BAD BLOOD: The Murder Of Heather Banks

PROLOGUE

Jace walked on slowly, his path illuminated by the light of the full moon. He was careful not to step on any twigs or dry grass. Whatever lurked in those woods, he didn't know; and it was in none of his interests to find out. An owl hooted from a nearby tree. He stopped abruptly in his tracks, his heart having skipped a powerful beat. His chest ached momentarily, then the pain slowly died down. His eyes searched the trees and there, perched on a branch a few trees ahead, was the owl's silhouette. Angry that the bird of the night nearly gave him a heart attack, he picked up a strong branch and hurled it at the owl. The owl's powerful eyes saw the branch and it darted to the side just in the nick of time. It hooted angrily at the small boy; probably scolding him for either throwing the branch at it or walking alone in the woods in the middle of the night.

He felt, oddly, somewhat satisfied now that he had scared the owl. He went on walking as silently as he possibly could. A low groan suddenly came from his left. He stopped and turned to listen, his surprisingly perfect hearing at his aid. The groan turned to a wail, followed by a freakishly disturbing crack sound, then another wail. He followed the sound, edging slowly past the moon-lit trees. The wail became a shout, one that made Jace imagine the kind of pain the person, or thing, was enduring. He walked into a clearing. The grass was dry. The trees formed an almost perfect circle in the clearing, making them look like huge gigantic monks surrounding a sacred area. The moonlight revealed a dark figure at the very center of the clearing.

He was human, Jace was sure. And his hair and body clearly stood out to be for someone, if not his age, just slightly older. Not more than an year older. The figure was also male. He grunted and groaned. His breathing was heavy and slow, but felt powerful with each breath he took. A cracking sound came from his hands and knees since the first time Jace saw him, and Jace could have sworn he saw a bone move in his back. "He-hello?" Jace was able to mutter, in a feeble voice. The boy looked up and Jace recognized him instantly. It was the creepy new kid at their school, the one with the weird scent that always spelt out danger. The scent was the reason Jace had found an interest in him, but what he saw made him cry out. "Help— me— " said the boy, his voice like that of a teenager with a slight wail of pain underneath it all.