I’m in the police station, again. Except this time we're not in the cozy questioning room. We're in a small and clinical interrogation room. The hard metal chairs are uncomfortable, and the harsh light makes me feel uneasy.

  Detective Genfi stares at me with an eyebrow raised and his hands forming a pyramid. An older detective joins us and reads me my rights. “We’re questioning you in relation to the crimes against Diana Vine and the other members of the Vine family. We have proof that you were here at the station while the murders and kidnappings were taking place. But, you have killed a man, Miss Ghali. That cannot be ignored.”

  “Kahira, what happened?” Detective Genfi narrows his eyes at me. I sigh and squirm around in my seat. There is no way I can get out of this one myself. Hopefully Aarav steps in soon and works his magic somehow. It's his fault I'm here anyways. “I love to walk... and I was walking around in the forest?” I say sheepishly. “Do you not understand the gravity of the situation? This is a high priority case. Someone is dead, the only witness is in critical condition, and there is an unknown number of buried bodies. And you weren’t in a random forest, Kahira! It’s a nature park! And guess what?! That area was boarded off! It wasn't even on the damn map!” His yelling echoes through the room.

  “Why and how are you everywhere?! Why and how did you kill him?!” I sit in silence, contemplating what I should tell him. “I didn’t kill him because I wanted to, I killed him because I had to.” I say softly. Detective Genfi buries his face in his hands. “I’m sorry for yelling. This is just… a lot.” He raises his head, and I can see his eyes are bloodshot.

  The older detective gives me a sceptical look and continues the questioning. “One of the questions I want to ask is what weapon did you use to kill the perpetrator? It was a clean cut.” Detective Genfi looks at me expectantly. “I used a sword.” That was so hard to say. Yeah, I’m definitely going to prison. It wouldn't help to lie either. No ordinary knife could make a wound like that. “So you were just walking around… with a sword? And in “self-defence”, you decapitated a man?”

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  “The sword was a gift. And honestly, I never intended to use it as a weapon. It’s a sentimental art piece. When the adrenaline kicked in, I just did whatever it took for the situation to come to an end. It was not really self defence. Moreso law of necessity. You said it yourself, it was a clean cut. One blow straight to the heart. A lot of room for error given how much he was moving while we fought. And I might not be the dead one but I look worse than he does! I have the injury on my head, the scars and bruises on my body to show it. And when Diana wakes up, she’ll prove that I’m telling the truth. You said you’re questioning me as a witness, so why are you treating me like a criminal?” Detective Genfi tilts his head to the side. “Kahira, what happened to the cut on your cheek? It’s gone.” Ugh, of course he remembers that. “I heal fast, detective.” I retort sarcastically. He snorted, “Heal fast? In less than a day-“

  “That’s not important right now, Mael,” the older detective interrupts him. Mael?! So that's his name? It’s pretty. And it actually suits him. “Where is the sword now?” It’s in another dimension. “I’m not sure. I think I left it at the crime scene.” The older detective shakes his head. “We’ve scoured the area. No sign of it there.”

  “I don’t know, detective. After all the trauma that incident gave me, I’m having a hard time recollecting anything. And I couldn’t have taken it off the scene. I was under police supervision the entire time. In fact, I want to call my lawyer-”

  The door opens and an important looking officer steps into the room. “Good evening, Chief,” both detectives lazily mutter. “Afternoon, my good men. The witness has woken up. She’s still in a very sensitive state. But we need to get her statement as soon as possible. The doctor in charge has given us permission. He said it's a miracle that she's recovered so quickly. Jones, come with me. We’ll go to the hospital with your team. Genfi, stay here and watch this… witness,” he eyes me wearily.

  Everyone leaves and Mael is left in the room with me. The silence is thick and suffocating. Eventually, he breaks it with a sigh. “We can’t stay here for long. There’s another interrogation taking place soon. And there's not many other places for us to go so... would you like to come to my office?” I nod and quickly get out of my seat. “Sure, this place is really uncomfortable anyways.”