Prologue

The first thing you'd notice about Tori Harper was the intense spark that filled her dark eyes. That spark told you she saw things differently than most people and unbeknownst to her, it was far more noticeable when she was doing something she was not supposed to, and in this case she was definitely not supposed to be following a trail of blood in an abandoned building but she followed it religiously like a child following a trail of candy. It was an old retirement home and she could tell with the architecture that it must have been such a beautiful place, but with it being shut down due to malpractice a few years back, it had been abandoned and of course teenagers had vandalized it to a point where it looked like a madhouse with cigarette butts everywhere, inappropriate graffiti and Tori had cringed at the sight of a used condom as she went up a flight of stairs. It was really dark, the only source of light she had was the torch on her phone and she was as quiet as her surrounding as she calculated the odds that she had found his hiding place and well the percentages looked good, she was certain this was where he'd drag his victims and it weirdly gave her a tingle of excitement. Her excitement was short lived when unexpectedly her eyes met his at the top of the stairs and for a second both held their breath before she bolted. No words were exchanged as both of them flew down the stairs, she knew very well that if he were to catch her, he'd kill her. She could only hear his loud footsteps behind her and the desperate attempt of her heart trying to keep up with her breathing. She made a quick turn into the hallway and hid in one of the lockers, closing the door just before he appeared. He surveyed the hallway and she could see his silhouette, he came closer to where she was hiding and she held her breath.

Yellow.

Her breathing slowed and she went deathly silent, closing her eyes and focusing. Her sweaty palms clasped on the charm on her necklace and after a few seconds she could no longer hear him, feeling relieved she opened her eyes to his cold stare as he peeped through the slits on the locker. She was violently pulled out and thrown to the floor, she took six kicks to her ribs before she was grabbed by the hair and forced to look up at him and he put his flashlight to her face. It definitely was him; she could see the unmistakable scar running down his face.

"Tori Harper... The famous reporter. I hit the jackpot tonight." The man hissed in her face and slammed her head down till blood gushed out of her nose. She was forced to stand up.

" You know you aren't as appealing as I thought, I was going to rape you like I do with all my victims but you're one annoying bitch."

With a swift movement he stabbed her and Tori was in such pain that she couldn't even scream out. She looked into eyes and smiled, and for a second he looked at her confused but before he could twist the knife and finish her off, a bullet penetrated his forehead and the last thing he ever saw was Tori Harper's blood stained smile.

************************************

She opened her eyes, the scent of sterile tools, medicine and the steady beep of the equipment told her she was in the hospital and the first thing she got to see was the face of her worried older brother. She smiled at him and he smiled back, the shock of seeing her awake was delayed because it took him a few seconds before he's eyes widened and he called for the nurse. He returned a few minutes later and gave her the death stare.

"That isn't the warm 'congratulations you escaped death' I was expecting." She said wincing at the soreness of her torso as she tried to sit up. His death stare continued and he crossed his well built arms. Richard Davidson couldn't tell whether he was mad or proud of his reckless little sister, everything had happened so fast. One minute he's on a date with he's girlfriend when he gets a text from her saying she's in trouble and needs help, (along with the location and it being an abandoned building did not help with his worry). The next minute he's shooting down the nations most wanted serial killer.

"I am not congratulating you when you practically go out and seek death." He replied not breaking his eye contact with her, she couldn't care less what he was thinking and it annoyed him that she did not care for his feelings at all. She looked annoyingly at the flowers around her.

"Gifts from the victim's families." He explained.

"How long have I been out?" She asked just as the doctor walked in.

"Hello Miss Harper, how are you feeling?" The doctor asked as she approached to examined her.

"Still in a lot of pain, can I get some morphine to help with that." Tori smiled mischievously and the doctor couldn't help but smile back. She couldn't believe this was the famous Tori Harper. She expected to find someone older but this girl was only 21 years old with dark eyes and hair and a mischievous look in her eyes, she wondered how she was able to hunt down the most dangerous criminals and risk her life at such a young age. The rumours about her brother weren't lies either, the dirty blond police officer sitting across the room was so attractive she had to keep composed to hide how flustered she was around him. Tori had been looking at the doctor when she realised she was unknowingly staring at him and she cleared her throat as her face turned red.

"Nice try but you have been in a coma for a month and luckily all the operations were a success but you're still not fully healed but at least you're stable." She informed her, composing herself once more.

"Finally." Tori exclaimed stretching her arms before swinging her legs to the edge of the bed.

"Whoa hold on there, I didn't say you're getting discharged today. I think tomorrow morning is best so we can monitor you one last time before we give you the green light."

"I have been hurt worse than this, what's a little stab wound." She scoffed getting up and was immediately hit by pain that made her fall back.

"You really have to stop being so stubborn." Richard sighed helping her lay down once more. "We have no problem staying here one more night doctor, thank you."

The red tint on the doctor's cheeks spread across her face, she nodded and left the room. Silence filled the room as Richard contemplated, he had been planning this talk for a while. He had wanted to break the news to her over a nice cup of coffee at a café or over their monthly road trips but the sooner he did, the better.

"Tori, they're revoking your license." He said in a low tone and the words changed the atmosphere in the room to bone chilling cold. He could see the brightness in her eyes fade as her facial expression changed from annoyed with the pain to confused.

"What do you mean revoking?"

"I mean they're tired of you running around risking your life alone when you could just join the police and become a detective."

"I already declined that offer, becoming a detective would only slow me down."

"Then you're being forced to retire. Look, the city has pardoned your mistakes long enough. Forced entry, trespassing, not to mention you kidnapped someone...."

"I was trying to save her life, she wouldn't listen."

"Just.... just join us, join me, you would have backup 24/7, access to a lot of resources and you wouldn't have to work alone."

Tori wasn't listening, the pounding in her chest was overwhelming. She desperately reached for the charm on her necklace but it wasn't around her neck.

"Tori, Tori are you okay."

It had taken her what seemed forever to calm down and she just sat there embarrassed that she had lost control in front of her brother like that. She wasnt the type to show her true emotions even if her emotions were threatening to spill out, she wouldnt dare shed a tear unless it was in the privacy of her room. This time she just couldnt keep it in, how could they revoke her private investigator license? It was the only thing she was good at even if it was just poking her nose in other peoples business and she loved it, she loved the hunt, the chase, the adrenaline she'd get when clues were adding up but most of all she loved saving lives, she loved the looks of relief the victims would get when she'd barge in and rescue them even if she had to gamble with her own life, all she wanted was for less people to end up like they did.

She put her palm on her wound and sighed, her other hand was sweaty from holding on to her necklace charm for too long and a wave of guilt hit her. During her little episode, she was in such panic when she realized it wasn't around her neck that when Richard tried to approach her, she had shrieked for him to leave, he had left the room with a heartbroken look but before he did, he left something at the foot of the bed. It was her necklace, he just wanted to give it to her and that left a sinking feeling in her stomach. She wasn't even sure if he had left the hospital entirely or was outside her room. She laid on her bed and shut her eyes deciding that it was best if she slept.

Blue.

And she did.

************************************

The police officer had left her room in a hurry, by the look of the expression on his face it seemed they must've been an argument going on. That man was the reason the mission hadn't been completed, he never left her side. He was always there, if he wasn't he'd leave his girlfriend there but would return in a few minutes. But this time, he had left the building and after following him it seemed he wasn't coming back, even if he was, she was all alone now and this was the perfect time to strike before he returned.

She was asleep, her hand seemed to be clasping something and it hang over the edge of the bed. Quick and easy, that's how it should be. the silencer on the gun was an odd colour, neon pink, not something you'd see every day but just as effective. Just as the trigger was pulled, Tori's eyes flew open and she leaped out the bed throwing the blanket at her assassin. Fuck! How is this annoying brat awake? The blanket was violently tossed off and more shots were fired after her, all of them missed and she threw the tray of utensils that were next to her bed knocking the gun out their hand. They all scrambled after it but had ended up kicking it under the bed, then a fight ensued, Tori was too weak and not as agile due to her condition so she was easily overpowered and was getting strangled, she had to think quickly or she was done for. They were right next to her equipment, if her foot could just reach the foot of the stand and knock the monitor over, she strained praying that the equipment wasn't attached to the stand somehow but the stand was heavier than she thought. Come on just a little tilt, she felt it tilt and a loud crash came from the back of her assailants head, they lost consciousness and she gasped for air, turns out the whole stand had fallen and it took her a minute to get out from under there. She was in such pain that she put her palm to her wound and held on to the bed railing for support. A moment later her brother appeared in a rush with nurses behind him, he was carrying a bag with the logo of her favorite sushi place and this made her smile. Richard looked around at the mess in the room, then looked at the unconscious person on the floor.

What happened here? Isn't that the doctor?" He asked rushing to help her sit down. He looked at Tori as she smiled through the pain.

"I want to retire."