"When did she go missing?" Aiden asked, storming into Nistehill Police Station.

"Who are you, sir?" an officer sent his eyes all over Aiden's body. "And when did who go missing?"

Aiden pulled his official ID out. "I'm detective Aiden Rares."

"Oh." The officer apologized. "Superintendent is waiting for you."

When they walked towards the superintendent's office, two officers stood there. The female officer wore her light brown hair in a short braid. Aiden got that she was explaining something because she moved her hand here and there. But he could not see her face.

"Superintendent Sierra?" Aiden asked, entering the office.

"Detective Rares?" The superintendent shook hands with Aiden and turned to the two officers. "Detective Winston and Detective Walker."

Aiden's jaw dropped when he saw who they were, "Lena? Jasper?"

"Aiden?" The duo asked in unison.

"Do you know each other?" Superintendent Sierra asked.

Yes, they knew each other very well. Aiden, Lena, and Jasper were trio when they were in the police academy. But later, as they became busy with their duties and lost connections.

"Why are you here?" Lena asked. "Is everything alright?"

"My sister has gone missing."

"Are you talking about Lucinia Rares, that univer- wait, you two share the same surname."

"She's my sister."

"Oh." Lena swallowed. "It's been 72 hours since the hostel owner complained."

"What hostel owner?"

"A woman named Felicity."

"Felicity?" Aiden's face darkened. "Give me a minute." He said, dialling a number.

"Hey, Felicity-"

"Lucinia went missing-" A feared voice came up. Aiden heard sobs from the other side.

"I know, I'm here now, tell me just what happened."

Through sobs, Felicity spoke, "Last Friday, her friend, Ansela came to pick her up. At night, I called her, but she didn't respond. I tried again and again, but there was no response." She inhaled. "I waited. But she didn't return in the morning. Or didn't answer any of my calls."

"Alright, Felicity, I need to meet you."

"Okay." She sobbed. Aiden ended the call and made his way back to the office.

"Calm down, ma'am." A voice came up behind Aiden, and something in that voice made him turn back.

A middle-aged woman was crying and shaking. The officer who welcomed Aiden was talking to her, but apparently, he could not manage that. Aiden heard the woman mutter some words.

"A body – young girl – in the apartment."

He stormed towards the woman and leaned towards her. "Madam, can you repeat what you just said?"

"A body – in the apartment."

Aiden glanced around to find almost everyone in the police station staring at him. "Is there anyone who came with this woman?"

A pale young woman with a small figure stepped forward; She hesitated for a while but then walked to Aiden.

"Sir, there's a dead body in an apartment in the Valencia complex," She said.

"Man or-"

"A young girl, a university student."

"Do you know her?"

"Lucinia Rares."

*  *  *

Aiden walked in.

The apartment was dark. Outside, some people were talking with the police.

Aiden put his gloves on. "Where's the body?" He asked an officer.

"In the bedroom."

On the bed, a white, thick blanket covered something. 

Aiden knew what it was, but he did not want to think who that was. He got no belief about what that young woman told him. He wanted to prove the girl is wrong; He wanted to prove himself that his sister was not the one who lies lifelessly under that blanket.

He touched the blanket with shaking fingers. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and turned his head down. Swallowing, he tried to get rid of the sensation of something stuck in the throat. His fingers took another few seconds to catch the blanket.

The blanket resisted revealing what it was covering first. Aiden tugged at the corner of the sheet, slowly pulling it back and unveiling the body.

Aiden inhaled deeply, and stepped back.

That was Lucinia.

He felt a hand wrap around his shoulder. The hand began to tap his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He bit his lower lip and did not let any single emotion reveal. Then he turned to face his comforter.

"I'm so sorry, Aiden," Lena whispered.

Their eyes contacted. For a while, none of them blinked.

Finally, Lena turned to the body. "She died too young," Her voice was shaking. "But I've seen dead people younger than her."

"I know." Aiden blinked, trying to keep his tears back. He had seen so many bodies in the cases he handled. But at that moment, that was his sister, his one and only sister.

That was the girl he ever revealed all his secrets to. She was the girl who always comforted him, encouraged him. He never wanted to see her with teary eyes. He had terribly beaten two boys who humiliated her. 

She was a part of him.

Suddenly, Lena caught her stomach and forehead, groaning.

"Lena?" Aiden leaned her against him and took her out. "If you can't-"

"That's not because of the body," Lena muttered, brushing her forehead. "I've got this headache since yesterday."

"Lena, you must rest." That was Jasper.

"Take her home," Aiden mouthed to Jasper, and he nodded.

"You need a rest. Is Mike at home today?" Jasper asked. Aiden felt like a high-power current ran through him. He looked at his colleagues, in confusion.

But he needed to find his sister's murderer first of all.

He let Jasper take care of Lena and walked in. After a few deep breaths, he got the dare to look at her body.

Her head rested on the pillow; Her hair was under her body. Though it was clear that she had faced something terrible before death, her eyelids had fallen over her eyes calmly; The red lips that were once like rose petals were dried and pale, but they were curled into a slight smile. She looked paler, and there was a massive, deep cut on her chest, which soaked her white top in crimson. The blood stains were drying at that moment.

He looked around to find bloodstains on the floor, but there weren't any. Slowly stepping to room by room, he scanned the whole apartment with his eyes. 

And as he entered a dusty room, he found what he was been looking for. There were footprints on the dust spread across the room, as well as a congealed pool of blood in the center of the room.

Stepping out of the room, Aiden directly walked towards a police officer, "Who owns this apartment."

"This owns-"

"Ansela Maxwell." A female voice came up.

That was the young woman who told Aiden about the dead body. She walked in.

Aiden raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

Her voice was cold, "Ansela Maxwell, Lucinia's girlfriend."

*  *  *