I pat my face with the back of my hand to snap out of it and shake off the sleepiness. I don't know how long I've been sitting in the same position, but my legs have gone numb, and the folds of my coat can no longer bear my fidgeting. The police officer watches me, with one eye on the paper and the other on the screen.

"So, in a nutshell..." he clicks on a folder on the computer, slowly dragging the grey plastic mouse, "...You say that men in black kidnapped you in broad daylight, who are also somehow connected to the dog that always follows you, and they took you to an abandoned place where things happened that you can't describe because the words won't come, and you've classified it as paranormal. Am I right?"

If my boss had accompanied me, my statement would be different, but no, he just...

*Flashback*

"Shall we go?"

"Go where?" He furrows his brow.

"He said he would accompany me to talk to the commissioner," his look of confusion wipes the smile off my face, "Boss?"

"I said that? Hmm," he shakes his head, "I'm trying to remember when I had that conversation with you, but I don't recall anything."

"How?" I glance at Tyler, trying to find an answer, but he doesn't say anything, "And do you not remember what you said about my absence all week and...?"

"Are you asking for time off?" He bursts into laughter, cutting off my question, "Quite cunning, Chlorine."

"What? No, no," I wave my hands to express my denial, "You said today is Thursday, you haven't been coming to work almost all week, those were your words."

He denies it. How is that possible?

"You're not entitled to leave yet."

"No!" I exclaim, unable to believe the situation, "You don't understand, you said..."

"Alright, Chlorine," he interrupts a bit rudely, "What's gotten into you? It's Monday, and we need to work. If you need to take a few minutes outside to clear your head, then do it, but I don't want any more scenes here. I'm not up for it today."

I don't understand what just happened, why he changed his mind and acts as if the conversation we had less than five minutes ago didn't happen. What's wrong with people around me lately?

"What have you done?" I say to Tyler as my boss leaves the library, "Why does everything go wrong when you're around, huh?"

He returns my gaze with a compassionate look.

"You don't understand..."

"And you're not helping me understand either. And stop looking at me like that."

*End of flashback*

Sigh. Who would have imagined it? But here I am, nonetheless. I direct my eyes back to the commissioner.

"Yes. They tried to end my life; I have the..." I hurriedly roll up my sleeves, but then I remember that I don't have anything on my arms anymore, so I pull them down again. "We managed to escape and got lost in the forest."

"So, there were more people with you?" he asks with annoyance and goes back to typing on his computer.

"Yes, I was with the guy I want to report, Tyler Joseph."

My last words provoke a reaction in him. He raises his bushy eyebrows as if he's holding a 120 kg weight, a battle he seems to be losing but still keeps up. Did I manage to get a surprised expression out of him? Ten words achieved more than my whole statement. It's a small breakthrough.

"And tell me, what are you reporting him for?"

"For kidnapping," I take a moment to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and open them again. "He was wearing a balaclava, just like the other men, and when we were in the forest, he... He forced me to kiss him under the pretense of telling me the truth, but I woke up in his house," I swallow, "I was in his bed wearing only my underwear. He claims that the kidnapping never happened, and I have no recollection of doing anything he alleges."

"And what does he claim?"

"He says that I fell and fainted, and when I arrived at his house, I fell asleep in his bed because I asked him to."

A loud burst of laughter erupts from his mouth hidden behind the mustache, accompanied by his rough and guttural laughter as he slaps the desk with his palm, almost making my heart jump with fright. Does he find what I'm saying amusing? My hands tremble under the table.

"Hey..." he stops laughing and seems to remember he shouldn't have done that, as he returns to looking expressionless, "This is how it is. You hooked up with this guy and didn't like it at all, and now you want revenge on him."

"Excuse me?" I can't believe the distortion of my words. I cover my chest as if I've been caught naked. Nervously, I blink as images of Tyler hugging me in the intimacy of my room dance in my mind, softening my lips with kisses and drawing conspiratorial smiles, guilty of some secret...

"That never happened! It's not true!" I exclaim, jumping to my feet.

If it weren't for his police badge, my words wouldn't have a challenging tone. But I lack the means to explain that my words were directed at myself. Why do these images settle in my mind, woven with ghostly threads of moments that never were?

What's happening to me?

"Are you alright?" his eyes narrow, awaiting a response. I remain silent. "Accept the consequences of your actions, young lady, for if you persist in speaking, I will penalise you for false testimony."

"It's you who doesn't believe me, it's absurd," I let out a sigh. I purse my lips, holding back the words that threaten to escape and get me into trouble. "I am reporting a kidnapping, and you're not listening..." my voice breaks. "You're supposed to uphold the law, and if I can't come to you, then who else?"

The officer looks at me with an air of superiority. His cold eyes seem to express immunity to my desperation. Nothing touches even a single fiber of compassion.

"Here, things work this way, and I'm trying to balance the interests of all parties involved. I hope you don't intend to challenge the authority of this town."

"Of course not," I affirm. "It's just that..."

I furrow my brow, unable to conceive a single valid reason to justify his words. "Here, things work this way," seriously? It's astonishing that in this middle-of-nowhere town, there's a rule preventing the reporting of a kidnapping simply because no one witnessed it. It's absurd. I can't do anything to change that; my family would kill me if they even found out I was here. I dare not even imagine the consequences of contradicting something that's already written and respected. However, that doesn't prevent me from feeling indignant. What am I supposed to do?

I sit back down, observing him as he types with regret on his computer.

"How many witnesses did you say are needed? Maybe that could help me."

I don't know what he's writing, but my question manages to draw at least a second expression of disgust from him in the past hour. Without changing his posture, he directs his eyes towards me. I wonder what motivated him to choose this profession; he doesn't seem very pleased with it.

"At least one," he says after a long silence, not very convinced about it, "but they must be excluded from participation, they only need to affirm having seen what you testify. Nothing more."

An idea shines before my eyes within the uninspiring and dreary blue cardboard walls, with the mold still lurking, barely out of sight.

"I have that person you need to hear to believe me," I stand up again, "I know where he lives, we can go now. Tyler Joseph's house is not very far."

"Let me see if I understand," he shakes his head and leans on the desk with his forearm. "Are you telling me that you now want to report your own witness? Are you aware of everything that comes out of your mouth, young lady?"

Oh, right. I need to make this more realistic.

"Alright, maybe you're right," I lie so shamelessly that the commissioner crosses his arms, waiting for me to continue. "What happened with that guy is something I must handle myself, but now I want you to take my words seriously when I say that I've been kidnapped. He is the only witness. You have to help me."

If I can get him to see Tyler and convince him to tell the truth, I can prove that he lied to me, and the commissioner will launch an investigation to uncover the reason behind my kidnapping. Perhaps they'll discover they got the wrong person, and they might save the real target, or that Tyler was indeed involved, either option works for me.

Although the latter leaves a bitter taste in my mouth as I think about it more carefully. Will that really solve all my problems?

"Please..." I plead, crossing my hands in front of my face. "I'll just take him there to talk, it'll be quick."

"I don't have an order for what you're asking because there's no evidence of anything, and in any case, you're free and safe in front of me. He has the right not to talk," he crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. "Why would he do it without having one?"

"Then let it not be an order... We can just pass by there and coincidentally run into him. Come on... Help me. I promise I'll drop the matter if it doesn't lead to anything."

"Will you stop bothering me if I do it?" he raises an eyebrow. "This all seems nothing more than teenage trouble defying the law. And I already have a long list of experiences."

"You'll never see me around here again."

I didn't get a response from the officer, but something in his posture changed. He got up from his seat and took the keys to the patrol car, as if he wanted to offer me his help. He didn't seem pleased to do it out of pure kindness, but rather to settle any outstanding debt between us. That's when he mentioned that he's doing this because I'm Lorenzo's daughter. According to him, thanks to that connection, his wife enjoys a beautiful tree in her backyard. Otherwise, he would have severely penalized me for my insolence and mockery of the law.

I was taken aback by his comment and couldn't even find the right words to thank him. I felt trapped in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. On one hand, I was relieved to have escaped something worse, knowing that my parents' wrath would overshadow any major problem. But at the same time, I was uncomfortable that my words weren't enough to make him care enough to help me.

But I didn't complain.

Soon, we were in the patrol car, and we started driving. It was my first time in one, and I hoped it would be the last. When I indicated the way to our destination, the officer frowned, showing his skepticism. He kept questioning if I was sure I remembered the route after two days. His doubts seemed endless until we finally reached the building's entrance, and he fell silent.

What I saw in front of my eyes was inexplicable, something I couldn't grasp. I stepped out of the patrol car with a mix of amazement and confusion. I felt as if I were being comfortably mocked by an unbelievable reality. And to make matters worse, I was in front of the commissioner, who observed my helplessness with a hint of sarcasm.

"Well..." I heard him sigh from behind. "I can't quite fathom your purpose. Honestly, I didn't expect this. Are you playing a prank on me?" His words didn't convey anger; this time, he seemed to be trying to be more understanding, though a slight annoyance still seeped into his tone.

What was I supposed to understand in that moment? How was I supposed to react to what we saw? Why did everything seem plunged into destruction and abandonment? The walls exhibited a worn-out gray hue, the windows were broken, and the door was blocked. Large chunks of rock protruded from the garden, giving a desolate image.

"He lives here," I muttered.

"It's a homeless boy," the officer replied, trying to find a more rational explanation to understand me. "I don't judge; any roof is welcome when you have nothing."

"No... I was here before. This whole place used to be a clean building and... not this," I turned to him seeking support. "You have to believe me. I don't know what has happened, but this is the place. Everything looks the same but completely destroyed. I need you to trust me, even if no one else does."

His denial, shaking his head from side to side, ultimately disappointed me in every way.

"Chlorine," he said my name slowly, "this is an old orphanage, from around the Middle Ages. It's older than the town itself, and it's slowly crumbling. No one has entered there because it represents an imminent danger of collapse," he came a little closer, letting out a long sigh. "I didn't expect any less, but I also didn't expect you to try to convince me with this surreal scene that your statement has even a hint of coherence or reality. Nevertheless, we'll open an investigation based on the data you provided about the intruders, for the safety of the town..."

His words faded in the air as he continued talking about things that made me feel smaller and smaller. Every time he mentioned a counterargument to mine, I felt my voice weaken and my reality crumble. Was I starting to sound like a lunatic in his mind? Most likely. In that moment, I felt powerless, and all my fears became reality. He didn't believe me, and he had all the justifications not to.

Even now, I can't recall how I managed to snap out of my state of shock. My mind seemed incapable of processing what my eyes had witnessed. It was such an unheard-of, out-of-the-ordinary experience that I can't find the right words to describe it, even now, as we drive away in the patrol car and the oak trees line our way back home.

An orphanage from the Middle Ages? Then, did I...?

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