LEAH
This morning I woke up and felt like the world was falling on my head.
My anxiety attacks started as soon as I opened my eyes, woken up from a bad dream. My first reflex, as my throat was too tight to even breathe normally, was to call Ingrid - in a matter of seconds, she immediately knew what was going on: after all, my anxiety crises were already bad enough in high school, and she and Alexia were there for me even if they didn't understand what was happening to me quite yet. Eventually, they ended up getting me completely and being there the best way possible.
Even after all those years, Ingrid called work to take a day off and immediately came to my place at 7:30 AM with breakfast and something for us to cook whenever my appetite would be back.
After a few hours, as the crises were getting less and less intense, Ingrid and I were sitting on the couch watching Friends, laughing our asses off because the Norwegian had chosen her favourite episodes for us to watch, and would imitate Phoebe singing Smelly Cat to perfection. To be honest, it has been a long time since we hadn't laughed like that... not ever since...
Setting my jaw, I watch as Ingrid comes back with pancakes, almost forgetting about reality...
... that came right back knocking at the door.
Ingrid goes and opens the door, and quite immediately I know who it is only by the sound of their voice:
"Oh, hi... Is Leah here? She didn't show up to work and I'm kind of worried 'cause I know she has anxiety sometimes..."
"You must be Lia..." Ingrid slowly says, throwing me an amused look, before adding: "... Leah's told me lot of things about you..."
Feeling the tension building up - and getting annoyed at Ingrid's not-so-subtle way or telling Lia she should shoot her shot with me because I'm too much of a chicken to make it myself - I just cough to get the two girls' attention.
As soon as Lia makes one step inside, I shyly wave at her, and when she waves back, Ingrid rolls her eyes, grabs her coat and says:
"Alright, this is it: you two should have some space to talk about the affective tension between you, so I'm gonna head out and go to work 'cause, well... Bye-bye, lovebirds!"
Before I can say anything fiery at Ingrid, she walks out of the apartment, pushes slightly Lia inside, and closes the door behind the Swiss, who stands there in surprise and shock.
As she blushes a bit - I am not too innocent myself - I just say in a weak voice:
"Uh... I'm sorry about Ingrid, she's a bit... too bitchy sometimes, she's been messing with me since we were teenagers so..."
Shut up, you're digging your own sentimental grave, I tell myself, growing silent all of a sudden. Realising that must be very weird for her, as well as surprising, I just crack a shy smile.
Dumbass, I think to myself, as Lia finally breaks her own silence:
"It's, uh... It's okay..." she slowly says, before staring at me from head to toe, before adding: "Are you, I mean, o-okay? Are you alright, I mean?"
"Um, yeah... Sorry I didn't tell you I was about to miss work today, it's just-"
"Anxiety, I gathered from what you've told me the other day" the brunette interrupts me clumsily, before nervously playing with her own hands.
I frown.
"Are y-you okay?" I ask, stressed out all of a sudden.
"Um... See, I really wanted to talk to you... It's about Pernille, we had an interesting discussion this morning..." Lia slowly says, stammering even.
This can't be good.
"What did she say?" I coldly asks - colder than I would've wanted.
"Woah, don't get mad at me, I didn't do anything! Pernille just told me everything about your former girlfriend's murder, and what happened during Senior Prom Night... I'm so sorry, now I understand why you hate her..."
Setting my jaw, feeling my knees get weaker - what the hell did she tell her? - I just say:
"If you came here to talk to me about my dead girlfriend, then I really don't use that today! Just leave!"
I could see how hurt Lia was at the moment, as she just exclaims:
"Oh, sure, why don't you just raise your walls up again so I won't ever be able to be close to you! That's what you do, isn't it? As soon as we talk about something personal about you, you're just running away! I'm sick of it!"
"Well, if you're not happy about it, why don't you just fucking leave? Uh? Why are you losing your time with me then?"
My eyes must be very dark by now, sending murderous looks toward a very confused Lia, who now seems deeply hurt. But I couldn't just get out of that terrible loop that would make me say things I don't think and will definitely forget later.
A tear falls down Lia's cheek when she says on the same tone, talking a few steps closer to me, as I stand my ground:
"Is that it, then ? You're just gonna push every person that even remotely cares about you just so you won't get hurt ever again! That's bullshit! You're not lame, and you're worth it! Not because you've got some demons I'll stop hanging out with y-"
"Lia, just leave! I'm just a fucking monster, I don't deserve shit, I'm just-"
But I never got to finish that sentence.
Lia takes a few steps forward, grabs my face and kisses me with all the energy she had at the moment. Absolutely caught off guard, I forgot I was holding my phone inside my hands and let it fall on the ground, not knowing how to react.
But I don't have much time to do anything, because Lia pulls away rapidly, staring right into my eyes, fear filling hers.
"Whatever you're going through, it won't change how I feel about you" she declares, visibly touched. Before I can say anything, she adds while on her way out: "I'm sorry."
***
INGRID
I arrive at the office, only to find Sakina and Jordyn working on today's issue about systematic racist within universities boards. The two girls, surprised to see me there, immediately smile at me.
The young Canadian is the one who dares asking:
"Hi boss, aren't you even able to take a morning off?"
"Ah. Ah. Very funny, Huitema, but you both know I can't leave you two kids alone for too long." I respond, smirking.
"At first we thought you were finally going to visit Roflö..." Sakina sassily lets out, smirking.
Raising my eyebrows - and they immediately know they're both screwed for insinuating anything - I calmly answer:
"Why would you think that, exactly? She's my enemy."
"That's true" Jordyn concedes, before adding: "but you two seemed to get along quite well lately, we thought you had became friends to some extent."
"Just because I tolerate her presence doesn't mean we are friends" I point out, smirking.
The French girl says:
"Why haven't you gone see her yet?"
Without really thinking, I just respond:
"I don't know... Maybe it would only bring back traumatic memories from the explosion, and she almost died you know, so that's... unfortunate."
Sakina and Jordyn exchange an amused look, but (un)fortunately they don't get to ask more: a loud noise comes out of every computer present int he office, that gets so loud and acute that the three of us have to cover our ears.
Quite immediately, I remark all the computer screens getting blue with a message written in capital white letters, that we all read at the same time, making us go completely silent:
STOP LOOKING WHERE NOTHING IS HERE FOR ANYONE TO FIND - THE IMPOSTERS ARE IN LONDON.
***
ALEXIA
Police sirens and gunshots woke up the quiet town of Saint Ives this cold morning of December, as access to the ballroom where yesterday's high school's reunion occurred was restricted.
As soon as the crowd was gathering with journalists and local personalities - such as Jenni Hermoso or Sam Kerr, that were good friends of Ada's - Shelina and I entered by the back door, joining the rest of Section 17 that had made the trip from London.
As soon as they see me, Daan, Ana and Viv immediately come to me, hugging me tightly, smiles on their faces:
"Putellas!" Daan exclaims, smirking, "we miss you at 17!"
"I miss you guys too... It's been quite boring here anyway!" I exclaim.
Obviously, I said that knowing that Shelina was right behind me. When I turn around and realise the blonde is quite annoyed, I just smirk and turn back toward my colleagues.
Quite immediately, Ana respectfully greets Shelina:
"Special Agent Zadorsky."
"Crnogorcevic, Van de Donk, Miedema, great to have you here, we sure do need the help."
Nodding their heads, Daan and Ana immediately go back to their jobs - gathering evidences from the crime scene - as I take a look at Ada's body, that was under careful care of Viv who, on top of her extended tech formation, also had a formation to become a legist.
Shelina follows me, before asking:
"Miedema, what've you got?"
"Two wounds in the chest, one going through the heart of the victim. She died immediately. No bullet found on the crime scene or in the building, which indicates that whoever killed her wasn't a debutant. Forensics are searching the place."
"And what-" I start, but Shelina doesn't let me finish:
"What about personal belongings ?"
As I throw her a death glare - that was kind of uncalled for since she is my superior in the hierarchy, but also pretty called for since we slept together... twice - Shelina just expertly ignores me and raises her eyebrows.
Probably feeling the tension, Viv just goes on:
"Phone is gone, but this was on her coat's pocket."
As she hands Shelina her founding, Viv just exchanges a look with me, visibly confused. I, in turn, ignore her, as Shelina grabs what turns out to be a credit card with a piece of paper glued on top of it. While the Canadian carefully deploys the folded paper with medical gloves on, only for her to frown and staring at me so that I get closer to her and read the paper.
For a second, all I can think about is her sweet smell invading my nose and, it seems, brain - because I almost forgot I had to look at the notes of a crime scene with a dead body right in front of me. What the fuck is wrong with me? I ask myself, before my eyes cross Shelina's, who seems very confused about that moment of silence. Viv stares at us slowly, before concentrating on the dead body in front of her.
When I finally do read the note on the small piece of paper: it was only written DELIVERY AT SEVEN AM.
"So this was a set up" I say, frowning.
"Yes, and it seems that it might be connected to what's on the back room we didn't get to access yesterday night" Shelina continues, throwing me a look I am starting to know now.
Leaving Viv with the corpse, we immediately walk into the corridor we were in yesterday - when she was kissing your neck and you liked it a bit too much, but you shouldn't think about that anyway, right...? - and then we walk into the secret room Ada did not let us access yesterday where other agents and forensics experts were making analyses.
Quite immediately, our eyes go wide in fear and shock, as Shelina whispers:
"Ada Hegerberg wasn't the angel of Saint Ives after all..."
Indeed, in front of us, loaded weapons with big bags of cocaine entirely filled, absolutely loaded.
Well, shit, I think to myself, truly surprised, I don't remember being coke dealers in Saint Ives at all when we were here...
... unless they didn't know about it.