The Edge

Chapter 1 - MississipP.I

"You look like shit," announces my brother. "Work's that bad, huh? Must be why I don't do it."

I shoot a dirty look in his direction. Frankly, I'm surprised he's dragged his attention away from gaming long enough to notice my arrival at all, much less comment on it. I'd thought only an act of God could divert him from his mind-numbing obsession.

"Jesus, Wes. I walked in the door two seconds ago, and you've already begun with the profanity." At least he managed to form a coherent sentence. Generally speaking, most of his utterances involve grunts, cries of dismay, or shouts of joy as he destroys innocent virtual lives. I notice there are bits of popcorn and other unidentifiable matter scattered amongst my cushions. I can literally feel myself scowling.

"And you have now used the Lord's name in vain," he replies. "I repeat....bad day?"

"Try again."

He sighs. "Alright. You look...let's see....vexed, that's a good one. Dismayed. Frazzled." He raises a pierced eyebrow. "Perturbed, even."

"Better," I mutter.

Westley beckons me over and pats the sofa beside him. "Come, wayward child. Sit, and tell me of your woes," he intones.

I plop down next to him and hear a crunch beneath me. "Okay. Was that the cat? Honestly, sibling, you need to clean up after yourself."

"Don't deflect," he chides. "I was serious about the state of your appearance. What happened at school? Are the kids spoiled rotten devil spawn?" When I shake my head, he begins rubbing his goateed chin ponderously. "I bet all of your books are leftovers from the 70's. Am I right? Or did the principal sexually harass you?"

"There was a murder."

That shuts him up quick.

"Not during school, of course," I clarify. "Last night, out at the lake. I gather that it's a senior tradition to meet up there on the night before school begins. No one seems clear on the details yet, but by the time classes started everyone knew a girl's body had been found. At least half the students checked out early."

"I see why you had such a cheerful first day."

"I don't even have a class and I could feel the mood infecting the place," I tell him, shuddering. "Most of the teachers were in tears and the students...you've never seen such somber teenagers."

"Hmmm. Must have been a popular girl," he posits. "Geeks, freaks and social misfits don't get that kind of farewell, do they?"

"Teens are masters of the somber attitude, but they went above and beyond today, so I suspect you're correct."

"Did they arrest anyone?"

"No arrests, but I kept hearing certain names popping up. Rumors, you know. The staff expects police will show up at the school tomorrow to start interviewing students. Should be fun." I pause, considering. "It's possible that one of the students is the culprit, though, isn't it? Maybe she had a jealous boyfriend or two. Or a rival for his affections."

At this point, Wes has extricated himself from his gaming equipment and is staring at me, fully attentive. "At the risk of sounding like an ass...." He grins. "That is....at the risk of sounding callous...I think we ought to drop this line of conversation. You tend to get a little over-involved in this sort of thing. Dad shouldn't have brought his work home."

I brush aside his concern. "I haven't had nightmares in ages."

"Whatever you say, Sis. Just don't worry yourself too much about it." I can tell he's thinking back to the morbid interests I once harbored.