The Sunflower Killer

Chapter One

Loretta Cha took a drag from her last cigarette and blew a plume of smoke towards the open window of her apartment. The night was coming to an end, and she had gone through four packs of her addiction. With a lighter in hand, she quietly watched as the liquid slowly dripped down her fingertips. She had thrown it against the wall a few minutes ago, and now an ugly fracture adorned its surface.

A sliver of disgust snaked through her mind and she sighed in contempt. It was clear that dawn was approaching, and so were the memories from last night's masquerade. Unease crept in through the window, but she dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand. Loretta was courting death in every way possible, but she loved the thrill, and the thrill loved her. It was impossible for her to live otherwise.

She smiled as she recalled the way the man's visage turned to a chalky white when she slashed him once, and how his eyes grew dull when his chest stopped moving. She pictured how the maggots would find their way and bury themselves into his flesh, and laughed softly under her breath.

Sebastian Torres deserved to die. He was lazy, arrogant, and nearly drowning in daddy's money. He was a weak man, and that made him a liability. Loretta hated him. She hated the way that he couldn't keep his beady little eyes from roaming, and hated that his greasy ginger hair laid flat against his forehead. She hated the way his mouth would turn up in a vile smirk, and hated that he couldn't keep his grubby little hands away from her banknotes. But most of all, she hated the fact that he had threatened to ruin her if she didn't do his bidding. So she killed him, and left him in an alley to rot. His behaviour at the ball was his death warrant—he might as well have slapped a target on his back and written: 'shoot me.'

Loretta was not barbaric. She had given him many chances to reprimand and reflect on his actions. But when his lover had written a lengthy letter to her about his new mistress, Loretta felt that a man who was as foul as he was not suited to stay in the living world. Of course, there was a hefty amount of gold offered for her service, but she had taken a particular interest in their affair. It was a spectacular scandal that trickled through the city: that a man of his status found a mistress the same age as his youngest daughter!

She was positive that police would discover his remains the next morning. But Edward did his job well, so there was no reason to fret. He was her guardian angel, and she was his nightmare. He was always there to pick her up and piece her back together again, while she wreaked havoc in the city. Ever since they were young, they only had each other, and Loretta was content with remaining so.

Taking one last drag from her cigarette, she crushed the burning end between her fingertips and watched as it fell off the edge of her balcony. There was a smell of charring flesh, but she paid no attention to the pain. The sun was up, and she needed to head towards the institution. It wasn't every day that her Chemistry teacher was dead.

Whistling a faint tune, she scrubbed her face clean and donned the school uniform. The crisp folds of her skirt wrapped around her waist, and she slipped on the befitting navy blazer. A white shield that embellished the front pocket was the crest of Blyth Academy; Loretta privately thought it was rather unusual that such a prestigious school had left their coat of arms blank.

Today was a special day. Sebastian—Mr. Torres—would be pronounced deceased, and no one would mourn him. The Academy would hold a vigil, and everyone would pretend to care for a couple of days. Before long, the memories of Sebastian Torres would dissipate along with the wind. Nobody would grieve for him, and it would be as if he never existed. Loretta's job would therefore be done.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and danced down the stairs, her hands occasionally fluttering across the railing as she pirouetted through the halls. A twinge shot through her left ring finger, and she winced in pain. It was not uncommon for it to ache after she had held something for too long, and in yesterday's case, it was the dagger used to slit Sebastian's throat.

Her teeth clenched, tight enough to break her jaw. The pain was a constant reminder that she had failed her first task, and that she was an amateur—thus not worthy enough to consider herself one of Eloise's disciplines.

It was unfortunate timing that her parents had come home for the first time in weeks. Loretta couldn't understand why they even bothered returning at all—her mother was always working away on her laptop and sorting files, while her father only ever looked at newspapers while drinking black coffee. Black coffee is awfully bitter, Loretta would often think. But in her household, it didn't matter whether she drank black coffee or hot chocolate. To her parents, she was only a burden. And to her, her mother and father were only a source of income. It was an intricate balance. Her parents would pay the bills, and she would be a good daughter. None would be the wiser.

While she was cleaning the blood from her dagger last night, the front door had creaked open, and she hastily tucked the weapon in her waistband. The family of three uttered brief greetings to one another before departing to their respective bedrooms. Each time it happened, Loretta would stifle her laugher. It was ironic that they were both criminal investigators that worked for the local police force. It was also beyond ironic that their daughter was the city's most wanted killer.

Loretta was so preoccupied with her daydreams that she nearly barreled into Edward on her way out the front door. With an oof, she landed straight into his arms, sending both of them sprawling onto the concrete.

"Whoa there Etta, slow down! We don't want you breaking any bones before school starts, huh?"

Rubbing her head, she sheepishly grinned up at him. "Sorry Edward, I—"

"—was half-asleep again? You don't need to apologize for that. Last night was brutal." His smile lit up his entire face, and Loretta couldn't help but reach forward to fluff down his golden hair—the strands sticking up in every direction possible. To her, he looked like a lost puppy, wagging its tail at her from afar.

"Eloise called and said that she received a postcard, telling us that we had permission to get rid of Sebastian."

Heaving himself from off the ground and extending a hand towards Loretta, Edward made a face before pulling her up. "Mister Torres was a horrendous Chemistry teacher and an even more awful person. Having an affair was bad enough, but burning down the barn with his wife and children was a different kind of diabolical act. He deserved to die."

Loretta shrugged. "A killer is still a sinner. And that's what I am. A sinner."

"You're far from a sinner. If I haven't known you for nearly two decades, I'd call you an angel."

"Oh? Does the fact that we've known each other for two decades change the fact that I'm a charming, charismatic, beautiful, fantastic, fabu—"

"Loretta Cha! Of course it doesn't change anything!" Edward guffawed and nudged her with his elbow. "You have always been charming, charismatic, beautiful, fantastic, and fabulous. But hey, cut yourself some slack. What you're doing right now is for the greater good. You shouldn't be burdened by guilt. Think about it, you're cleansing society of criminals, and you're getting paid at the same time. Isn't this a win-win situation?"

Loretta didn't respond. The two walked in uncomfortable silence for a while, before Edward stopped and sighed. "Have you ever heard of the saying 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'?"

"Wasn't that from the Code of Hammurabi? I believe it was from the Babylonian era."

"Bingo!"

She cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Are you about to give me a history lesson?"

"Yes... well no. My point is, the universe requires equilibrium. We are obligated to praise the good and to punish the evil. Karma circulates in this world, and we are the embodiment of it. Eloise gathered us for a reason, so we must trust our fate.

Loretta. You are not a sinner, and will never be a sinner. Remember that."

She considered this for a second and nodded her head slowly, plastering a grin for Edward to see. But before they reached the institution, Loretta's smile had already dropped from her face.