Tales of Mystery and Intrigue

Stains of Innocence

AN: This is the fourth and last story that I wrote :) This one is probably my favourite one, and I wrote this one about one of my original characters.

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The loud sounds of the cafeteria full of people was almost deafening, though I somehow managed through it. The noise was always a bit more bearable when I was talking with someone, even if they were the same annoying and disrespectful people that I was basically forced to converse with on a daily basis.
All of the talking wasn't going on about the most positive topic, however. That could be confirmed by when I had walked over to my current seat, and I heard almost everyone I had passed talking about the Ten-Striker and their most recent victim. Although I couldn't really blame them on exchanging words about such a topic – I was quite the true crime enthusiast, myself. Still, I wished that they would stay a bit more quiet and let those who wish to eat do so in peace. To my disdain, the people who I sat next to seemed to be quite interested in the topic themselves, and it seemed like talking about the serial killer was much more important to them than eating. They seemed to be trying to figure out the seemingly unsolvable mystery of who the killer actually was.
I hated people like them. I really did, and yet I was still somehow dragged along into their group, all because people found me more attractive than the average person. I had never asked to be a part of their silly little group, but according to them, I belonged there because I was popular. “We good looking students need to stick together,” they would say, and then get into a bazillion fights during a single week. The scum of the earth, they were. Just a group of ungrateful brats that had no idea just how lucky they were to be born with looks that fit the current beauty standards. They complained about everything and disrespected their parents, rebelling against them and, if their words were true, bossing them around. I really couldn't stand people like that.
“What if the Ten-Striker is someone from our school? Who do you think it could be?” Jane asked, a smirk forming on her face. She seemed to find the whole situation amusing, as if the fact that the infamous serial killer being in the area didn't mean that her life was at risk as well.
“There's no way that they're from our school, do you ever even think-” Nicole was cut off by Jane talking again, looking like she really wanted to start yet another fight between the two. “Theoretically. Who do you think it would be?”
I fidgeted with the bracelets on my arms. I didn't really think much of the situation, if I was being honest. Sure, someone had just been found with ten stab wounds on the back in an alleyway, which had been followed by a letter to the nearby police station, both the unmistakable traits of each of the Ten-Striker's murders, but that didn't necessarily mean that I was going to be the next victim of the ruthless killer. But I already knew that the three people who I was sitting with were all going to ask for my opinion on their discussion.
“Probably Andrew, don't you think? He didn't seem to be fazed at all when we had that frog dissecting thing in biology class. Plus, he has enough muscle to stop people from running away,” Jamed muttered, most likely not really fond of the current conversation topic. He had tried to act as a strong, fearless guy for as long as I had known him, but we all knew that he was actually a huge scaredy cat that was too afraid to do anything on his own on the inside.
“What do you think, Nevida?” I heard Nicole ask me, and I wasn't even surprised. I had been expecting one of them to ask me for my opinion, so I just kept up my usual small smile and replied: “You don't need to be strong to stop someone from running away, don't you think? You could outsmart them, make a trap, or just approach them from behind, ensuring that they can't even run in the first place. And aren't the Ten-Striker's attacks all over the world? I'm pretty sure that Andrew has been here in America all his life.”
“Wait, doesn't that make you a suspect? You said that you have lived in a lot of different countries because of your mom's work, right?” Jane raised her eyebrow, eyeing me jokingly.
James interrupted before anyone else could say anything, a scowl on his face, “Yeah, as if. Have you even seen him? He's like a bunch of sticks glued together that could fall apart any second, I doubt that he could even stab someone. And him also being all around the world is most likely a coincidence. And before either of you two mention the fact that he also seemed unbothered during the dissecting biology class, then keep in mind that he's just a huge biology nerd. I don't even think that anyone in our school is the killer, I mean, think about it, it could be anyone. The Ten-Striker has never even revealed their age in any of the letters that they have sent to the police, so it could just as well be some ransom old man.” The points that James made actually made sense for once, and the three of them seemed to get tired of the conversation now, as they now started finally eating the already cold school lunch.