[A month ago. 18 days after the arrest.]
Jaina glanced at her carefully. Zella sighed, tucking in her hands inside the coat's pockets. She glimpsed at the name by her cellmate's coat.
H. Anderson, M.D.
"I wish that is a female, Jaina," Zella reckoned. Jaina darted her eyes everywhere, panicking a little, and turned to the name stitched at the coat. Zella swallowed, motioning for her to change. Jaina rushed to wore off the men's coat. She slung it the way she retrieved it.
A distant conversation emerged right in front of the spare room's door. The head doctor must be endorsing a patient to a nurse. Zella wished they would never come in here, because Jaina was still checking whether the names are female or not. She wasn't sure about hers though.
"Aish! I might as well throw this in!" Jaina exclaimed. She slipped in her coat, dressing up rapidly, and cascaded her hair at the back of her shoulders. Jaina picked the most right one. Zella puffed her cheeks, holding up a hand, waiting for the doctor and the nurse to walk away.
They did, actually. Zella must be a psychic in her past life.
"Are we clear?" Jaina asked. "Yes," Zella answered briefly.
Zella was the first one to check the hallway, and it's deserted already. She went out, composing herself, and turn the tiny piece of paper. It became their lifeline.
"The last. Line."
…
[Present time.]
Someone's calling him, but he doesn't bother to answer it. Leo propped his chin at the back of his hand, staring at the glass plaque, and wondered what happened last night. The kiss made him feel anything. It doesn't mean that he should have thought about it all night, but it made him stay awake for a while. After the kiss, he didn't walk out of the master's bedroom, and let Zella take some time to think.
Is her action that good? Leo has been trying to avoid it, yet the prey pounced on the predator. Or he was the prey, and Zella is the predator. He doesn't know which is who.
In his office, it's chaotic when it reached 10 in the morning. Leo doesn't care, since it's their work. Plus, he checked his backlogs yesterday and they're all fine. He can just pile it up until Randall took care of it. Sometimes, he's too lazy to even sign a contract.
Leo stood up from the swiveling chair, stretching out his arms, and hissed. The telephone call was ringing in his ears, and it annoyed him. He picked up, growling, "Hello?"
He forgot he's in the CEO's office. Leo should have said his name and what company he's in. Leo pinched the bridge of his nose, apologizing. The person on the other end of the line isn't telling what his business for.
"This is Luciano Corp., how may I help you?" He knew it sounded drowsy, but he doesn't care. He's too tired to even go to work today, anyway. Leo hissed, falling back to the chair. A moment of silence came, but eventually, he heard a woman's voice.
"It's me." Leo widened his eyes.
…
Zella, who is sitting in the living room couch, with her hands clasped onto the night robe she wore last night, blinked several times. So this was the number? She turned at the mouthpiece, wondering if she should continue. Zella flipped the pages of the directory, and closed her eyes when she realized she have called the wrong number.
Randall has instructed her to call some fast food chain restaurant if she wanted a Chinese cuisine. Or even a Japanese or Korean. The chain she was about to call has the number next to Luciano Corp., and she dialed the wrong one. Zella sighed, giving up, saying, "It's me."
The other end of the line became quiet. Although a distant rummage of the crowd is muffled, she knew it's too busy inside Leo's office. Zella waited, staring at the earpiece, and an answer never came. She asked, "Aren't you going to say something?"
"I was just shocked that you called my office number," Leo recovered that fast.
Zella breathed, "I just called the wrong number."
Leo got taken aback. So she called the wrong number…
"Looking over the directory, am I right?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, I accidentally called Luciano Corp. I'm sorry. You must be busy with work." Zella had thought of it, everything about work. Will she go back being the President of that company, or just stay at home and take care of other things her husband doesn't do anymore? Zella had been meaning to ask it, but she doesn't have the time to question her identity.
She had to KNOW her identity.
"No, I'm not, really. Thanks for dialing the wrong number, actually." Zella beamed, totally forgetting what happened last night. But as soon as the smile came in her lips, it dissipated too swiftly. Leo and Zella stayed silent, holding the line.
"I have to go. I'm hungry." Zella was the first one. She put the phone back to its place. Retrieving the directory, she relived the intense moment last night.
…
[A month ago. 18 days after the arrest.]
As soon as she said those words, a ringing telephone reached their ears. Jaina turned in the direction of the head doctor's office, hearing the rush of the footsteps, and answered the line immediately. Zella sighed, uttering, "Our answers might be right in the maze itself. The Gods and Goddesses have showered us with coincidences."
Jaina nodded, her face lighting up. Zella added, "It's the only way we can escape together, Jaina. Pretend to be a professional doctor, alright?"
"Minimal answers will be way better," Jaina uttered. They waited for the head doctor to go out of her office and onto the ward. This is the moment they're both excited of. As they reached the lobby, the nurses perked up, and recognize their coats. They must be new, because Zella have never seen them before.
As they ushered them to the room, the doctors were preparing for an intubation. The patient was right strapped onto the bed, with a lot of bruises and wounds in his arms, and even a bandage in his forehead. He must be the one… who fell down a building. Something unexpected happened, and no matter how many times the head doctor compressed his chest, the pulse rate is going low.
"Oh no," Jaina reacted. Zella nudged her at the side, and she covered her mouth. The nurse who motioned for them to come exclaimed, "We have to prepare the ambulance!"
Zella and Jaina glanced at each other. They ran out of the ward, and onto the other door towards the ambulance car. Zella had to wonder why the sirens were still quiet. Maybe in a couple of minutes, the two of them were going to be on a chase. Zella opened up the ambulance car, and two spare of uniforms were there.
"Change identities once again." Zella fastened up the slacks and the jacket. She tied her hair up onto a bun and hid it inside a cap. Jaina was doing the same, letting her spectacles disturb her in every second. Zella tapped her back as the doors started to open. She saw the head doctor trying to revive her patient, but it's useless.
The prisoner needed to be delivered in the hospital.
The head doctor breathed a large amount of air, gave the patient's details, and closed her eyes. The nurse caught her before she fell. She must be too exhausted to even notice the one handling the ambulance isn't nurses. The driver walked outside, rushed to the car, and helped the two of them to hoist the patient onto the ambulance. Before Zella could climb in, the sirens blared. All around the penitentiary state, everyone's alarmed. The speakers produced static noise, and a loud, authoritative voice announced something.
"Four of the prisoners are trying to break out of the prison now. We have to locate Ms. Zella Albert, Ms. Jaina Montenegro, Mr. Peter Right, and Mr. William Jones." The doctor motioned for them to come in because there's no time to listen to the announcement. What's important for her is to save her patient.
"Take her on time," the head doctor muttered. Zella saw the sadness in her eyes. She doesn't have any grudge, but disappointment at her dispense of being a doctor. Zella closed the door, sighing, and turned to the driver.
"Please take this prisoner in the---"
The driver wore off his mask, and a smirk came. Jaina turned to the patient, and he's still sleeping. Zella couldn't take off his eyes from the driver, wondering if he's one of the prisoners who were trying to break out. A sneer came when he stepped on the gas pedal. The silence ensued, but Zella contemplated her thoughts.
"Are you one of them?" Zella couldn't help but to ask.
The man turned to the reflection, and smirked. "Mr. Peter Right is here."
The sleeve of his jacket went off, indicating the Tempus Moneda is still active. Zella's jaw dropped on the floor. Jaina didn't know what's happening, but she narrowed her eyes to her cell mate.
Before she could ask, the doors open, and the blinding light consumed the ambulance car.