The next day, Ymonesou was still in her small room. The sunlight came in and lit up the walls. The window was slightly open, letting in a warm breeze that moved the white curtains. She was sitting on the bed, motionless, already dressed for the interrogation.She let out a long sigh, got up, and went to the dresser. In the large oval mirror, she saw her tired face. Then, she took her phone and sent a message to Lizen: "I need you to come."She wiped her tears with a handkerchief while checking her phone repeatedly. Finally, her friend's message arrived: "I'm on my way."She put the phone down and went to the door to wait. The guard peeked his head through the frame and said:—You have a visitor.Without waiting for permission, Lizen quickly entered and ran toward her. She hugged her and gave her an effusive kiss on the cheek. That sudden affection made Ymonesou start sobbing, with small cries between her sadness. Lizen stopped kissing her and held her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at her.—"How are you?" —she asked, as the guard closed the door.Ymonesou looked away, turned halfway, and said: —"Bad... I want to die."Without another word, she fell face down onto the bed.—"Oh, wow..." —Lizen murmured. She sat beside her and gently stroked her arm.—"Calm down... cheer up" —she whispered in her ear.—"I don't want to..." —Ymonesou replied, her face buried in the pillow.—"Everyone was looking at me so badly" —she continued, her voice breaking with pain.There was silence. Lizen leaned in closer and whispered: —"Come on, get up."Ymonesou shook her head and turned her ear away from her friend. Lizen didn't give up and softly slid her hand along Ymonesou's lower back. A few minutes passed. The only sounds were the gentle brushing of Lizen's hand and the wind coming through the window. Ymonesou took a deep breath, slowly sat up, moved to the edge of the bed, and finally stood up.—"Good... Now we'll face this together, okay?" —Lizen whispered, leaving the room first.Ymonesou rubbed her hands over her eyes, as if unaware of the chaos. Outside, the hallway was long and bright, with mahogany walls illuminated by the yellow sunlight. Murmurs could be heard. Though scattered voices were audible, Lizen only heard her friend's constant crying.—"Don't be so distressed, Ymonesou" —she insisted, smiling.—"You should be a little stronger" —she continued.Ymonesou, with a distant gaze, stopped and retorted: —"Why shouldn't I be distressed? People despise me! I was so careful not to bother anyone, and now they just want to see me suffer..."Lizen frowned, clearly irritated.—"Shut up already! Look at them, none of them hate you" —she said, pointing at some kids leaning against the wall. Upon hearing her, the kids exchanged glances, muttered something among themselves, and quickly left, turning the corner and disappearing.Lizen's face turned red. An uncomfortable silence fell between them. She lowered her head, ashamed of her own outburst. She stayed quiet until they reached a large room where they were expected.The place was full of people sitting in separated chairs, forming groups. Guards walked around, conducting interviews and telling people where to sit.Without speaking, Ymonesou went to a small sofa in a corner, away from the noise. She slumped onto it and stared blankly at the crowd.—"Are you staying here?" —Lizen asked.Ymonesou nodded slowly, not looking up.Lizen spoke briefly with a guard and disappeared for a few minutes. When she returned, she carried a small bag of colorful marshmallows. She knelt in front of her friend, took one out, and brought it to her mouth.—"Open up, okay?" —she said with a smile, trying to break the tension.Ymonesou frowned, twisted her mouth, and without a word, pushed the marshmallow away. She took one herself and ate it. Lizen shrugged, took a marshmallow for herself, and sat beside Ymonesou on the sofa. They ate in silence. Occasionally, others glanced at them.—"I don't understand how this will be resolved..." —Ymonesou murmured.Her friend looked at her and replied:—"You don't need to worry; you're not at fault" —she said, popping a marshmallow into her mouth.—"But!... Oh, it's so unfair!" —Ymonesou exclaimed angrily—. "If I hadn't been there at that moment, this wouldn't be happening to me." She glanced at an officer watching her seriously from a distance.She sighed. She held her head and looked at the ground in pain.—"Am I really bad?" —she wondered. Then she added quietly: —"Do you think they'll do something horrible to me?"Lizen froze. She didn't know what Ymonesou meant. She tried to touch her with her hand but pulled back.—"Why are you saying that?" —she finally asked, trying to sound calm.Ymonesou didn't answer. She kept her gaze fixed on the floor and hugged herself, seeking comfort.—"I can't tell you nothing bad is happening, but... umm... I..." —Lizen sighed—. "Listen, what I say doesn't matter right now." Angrily, she crossed her arms and looked away.Hours later, the situation hadn't improved. The afternoon sun bathed the gardens, but the tension remained. Ana paced back and forth near the makeshift outdoor command post, gesturing as she spoke with the captain of the guards, who held a stack of blueprints and electronic maps.—"How is this possible? Hours and still nothing concrete!" —Ana exclaimed, her voice tinged with desperation.—"Are you telling me that with the entire mansion sealed, cameras everywhere, dozens of guards patrolling, no one has seen anything, no one has found an exit, a clear escape route?" —She spread her arms wide, as if encompassing the enormity of the problem and the lack of answers.—"It's impossible for someone to just disappear like this!"The captain remained professionally calm.—"Miss, we've checked every inch according to protocol. The footage is extensive and is being analyzed, but the suspect's image doesn't indicate their current location. Whoever it was, they were careful, incredibly erratic, or knew blind spots we didn't have registered. Or maybe..." —He paused— "maybe they never left."—"Oh, damn it! What now? Do we just wait?" —Ana muttered to herself, but loud enough for the captain to hear. Her voice nearly cracked with frustration. She felt the weight of her own expectations and the implicit gaze of the absent owner.—"Boss! We have a problem. The staff is complaining loudly. They demand to be allowed into the park" —Lucas's voice interrupted her thoughts. He approached with a clearly condescending smile, enjoying the moment.Ana turned sharply toward him.—"Shut up, Lucas! Can't you see this isn't the time for your stupid jokes or managing minor complaints? We're looking for a murderer!"—"Oh, sorry" —Lucas said, not sounding sorry at all.—"I thought you wanted to handle everything. Or is leading not so fun anymore when things get complicated and people get impatient? Maybe my method of keeping people happy isn't so bad after all."Ana was about to snap back furiously when a guard came running, visibly agitated, interrupting the tense exchange.—"Miss Ana! Unit 7 reports! They found something on the ground in Sector 3, near the forest border!" —The guard's voice sounded alarmed even in his monotone.—"It's a piece of clothing... looks like part of a shirt... and it has blood."Silence fell over the group. Ana's eyes locked onto the guard, a new intensity replacing her frustration. A clue. Finally, a concrete lead.—"Enough!" —Ana exclaimed, her voice now firm and decisive, cutting off any further interruptions.—"Focus all available teams there immediately! I want that sector swept completely. Lift every leaf, look under every stone. That's our priority now!" —She turned to the captain.—"Make sure it's done meticulously."Then, she turned to Lucas with a cold, authoritative glare.—"And you" —she said, pushing him aside with her hand——"Step aside and let those who actually know what they're doing work."Without waiting for a response, she quickly headed toward the area indicated by the guard, closely followed by the captain and other security team members. The new lead had restored her focus, though the pressure was now greater than ever.As evening fell, the two almost fell asleep. They watched the blurry figures of people leaving the room. Ymonesou thought about everything she could lose: her home, her reputation, her self-esteem. But what she feared most was being left alone, without Lizen. She imagined a difficult future outside, feeling helpless and with nothing.Suddenly, a guard approached them while typing something on his tablet.—"Miss" —he said to Ymonesou— "You can leave. There's nothing else to do here."The two opened their eyes, surprised.—"Why aren't they interrogating us?" —Lizen asked curiously.The guard showed his tablet screen:—"Near the mansion, we found an open underground pipe. It seems someone was living there. They're investigating now."Ymonesou, nervous, asked:—"Wh-what about me?"The uniformed man checked his tablet again and replied:—"It seems you were nearby when the murder happened, just like your friend. But according to witnesses like Mr. Lucas, you have no connection to what happened."Ymonesou's eyes lit up with hope upon hearing the guard. He continued:—"If we don't find anything important in the pipe, you'll probably be questioned... Understand?" —he said, not making it clear what would happen.Ymonesou nodded. Lizen, mouth open and smiling, looked at her friend. Without thinking, she started shouting:—"Get up! We have to go see what it is! You need to clear your name!"Without waiting for a response, Lizen ran out of the mansion.—"Wait, don't leave me!" —Ymonesou shouted, running after her.In the garden, many people were running in the same direction. She caught up to Lizen. The dirt path and the noise indicated something important was happening. Lizen pulled her friend along, urging her to keep up:—"Come on, Ymonesou, you have to be there" —she said, her tone demanding and tired.—"Oh, wait! I can't go that fast" —Ymonesou pleaded.Lizen stopped and turned to her.—"Look over there... that's your way out. Hold on, we'll get there."She gently tugged Ymonesou's ear to hurry her. But Ymonesou, surprised, pulled away and exclaimed, almost crying:—"Stop, please! I don't need any more shame right now! Just let me go at my own pace."Lizen let go and turned red with anger, but restrained herself and didn't respond. They continued walking, angry and distant. Dust rose in their wake. They arrived where a crowd had gathered around a hole in the ground. Lights and muffled, echoing sounds came from the hole. Lizen clenched her teeth, grabbed Ymonesou's arm, and gently pushed her forward.—"Come on, we need to know what's happening" —she insisted, trying not to sound nervous.Ymonesou nodded slowly. She was still afraid, but she wanted to know the truth about the pipe more than anything. They approached the group. An older man was saying:—"I can't believe there's something like this beneath the mansion... It's like a maze!"A group of guards prevented people from passing while another quickly entered the pipe, descending a vertical ladder into the darkness, carrying a backpack with various equipment. Below, several guards formed a security circle, illuminating the hallway with flashlights.
