Danger zone

Chapter 2

I wake up to the unfamiliar sent of the hotel and can't remember where I am. Then suddenly it comes back to me, and I wish it hadn't.

I get up and change out of my night clothes into a black t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of running shoes because I seem to do a lot of it. I noticed a small doughnut and coffee shop on the way in to Orholt last night, and decide that that's where I'll get my breakfast this morning.

I grab the keys, my phone, and some money off of the small microwave where I set it last night before I went to bed. As I glance around the room to make sure I haven't forgotten anything, my eyes fall on the yellow folder containing the girl's profile. I can't bring it with me into public places, or the regular humans, also known as regulars, might see it and get suspicious. But I also can't just leave it on the coffee table table for the maid to read.

Picking it up, a picture falls out. It's a regular school photo of a girl about fifteen or sixteen, with straight long brown hair and golden brown eyes. The nose impossibly perfect and full pink lips. She is gorgeous. I stuff it back into the folder before I can take another look and put it in my carry-on backpack from the plane.

Driving along the road I can't help but thinking about that photograph. Then a thought hits me. What if that is the girl I have to kill? No, I think. There are always pictures of friends and family of the victim I need to get to know before I make my move. They come in handy some times like as lures or betrayers.

I make my way to the shop, and get two doughnuts and chocolate chip frappe. Not the healthiest if eats but I'll do better tomorrow. I'm back to the hotel as fast as possible in the morning traffic.

My room is small. The bedroom is just a full bed with a wall separating it from the kitchen/living room area. After eating rather quickly I grab the folder from the pack and sit on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

Slowly opening it, the photo falls out again, but I quickly turn it over so I don't see that face again. On the back there is the name of the girl in the picture: Cecily Olivia Pratt. I let the rest of the contents spill out too. My hands reach for the birth certificate, though I tell them not to. They flip it over. I look at the name: April Letia Pratt. I turn over all of the pictures but Cecily's. No April. Just friends and family. That's funny, they always send a picture of the victim.

I pick up my phone to call the agency. It rings once. Twice. Then someone answers. "Hello? This is the SCA, Maya speaking. How can I help you?" a woman asks. "Yes, this is Beck Whyte. There is no picture of my victim in the profile folder." I say. "What did you say your name was again hon?" I cringe at the word hon."Beck Whyte" I repeat. There is a faint sound of typing on the other end of the line. "What is the name in the birth certificate?" She asks " April Letia Pratt." I answser. "Ah. a wrong certificate." She says " We've had a lot of these lately I'm afraid. I'll notify one of the other agents in the area. He'll have one printed by the hospital and slip it under your door. You should have the right one in a couple of hours. Thanks for calling" she says. I manage a small bye before she hangs up to answer another call.

I decide to watch some tv while I wait. In the middle of a show a news alert comes up. "A girl's parents are reported dead. The girl had become upset because they had taken her computer away, and had stormed off to her room. When she returned later to apologize for getting angry, she found them dead. The bodies were found unharmed and autopsies were performed, but there was no cause of death found. No names have been released and will not be for sake of the family." A news reporter finishes.

I turn off the tv, because at that moment something is slipped under my door. The birth certificate. I rush over and hastily open the envelope. again my hands turn over a birth certificate.

Cecily Olivia Pratt.