Burned

Intro

Dolores Point Of View:

I sat crisscrossed at the kitchen table, reading a case file from a nearby town. They asked me to take a look and see what I could make out of it. I wasn't surprised to have a new case so soon. Word always traveled faster than I'd liked, but I was used to it. Even though I hadn't officially solved the case here in Salem, I had still gotten the Salem Police Department a lot further than they had been. The Chief of Police offered me a position on his Task Force. It wasn't the first time someone offered me a job, but it was the first time I was tempted to take it.

I had lived in Salem from birth to eighteen, from then I had lived all over. It had always been enough. Anyone who had taken at least one Psychology class would say I had been running from my home town since I was eighteen -- they'd be right. Things were different now. Evanora was dead, which changed everything. My plan was altered, skewed, and I didn't know what all that meant. All I knew was to keep my mouth shut and go one day at a time.

My mind focused back on the case file, something in it caused my brain to twitch. A brain twitch meant my lizard brain had caught something. Coroner's report was off. I had read my fair share and I knew quite a bit -- years of experience taught me that. I pulled out my computer and did a quick Google search for the Coroner. Interesting, how the first three articles that popped up were similar cases all over the United States.

In murder mystery novels, it's always the Butler, but in real life, it's not that simple. However, this case was pretty easy to see that it was the Coroner. At the very least, something fishy was going on with him. I sent the link to my work email and decided after breakfast I would pay the Coroner a visit. The trip out there would take about thirty minutes, so it wasn't a bad days work. As I penned down a quick To-Do list, something I liked to start every day with, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

The noise continued towards the kitchen, then there was a pause. It had to be Cornelia. She was the only one that paused before opening doors. It was a symptom of her trauma. I didn't blame the girl, poor thing had it rough lately. She had found my mother's body, which had been severely gruesome. My mother suffered complete blood loss. It had perplexed the Medical Examiner, but I could see that magic was used.

Sarah Good -- the Witch that had slain Evanora. My fist gripped tightly, but it was no use in being upset. Cornelia, a puny sixteen-year-old, had captured the family's revenge. If I was being completely honest, I was baffled at how someone like Sarah Good could be killed by a girl afraid of her own shadow. Also, what was up with all the eyeliner and black clothes? Was she purposely drawing attention to herself or was it a phase? Sighing, I slipped the case file in my briefcase. It was just the right about of rustling that forced Cornelia into the kitchen.

"Hey, Dolls," she entered the kitchen at a speed unsuitable for a kitchen. Today, she was head to toe in black -- no surprise. I really didn't know how her mother let her leave the house, I know if Dorothy had worn a lace dress that tight-fitting, Evanora wouldn't have let her go to school. I pursed my lips, then picked up my mug of coffee.

She grabbed a bowl and filled it with some sugary cereal, then flew open the fridge. That was where her almond or walnut milk was. I frowned at my cup, realizing it was empty. Grunting, I pushed out of my chair and filled my cup. Dorothy had finished up the pot before she left, but at least she had started another pot. That was the rule. She could drink us out of coffee in a matter of days. Since our mom had died, she'd been a jittery mess.

"Good morning, Corn," I told her swiftly. She scooped a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. My eyes flickered to the clock behind her, silently counting how long before she left. Usually, it was five seconds. That was as long as she could manage in the kitchen. The only exception was when she made dinner, which took her hours. My sister had asked me to talk to Corn, but what would I say?

She slammed the bowl down, breathing hard. Then, she flung it in the dishwasher, not paying attention that they were clean dishes inside. Maybe I should say something. She was acting like an injured bird about to fly right into a window.

"Bye! Gotta head to class," her tone gave the impression that she was okay, but it was easy to see through her facade.

"Corn," I didn't know where I was going, but my mind skirted to a halt when I saw the Amulet around her neck. She wore it every day. As far as I knew, she never took it off. It hung delicately on a thin silver chain, which matched the silver wiring around the clear quartz. The crystal was about the size of a fifty-cent coin. It was alluring.

Her funny colored eyes widened, waiting for me to say something. I had been living here for about a month now and I still wasn't used to seeing my father's eyes on her. It sent shivers down my way. I straightened, bring the cup up to my lips. The coffee brought me back to life.

"Did you need a ride to school?" It was stupid, the girl had her own car. Her head cocked to the side, her red hair spilling over her shoulder. I blinked. How had she received both my father's eyes and my mother's hair? It must be hard for Dorothy to see her: a perfectly depressing reminder of our parents, now both were dead.

"Oh, um I was going to just drive Dara and me in my car." She took her time constructing the sentence to minimize the offense. I wasn't offended -- I wasn't the type of person to get offended. I had been raised by Evanora Solart and Dorothy was my sister: thick skin wasn't optional. I wished I had known the Evanora this town knew, the "Gran" Cornelia mourned.

"Right," my eyes fluttered the ceiling. "Listen," I set my coffee cup on the table, attempting to level with her. "Your mother wanted me to talk to you," as I said this realization struck her. She sighed, her doe eyes narrowing. Good, she was skeptical. Maybe she wasn't as naive as she acted.

"You don't have," she put out her hands, putting more space between us.

"I know we may not be super close," an understatement. "But I want you to know I'm always here if you want to chat." We both cringed. I wasn't good at this. It was one of many reasons I didn't have children, that and the whole lesbian thing.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." She nodded, then turned to leave. I watched her leave, eyes intent on the very stone that hung around her neck. I wanted to know how she wound up with it. I knew before Evanora had Dorothy she wore the Amulet. She never talked about it when we were growing up, but there were photos of her wearing it.

None of that mattered anymore. I was running out of time. I wait five minutes, then got up and checked the driveway. Cornelia's car was gone. Slowly, I walked upstairs, knocking on Dara's door: no answer. Past Dara's door was Cornelia's room. I pushed it open, then waited. Where was her damn cat? Phantom, was as annoying as a Familiar could be, but he usually left when Cornelia went to school.

I don't think she realized that we watched over her at school. I peaked around the door, gazing into her messy gothic kingdom. There was no sign of Phantom anywhere, so I proceeded inside. Honestly, the room wasn't that messy -- for a teenager. It made it easy to rummage around. I didn't know exactly what I was looking for, but it didn't help to search her room. I knew eventually I would find something.