Webs

1.

" Death is a far too lenient fate." -  Sapphire, Webs #1.

*

Before The murder...

Sapphire's blunt nails dug into the crisp page of the economics textbook spread out on the desk in front of her.

Here she was, trying to refresh her vast knowledge on supply and demand in anticipation for the test days away and some girls just decided the library was a great place to talk in high pitched, ear grating voices.

"Tonight's win's going to Bryan fucking Black, no cap."

At the mention of the name, Sapphire's turned her face slightly in the safety of her hood to the direction of the girls.

From the gap in the shelf to her left, she caught a glimpse of long unnatural blue hair. Her pouty lips slightly twitched.

In disgust.

Bryan Black was next to the worst person in the prestigious Excell university, NYC.  Josh Hyde being the absolute and irreplaceable worst. Case closed. She did not even want to think about him.

Captain of the basketball team, man whore and Prince of the dark, dangerous underground, Bryan was basically the talk of girls who felt way out league to hang with the King of the dark, dangerous underground and high, powerful upper class. Josh. Hyde.

A plastic sigh reached Sapphire's ears. "Daniel is dead. So there's basically, like, zero competition. "

"Heard he burned himself to death after his girlfriend committed suicide."

"Bitch, that's no suicide."

"The cops are all hush hush 'bout it cos of the political stuff goin' on."

"Heard it's a serial killer. And they, like, have a taste for Excell's students, for real."

Sapphire tuned out the rest of the girls' conversation as an eerie feeling seeped through her bones.

Suicide.

Death.

Murder. They were murdered. Sapphire knew. She could feel it in her gut, in the old, creaky casket of dark and gory memories buried in the most remote parts of her consciousness.

Miranda Greg, final year student of mass communications was found bloated and decomposing at the bottom of her tub, a big backpack filled with cement concrete and stones strapped to her upper body and neck. Very dead.

Apparently, reports confirmed it as a suicide.

Due to the massive preparations in the state's political circle for the incoming elections, the news of a murder would be hazardous as many dignitaries, business tycoons, public figures and the rest of elite individuals would be coming in for the elections. The state had to seem perfect in the world's eyes.

The murder of a student of one of the most prestigious, famous and respected universities in the United States and the rest of the western world could ruin that.

Sapphire inhaled as an inky black feeling pooled in her belly. That was not all.

Just three days later, Miranda's boyfriend, Daniel Cope was found burnt to the bone in his apartment, in an equally burnt kitchen.

The fire would have spread through the entire building but for the intervention of the firefighters.

Daniel was already dead, burnt beyond recognition. He was also a final year student at Excell, and that threw up a whole lot of red flags. Coincidence much? It was no coincidence.