Genesis

Trustful Idiocy

     "Ready?" Lucius asked me as I paced up to him.

     "Let's just go," I replied coldly. He pursed his lips before beginning to walk. I followed at his side, noticing we were walking towards the north of camp, left of Mayanna's tent. I followed him as we walked past the squat-pits, turning left once we reached Grasshead's grave and walking further into the wilderness. It wasn't long before I saw something out of place. Something yellow.

     As we walked closer, I was able to better observe the scene of the crime. A checkered, mustard yellow picnic blanket stretched neatly on the forest floor. Fairylights strung in a circle around the trees. Two blue pillows resting neatly next to a bottle of Chardonnay and a string of neatly cut paper sheets spelling out 'Happy Birthday Quinn'. The only thing amiss was the decaying body strewn belly-up on the picnic blanket.

     Seeing him again wasn't anything like I expected. I didn't feel like crying, or screaming, or shouting. The only thing I desperately wanted to do was to lay down next to him and fall asleep, forgetting about all of this mess and waking up tomorrow with everything back to the perfect way it was. I even didn't register that he was dead until I found myself staring at his cold, blue lips.

     He smiles in the dorkiest way when he's asleep.

     He wasn't smiling.

     I kneeled down next to him, fighting the temptation to slap him for being so stupid. If he wasn't enough of an idiot to be in love with me, he would have never been out here in the first place, setting up this stupid picnic and preparing this stupid surprise!

     I suddenly became aware of a sharp pain in my palm, noticing I was digging my fingernails into my flesh and that my knuckles almost had lost their color. I stretched my fingers outward in a singular swift motion, standing up and walking slowly to the foot of the body. Lucius stood still at the treeline, watching my every move with careful calculation.

     "Well," I started, "It looks like Danny was right."

     Lucius raised an eyebrow, "Right about what?"

     I turned to look at him, "That Dorian can fight his way out of anything."

     Lucius shifted from one foot to another, staring uncomfortably as I kneeled next to Dorian's face, opening his jaw and checking his lips and teeth.

     "How was Danny right, then?" Lucius asked me.

     I stood up and swiveled myself towards him.

     "Isn't it obvious?!" I barked at him. When I realized my change in tone, I took a moment to breathe before I said, "Watch."

     I walked several feet away from the foot of the body before I spoke again, "So here I am, the killer, planning to kill Dorian with Colt's knife."

     I took a few steps forward, "By the time I'm here, I can be sure that Dorian has heard me. But it doesn't matter to me because I planned this. I knew I was going to kill him right here and now. I've known it for days. That's why I stole Colt's knife, and that's how I knew he was going to be here the morning of Quinn's birthday. And because I planned this, I know that even if he sees me here, he won't react. Why?"

     I waited a moment for Lucius to reply. When I heard nothing, I rolled my eyes and continued.

     "Because I know Dorian trusts me. He hears me and turns around, surprised to see me here, but he trusts me enough not to be suspicious. I must have the knife out of sight because there's no sign of him trying to get away," I state, kicking the leaves aside softly revealing the footprints in the exact way I'd imagined them, "See? A straight, uninterrupted set of tracks. Tracks from the killer."