3

I woke up with a slight panic. Where the hell am I? I asked myself and looked around.

I let out a sigh and remembered I'm staying in Kevin's place. I stretched for a while before deciding to head down. It's still early, so I didn't expect Kevin to be awake. I was too tired last night that I didn't get the chance to look around properly. His apartment is simple, minimalistic in design. His living room has a bookcase filled with books, mostly about law and crime or anything judicial for that matter. There are no personal items, like a photograph or childhood mementos. He isn't sentimental, I guess. There aren't any decors of some sort. Just necessary appliances and some work stuff. I think aside from not being sentimental --his space is just a place for sleep.

*THUD*

I was startled by the sound. It came from upstairs.

"Kevin?" I asked and walked up the stairs. "You okay?" I'm already in front of his door. I pressed my ear to his door to listen.

"Ugh..." I hear soft grunts.

"Kevin?" I knocked on his door, but he didn't open it. "Hey, I'm going in," I told him and opened the door. Luckily the door isn't locked. When I looked inside, Kevin was lying on the floor, drenched in sweat.

"Hey!" I ran next to him. I touched his forehead. Oh, no! He's running a fever. "Can you hear me?" I asked him while tapping his cheek. He didn't respond nor try moving. Shoot, I have to put him back on his bed. It took a while, but I was able to prop him into the bed.

"Mmmh..." his eyes fluttered, and his eyes landed on me. He looked disoriented. "Ma-Mari?" his voice was so weak he's almost whispering.

"You're sick. Can you get up? You have to return to bed." I told him while trying to pull him up.

"I have work, ugh." He tried getting up but miserably failed.

"You can't work in that state. Call in sick." I firmly told him. He looked at me quite stunned but reluctantly agreed. His voice was raspy over the phone. While he was on the phone, I busied myself and got a basin of cold water and some towels. I waited until he's done talking and helped him get into bed.

"I'll just rest it off a bit. I'll be fine." He said and closed his eyes.

"You're sweating like a pig. You better change. Where do you keep your shirt?" I asked, and he pointed at the drawer beside me. I got him a shirt and sat beside him.

"C'mon, take your shirt off. You need a cold bath. Then I'll make soup so you can take medicine." I plainly said. He just looked at me like he wanted to say something but nodded in defeat. He looks so helpless right now. I dabbed the cold towel on his forehead, then to his neck.

His eyes were still closed; he looks so peaceful. I quickly finished giving him a cold bath while avoiding looking too much at his build.

"Hey, you can put your shirt on," I told him, and he looked at me, still disoriented. I helped him put his shirt on and afterward let him sleep.

I headed down to the kitchen and looked around his fridge. Hmmm, at least he stocks something. It's mostly water, soda, and some beer. A tray of eggs, some vegetables, and packed meat is there too. Maybe I'll make him some egg soup? I told myself and started cooking.

I went back to his room after cooking and brought in the food and some medicine.

"Hey, you have to eat something." I sat next to him and shook him lightly. He sat up quietly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I used your kitchen, by the way." He just nodded.

I placed the tray in front of him as he ate silently. He also drank the medicine.

"I'll check your temperature later, okay? Get some rest." I smiled as I got up; he grabbed my free hand. "Yes?"

"Th-thank you." He smiled. "Sorry for yesterday, by the way."

"It's my fault, Kevin. I shouldn't have run off like that." I said to reassure him. He doesn't need stress right now.

"I almost shot the guy, you know," he said and let go of my hand. I sat at the edge of the bed and looked at him.

"You can't shoot a guy who doesn't have a weapon drawn, Captain Evans. That's protocol." I replied with an imposing-ish voice. He looked at me, surprised. "And next time, be honest with me if you're feeling sick. I feel bad dragging you to the amusement park then running around the park." I scolded him.

"First, I know I was stupid for drawing a gun at him. I was just scared that something will happen to you. Second, I can't let you down over a slight fever and a migraine. We already had the weekend planned, so I didn't want to ruin it." He explained and sighed heavily.

"Still, we could have delayed going to the amusement park," I said. "Is your migraine that bad?" I asked him to change the subject. He nodded and closed his eyes.

"Hold on," I told him and closed the blinds. "Let's dim your room a little. It'll help with your migraine."

"How'd you know these things?" he asked--curiously.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my brows furrowed.

"Well, you know a thing or two about law enforcement, you know something about everything," he pointed out. I'm not sure if I take it as a compliment or an insult. I looked at him, and he was studying my movements.

"I may have lost my memories about my childhood and my life, but that doesn't make me an invalid, Captain Evans. I still know some stuff even though they sound so foreign." I replied, somehow irritated. "I'll be back later."

He wasn't able to say anything. I left his room immediately and headed to the kitchen to clean up. After some time, a knock on the door startled me.

*KNOCK*KNOCK*KNOCK*

I looked through the peephole and saw Chance.

"Hey." I greeted and opened the door.

"I went to the station, and they said Kevin's sick? Where is he?" He asked. Aww, he cares for his friend. I wonder if someone's worried for me and is currently looking for me.

"He's got a fever. He's resting in his room." I replied. He nodded and sat down on the sofa.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked. I nodded. I looked at his face, and he looked like he didn't sleep a wink.

"You look like you didn't sleep." I pointed at his face.

"Well, I- I was worried about the event yesterday, so it kept me awake," he explained while rubbing the back of his neck.

"You guys should be taking care of yourselves. Like really." I crossed my arms and looked at him sternly.

"It's just- ugh. Mari, we're just looking out for you. Someone's out there who tried to kill you. Whoever it is wasn't successful the first time. What if they do it again? What if they get to you and -" he stopped and looked at me.

"I don't want you hurt Mari. When I saw you in the alleyway, I thought you were dead. I looked around, but no one was there. When I rushed you to the hospital, you were barely alive." Chance explained and looked away from me, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Look, Chance. I appreciate what you and Kevin are doing for me. But the both of you don't have to prioritize me. I can handle myself. You have lives too. I don't want to live in the guilt of keeping you guys from doing something." I explained.

"Don't make that excuse, please." Kevin suddenly spoke. He's halfway through the stairs.

"How long were you there?" I asked.

"Just enough to hear your point," he said and sat on the couch opposite Chance.

"Mari, Chance, and I just want to help you. Please stop making it difficult for us. And sorry if you felt like I'm treating you like an invalid. That wasn't my intention." He said and looked at me sincerely.

"There's no talking you out of this moment for the both of you, huh?" I eyed them both, and they just shrugged. I grunted.

"C'mon, Mira. Three heads are better than solving this on your own." Chance said and gave me a sincere smile. I raised an eyebrow.

"Chance is right, Mira. We have to work together to solve this case. YOUR case." Kevin said and winked. How can he be sick and yet hot at the same time?!

"Fine." I sighed and looked at them. "Where should we start then? Because my memory is technically useless right now. So we can't go on with that one."

"How about the handbag you found. Maybe you're Zamira Yamada?" Chance replied.

"If I'm Zamira and we found no results in the local database, that means to say I'm from out of town. We already know that because no one in town seems to recognize me." I said and looked at them both. They're looking at me as I paced back and forth.

"Maybe we can get something out from the phones?" I suggested. "The smashed phone, maybe your tech guys can retrieve something? I'm not sure how the disposable phone fits in the picture, though," I said while tapping my chin.

"The wallet was empty. The bag itself indicated that Zamira is well off. She customized the bag, considering it's a full name and not just a monogram. It could be robbery, but why leave the bag in the park near the treeline? Why not just throw it away? If it was there in the first place, wouldn't someone have found it already? Was it planted there on purpose?" I kept mumbling to myself that I didn't realize their shocked expression.

"Mari?" Kevin snapped me back in reality.

"Hmmm? Sorry, what?" I asked.

"You checked the contents of the bag?" Kevin asked.

"Uhm, yeah. I only touched the wallet, though. So if you lift the prints there, one is probably mine." I pointed out.

"PRINTS!" they both said, shocking me.

Kevin immediately called the station and told the details. He still feels a bit sick, but at least he can move around.

Night came, and an officer knocked into Kevin's apartment, handing him a folder. The three of us gathered at the kitchen table and looked at the file.

The prints were all mine. At first, I didn't think much of it, but then, what if--? We turned to the second folder. The folder contained a profile of Zamira Yamada. It seems she's a secretive woman. Her profile is a page long and nothing more. It says that she's from Singapore and likes to travel. She's talented as well. Her school profile tells me that she's an achiever.

Finally, a photo of her-- I was surprised. They were surprised too.

It's me.

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I am Zamira Yamada.