Chapter 18: My Love, Forever

The car chasing escalated and Rakiza was screaming, along with Theo.
"Theo, stop the car!" Rakiza shrieked, terrified.
But, despite her screams and yelling for him to stop the car, Theo made a U-turn to face the approaching limousine. "Wait a minute!" He then halted the car in the middle of the road, waiting for it to bump face to face.
"What are you going to do?" Rakiza's eyes were befuddled by the tragedy that was supposed to occur. They are anticipating a collision with the limousine.
Theo gritted his teeth. "Wait for this shit to rumble."
"Are you insane, Theo? You want us dead on the spot? "
"They are the insane ones. Let's see what they're going to do to get you," Theo growled.
The limousine was closing in on them quickly, and Rakiza decided to close her eyes and accept the wreckage. Her eyes tightened as she heard the shriek of halting tires from a sudden stop. Silence fell over her, and when she opened her eyes, Theo was nowhere to be found. He had already exited the car and was walking towards the limousine, but the limousine reversed at full speed, leaving Theo standing in the middle of the road.
Rakiza's stomach tightened to what she was experiencing, and she felt her strength drain away. She recognized Nikolas’s limousine and didn’t understand why they chased Theo’s car.
Theo got back in the car, slamming the door, and looked at her.
"What?" Rakiza irked.
His eyes glowed with the most devastation she'd ever seen in him. "They want me out of your life."
"Who would want that?"
"Don’t play dumb, babe. I know you know whose car is that? Your friend became enraged," he said as he started the car and drove away silently. "He wanted to scare me."
Rakiza was unable to strike up a conversation with Theo. He was still silent and dangerous, and she could feel his jaw tightening. And she didn't understand Nikolas's destructive motives if he was the one driving the limo. But she wanted to deny it.
"He can’t scare me," Theo murmured.
"What are you talking about?" Rakiza mumbled, perplexed.
"Your friend despised our friendship," Theo said sternly, "and he doesn't want you to be protected."
"And where did you get that idea?" Rakiza snorted.
"Didn't you see what almost happened to us?" He yelled.
"Don't yell at me. This would not have happened if you had not forced me to ride in your junk car. "
Rakiza was enraged by Theo's silence. She couldn't figure out why he was so adamant about his self-proclaimed job of protecting her. She was angry at him, but she was also curious about what he was doing. In their actions, they appeared to be engaged in a lover's quarrel.
The car came to a stop in front of the dormitory, and they remained silent for a few moments. Theo was still enraged and didn't say anything while staring out the front windshield. Rakiza exited the car without thanking him; instead, she slammed the car door and dashed to the dorm without looking back at the car or talking to Theo. She ran fast to her room.
"What happened to your interview?" Muriel was concerned.
"Did you pass the interview?" Susan inquired. "Are there any hot guys in the interviews?"
"Why did Theo drive you home in his old model car?" Chin inquired, perplexed.
"So, you’ve seen us?" Rakiza slammed her body into her bed.
"Yes, I was at the window in our room when the car came to a halt. And you were with Theo. How did it happen? " Chin continued.
Rakiza was still furious with Theo and asked, " Theo ruin all the excitement I was feeling. He was the rudest of all the men I have ever seen. And the most controlling bastard. "
"Why?" Muriel inquired.
Rakiza started to recall everything starting with her interview. And lastly, in the chasing scene she just experienced. She sighed deeply and then heard something.
*I'll always be in love with you* (a man’s voice)
"Did you hear it?" Rakiza turned to her friends.
Her friends, who were seated in every corner of the room, frowned at her unexpected question.
"Hear what?" Susan inquired.
"I heard a man's voice. He spoke in hushed tones, saying...
"Saying what, Rakiza?" Muriel inquired matter-of-factly.
Rakiza said hesitantly, "He whispered, he will always love me."
Chin affirmed: "And now you're hearing things, that's the result of keeping the white rose vampire flower. I told you that your bosom was cursed, and it had connected you to its devious power of alluring. "
"Oh no, Chin, stop thinking creepy thoughts," Muriel said. "We are now living in a modern, computerized era."
Susan and Muriel agreed. "Vampires are only myths in a book of fantasy and horror," Susan said. All were attempting to dismiss Chin's unfounded assumptions about Rakiza's hearing voice.
"I'm not forcing you to believe what I believed. We have free speech in this country, and I believe Rakiza was bewitched. "
"Who bewitched her?" Muriel inquired, while Susan laughed.
"There you go again, Chin, the girl with discernment," Susan said, "the girl who can read minds and heal the bewitched."
"You can make money by reading people's minds and palms, Chin. All you need is a stall, a crystal ball, and the best costume for a legitimate-looking clairvoyant. "
They all laughed, and Chin just frowned, but he never felt bullied. She still adored her friends. She had superstitious beliefs about almost everything, but she was never offended by some negative remarks. And her friends loved and enjoyed whatever she said.
Rakiza, on the other hand, was not joining in on the fun. She did, in fact, hear someone say to her, "He will always love me."
Muriel became aware of Rakiza's hushed demeanor. She was lost in thought. "What's bothering you, Raki?" Did you really hear a whisper? "
"Please ignore what I said. The truth is that Nikolas' limousine bothered me. " Rakiza said.
"What about it?" asked Muriel, Susan looked to Raki for more information, while Chin was busy cleaning her nails. "
"Didn't I tell you we were being pursued by a limousine, which damaged Theo's car?"
"Yeah, and then you thought Nikolas was jealous of Theo, that he went out of his way to kill both of you."
"I'm not sure because the car was dark and I didn't see Nikolas inside the limo."
"He became envious because perhaps he had a plan for both of you," Muriel explained.
"Why didn't you call Nikolas if you needed an answer?" Susan exclaimed, giggling and excited.
"You're a lustful creation, Susan," Chin said, while Susan just stared at Rakiza.
"Has anyone heard about my missing Maruja?" Rakiza sighed and changed the subject.
Chin was one of the students in the broadcasting class, so she was fully aware of all the gossip and campus news. Well, the thief was still at large and unidentified. Nobody is going to talk about it. Teri, on the other hand, was the one I suspected of the crime. "
"Whatever happened to my painting served a purpose for whoever stole it."
"How much is it going to cost?" I mean, your painting should have a price tag, don't you think? " Susan inquired. She said that men and money were the only two things that could get her attention, and she added, "I've read a few mystery and crime novels about robbers. Some thieves will simply follow their illness, which is the urge to steal. "
"You're talking about kleptomaniacs, Chin," Muriel said, adding, "Anyway, do you think you have a chance in that interview, Raki?"
"I don't know," Rakiza said, moving her gaze to the clear glass jar containing Charm, the chameleon, and asked, "What's on your mind, Charm?"
"You heard voices. Just be careful, because you are bewitched," Susan said in a tiny voice.
And they all laughed.

The next day, the school was a whirlwind of students coming in and out, and Rakiza made her way up to the second floor. When a female voice called her, she was running and gasping for air.
"Are you Rakiza Zanier?" With a wide smile, the girl approached Rakiza.
"Yes, is there anything I can do for you?" Rakiza asked.
"Well, I liked your painting on the student's wall," she said with a smile, "and we're classmates in academic class. I am Ajella Cari. "
"Ajella Cari?" mumbled Rakiza.