𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑 ⟶ Original

sixteen.

THE FOLLOWING DAY, school started back up and the news that Keira had been murdered spread like wildfire. As everyone changed up the story, each class had an assembly at a different time of day in which Deputy Howard talked about homicide. As the end of the day neared, Angelica and Evan sat through their classes assembly, listening to Deputy Howard's lengthy speech.

"It is not okay to put your hands on any other person," Deputy Howard told the group of Juniors in front of him, pacing in front of a blank chalkboard, "Homicide ruins lives. Taking someone's life is never okay, no matter the circumstance. It rips away a loved one from everything they knew, destroys relationships, and causes unnecessary trauma to the family and friends involved," He paused, scanning his eyes over the crowd, "Now, any questions?"

A couple of people shifted in their seats, a few scoffed, sobbed, or whimpered, but the rest stayed silent. One of the quietest girls in school took the chance to raise her hand, and since she was the only one, Deputy Howard called on her immediately.

"Why would someone even kill another person?"

Deputy Howard sighed, pacing again as he responded, "Some people just think that they have to survive by killing because of their mental state, some people find it euphoric, there's lots of reasons someone could take another's life, but it's never okay."

A few more questions were asked, and after that, the assembly concluded. The Juniors were dismissed to their next class, and as soon as it started, an announcement rang over the speakers.

"Will the following people report to office fourteen — Evan Blake, Stephanie Blake, Angelica Grace, Tyler McKinnon, and Jen Rivera," A voice announced, then repeated the message as each person rose from their seat in class and made their way into the hallways.

This wasn't a surprise to any of them - they all knew exactly what this was about, and they were all dreading it. Office fourteen was the office where the sheriffs at the school resided, furthering the point that they were going to be questioned about Keira. The five met up after coming out of their separate wings, walking in silence. Their footsteps rang out in the silent hall, and when they entered office fourteen, Deputy Howard was there to greet them.

"I'm sure you all know why you're here right now," He greeted the kids, his mouth in a thin line, "We're going to start by fingerprinting you, just in case one of you lies to us when we question you."

When he finished, he led them into another room off of the main office area. There was a table in the middle of the room, and on the table lay an open ink stamp, small papers, and plastic baggies with names on them. The names most likely matched the names of the five that were going to be questioned that day. Deputy Howard forced a smile, presenting the chairs in the room with a wave of his hand. On one side, there was one, and on the other, there were five. The group took that as a queue to sit in the five chairs laid out for them already as Deputy Howard sat in the single across from them. 

"Before we get started, I just want to assure you that I don't mean to be rude or uptight, but this is serious business. This is the law," He paused, staring each of the teens in front of him in the eye, the tension in the room so dense one could cut it with a knife, "Well, let's get started. Evan first."

Evan looked up as the Deputy rolled over to him in his chair after grabbing two strips of paper, the ink, and a bag. Deputy Howard set these in front of Evan and told him what to do.

"Dip each of your fingers in the ink pad and put a clear print for every finger. One slip is for right, the other for left."

Evan followed the instructions silently without hesitation. In a matter of minutes, he had finished, and Deputy Howard put his slips in the bag with his name.

"Thank you," He smiled politely, "Now I want you to wait outside. After this, I will be interviewing each one of you personally."

As Evan got up and walked out, Deputy Howard moved to sit in front of Stephanie. She followed the instructions and walked out in mere minutes, obviously ready to be done with all of this. This trend continued down the line, and when Deputy Howard was finished, he put every bag in a larger manilla folder.

The group watched him as he took his time, waiting to be questioned about their murdered best friend.