The Switch

Chapter Thirteen | A Couple Routine Questions

All I could feel after the initial shock was numbness.

Red and blue lights flashed outside the museum, filling it with an eerie light. I sat on the steps with Nick, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, trying to process what I had just seen. Nick was silent beside me, both of us quiet for different reasons.

That was probably his first time seeing a dead body. Me, I saw them all the time, so that was no shock. I just couldn't get over the fact that a mermaid had done this - in public. It reminded me so much of Valerie, our banished sister, and it chilled me to the bone.

He wrapped his arm around me and squeezed me tightly, hugging him to his chest. Kissing the top of my hair, he murmured, "Are you okay?" I closed my eyes and slightly nodded my head, just enjoying the feeling that I got whenever I was close to him.

We sat there looking out at the courtyard, which was filled with people wearing grave expressions and talking in low voices. Two officers were comforting a sobbing woman, who I assumed was the victim's wife. My heart wrenched as I watched tears fall down her face, streaks of black mascara running down her cheeks.

"Excuse me, miss?"

My head jerked up to find a police officer standing in front of us, holding a clipboard.

"I'm Officer Snyder. We are just asking everyone a couple routine questions, making sure we have all of the information."

I nodded slightly, and he sat down next to me, an empathetic expression on his face.

"Did you know the victim?"

I shook my head, my hair falling in front of my eyes. Nick brushed it out of my face almost unconsciously, his fingers brushing against my cheek.

"No, he was a complete stranger. I didn't know him." My voice broke on the last word and I suddenly had to blink back tears. I would never have cried for someone I didn't know before I met Nick. Being around all these humans, especially one who I loved, was changing me. Maybe for the better.

The officer nodded his head, marking something on his paper. He turned to look at Nick, the same question in his eyes. Nick shook his head slightly, grasping my hand tightly.

"We noticed you two were at the front of the crime scene. Did you notice anything strange about the body?" Officer Snyder asked.

I stared straight ahead, refusing to speak. I knew that if I started talking, I would say something that I would regret, probably one that would get me locked up in an insane asylum. Once Nick noticed that I wasn't going to answer, he cleared his throat and told the police man, "Yeah, there were a couple wounds on the neck, and the body was very unnaturally pale, almost like all the blood was gone from it."

The officer nodded, marking a few more things on his clipboard. He stood up, and patted me on the back. "Thank you for your cooperation. Some hot cocoa is being served in the museum if you would like some. I know hot cocoa always cheers me up." He winked at me and walked away, heading toward the next group of people.

"Do you want to get some cocoa?" Nick asked quietly, stroking my hair affectionately. I nodded, and gathering my blanket around me, we made our way back into the museum.

The place that was once very bright and flamboyant now seemed dull and dreary, a chilling presence radiating from deep within. Most wings were closed off, yellow crime scene tape pulled across the entrances. Lights shone on the tile, illuminating the rooms with an sinister light.

Nick settled me on a cushioned bench and wandered off to get some hot cocoa. I was lost deep in my thoughts when a watery-eyed Rachel sat beside me, Aaron hovering next to her.