Black Waters (Frank Ocean Love Story)

Chapter 二十六

Ajahni’s View.

The rush of murder. The sweetness of blood, even blood that you didn’t draw. Intense satisfaction, knowing that you and your enemy are becoming equals (and knowing that you can surpass him any time soon). A state of euphoria.

Isn’t it enough to just drive you mad with happiness?

It was at least enough to drive me mad. Especially with Barbie sitting beside me, bubbly as ever. We relaxed on the bench of a beach, watching the waves come in and little kids running along the shore. It was peaceful.

“How can I ever repay you, Barbie?” I asked her. She shrugged.

“Just don’t. I’m glad. Even though I don’t know who those people are, they seem like jerks.” She replied. “And I’m always happy to help you, Ajahni.” She added. I blushed.

“What’s next on the agenda?” Qi asked. I mused for a minute, trying to remember the things I planned in my mind while we walked to the beach. Then it all came back to me. I had the perfect plan.

“Now, we turn ourselves in. We give the police a description of the people who kidnapped us from Cedar Gardens and flew us to California. We say that we had nothing to do with our passports, or any money, being stolen. Then no one will suspect anything.” I spilled out the plan self-assuredly.

“Sounds good to me.” Anastasia said. The other girls expressed the same feelings, so we prepared to be heavily interrogated by California’s police. But I made it known among the girls that I didn’t want to turn myself in just yet; I wanted to enjoy a few more moments of happiness, of an intense bliss feeling. I just wanted to sit and watch, empty-minded.

And I did. But all good things have to come to an end.

                                                    * * *

The wait at the police station to be interrogated was long and scary. At first, everything was going well. The police we spoke to seemed to believe us, and even pity us. From their reactions, we didn’t even expect to be interrogated. But as we sat and waited, for maybe half an hour, we began to wonder…why are they so suspicious of us?

Finally, a man entered the drab gray room. He sat down at the desk across from us, followed by another man. The two men looked exactly the same—bald heads, crooked ties, worry lines, and mean scowls. I smiled pleasantly at them.

“I’m Officer Phil, that’s Detective Blake. One of you girls is Ajahni Nash, correct?” The one on the left asked. I raised my hand a bit and nodded.

“Alright Ajahni, we’re going to ask you a few questions. I’m going to get right to the point with this. Why did you leave Cedar Gardens Mental Institution?” Detective Blake asked. I breathed deeply.

“I did not leave the institution; I went out into the gardens with my friends here, and we were abducted by two men wearing Joker masks. They were stocky, but that’s all I remember.” I said. Surprisingly, this lie was spontaneous. I hadn’t even pre-planned it.

“How do you account for the missing passports and money?” Officer Phil asked. I could already tell that Phil was the charier one, while Blake was a bit humane.

“I don’t account for it at all. I don’t know how that happened—maybe you should be asking those two criminals who took us.” I replied sharply. Phil peered meanly at me.

“Girls, Officer Phil and I will be discussing a few things in the hall. Call if you need anything.” Blake stated as he stood up from the desk. He and Phil walked out,  leaving the girls and I alone to talk.

But we didn’t talk. We all stayed quiet; they were waiting for me to speak, but I didn’t. The room had a large window, showing Phil and Blake discussing something outside. But Phil was eyeing us closely. If we had any conversation, he would suspect that we were planning a lie. I couldn’t risk that. After all, my alibi was already so shaky.

Finally the two men returned, with the same expressions they had before. They didn’t even bother to sit down.

“Okay, here’s what’s going to happen,” Officer Phil said grouchily, as if he hadn’t gotten his way in the discussion he just had. “The four of you are going to return to Cedar Gardens Mental Institution, and you’ll be under close watch. Ajahni, you’ll have an appointment to come back and describe the men you saw to us. Step out in the hall to be escorted to the institution.”

“Wait, but there’s five of us.” Adriana pointed out.

“Oh, I know that. One of you, Barbara Miller, will stay in our custody.” Phil replied. We all looked over to Barbie, who didn’t seem the least bit worried. It was as if she already knew why she was being kept. But I sure didn’t.

“Why?” Anastasia spoke up.

“She’s under arrest for a murder that took place two nights ago in the mall. The rest of the information is classified.” Blake informed us. Right then, I felt terrible.

They’re arresting her for murdering one of Forrest’s men. She did it for me,and now she’s gone.

                                                                                          * * *

When we pulled up to Cedar Gardens, I could hear Adriana sniffling a little bit. She was crying, grieving over Barbie’s fate. She was going to jail—there was nothing we could do about it. No lawyer assigned by the city would win her case. They obviously have some solid evidence to prove that Barbie murdered that anonymous man.

But wouldn’t that evidence show that we were at the mall that night, too?

Probably not, since they didn’t keep us. The whole situation was confusing, but I kept to myself as we exited the car and headed into the building. Anastasia walked with a comforting arm around Adriana’s shoulder. The escort didn’t say anything to us.

As soon as we got into the building, we were greeted by unwelcoming stares. Everyone was probably just curious as to what had happened, but it was still annoying. Mrs. Roland stood with a fussed expression, barely acknowledging us. I felt ashamed.

And as the escort stopped to share a few private words with Mrs. Roland, I saw the poster. In Loving Memory of Michaela Wilson, and then there was a picture of a girl with round-rimmed glasses. Her death date was just yesterday.

“Oh no,” Adriana cried as she saw the poster, “not Mickey!”

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“The girl that had been tracking Mia for us, and sending me all the information. She’s a complete computer freak. And now…she’s dead?” Anastasia told me, also looking at the poster. No one had to tell me how it happened—I already knew it was revenge from Forrest’s army. Someone killed her because they knew she was involved with us.

“It’s sad, isn’t it?” Someone said from behind me. It didn’t sound like one of the girls, but I still didn’t turn. “It’s sad that she died. I didn’t even get to meet her.”

Then I turned around, only to gasp. It was him. It was Lucas, the boy who tried to help me get into Christopher’s concert in Pittsburgh that night, after I escaped the hospital. Before, he was scrawny with beady eyes and a warm smile. Now he was nothing but…bones.

“Lucas?” I whispered. He nodded and rested a hand on my shoulder.

“You’re Asia.”

“It’s Ajahni.” I said, feeling nothing but sadness as I looked at Lucas. He was such a good boy. It was as if he died.

“Okay. But I have to go now. Bye.” Lucas waved to me childishly, and then turned around to walk away. He scampered off into the distance of the corridor, leaving me to feel sad and worried.