My name is Kenine Kebaen. At that moment, I was on board an aircraft, flying over the South Atlantic, on my way to Kounkamicon Island. But before we landed, I need to tell my story — what happened before that flight.
I was born in Washington, D.C., on August 15, 1999. I was raised by my parents, Lucinda and Michael Kebaen, and our life was happy and peaceful. I studied hard and graduated with honors, but at the same time, I lost the only family I had left. During a vacation trip, their plane exploded, and I was completely destroyed. For a long time, loneliness was my only companion.
Time passed, and the hope of finding love surprised me. I fell in love with Gandy Moster, a handsome and charismatic coworker. He stole my wounded heart, which was still slowly healing from the loss of my parents. I gave myself to him, completely drawn in by his smile, his seductive gaze, his scent, and his lips. Like an innocent lamb, I was devoured by a wolf.
We dated for two months, and in my innocence, I was already dreaming of a marriage proposal. That's when my world collapsed for the second time. I found him in bed with my best friend and colleague, Grace Homerbean. A girl who, on the outside, looked like pure innocence, but inside was a traitor. Gandy broke up with me that same day. I begged him to stay, even said I could forgive him, but he rejected me without hesitation to be with her.
I couldn't believe what was happening to me. My heart was racing uncontrollably, my dark eyes filled with tears, and I began to feel dizzy from the pressure of this new reality crashing down on me without mercy. My hands trembled, and all I wanted was to disappear. I turned and saw Gandy leaving in a car with Grace, and then my mind finally understood everything. Through tears, I said:
"I can't take this anymore!"
I was going insane, because the pain of betrayal was overwhelming, but the pain of losing someone important for the second time was even worse than anything I had ever felt in that moment.
That night, on a Wednesday, under the fixed gazes of the neighbors who silently witnessed my pain, I entered my police vehicle and drove toward the forest. I left the paved, busy city streets and entered the wooded region. And I didn't stop anymore. I pressed the accelerator hard, while thoughts of everything I had lived with that damn Gandy flashed through my mind like rapid scenes from a romantic movie, and the emotional overload made me realize that everything I had lived until then was a complete lie — and would never return, because I was alone.
Outside, my car moved along the long asphalt road almost like a black-and-white shadow in the night, cutting through the path without stopping as it headed toward the horizon marked by the enormous vastness of towering pine trees and the great Mount Rhiver. The sky was clear, and the full moon, round and gray, shone above, its light falling over my vehicle and illuminating everything with a perfection no living being could truly understand.
Then, as black clouds began to form on the horizon, I reached the mountain. I stopped the car and got out. My emotions were consuming me. I heard voices in my head, but there was no one around. That was clear proof that I was unstable. Without fear, I moved deeper into the forest, under the shadow of towering pine trees, passing between their strong trunks, stepping over dry pointed leaves that covered the dark brown forest floor. With my gaze fixed on the mountain peak, I kept walking. I climbed it quickly and reached the top, looking at the dark gray horizon. The wind blew gently, releasing a massive wave of cold that made me tremble. With the intention of jumping, I looked down while crying from fear and pain.
Yes, the pain was unbearable. I just wanted to see my parents again. I just wanted to feel loved and safe again. I just wanted to love someone who would love me too. Was that too much to ask? I asked myself at the time. But I did not have the answer I wanted.
Ready to give up everything, I took a deep breath and stepped toward the edge of the mountain. But just as I was about to jump and end my life once and for all, I heard desperate screams from a teenage girl in danger. I stopped in shock, confused, turned to the left and said:
"What was that? Is there someone here?"
But I heard the screams again: "Help! Help! Someone please help me!"
The police instinct took over me. I wiped my tears and swallowed my pain for a moment. I drew my gun and held it firmly, looking toward the horizon determined to save that girl. I ran down the mountain at full speed to help her. As soon as I reached the ground, I moved through the dark forest with the unstoppable determination of a true police officer. I found her surrounded by a group of men, and then I acted. Yes, I saved her from being raped by a group of drunk men.
Some time later, I was sitting on the hood of my car, under the flashing lights of the police sirens, staring at the girl as she reunited with her parents, all of them in tears as they embraced. A light rain was falling. In that moment, I remembered what I had forgotten: I was a police officer, and people needed me — just like that girl had needed me. That was when I rose again. I got into my vehicle and drove back to the city, leaving the reunited family and the officers behind.
As soon as I arrived, I requested a transfer to Kounkamicon Island, to protect innocent people and start my life over. Because I was Officer Kebaen.