On The Verge

Chapter 6- Ash Pale

——————Maddie——————

⠀⠀"Maddie, there's someone at the door for you." My mother cried out to me as I lay in bed, a textbook sprawled out in front of me. There was a slight hint of anxiety in her normally blithe voice.

⠀⠀"Coming." I cried in annoyance as I thumped down the stairs, assuming one of the girls was here to interrupt my studious studying. A serious looking police officer stood outside the door, taping his foot against the concrete of my front sidewalk.

⠀⠀"Madison Ziegler?" The officer inquired. I nodded, trying to transform my terrified expression into one of innocence.

⠀⠀"I have orders to bring you down the station for questioning." The officer stated calmly as my palms began to sweat in harmony with my now rapid breathing.

⠀⠀"Why?" I asked, forcing mock surprise into my voice.

⠀⠀"In relation to the death of Paige Hyland." His answer was simple and pristine. It was at the moment, that I knew they had caught us. As the officer led me to his vehicle, images of myself in jail polluted my thoughts. I fought back terrified tears during the seemingly endless drive to the station. 

⠀⠀The first thing I noticed when I walked into the station was not the mug shots posted on the wall, not the phone ringing, and not even the officers milling about. It was three faces that belonged to my best friends. They looked frightened and perturbed, likely mirroring my own anxious expression. Kendall's eyes were red and watery, her mascara ever so slightly smeared.

⠀⠀We were brought into an office where we carefully took a seat in front of a large oak desk. An official looking officer sat behind the desk, a notepad in hand. The air in the office seemed to press downwards, weighing on my shoulders like a weight.

⠀⠀"So girls, do you know why you're here?" He asked to initiate the conversation. We all shook our heads quickly.

⠀⠀"I'm sure you are aware that Paige Hyland is dead." He stated bluntly. I looked down at my lap while Kendall suppressed a sob. A tear slid down Chloe's face, which she quickly wiped away with the back of her hand while Nia nodded her head solemnly.

⠀⠀"I'm sorry for the loss of your friend but it is routine that I ask some follow up questions," The officer, who's tag claimed he was officer Derick Hoffborn continued. "I understand you saw her the day she died?"

⠀⠀"Yes," I spoke up. "We visited her in the Sanitarium."

⠀⠀"What did you talk about?" He inquired, his hand in ready position on his notepad.

⠀⠀"School mostly." Chloe said softly.

⠀⠀"Did she seem... Distressed? Angry? Upset?" He asked.

⠀⠀It suddenly dawned on me the true reason we were brought here. We were not going to get locked up for murder, he wanted to know if she seemed suicidal before she supposedly killed herself. Thoughts raced through my head, knowing if we played our cards right we could potentially keep them averted from the path of thinking she was murdered.

⠀⠀"No. She seemed fine." Nia replied honestly.

⠀⠀"She seemed no different than when she was at school." I added.

⠀⠀The officer nodded, sketched a few things into his notebook and proceeded with his next question; "did Paige ever talk about killing herself."

⠀⠀"Never." Kendall quickly stated. We all nodded in agreement.

⠀⠀"The doctors said the same thing; she showed no signs of depression or suicidal thoughts. But why else would she be on that roof?" He ranted in frustration.

⠀⠀I shrugged, trying not to look guilty. We were all looking around; at the roof, at the floor, anywhere but his eyes. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold eye contact in fear that somehow, he could see what we did through my eyes. Guilt seemed to be eating me from the inside out, possessing my every thought.

⠀⠀Soon, we were dismissed from the office. We wasted no time in our departure from the station. The air outside seemed much thinner, easier to breathe now that the tension of being interrogated was released. Wordlessly, we walked to the old, creaky park next to the station, where there would be no chance of our conversation being overheard.

⠀⠀"They don't know it's us." Nia said quietly, relief coated her voice.

⠀⠀"We're in the clear." Chloe decided, allowing herself to smile ever so slightly. We all took a deep breath, willing to put this behind us. We all wanted to forget about it, to pretend it never happened.

⠀⠀It was at that moment, that moment where the weight seemed to be lifted off of my shoulders, that a small piece of paper fluttered towards us in the the wind, catching on the metal pole that grounded the swing set.

(A/N; Please vote and leave a comment!)