Internal Affairs: The Lies We Tell

Chapter Three

"My name is what?!" Aaliyah scrunched her nose at the sight of Blake's ginormous smile. The two sat in a back corner of a local fast-food place, separated from other patrons inside the restaurant. Aaliyah's brown eyes glanced over the open file before she met Blake's eager eyes. Her partner sat across from her in the cushioned booth, munching on a bacon cheeseburger with no pickles. A tray with a six-piece tender meal sat in front of her on her side of the booth. Three paper cups of ketchup sat on the burgundy tray next to the medium sprite she ordered with her food.

Aaliyah's hair was pulled into a messy bun, which matched her lackadaisical attitude since she woke this morning. Aaliyah rubbed the puffiness under her waterline with Blake sighing from frustration.

"C'mon Aaliyah, it's not that bad," Blake raked his fingers through his short, blonde hair. "Sahara Bennett, is cool." He insisted, then grabbed a handful of golden fries to scarf down.

"Average at best." Aaliyah said with a shake of her head. She took a sip of her sprite and met Blake's concerned gaze. "I mean, it is just a name, so it'll have to do for the time being." she added.

"Exactly. So, are you ready to hear the backstory?"

"Shoot." Aaliyah said with a flimsy fry between her thumb and index fingers. A smile plastered itself across Blake's face when he heard Aaliyah's request and pointed towards the case file on the table.

"You are, Sahara Monet Bennett, a twenty-nine-year-old from Columbia, South Carolina. You graduated from Dreher High School and attended University of South Carolina for mass communications." Blake watched Aaliyah analyze the file on the table and used this time to snag a couple more fries to munch down. "Your desires were to join the entertainment business, so you relocated to Cartersville, Georgia to be closer to Atlanta."

"Why not move to Atlanta then?" Aaliyah said.

"Too expensive." Blake shot back. "Remember, you want a chance at fame, so you don't have much. Cartersville is more in your budget and leave it at that." Blake reached over and pointed at the address printed at the bottom of the page. Aaliyah followed his finger with her eyes, making a mental note to question the blank space under parent information.

Blake smiled when he noticed the perplexed look on Aaliyah's face. "This is your new address in Movan District. Hicks wants you to get moved in the next couple days. Things are really moving fast. Once you get settled into your new apartment, find a way to get hired at the Natura Coffee Shop in Rose District."

"What about parent history?" Aaliyah said, bracing herself against the table.

Blake pursed his lips. "That's the thing, you don't know your parents. You simply moved from foster home to foster home majority of your life. Until residing with permanent foster parents during your high school years."

Aaliyah rolled her eyes. "Blake, that means I have parents. What's their names?"

"I don't know, just make up something and remember your lie." Blake insisted.

The two sat in silence for a moment, while various customers entered and exited the restaurant. This was different than anything Aaliyah had done. Which mostly consisted of undercover work with small drug bust in Rose District. With those cases, she found refuge knowing that she was safe within the walls' perimeter. However, this mission required her leaving the comfort of the wall, and truly exploring what else Cartersville had to offer outside of it.

The thought alone of one day running into Adonis scared her. Adonis was described by many as the Devil in human form, due to his violent reign over Movan District. The Disciples would partake in heinous acts, so everyone blamed their crimes on Adonis himself. Aaliyah pursed her lips at the thought. Although Damien Jackson wasn't linked to gang activity in anyway, there was a little bit of uncertainty that plagued Aaliyah's mind.