The Eye Of The Ankh #Wattys2016

Chapter Fifteen

"Hey, Alice!" I turned around and saw Quincy. He was jogging towards me.

I stopped walking. "Hey, Quincy." I leaned against the wall. He stopped jogging and stood in front of me. "I guess we didn't end up talking yesterday."

"Yeah, about that... So what's your part in the group?"

"Group?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." The phrase was innocent, but he said it with a sharp edge.

"Oh."

"Who's your victim? Ethan? Is that why you're getting so close to him? I haven't known you long, but you just don't seem like the type of girl to go for a guy like him."

What's that supposed to mean?

I bit my lip. "Quincy, why the sudden interest? It's not like it's any of your business. I'm doing what I think's right."

"Murder isn't right." Quincy lowered his voice. "I can't let you do this. I don't give a fuck what that Hugo guy does, but you? You're my friend. If you don't get out of this, I will go to the police."

"Quincy, don't."

"I care far too much about you, Alice."

"I've got to go, Quincy." I wanted this conversation to be over.

I walked off.

"Hey," Anna leaned into my bedroom, holding onto the door jam. She tossed my keys on my bed. "You're ungrounded. If you're going to sneak out, at least leave a note."

I smiled. "That's not really what you do when you sneak out."

She smiled. "Then text me."

She left and closed the door.

After school Wednesday, I thought that I would have Ethan over after school. Jude came up to me before school got out and asked a question: "Can you give me a ride home? Quincy went home early, sick."

I nodded. I guess Ethan could wait until tomorrow. "Sure," Jude and I got in my car and I started to drive, leaving the radio on silent.

She walked in the door to her house first and walked upstairs, calling for Quincy. I sat my purse down on the kitchen counter. I pulled out my phone and texted Anna, telling her I was at Jude's.

"Quincy?" Jude's footsteps echoed up the stairs.

I opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. I twisted off the top and brought the bottle to my lips. Just as I started to drink, Jude screamed. Bloody and loud. Scared.

I dropped the bottle and ran fast up the stairs. "Jude?!"

She still screamed as I got to Quincy's room. He laid on the floor, eyes open, in a pool of dark red blood. Stamped—no, branded—onto his forehead none other than an ankh with an eye in the center. Eota.

Jude put a hand to her mouth. "Alice?" Her voice was small and broken. Scared like a child's.

In Quincy's hand was a paper, just the white edge peeking out. I leaned down and took it, my name written on the front in swift cursive. I opened up the letter. You are now safe. –Boss

I felt sick.

We sat in the living room while the police took photos. I called Anna after the police and she was here, pacing back and forth. Jude was tucked in my arms while we all waited for her mother.

The two leaders in the investigation surrounding the Eota murders came. Kyle Burk, the policeman, and Grant Walsh, the detective, came down the stairs from Quincy's room, little remorse on their faces. There's been so many of the murders that this one is nothing new. Burk turned to Anna, then turned to me. "We'll need to interview you both. You first, Alice, then once her parents get here, we'll interview Jude."

"Parent." I corrected.

"Parent. Sorry." Burk turned to Walsh. "Grant, would you like to talk to Alice in the kitchen?"

"I'm not leaving Jude until her mom gets here."

Walsh made a face, unpleased with having to wait. "Fine. Then we'll wait."

The door opened a couple minutes later and Jude's mother rushed in, her makeup smeared and messy. "Jude, baby?" Jude let go of me and wrapped her arms around her mother.

Walsh approached her first. "Hello, Mrs. Adams, I'm Detective Grant Walsh. So sorry about your son." He held out his hand.

Jude's mother kept her arms around her daughter. "Amy."

"This is Officer Burk, he'll fill you in on what we know. We'll need to talk to Jude as soon as possible, though." Walsh looked at me. "Ready?"

I stood up and followed Detective Walsh into the kitchen. When I looked back, Anna was introducing herself to Amy. Then, she walked behind me to the kitchen.

"I insist that we talk to Alice alone." Walsh said.

"She is a minor. She is my niece and I am her legal guardian. I will be here." Anna said, standing firm.

"Anna," I said, not wanting to cause any other annoyance. I just wanted this all to be over. "It doesn't matter to me."

"Matters to me." Anna said taking a seat beside me.

"Okay," Walsh began. "Tell me about Quincy."