Chapter 1
Shay Zaia Haze
Ringing in her ears as Shay stumbled out of her car, trying to find balance in her step. Looking around, she felt disoriented before realising she had just been in a car accident. Stumbling as she walked, her eyes widened, spotting the other car that was involved in the collision. The other car was turned upside down, just a few feet from her. Stumbling over to the driver's seat of the other car, Shay crouched down to check if the driver was doing okay.
She was noticing a woman, who had an injury on the head. The ringing in her own ears hasn’t stopped. Staring at the woman, she squinted her eyes trying to see clearer than before blinking rapidly trying to clear her vision.
“Miss, are you okay?” She called as she tried to get the attention of the other driver. Closing her eyes tightly, Shay felt her head throb in pain as the ringing started to slow down.
“Miss,” Shay repeated, reaching over to hold the hands of the other driver. Feeling the cold hands in hers, she squeezed the woman’s hand. Eyes drifting to the back, checking to see if there was anyone else in the car.
“Are you okay?” A voice from behind her called as they tried to gain her attention.
“There’s someone inside,” Shay tried to scream, but her voice croaked. They needed help.
“I’ve called 911, they’re on the way,” the other person informed as they helped her get up from the ground. Noticing it was an elderly woman, Shay nodded her head as the woman stared at her.
“Honey, go take a seat,” the woman instructed as Shay nodded her head. Walking to the curbside, Shay took a seat. Staring at the cars in front of her, she had no idea how it happened and everything went by quickly. Her eyes watered, remembering the cold hands in hers just a minute ago. Something in her stomach wasn’t settling right, afraid of the worst.
As the ringing in her ears calmed, Shay looked over to the other side of the road. Her eyes connected with hers just briefly before she disappeared. Feeling uneasy with the entire situation, Shay turned around and vomited in the grass behind her.
Shay wasn’t sure how long she sat on the cut side, watching as the woman from earlier helped the person from the accident. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but all she could do was pray.
The loud sirens came quickly as it started to rain. With cars piling up behind the accident, Shay held her head down as tears streaked in fear. The flashing red and blue lights arrived just as the ambulance parked and rushed to the scene. The police helped with diverting the traffic as the paramedics worked on the other driver, talking to the elderly woman from before.
“Miss?” A police officer called her, as he tried to gain her attention
“Mmhmm,” she hummed
“Let’s get the paramedics to take a look at you,” the police officer said as he grabbed her elbow, helping her up. Instantly a paramedic noticed them and rushed towards her, helping her as they wrapped a towel around her.
Sitting her down on the back of the ambulance, she realised that there were two different ambulances. Staring straight ahead as the paramedics tended to her wound, checking her vitals, Shay was in shock and probably had a mild concussion. She knew that she didn’t need the paramedics to check on her or the hospital. She was in pre-med, and her brother and father were both doctors. She knew what she was experiencing, she knew the signs.
“Do you know your name?” The paramedics asked
“Shay Zaia Haze,” she answered
“Do you know what day it is?” The paramedics probed
“I know my name, my age and what day it is. I have a mild concussion and I’m in shock. My vision is fine, slightly blurry, the ringing in my ear has stopped,” Shay said, taking the paramedics by surprise. He continued to ask routine questions as follow up, and Shay answered them as quickly as possible, her mind was flustered with the accident and she couldn’t help but worry about the other driver.
“Miss Haze?” An officer called as he approached her. Noticing he was the most good looking police officer she has ever met, she noticed that he was probably just a few years older than she was. Reading his name tag, Officer Van Acker.
“Miss Haze?” The officer called her name again
“Yes,” she said as she snuggled the blanket that was wrapped around her body tighter
“I’m Officer Van Acker, you can call me Adam. Can you explain what happened, Miss Haze?” The officer explained
“Call me Shay,” she offered as she stared ahead. Noticed the paramedics tending to the body, confirming the woman was dead. Feeling her stomach churn, nervousness quickly took over.
“Can you tell me what happened, Shay?” Officer Adam asked again
“The Tesla came from nowhere, next thing I know, the car had stopped and my ears were ringing,” she paused, staring at the handsome officer in the eyes she swallowed as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I think I killed her,” she finished.
The next following minutes went by quickly, Shay tuned out her surroundings as she stared at the ground. She watched as the paramedics covered the face of the deceased before lifting the body up and taking it away. The rain got heavier as the remaining police officers examined the accident.
“Shay, we have to take you to the station now. You are being charged, but I won’t cuff you if you come with us peacefully,” the officer informed. Nodding her head, slowly she climbed off the ambulance, letting go of the jacket as the officer escorted her to the police car.
Felt numb as she got into the back seat, and noticed the bars that separated the front passengers and the back. Instantly feeling claustrophobic, Shay sighed as she shut her eyes tightly. Focussing on her breathing, she heard chatters in front, signalling that she wasn’t alone. Leaning her head against the cold glass, she wondered what had become of her night.
It started off great, spending time with her twin sister, she was enjoying herself. Rarely ever Shay would let her hair down, live a carefree life, rarely ever she enjoy herself. Her life only consisted of her studying and living her model life on Instagram.
Her twin sister, Sky, was the opposite of her. She partied every day, did drugs, and slept with everyone. Shay was a virgin, saving herself for the man she intends to marry. Sky is a bisexual, with platinum blonde hair (dyed) paired with a charismatic personality, her sister was a bombshell. Shay was plain Jane, always the reserved one. She studied almost every day, but she gained followers from posing for her photos. She wasn’t shy with her body, knowing what to do with it, that was the only other thing she had in common with her sister, other than being identical twins.
Shay built herself a career on being an Instagram model, she took provocative pictures, and partnered with a few companies to do ads. Sky has been figuring life out for the past few years. Unsure of what to do with life, instead Sky has been travelling the world. When Sky came back and wanted to spend time, Shay jumped at the opportunity to spend time with her twin.
It was rare and far between that the two sisters would be able to spend time together. Both had different interests, but one thing they had in common was; that they weren’t afraid of speaking their mind. Although many would label Shay as the shy one, she wasn’t. Like her brother, she debated in school, excelled in cheerleading, and she wasn’t afraid of doing public speaking. Shay was the daring one compared to her sister, in truth Sky was the shy one. Although Sky was the wild one, she was shy when it came to expressing her feelings. Constantly hiding away, she even had stage fright. In school, no one could really tell the difference between both sisters that was why Sky dyed her hair. Although they loved being twins, they hated being confused with each other. They wanted to be an individual.
The night started off with dinner followed by drinks, just partying with each other as they caught up. This was their routine since they graduated, their mother brought them out drinking on their 18th birthday. Introducing them to cocktails and things to avoid, they enjoyed their mother’s carefree attitude. However, Shay would only indulge in drinking when Sky was around, she always opted not to drink if she had a choice. The truth was, that Shay hated the taste of alcohol. The way it burned her throat, and the way she smelled.
Feeling a bump in the car, Shay opened her eyes, realising the car was moving. Looking at the front mirror, she locked eyes with Officer Van Acker, who gave her a sympathetic smile. Giving him a small smile, she looked outside as they passed the familiar buildings. She couldn’t help but feel numb, she wasn’t sure how else to feel about the entire situation. Someone had died. Someone was dead. She could see the woman’s face in her mind, the touch of her skin against hers.
The car came to a stop, as the officers got down. Twirling her fingers, Shay was nervous. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen. She wasn’t even sure if she was getting arrested or questioned. Everything was blurry and all she wanted was to call her brother. Her brother would know exactly what to do.
Patiently waited as the officer opened the door for her, she got out, looking up at the big police station sign above her. Feeling intimidated already, the police escorted her in.
Walking past the busy lobby area, she noticed people sitting around waiting to get attended to and booked. She noticed women in short skirts, see-through tops and heavy makeup on, and knew exactly what profession they had. Police officers walked in and out, Shay was escorted to a room in the back. Looking around, it looked like an interrogation room on TV. Horrible fluorescent lights, with a giant mirror, presumably two ways, and a table with four chairs. It was a simple room, but it felt very intimidating.
Taking a seat on the cold chair, Shay tried to make herself comfortable. Nervously, she stared at the other officer. The two officers, one of which was Officer Adam, took a seat in front of her, Shay gulped.
“Do you want to tell us what happened?” Officer Adam asked, leaning forward she could see the veins on his arms.
“Out of nowhere, a Tesla came at us, and I don’t remember the rest,” she answered truthfully.
“Convenient,” the other officer remarked coldly. Officer Adam cleared his throat before speaking once again, “Were you drinking tonight?”
“Can I make a call? I want a lawyer,” Shay asked, ignoring the topic. Not liking where this conversation is going, she knew she needed a lawyer.
“Sure,” Officer Adam sighed, nodding his head as he got up, nudging the other officer to get up as well. Both officers leave the room, leaving her alone. Instantly Shay broke down, feeling the guilt rise from her belly, everything was an accident. Her night wasn’t supposed to end the way it did, the image of the other woman sticker in her mind.
“Here,” the handsome officer said as he passed her the phone, wiping away her tears, she took the phone in her hand. Instantly typing the number she knew by heart.
Ring
Ring
Ring
“Hello?” The groggy voice on the other end of the phone answered.
“Ian,” she called as her voice cracked. Allowing her tears to fall freely, she felt a slight relief at her brother's voice.
“Shay?” He asked in a groggy voice
“Ian, I need help. I need a lawyer,” she cried
“What happened?” She heard him say, noticing the urgency in his voice, she knew he was awake now
“I was in a car accident, and someone died. Now I’m the Precinct and they are charging me,” she cried. “Please, Ian, please,” she pleaded with her brother.
“I’ll be there in 30 minutes, until then, don’t say a word,” her brother instructed
“Thank you,” she sighed in relief
“Be calm Shay, I’m coming,” he said before hanging up. Handing the phone over to the officer, she cried. Feeling the guilt stir in her gut, she prayed that this was a nightmare and that she would wake up.
Wiping her tears as they fell, the other officer came in. “Follow me,” the officer said. Nodding her head, she got up and followed the other officer, afraid of where they might go, she knew there wasn’t much choice. Especially being biracial, she was worried her skin colour would cast the stereotypical assumption.
“Place this on your lips and blow on it,” the officer said to her as he handed over the breathalyser roughly. Following his instructions, she placed the plastic material in between her lips before blowing it.
0.10% it instantly read. Feeling her heart drop, she was unsure what the legal limit was, but she had a drink or two during dinner but not after. Shay wasn’t drunk, she knew that for a fact. She would never allow herself to get tipsy let alone drunk.
The officer shook his head before sighing. Approached by a female officer, the woman had a tight bun on the top of her head, she noticed the woman scowling at her. Keeping her head down, she didn’t want to draw more attention to herself.
“Follow me,” the female officer instructed. Nodding her head, she did as she was told. Walking over to the next table, she was asked to remove her jewellery from her body and surrender her phone. Nodding her head, she followed the instructions and removed what was asked before being pulled to dip her fingers in ink as they took her prints.
As her tears dried up, she did as she was instructed. They took the prints of all ten of her fingers, before measuring her height and giving her aboard. Instantly she knew that they were processing her. Pointed to the direction of the striped background, Shay stood in front of it. Feeling dirty, she couldn’t stop her eyes from watering once again.
Flash
“Turn to your left,” the officer instructed
Flash
“Right,” the officer gave another instruction
Flash
“We are going to hold you in a cell until your lawyer arrives,” the officer informed. Nodding her head, roughly the officer grabbed her wrist, feeling the metal cuffs tightening around them before the sound of the click.
Feeling a hard shove on her shoulder, she was being pushed in a direction. Stumbling over a little, she quickly tried to regain her composure as she was led to the back. Noticing the change in temperature instantly, she noticed the people held in the jail cell, in the corner of each jail cell came with a metal toilet.
“Cuffs,” the officer said as she raised her wrist. Noticed the women in the cell were mostly prostitutes, some almost naked, while there were a few that had torn clothes and looked unkept. The door to the cell opened for a brief second before feeling a force on her back shoving her in.
Hearing the metal bars locked, Shay stared at the door. As the other woman chatted like it was just a normal day, all Shay could do was hope that her brother would arrive faster than he said.
