RoseBlood

Elysium

It's always a good idea to research where it is you're going before actually going there. Naturally, that's the first thing I do when I get back home.

I grab my laptop from under my bed, search 'Elsyium', and write the definition down in my casebook in interest, a small frown on my face.

Elysium:

Elysium, also called Elysian Fields or Elysian Plain, in Greek mythology, originally the paradise to which heroes on whom the gods conferred immortality were sent. By the time of Hesiod, however, Elysium was a place for the blessed dead, and, from Pindar on, entrance was gained by a righteous life.

Also, a state of great happiness.

So, Greek mythology. Or just a complicated word for happy. It all depends on who the owner is, and since it's not too late in the afternoon, the shop's bound to be open. Lewes Road is basically five minutes away, and Clarissa could decide to turn up to work tomorrow. I may have spooked her a little, but then again, she could be exactly who caused all this mess, so there's no feeling sorry just yet. Even so, I'll be warmer with her the next time I see her. I doubt she's said anything to Paul and Lorraine, and I make sure to keep up appearances as much as I can with people, so I should be fine.

I am a careful person, killer or no killer. And, if more people were as careful, there'd be fewer wars.

I haven't even taken my shoes off from visiting Clarissa since I only got in the door ten or so minutes ago. Now I'm going back out to seize the opportunity of letting a few questions slip with Clarissa's co-workers, and I go back down the stairs, bumping into Lizzie on the way.

"Hello," she says with a smile, her eyes kind and a little tired. "You alright, Holls? Going out for a bit of fresh air again?"

"Yeah, it seems to help," I respond with a half-smile. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm alright, love, don't you worry about me. It's you that should be the priority now, isn't it?"

"Well, I appreciate all the help and work you're doing, Lizzie. Thank you. But you can go home, if you need to."

"It's really not a bother," she insists. "To be honest, I do have to pop home to grab a few things, but I'll stay for another night if it helps. And it just might, you know? Sometimes it's nice having someone else, someone familiar nearby. The house doesn't seem nearly as big and ominous as it does with that, I've found."

I don't want to put her in danger by being here, but at the same time, it's nice having her around, and I don't think I'm ready to be entirely alone and exposed just yet. And the killer isn't after Lizzie. It's after me.

I nod, giving her a small smile. "You're right. And, also, the house is pretty big for me, so... well, I don't even know if it's my choice to keep it. They'll treat me like an adult anyway, won't they? I am eighteen now."

"I have been wondering about that," she agrees, a thoughtful frown on her face. "But my friend works for the council, and she reckons that you'll probably get benefits, seeing as you're still in college. You'll be on your feet once you get a job, though. Anyway, don't go worrying yourself about that now. I'm sure that the right people will be there to give the right advice and all. They'll know more about it than I do."

"I need to start going through their things soon, too," I tell her with a small sigh, half dreading and half interested in digging through the CSI-swept basement and storage around the place.

"Well, you do that when you're ready. There's absolutely no pressure, you hear me?"

But there is pressure. Soon enough, I'll be in stark office rooms where strangers with thick-rimmed glasses, piercing eyes and fake smiles are going to talk me through the wills, with my parents' house and cars and money, which they've probably left most of to me. There'll be enough, though, for now.