Chapter 11

12:35 P.M.

12:40 P.M.

12:45 P.M.

12:50 P.M.

12:55 P.M.

Time never stopped ticking, that was an established fact. Time flew by when you're enjoying the moment or wishing for it to slow down, and that was an established fact too. Currently, the latter one was Genevieve's only wish.

It was ironic how she, a cop, was driving like someone's life depended upon it. The mayor's life, to be more specific. On a road that held a maximum speed of forty, she was tearing down the lane at a hundred.

"Come on. Come on."

Her knuckles turned white at the grip she had on the steering wheel. The only times she'd slow down was for speed breakers, otherwise she blew past the stop signs and her tires squealed around corners.

'The mayor has a formal party today... for his daughter's birthday. On Maple Street. I think- I think the main event starts at one o'clock.'

Pain flashed across Genevieve's eyes when she thought of her. Amber was stabbed directly onto the heart, so the chances of her surviving were already slim. If the ambulance still hadn't made it to her home then there was no expectancy for her life.

When Genevieve started to approach Maple Street, she could spot the banquet hall a few meters away. The building grew bigger and bigger as she continued to race towards it, and the pit of dread in her stomach somehow enlarged itself.

Her foot slammed against the brakes when she entered the occupied parking lot, and the car stopped its movement with a relatively violent turbulence. Genevieve didn't wait for the vehicle to settle down. She swiftly climbed out of her car and sprinted in the direction of the hall's entrance with only one objective in mind; evacuate everyone in the building.

But she never checked the time.

Neither Genevieve nor the attendees of that birthday bash heard the faint ticking of a deadly explosive, which was nestled away somewhere safely inside the building. The mayor's daughter was overflowing with happiness, whereas her parents watched her with an endearing look. All of them were completely oblivious to their unfortunate fate.

Three.

Genevieve dodged a few of the extravagant vehicles that obstructed her path, and she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Since the entire parking lot was almost full, she had to station her car in a spot that was quite far from the main gate of the party venue.

Two.

Sheer joy took over the birthday girl, and the feeling only doubled when she positioned the cutting knife on top of the red velvet cake. The crowd that was huddled around the large table simply watched her with adoration, and their hands itched to clap as they waited for her to slice down the decadent dessert.

One.

Genevieve was still very far away from the entrance. Her frustration, coupled with the adrenaline running wild in her veins pushed her to sprint faster. But alas, that still wasn't enough.

Zero.

A vicious thunder emanated from the banquet hall, which cut Genevieve's run short. Rather, the might of the blast nearly threw her backwards and she did her best to stay on her own two feet.

Debris of various sizes and textures sprung away from the building as the structure itself went up in flames. All its windows had shattered simultaneously, and the top part of the building blew off because of the impact of the explosion. Not a single part of the hall was spared. No, every single thing caught fire thanks to the mercilessness of the bomb.

Genevieve swiftly brought her arms up to shield her face from the sudden shockwave of heat. A scream of agony ripped from her when the hot fumes touched her open wound, and her legs gave out from underneath her. She could barely handle the heat at such a considerable distance from the structure, and it horrified her to even think about what the people inside had experienced.

Tears sprang to her eyes, even though she was still guarding her face from the high temperature. Perhaps the reason for her glossy orbs wasn't the heatwaves. It was her failure. She failed to protect the lives of innocent people, and the guilt weighed her down to her knees.

Above all, Genevieve never got the opportunity to read the banquet hall's name. Not just because the thought didn't cross her mind, but the explosion blew it off. The name was originally showcased in huge letters, which were plastered on top of the building in a fancy font.

Blue Swan Banquet Hall.

Sky-colored bird.

___________________

The words of the paramedic never made it to Genevieve's ears. Even as he continued to explain how long it'll take for her cut to heal, all she did was watch the movement of his mouth.

Genevieve sat limply inside the medical van as the medic cleaned her wound. The door of the vehicle was slid open and she was settled on one of the seats, while the medic stood on the pavement of the parking lot.

Her sleeve was ripped open right where the cut was, so she didn't have to take her shirt off in order to get it patched up. Besides that, she had lost a considerable amount of blood. The point was proven by the way her uniform's fabric, that surrounded the wound, turned a darker shade.

The man was slightly alarmed, when he noticed how she wouldn't react to the alcohol pad that came in contact with her sliced skin. Not even a faint wince. Little did he know, Genevieve's grief numbed her for the time being.

"The wound doesn't need stitches as of right now, but if you notice that it doesn't start to scab soon then I suggest that you get them immediately. Take care." And with that, he left. She wasn't necessarily alone now since her unpleasant thoughts accompanied her. But her expression didn't mirror her miserable state of mind. Not one bit. It was so flat, that no one could possibly know of her inner turmoil.

"Hey."

Genevieve didn't hear the curt greeting. In fact, she couldn't even notice the presence of someone beside. She continued to glare down at her feet as her head raced endlessly.

"Genevieve."

Alec reached out to grip her shoulders, and he shook her softly to snap her out of trance. That worked, but he wasn't prepared for the sight when she looked up at him.

Her eyes that always held this fire of determination, were now dull. She looked lifeless. There was no hint of expressiveness on her face. The look of annoyance or irritation that she always held for Alec wasn't there either, and all he could see was a blank countenance.

Alec eyed her face for some time, and he secretly wondered whether or not he should break the news to her.

"The name of that party hall was Blue Swan. Blue Swan Banquet Hall." He said slowly, as if she wouldn't understand if he said it too fast.

Again, there was no response from her. She sat there with unblinking eyes. Alec couldn't tell if she was zoned out or simply defeated. Although Genevieve had pieced it together just seconds after his statement, he didn't know of it. Shadow's words echoed in her head like a cursed chant.

Sky-colored bird.

His stare darted between her features in expectation, and when her eyes didn't widen like he predicted, he continued to speak.

"Look, you can't give up. He's hard to find, and that's coming from someone who's been after the guy for months. I nearly got my hands on him after a long time, then you came along to arrest me and foil my plans."

Though his delivery was void of humor, Alec had aimed to get a reaction out of Genevieve at his jab. He didn't get one, which surprised him even more.

"It'll take a while, but when we do capture him, it'll be worth it. You're..."

He didn't compliment people often, least of all someone who butt heads with him, but he decided right then and there to make an exception for her.

"You're diligent. That, together with my experience can become a powerful weapon. All-"

"We have to catch him."

Alec's words paused abruptly when he heard Genevieve's small murmur, and he blinked a few times.

"Pardon?"

"I said we have to catch him." She muttered, and this time it was loud and clear. Her tone contradicted the emptiness of her expression. Genevieve wasn't paying attention to a single word of Alec's, she just had one goal in mind.

"At all costs. We have to cage that animal." She spat, with her anger noticeably seeping through. A newfound emotion began to stir inside her, and she couldn't place her finger on what it was.

A sigh of relief threatened to escape from Alec but he held it in. The spark had returned to her eyes, and there was a hint of hatred laced with it too. However it wasn't directed towards him, not at the moment. It was for the cold blooded criminal.

"And we will." He stated before slowly removing his arms off of her shoulders.

"We will, Genevieve."