Moxie

Chapter Two

Rowan revealed himself to have been standing behind them, his hands folded neatly across his lower abdomen as he looked to the two. Deep etches of worry was embedded into the crinkles of his forehead, as his mind was drowning in a torrent of emotions. 

Eden spoke, or at least attempted to as she sputtered out a withering 'what'.

Rowan looked at Eden for what seemed like the longest time, studying her every facial expression. He knew that when it came to emotions she was a ticking time bomb and just one simple word could set her off. After letting out a small breath of air, he spoke again. "John was found dead in his house last night," he stopped yet again, turning back to look at Eden, then to Cameron. "He...he had multiple stab wounds to the chest, the stomach...He was completely manipulated."

Eden began to shake her head. "No...no. It can't be...John, I saw him just last night!" She was becoming frantic. Her strong and demanding voice had quickly vanished and had been in a matter of seconds replaced with a delicate and wavering one. Cameron attempted to comfort her by placing his hand on her back, but Eden immediately pushed him away from doing so in a fit. "T-this can't be!"

"Eden." Cameron started. But when Eden's wild gaze met his, he stopped himself from saying anything else.

She turned back to Rowan who was only looking back at her with pure pity. Pity and remorse if you were to be exact. "There has to be some mistake." She stated firmly. He looked down, letting a lock of jet black hair fall into his line of view before putting it back in line.

"I'm sorry Eden...I know how much John had mean to you an-"

"Rowan, you don't know shit! John and I weren't just 'close' we were family. Rowan, John was like a dad to me. I know you wouldn't understand... you've been a fucking ghost to him!" She sputtered the last words out like a gas pipe sputtering out exhaust. Tears were struggling to escape her eye ducts, and as much as she batted them away, she couldn't help herself after they had finally begun to fall.

Cameron went to comfort her again, but this time, Eden didn't stop him as he enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm extremely sorry for your loss. I wasn't all that much close to John, but I know that you meant a lot to him." He gave her one last saddened gaze and began to walk away, but stopped himself abruptly as he craned his neck back. "The meeting will start in approximately five minutes. I am hoping that you both will show up, regardless of you both knowing the circumstances." His gaze lingered on the two for just a second more before finally going back to the direction he was walking, slipping his car through and walking out of the hallway.

Eden and Cameron stood around for a while longer as they both comforted each other in their time of loss. Cameron's clothes lingered of a woodsy cologne and it somehow made Eden feel more calm and safe. She sniffled, looking up to him. "Should we go then?" She asked him. She more or less croaked this out as her voice sounded thick and broken. But Cameron understood her as he then nodded.

"It's what John would want."

⇼⇼⇼

Rowan had sat across from Cameron and Eden. The room they had been told to go to was spacious, but suffocating as there were absolutely no windows, no natural light able to enter through. Not only that, but it was also quite void of colour, just a pale grey paint smoothly covered all four of the walls. Even apart from that, the room was completely filled with people, around 60 or 70 workers from all the departments were packed together tight, like sardines in a can.

A short and stout man by the name of Robert Grill had been standing in front of the room. Just about everyone recognized him as the main journalist for the Police Department, often writing entries about the reoccurring crimes and felonies that took place, which later would be published in the weekly NOLA. Just as Eden, he was very close to John. With a somber gaze and bloodshot eyes, he scanned over the room for a quick attendance.