Pattern

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

// Prudence //

I had gained an unlikely follower - Avery Watts, who wasn't dissimiliar to a puppy, was actually having conversations with me. We annoyed each other, and we made it very clear, but nonetheless, he was as interested as I was in the murder. And sometimes, just sometimes, I liked his company. There was something about him, something that intrigued me, as well as annoyed me. When I explained this to Madi, she looked alarmed. "Seriously, Prudence? Avery's hot and all but you shouldn't get mixed up with him. I mean, look at what he's done.. People even say he killed Hanna.."  

We'd discussed this before. I sighed angrily. "He didn't, Madi, I told you! He wants it to be solved as much as I do!" 

"Maybe it's a cover, so people won't suspect him," She said, which was actually reasonable but I didn't listen.

"No. I know what I'm talking about." I got up, then and went to my locker. It was Wednesday, a week after Hanna was found, so I was halfway through the rotten week, and that kept me going. I'd dyed my hair back to brown on Monday night, having being scolded greatly by the vice principal. I didn't want to be suspended, like he'd threatened, so I'd done it without complain. I felt plain again, though, and it annoyed me. After getting my books, I closed my locker and found Avery standing there, looking worried.

I was about to make some sarcastic remark, but I noticed Avery was pale, even sickly. He had an Indian look to him, but he was currently nearing the whiteness of my own skin, which was like snow. "What's wrong?" I asked.

He mumbled something, but I couldn't hear. "What?"

"Another girl has gone missing. Yesterday, she didn't reach home. She's a sophomore, fifteen years old.. I mean, it could be coincidence, but I just thought of what you said."

I hadn't seen Avery look so worried since he'd ran in to the police station at twelve years old and told us that his house was on fire. He looked like that kid again, and I took a minute to register his words.

"The same time as last week.. Holy shit." 

He nodded grimly. "What do we do?"

"I don't know, what do you think we do?"

"You're the girl with the police officer dad!"

"You're in the station as much as I am!"

I sighed. "I guess we need to find out as much as we can about the sophomore.. if she has any connection to Hanna.. or any enemies or anything.." I ran my fingers through my hair. "What's her name?"

"Oh, I haven't a clue."

"You're great help." 

The bell rang. "Find out," I told him. "Then meet me here after school. You can come to mine, and I'll find out if my dad's looking into it yet."

Avery looked like he wanted to protest, but left it, and I walked off to class.

--

"Her name's Lucy Edmonds, she's taller than you, her hair's brown and her eyes are blue, she's single, her best friends are called Natasha and Aimee. She's a pretty good kid, gets good grades and is a member of the volleyball team. Yes, our school has a girl's volleyball team. Who knew?"

I was impressed. I'd endured a double Maths, where I doodled pictures of myself and Madi shopping, trying to perfect Madi's curls, and biting my pencil with nerves, then went to Spanish and talked about mi familia , where the teacher made me lie and say I had three sisters and a brother, and my mother and father lived with us all in a semi-detached house on the suburbs of the city, so I could use more vocabulary than "I live with my dad in a small house in Oakwood" used.