Funhouse (Incomplete)

Nineteen. Tamara.

          How do I feel? What a stupid question. I'm not okay. I feel Lexi's body racked with tremors, her cries muffled by my coat. The wind has begun to pick up and every hint of a breeze seems to creep into the spaces between my skin and clothing, forcing goosebumps to rise all over my body. Above me, the thin layer of clouds starts to thicken as it coats the sky in a pale grey paint and I drag Lexi's trembling body back to the large navy car waiting for us. It takes a short while for her to finally calm down and come back to her senses fully. But when she does, there's a fiery determination in her glare and her lips quiver with emotion.

          "Whoever did this is going to regret it so bad that they wished they were the one at the bottom of that lake." She grits her teeth and I put my hand on her arm.

          "We don't know he's down there yet, there's still hope."

          "Right, sorry." She wipes her face with the back of her hand, her focused exterior cracking only for a second, before returning to the undaunted state with which she started. "It's just difficult not to imagine the worst when this kind of stuff happens. It doesn't help when things like this are on telly all the time as well." I grin and she giggles. It's nice to see her smile after the day she's had, and honestly, it's helping me through it too. I'm hurting almost as much as Lexi, but it's her boyfriend so I have to be her rock. Andrea's sniffs start to disperse as she hops into the front seat.

          "So girls, where do you want to go now?" I tilt my head. I hadn't thought about where we go from here.

          "Do we keep looking?" I raise my eyebrows when Lexi shakes her head.

          "The police are on that. I don't think we'd be helping all that much, especially when we're not allowed past the tape. I'd rather do something to busy my mind if I'm honest, that way I won't keep thinking about him," she explains and Andrea nods. "We could go shopping?" she suggests.

          "Sounds good," I agree and Andrea shuts the door. "I'm going to need to go home first though to sort out my clothes and make up and actually get some money." A sudden thought strikes me. "Oh my life... we left Isla at yours, Andrea." The pair widen their eyes.

          "Where did she go? Upstairs?" Lexi nods. "Well I'll drop you two girls off and then go back. I'm sure Isla won't cause any trouble if I'm honest," Andrea states calmly and I can't help but agree. The last thing Isla would want is trouble. We're about to drive off when there's a knock on my window, causing me to fly at least a foot in the air and bang my head on the ceiling. I rub the spot as I wince but turn to see Officer Warp stood outside, attempting to contain his amusement. Whilst Lexi laughs, I open the door.

          "Sorry about that... Tamara isn't it?"

          "Feel free to call me Tay. And it's fine." I roll my eyes sarcastically. He grins.

          "Right, Tay. Anyway, I was just going to tell you that we'll keep you all posted on anything we find and that you should go home and try not to worry. I know - easier said than done - but us officers are on the scene and will be on his trail as quickly as possible." Lexi leans across me.

          "It's okay, we're going out. Officer Denvers told me she'd contact us anyway so no need to worry." She gives a sarcastic smile and slams the door, clearly upset that he'd chosen to talk to me. I mouth sorry through the window and then turn to her.

          "You know as well as I do that was aimed at us all." She folds her arms and raises an eyebrow. "Come on Lexi, my window was just closest, there was no need to be rude to him." She sighs and rolls her eyes, but kicks open the door.

          "Hey Warp!" she calls. He stops in his tracks and turns around, evidently surprised. "Sorry about that!" He signs a thumbs up and, satisfied, carries on walking. Lexi ducks back into the car. "Happy?" I give a half-hearted smile, before she turns to the window. I mirror her action and watch as we pull away from the lake, the tape blurring into a line of yellow and black. As the lake slips away, I see the pair of officers who had helped us staring at us, their eyes shining maliciously, it seems, in the rising sun.