Wildest

The Invitation

Jenny imagines the pillow in front of her into the most juicy of apples, her mouth was splintering-ly dry and thirsty, craving its tart juices to race her taste buds back to life. She finally takes a large bite, letting her head fall into it. If only it was an apple. If only it was a pillow.

"Jenny? Jenny you're drooling on my file!" Jones exclaimed, pulling out the binder from underneath his daughter. It was a wonder how she kept herself at the desk. She rolls her eyes open.

"Can you remind me again, why we have to do this thing so fucking early?"

"It's got to do with your circadian clock." he murmured along the spines of journals he scanned the shelves for.

"Well tell your circadian clock I'm going into circadiac arrest if I keep waking up this early."

"I don't think that's possible?" Jones tilts his head, squinting at her, "Besides, night owls are supposed to have a much more productive mind in the morning. If they at least try to produce something with it, that is."

"I'm going to get myself some coffee or somethin'." she grumbled, pushing his desk chair back and crawling her way to the door. "Want somethin'?"

"Is today the 30th of October?" Jones turned to her, his eyes lighting up.

"Maybe?"

"This marks a good nine months since Odessia's murder!" he lifts his finger triumphantly, referring back to the wide cork board the spread along the other side of his office. At the moment it only had a photograph of himself, Jenny, Ashton, and Janine. He flipped through the plastic sleeves of the binder he selected, shaking out a picture from what looked like Odessia's file. He prances over to the board and solidifies his thought with a push-pin. Jenny throws her head back in frustration.

"I've already told you that it can't be Odessia. Ashton proved it to me."

"Maybe so, but the timespan makes it a point to consider..." he taps his chin, viewing his masterpiece.

"Point to consider my ass..." Jenny shakes her head. "Hey dad, have you seen my guitar?"

"Jenny I think you should be focusing on the case, not your music. Your grades are at stake you know."

"It's not like I'm not participating in the battle this year." Jones arches his eyebrows at her. "I promised Rox for chrissake! You know what, I've solved your stupid case. I'm getting coffee, and my guitar."

"If you work yourself up like that, you'll sprout wings again, love." Jones murmurs to his board, analyzing Odessia's facial features. Jenny reaches for the pot in the kitchen, sitting herself down in rhythm with the pouring into her mug as she stared out the window. The roof of their kitchen was slanted; it felt like she was in some mountain cabin. She felt her back pocket for her phone, and dialed Scar's number. It rang into the abyss several times, until she finally picked up in her unforgettably croaky morning voice.

"Scarrot! Hey! Where are you right now?" just hearing her voice was such sweet relief to her ears. The smell of old files was already starting to burn its way down her nostrils, giving her fingers blisters from too much looking.

"I'm..." she sighs a yawn, "I'm at the Darrington at the moment."

"Geez, someone had a rough night," Jenny smirks, "what did you and Rox get up to?"
"I can't even begin to explain..." she smiled at her phone, lifting her torso up and resting her weight on her arm. The room was spinning slightly; nothing a couple of violent eye-rubs wouldn't fix though. She was alone in the room, buried under a pile of gray towels and once-soft blankets, with a tall glass of milk set beside serving as the world's most patient alarm clock. She grabbed the glass who's grip she knew too well, downing half of it airlessly. She couldn't begin to explain because she could hardly remember anything past the cramps that flowered in her stomach like tangled up thistles.