Title: Approval, Truth, and a Cruel Accident
"I'm going to kill that bastard!" Rayyan growled.
He stormed toward Duke, who was handing a bouquet to Dee outside the café. Without a second thought, Rayyan's fist collided with Duke's cheek. Duke stumbled, hitting the ground. Blood marked his face.
Rayyan didn't stop.
Second punch. Third. A fourth on the way—
But it never landed.
His hand froze mid-air.
Dee was holding it.
"Stop it," she said sharply.
"You stop it," Rayyan barked.
"I said, stop your shit!" Dee shouted.
The café fell silent. Everyone stood. Then, one by one, the customers started leaving.
Even Ayat looked scared. She had seen Dee angry before, but this was different. It wasn't just rage—it was a storm brewing.
Literally.
The sunny sky turned dark. Thunder rolled above them. Winds picked up, swirling around the streets.
Rayyan jerked his hand free.
"Why did you take his flowers?" he asked bitterly.
"It's my life. I know what I'm doing," Dee replied.
"I know it's your life, but you can't let this jerk ruin it!" he snapped.
"I said I can handle it. And if he messes up, I'll take care of him myself."
"No. You can't. That's why I'm doing it for you!"
"Did I ask you to?" Dee's voice lowered—but hit harder than any shout.
Rayyan fell silent.
"You didn't ask me," he finally said. "But I should protect you. I have to."
"Why?" Dee asked, calmer now, but her eyes searched his soul. "Why do you care?"
Rayyan hesitated. "Because… you're my… my friend."
Dee's expression faltered. For a moment, something softened in her gaze.
But then—"A friend doesn't interfere in my life."
She walked over to Duke, knelt, and helped him up. Together, they left.
Rayyan stood there, aching, helpless. He knew he'd ruined everything. Again. But no matter how many times he embarrassed himself, he couldn't stop caring.
Ayat reached for his hand. "Stop."
---
Later, Dee helped Duke dress his wounds in silence.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"It's not your fault," Duke murmured.
After she finished applying the ointment, Dee stood. "I have to go. We'll talk later."
Duke nodded.
She headed home. Hoping Ayat wasn't there. She didn't want to face anyone.
She showered, crawled into bed, and let sleep steal her away.
---
Meanwhile, Ayat tried to calm Rayyan down.
"Did you see what happened today?" she asked.
"Yeah. Dee took his side," Rayyan grumbled. "I should've killed that bastard if she didn't stop me."
"No, not that. When she got angry… the weather changed."
Rayyan frowned. "You're imagining things."
"No. Think about it. The storm. The thunder. She didn't just get angry, Rayyan… something else happened."
"You think Dee has powers? That's not possible. You and I got ours from a lab experiment, not magic."
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."
"What? You're investigating Dee? She's your sister!"
"And that's why I need to know. I'm going to the lab for answers."
"You're insane! If they catch you, they'll use you again. You know that."
"I'm not going alone. Someone inside helps me. Don't worry."
---
The next few days, Dee didn't see Duke.
He ignored her messages.
She spotted him taking a cab—but he was gone before she reached him.
She waited at the café for hours, day after day, but he didn't show.
A week passed.
Then finally—he was there, working. She sat quietly and ordered coffee.
Someone else brought it.
After his shift, she approached. But what she saw stopped her cold.
Emma—the popular girl from university—hugged Duke. Dee's heart cracked.
She marched forward.
"Why are you avoiding me?" she demanded.
"I'm not."
"Then what the hell have you been doing for the past week?"
"I was… busy. Building a name for myself."
"A name?"
"Come with me," he said, ignoring Emma's grasp on his arm. He pulled Dee away and took her to his bike.
---
He drove for over an hour, far from the city.
"Where are we going?" Dee asked.
"You'll see."
She remembered something strange—when Duke had once frozen time, she hadn't frozen with everyone else. He'd touched her head before entering the café. How?
Was she like them?
Was she… different?
Her thoughts spun.
Finally, they arrived at a place lined with shipping containers. Two guards stood before a narrow entrance.
"What is this?" she asked.
"Heaven. Racing. Money. Power."
Duke tried to enter but the guards stopped him.
"No pass. No entry."
"I forgot it—please, just this once."
"Rules are rules. Go back."
He sighed, turned to Dee. "We should go."
But the place felt familiar.
Dee stepped forward. "Do you know who Dee is?"
"No. Go home, little chick, or we'll eat you tonight," one sneered.
The other one paused. "Wait. Dee? You mean the Dee? The boss?"
"Well, I'm that Dee," she said firmly. "Now let us in."
"You think we'll fall for that? Go home," the first guard said—and shoved her.
She hit the ground, her hand scraping open.
Duke rushed to her. "Dee, let's just leave."
But she called Rayyan.
"Come to the entrance. Now," she ordered.
"You're kidding. How did you even find this place?" Rayyan asked.
"You've got two minutes. Or else." Click.
She faced the guards again. "Let me in. Or end up in the hospital."
They laughed.
"And who's going to do that? You?" The first guard grabbed her hair.
WHAM!
A punch came from behind—Rayyan.
"You…?"
"I'm not your boss. She is," Rayyan growled. He landed another hit.
"If I see you again, I'll make sure you can't touch anything again."
The guards scrambled away.
Rayyan turned to Dee, softened. "Sorry I was late."
But when he saw Duke, his warmth vanished. "What's he doing here?"
"Let's talk inside," Dee interrupted.
---
Dee's eyes widened as they entered. Neon lights. Revving engines. Sleek cars. Bikes.
"This… this is all mine?" she whispered.
Rayyan nodded. "Only yours. Everything here… even me."
Everyone wore black.
"Why black?"
"You said in the group once you liked black. So we made it a rule."
---
Later, Dee confronted Duke privately in a quiet hotel room nearby.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "You're the queen of racing… the boss. Why lie?"
"You never asked," she replied with a small smile.
"Dee, this isn't a joke. How many truths are you hiding?"
"I should be asking you that. How do you know about this place? How did you stop time? Why did you approach me? Why pretend to save me?"
Duke's face tightened.
"You have powers. You knew about Rayyan and Ayat, didn't you?" Dee said.
Outside, Rayyan and Ayat listened in shock.
"You used me," Dee said. "To get close. To dig out secrets. You thought I was normal and then ignored me."
"Yeah," Duke admitted. "I couldn't ask Rayyan or Ayat. So I used you."
SLAP.
Dee's bleeding hand struck—but Duke blocked it and raised his own.
Rayyan stormed in and grabbed Duke's wrist.
"This time, even Dee won't stop me," he hissed—and hit him again.
Duke tried freezing time—but it didn't work.
Rayyan's power had grown. He was immune now.
Ayat intervened. "Stop!"
Duke fled.
Dee stood there, trembling.
"You both lied to me," she whispered. "You made me feel like a joke."
"No!" Ayat said.
"It's not like that," Rayyan pleaded.
He reached for her—but noticed the blood on her hand.
"Ayat, get a bandage!" he shouted.
"I'm done," Dee said, pulling away. "We're not even friends now."
Rayyan begged. "Please. We only kept it secret to protect you—"
"Stop!" Dee sobbed. "I'm not a pawn. I'm not a toy. I trusted you more than anything. I left everything behind for you. And this is what I get?"
"Let me explain," Rayyan said, tears falling.
"I can't. I need space."
She walked away.
---
Outside, chaos.
People were running. Dee grabbed a man.
"What's going on?"
"International racers. They're breaking rules—challenging riders in the rain. Hitting them when we say no!"
Dee's eyes darkened.
Fine.
If they want a race… they'll get one.
She stormed toward the racers.
"You want a challenge?" she said coldly. "I'll race you."
---
The rain poured harder as the challenger laughed.
"Oh? All the boys here turned into cowards?" Nick scoffed. "Just look at this girl's courage—she wants to race us, international racers."
One of the racers lounging nearby leaned forward. "Do you even know who we are?"
"No," Dee replied flatly. "And I don't want to."
They were all soaked, rain dripping from their jackets and helmets. But Dee stood there like she belonged in the storm.
"Little girl," said one of the men, almost gently, "you should go inside before you catch a cold. And about racing… I'm already moved by your speech."
"You're just scared," Dee said, stepping forward. "Afraid of losing to a girl. A coward. A loser."
The man's face changed. "You've got guts."
The one who had spoken first grinned. "Fine. I'm Nick Watson. First champion of international street racing."
"I'm Dee," she said. "Enough talk. Let's race."
Dee turned to the guards. "Bring me a bike."
Moments later, a gleaming Yamaha was rolled out for her. Nick mounted his own brand-new Kawasaki, cocky as ever.
The track looked normal—until the tunnel.
The tunnel was pitch-black. And near its end… hidden wires.
One of the guards who had overheard the challenge ran, panicked, through the rain toward the hotel. He spotted Ayat just entering.
"Miss Ayat!" he shouted, breathless.
She turned. "What now?"
"It's the boss—Dee. She's racing Nick Watson. Right now."
"What?!" Ayat froze. "In this rain? That's against her own rules!"
She broke into a sprint. But by the time she reached the track… it was too late.
The race had already begun.
Nick took an early lead, his Kawasaki tearing through the rain like lightning. But halfway in—Dee picked up speed. Her engine roared louder, tires slashing through puddles.
Ayat could barely watch. "Dee… what are you doing?"
Nick entered the tunnel first, confident. But something was off.
Suddenly, he slowed down—on purpose.
Dee, right behind him, surged forward.
Then—darkness.
The tunnel swallowed her. Slick oil coated the road. She tried to steady the bike, but the tires slipped.
Her hands tightened on the handles. Not now. Not like this.
But she couldn't hold on.
At the tunnel's end, the Yamaha slid sideways.
Thinking fast, Dee pushed the bike toward the tire wall, trying to protect it.
And she jumped.
Straight into the hidden wires.
They cut into her like knives.
Blood spilled.
Her body hit the ground, limp.
---
Inside her mind, everything slowed down.
So… this is how I die?
But the pain was fading. And for the first time in a long time… so was the sadness.
At least one of my wishes came true. At least I felt alive… even if only for a moment.
In her blurry vision, memories sharpened.
Rayyan—running toward her, yelling her name, beating the men who had threatened her.
Ayat—always there, worried, protecting her in her own way.
They cared. Maybe they had their reasons. Maybe… if I had another chance, I would've apologized. I should've.
I was just too tired to see it.
---
Nick crossed the finish line, arms raised, smirking.
Everyone cheered—unaware.
Unaware that he'd cheated. He had greased the tunnel road earlier and crept through carefully, knowing Dee would speed.
Rayyan and Ayat arrived at the scene.
When they saw the blood...
Rayyan froze.
Ayat dropped to her knees.
"Dee?" Rayyan whispered.
The crowd went silent.
Someone finally screamed.
Rayyan stared at Nick, disbelief and fury colliding in his eyes.
How could someone else win?
How could Dee…
---
It had been minutes. Too many minutes.
But Dee still hadn't returned.
Ayat's chest tightened with every second. Her instincts screamed something was wrong. Without waiting, she bolted toward the track, heart pounding harder than the rain hitting her skin.
She didn't see Dee—only guards running frantically in the same direction.
Rayyan followed closely behind. He wasn't sure why—maybe to protect Ayat in the rain, maybe because something in his gut twisted with dread.
Then he saw her.
Ayat, suddenly falling to her knees.
She wasn't moving. She was just… staring.
"Ayat?" Rayyan called softly, confused.
He stepped closer.
And then he saw it.
Blood.
Flowing with the rainwater.
Not just a little.
Too much.
Red, thick, and endless—trailing from the end of the tunnel.
His stomach dropped.
"What… what happened?" he muttered, his voice lost in the storm.
He looked at Ayat again, silently begging for an answer—but she just whispered, barely audible—
"Dee… no…"
The words hit him like a bullet.
Rayyan's breath caught as he sprinted toward the tunnel.
No. No, it's just his imagination. It's not what he thinks. It can't be.
But as he got closer, he saw the cluster of guards.
They were gathered around something—someone.
Wires.
Blood.
Torn clothing.
The closer he got, the more his world shattered.
The rain couldn't wash away what he saw now.
The red—so much red—soaking the pavement, the tires, the tunnel wall.
And in the center of it all...
A figure tangled in wires. Unmoving.
Rayyan stepped forward, slowly, numb with fear.
He saw the black shirt.
The dark, rain-drenched hair.
And finally—
Her face.
He dropped to his knees beside her.
"Dee…"
No response.
He gently turned her over—and choked on a sob.
The wires were buried deep in her side. Blood pooled beneath her. Her lips were pale. Her skin cold.
"Dee… No. No. No, it can't be—" Rayyan's voice cracked. His tears blurred everything, but he couldn't look away.
It felt like someone ripped out his heart and left it there on the road next to her.
Why did it have to be her?
This wasn't supposed to happen. Not to Dee.
She was fire. Thunder. Alive.
And now…
Now she looked like a ghost—drained of all that light.
"Please," Rayyan whispered, cupping her bloodied face, "wake up… please, Dee. For me. Just—just open your eyes."
But she didn't move.
He couldn't even blink, terrified that if he did—if he looked away for even a second—he'd lose her forever.
"DEE!" he screamed, his voice echoing in the tunnel. "You can't die! You can't—not like this!"
But the only response was the sound of rain.
And Dee, broken and still… lying in his arms… in her last breath.
---