Pattern

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

/Avery/

Prudence's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's great! What happened? Is she okay?" Her voice faltered at the end, when she saw her father wasn't reacting in a similar way. He looked worn. I wanted to leave, but at the same time I had to know - though I had a terrible feeling I already did.

"Hanna Arkin's body was found, Prude. She's dead." The words were hard, and the expression on the her face changed aprubtly. "It's a murder case now," Officer Knightley finished. Prudence stared at him, her hands shaking. "She was killed? How? Why?" 

"I can't disclose much information," He sighed, pulling his hand through his hair and staring at his daughter. "She was kidnapped and held for around two days before she was killed. We don't know much else, to be honest. But it was brutal. There's a killer in this town, Prudence, and I don't know if it was a personal grudge, or what, but you have to be careful."

She nodded shortly, and I felt like saying something, but I knew whatever I said wouldn't help at all. Prudence walked over to one of the chairs, and sat down, like she was registering the new information. Bellamy went over and sat beside her, and the girl stroked the dog's coat. She looked lost. I turned around at left at the opportunity, looking for my own father.

***

 I found him sitting on a bench down the hall, deep in thought. He stood up when he saw me.

"Hanna was found dead, Avery, so you better have some good information." 

I stared at him, my eyes wide. "Seriously? All I saw was her walking out the gates, and she was in front of me. We walked like that for a while and then she turned a corner. When I turned it, she was gone, I thought she'd taken a shortcut or visited someone's house or something.."

"Tell that to the cops."

"Fine." I sat beside him, and a policewoman appeared after a few minutes. I repeated what I'd told my father, and she nodded. "Well, it seems you're the last person to see her alive. Do you have any other information? Were you not suspicious that she'd disappeared?"

"No.. she looked completely fine, I didn't really think about it.." I shrugged. "I haven't done anything, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay. We've nothing to arrest you on, but considering your record, you could end up a suspect." I stared at her.

"That's not fair, at all."

She sighed. "Just go home for now. If you remember anything, call the station. We need to catch whoever did this. It was brutal." She shivered and turned, walking off. I looked to my father. "Thanks for the support." He just met my gaze. "Don't, Avery. Nobody trusts you around here, and with good reason, too."

When we walked back out, Prudence was still there, sitting with her head in the clouds. She was so strange, it was annoying just looking at her. She noticed me, and our eyes met, but I looked away, despite wanting to be a little sympathetic. Which was odd, since I wouldn't usually care.

We left without a word, and my dad didn't spare me a glance the whole way home. Living with someone who clearly despised you was difficult, but I cut him some slack, since living with someone you hated was pretty bad too. He couldn't kick me out, either, because I had nowhere to go and I looked too much like my mom. 

It wasn't great when you were an eighteen-year-old boy and looked like your dead mother. But I had her black hair, brown eyes and brown skin. My dad was white, with hazel eyes and greying hair. Sometimes it was hard to believe we were related at all. I didn't want to pop the adoption question, because if he could disown me, he probably would've done it by now.

When we finally did get into the house, I went upstairs to my room. I wasn't hungry, and I didn't want to spend another second with Michael Watts.

***

Life was boring when the only friends you really had were the people that tended to get you arrested. I'd forced myself to stop hanging around with them, but I wasn't good at it. I didn't want to go to school - I never did, but I wasn't in a good mood with anyone, so mitching was my best bet.

I called to Lucas' house. He was a twenty-year-old junkie who lived alone in the house his parent's had left him. He had no job, apart from selling meth and weed to high-schoolers. Despite the fact I didn't approve of the profession, I owed him money. Lucas had been good to him in the past, but he had been in more trouble lately. People in Oakwood tended to pretend people like Lucas didn't exist, they were so ashamed. But more of the town was becoming like him - un-respected, good-for-nothings. Oakwood was starting to notice too, and soon they'd come down on him with jail time.

The blond guy opened the door, and I could see he was completely out of it. Someone came up behind him, his hand in his pocket. I knew he was reaching for his gun, in case. "Who's this kid?"

I didn't tell him I was eighteen. "He's a friend," Lucas croaked. "Come on in, Ave." I did walk in, and the dark-skinned man, who I'd never seen before, looked at me warily.

"So, who are you really?" He asked, when I sat down on Lucas' sofa, which smelt like a trash can.

"Avery Watts, I'm a senior at the high school. I've known Lucas two years," I replied. He nodded, and then looked like he was thinking. "So do you help out Lucas with the business? It's been good lately."

I shook my head. "Not really." Trying to get people into it seemed like I was signing up to offer the kids a chance to ruin their lives.

"You should - you could earn some cash," He said. "Especially if you're actually in the school, you could sell the stuff way easier." I shook my head.

"I doubt that, everyone hates me at school." He laughed. "Really? You've no friends?"

I thought back to Prudence. But she didn't really want to be friends, I knew, she was just being friendly. "Nope."

"He used to be friends with a cop's kid, I remember," Lucas chipped in. "You used to talk about her, a lot."

"A cop's daughter? That must have worked out well," He grinned, showing yellow teeth.

"It didn't," I sighed. This was a mistake. I wasn't like this anymore - I didn't know who I was. It was confusing and downright pathetic. "I'm going to go now." I got up and headed for the door, but the man who still hadn't revealed his name stopped me with his hand.

"If you mention a word to the cops about us, they'll find you in a ditch tomorrow."

I nodded and left. I was used to death threats.

They didn't scare me anymore.

***

The weekend arrived, and I met Prudence in the supermarket, after she dropped her bag of groceries. I didn't lean down to help her pick them up, but the bread had skidded over to my feet, so I handed it back, and decided to attempt feeble conversation since I was so curious.

"Did your dad find anything more on Hanna?"

She shook her head. "I couldn't tell you, even if I wanted to. She's dead, anyway. I saw her body wheeled in. Someone started a rumour that it was you, 'cause they saw you coming out of the station right before the news of her death was released."

"You're fucking kidding." I sighed. "I didn't, you know I didn't."

"How could I?" She replied coolly. "Besides, why are you even talking to me? You don't like me."

"You don't like me, either."

"Is it that obvious?" She shifted the bag of food in her hand, then turned around. "I'll see you around. By the way, I'm going to solve this murder, so if I find it wasn't you, you can thank me."

With that, Prudence walked away.