for the eager want to feel safe, only the way to get it was wrong. It served the five people very well.

The poor girl committed suicide after living a life of constant pressure and asphyxiation. All the toxic surroundings and the hate she received, she gave up her hopeless dream to catch the person that ruined her life, all she wanted was to see her sister one last time and tell her how sorry she was for what she made her go through.

How sorry she was for letting her down, after all, it was all for nothing.

Each can see, less can sight. Alina never let anyone see right through her, the wall between her and the people she loved that she would never let down, now that she's dead no one will ever know what she has been hiding or what kind of thoughts were running across her mind when she cut her wrist, cutting her life away. Bleeding her sorrow, agony, with every drop of blood taking with her anguish.

Eren, the only one who seemed to be normal. He wore the expressionless mask, to school the day after and didn't give a fuck about Lydia, he had one thing in common with Alina; undecipherable.

Their lives were empty, quiet. Alina brought life for them when they were all on the edge of dying, and it got her killed, by herself.

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The week seemed like a million years, every daylight and night down meant a day closer to meeting the killer. Their plan was working and they all looked worried and didn't even try to hide it, especially Eren. He was afraid to lose what he cherished the most; his first friend ever.

He stayed over at their house since there was no reason left for him to go back to his. He refused to call it home, he was homeless. Besides, the only person who wasn't okay with him staying over was Alina, she found it awkward and uncomfortable.

The first morning was a Monday which meant the first day of the plan execution, she stayed at home and Patrick called the school for a sick week.

Everything was set, they were optimistic about their plan working perfectly, they forgot the knock-out life was planning too.

Alina snuck out of the house, she couldn't avoid all of the cameras though, she didn't care if she was in danger, that was exactly what she wanted. Her sister was in trouble because of her again and she knew the police couldn't figure out where she was held hostage until it was too late.

No one expected her to stay home as she was told, so Patrick put a tracker on her, he forgot he was dealing with a special teenager, she took the tracker off her phone, her clothes, and her shoes. She took off to her sister's hiding spot, it was Elizabeth's den. No one knew where it was, but Elizabeth left her sister clues only she could decipher, in case things go south.

Alina spent hours and hours checking all the places where her sister could have buried herself in.

Die first, then look for the hidey-hole

The stars will not light the way but your eyes will find the loophole

Walk underneath the brightness of your lantern, watch your innersole

Verklempt, understand the meaning behind the keyhole

Alina had no idea why did her sister thought she could decipher it, it made no sense at all.

Still, she couldn't go back home until she finds something useful until she feels that she can keep up. She fathomed the feeling of shattered souls, nothingness.

She gave up after five hours of constant dead ends. She wanted something to hold onto, I guess she was unlucky.