However, she did keep up her performance by not saying anything to her mother or looking up at her when she joined her at the table.
"You know, you don't have to go to school today if you don't feel up to it. I'll call in for you so it won't count against you," Danisha offered after a moment of silence. "I mean, you'll be here alone since I have to get to work and I'm not sure if you're comfortable with that, but...." she continued, looking uncertainly at Erika.
Erika looked up at her mother from beneath her lashes and nodded slowly. "I'll stay here today," she murmured softly. Erika gave her a sympathetic smile and tried to make small talk while eating her breakfast. She had to triple-check that Erika had her cell and work number and that she'd really be okay by herself before finally leaving. Erika locked the door after her mother and then looked around for something to do.
It didn't take her long to decide. Despite having the gun she'd still felt extremely helpless last night and decided that some exercise would help strengthen her. She'd like to go to a gym and work-out with actual weights but she wouldn't be shocked if her mother stopped in a few times over the course of the day and she wanted to be here in case she did.
Meanwhile, Danisha had gone into work to start going through the evidence they had gathered from the murder in her own apartment. Unfortunately, the lobby video didn't reveal anyone out of the ordinary. Unless one of the other apartment tenants was the criminal in which case they wouldn't be seen in the downstairs lobby. She sighed in frustration, not wanting this to be Nielson's murder all over again.
The fingerprint scans were running to try to identify the corpse and all of the other prints in the house so she was still waiting on those results... so she decided to go out and do some legwork. A man named Lenny Shutter was one of the first responders to the scene and had pronounced the burglar dead. Perhaps he had some information that could help.
"What can you tell me about the murder scene last night?" Danisha prompted, looking at the man hopeful for some new or helpful information.
"Of course. When I arrived the only people at the scene were the body and the young girl. She was huddled in a corner, but I think that she didn't encounter the murderer. She wasn't so much scared as in shock. Whether the man was still alive when she got there, though, I can't say. He hadn't been dead for very long when I arrived. I mean, the murderer could have left him to die and she could have walked in while he was just barely alive..." Lenny explained.
Danisha nodded and dutifully recorded everything he told her, although a lot of it was information she'd already gotten.
Meanwhile, Erika had spent the day working out when she got a text from Collin asking if he could stop by. She waiting a minute to shower and primp before texting back that he could. She went down to the lobby, but waited inside until Collin arrived so she wouldn't seem too eager.
"Hey," she greeted with a smile.
"Hi. How are you feeling? Do you want to go inside?" Collin asked, looking her over worriedly. When Erika looked at him with confusion he chuckled nervously and shrugged. "You weren't at school today so I was worried," he confessed.
"You were worried? About me?" Erika asked, surprised.
"Well, yeah. Of course I was worried. Why wouldn't I be," Collin replied, blushing a bit now.
"Oh, Collin, you're so sweet," she murmured, walking up to him and hugging him tightly.
"You act better than a boyfriend would," she mused, gazing into his eyes.
"Really?" Collin asked with a smile. "Because I'd settle for just being your boyfriend," he admitted.
"I suppose that's good enough for now," she agreed, realizing that although they'd kissed they'd yet to make that sort of commitment to each other. Well, now they had.
"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Collin prompted, still looking worried. Erika considered telling him for a moment before shaking her head. He'd probably find out about it on his own, and she still needed to be traumatized by the whole thing.
"Not right now," she admitted, trying to seem upset without being overly-dramatic.
"...Okay then," Collin replied, seeming even more worried but not wanting to push it. "Then what shall we talk about it," he asked, figuring if she didn't want to talk about whatever was upsetting her then it was best to take her mind off of it.
"We'll figure something out," she mused. She sat herself down on the ground and tugged Collin down next to her. It's true that there was a bench nearby, but sitting on the ground together like this was nice too. The concrete still retained some heat from the day, despite the cold from the setting sun sweeping over them.
In the end, they didn't need to come up with anything to talk about at all. Oh, eventually they'd murmur something to each other. When the odd star became visible one or the other would point it out, although more often than not it turned out to be a plan. Still, sitting side-by-side like this was nice. Erika never imagined that she'd enjoy just being in someone's company like this. Although she supposed that it was just more proof that she and Collin were perfect for each other. And now they were dating.
As she gazed up at the stars she was already picturing their future together. He'd propose to her on his birthday, just like her brother had done with Belisama. They'd spend a little while just engaged and getting used to living together, bachelor and bachelorette parties were a must since those were perfect precursors to the wedding. They'd have an elaborate wedding. She wasn't sure if she wanted it in a fancy church or outside like her brother's wedding had been just yet. She'd talk to Collin about that one. Then they'd move out to the suburbs in a perfect family house with a big backyard. They'd have 2-3 kids and a dog... maybe two. And they'd be perfectly happy together until they were old and grey. She sighed contentedly at that perfect fantasy that would one day become reality.
"What are you thinking about?" Collin asked, noticing her dreamy look.
"You," Erika replied immediately, making him blush.
Eventually it got too late for Collin to stay any longer, even if he wanted me. "If you need to talk or anything, just give me a call, okay?" he prompted. It took multiple assurances from Erika that she would before he was satisfied and they parted with a good night kiss.
Danisha worked late that night, falling back into her old routine of work now that she had another case to focus on. She'd never figured out who had murdered Nielson, and had come to the sinking realization that she might never find out, but she was determined to solve at least this murder.
But her body just wasn't what it used to be and late nights weren't kind to her. She'd let herself go and ended up needing to pick up practically an entirely new wardrobe. And the next morning as she slowly eased herself out of bed she came to the realization that she was now very old.
Especially not compared to certain people in the household. Although they had separate rooms, the walls still weren't sound-proof and she could hear Erika chatting away on her phone this early in the morning. Judging by the tone she would guess it was with a boy too. Not that she was surprised that her daughter had a boyfriend. She'd be more surprised if she didn't have one. But she did have to wonder if she'd get to meet this one before he went from boyfriend to fiancee or not.
Meanwhile, in her bedroom Erika was happily flirting with Collin. He'd greeted her this morning with a good morning call. She assured him that she would be coming to school that day, but it was still nice to spend some time together in the morning, even if it was just over the phone.
With that, despite the murder that had taken place in their apartment, Danisha and Erika fell back into their usual routines. Danisha spent most of her time at work, and what time she did spend out home she spent on her new hobby: painting. She never painted anything in particular. Most would consider her style 'abstract' but that was because she wasn't painting to have a picture of anything in particular but to work through her thoughts and try to problem solve with her cases. And one case in particular. It was frustrating. No matter how much she went through the evidence there was nothing to indicate anyone had been in the apartment that night but the body and Erika. But her daughter couldn't be the killer...
In the meantime, Erika was spending her time doing her own research when she wasn't in school or spending time with Collin. Just because she knew that there was a powerful criminal organization didn't mean she knew who they were. Most of her research took her to conspiracy websites, but she was able to troll enough of them to figure out who was genuine and who was just trying to be cool on the internet.
What she had found was that this group seemed to have strong links with vampires. A lot of posters on the web dismissed the idea of vampires, but she thought about the way Belisama and her family looked, and how her brother had changed between when she'd seen him at their engagement and the wedding. Perhaps there was more to this vampire thing than she'd given it credit for.
Of course, her investigations had to take a back-seat for a far more important event that came up that weekend.
It was prom. The most important night of any teenagers life. Nielson might not have cared, but he'd never been popular. For someone in the upper social circles of school, prom was an important social appearance for Erika. And she needed to make sure it went perfectly.
At least a few things were already going perfectly for her. Her perfect boyfriend had asked her to the dance so she had the perfect date. She had a perfect dress too. She could have simply worn the dress from the wedding, but it wouldn't do to pass up the opportunity to buy a new dress. Plus, this dress was much better for a high school dance than her previous gown had been.
Satisfied that she looked as perfect as she could possibly look she decided it was time to head to the dance. She'd hoped that Collin would come to pick her up, and knew her mother would have liked that so she could meet him too, but Collin had been embarrassed to admit that he had something family related to deal with and would need to meet her at the dance.
Of course, she supposed that the limo her mother had rented would still be enjoyable by herself. She would be treated like royalty anyway, even if she didn't have anyone to cuddle with on the ride there.
Collin wasn't there yet when she got there. But fortunately she didn't have to wait long for him to arrive. "Sorry I made you wait," he commented as he walked up to her.
"That's all right. If you make it up to me, I'll forgive you," she informed him.
And he certainly used the dance to make it up to her. He practically waited on her hand and foot the entire night. Fetching her drinks, dancing her when she wanted to dance and sitting with her when her feet started to hurt. It was an almost perfect evening. The only blemish on the night was the fact that they were not named prom king and queen. They deserved the title, but Katie-captain of the cheerleaders got it instead. She supposed she could see that. As much as she was loathe to admit it, Katie was more popular than she was. She had that obnoxiously bubbly personality that many people seemed to love. Oh well...
She was more annoyed that Geoffrey had beaten out Collin for the title of prom king. Collin was much more handsome than him. Of course, that could just be the recognition that Geoffrey was the younger half-brother that didn't even know he was related to her that colored Erika's judgement.
Regardless, Collin could see that she was disappointed and did everything he could to take her mind off of it. He twirled her around the dance floor, his dance moves at the very least much better than the 'king's moves.
He was such a great dancer that even after the adults kicked them out of the gymnasium so they could start cleaning up she still continued dancing with him outside. She just couldn't get enough.
"Where did you learn to dance like that?" Erika asked breathlessly as she collapsed into his arms.
"My mother insisted I get lessons. I was annoyed as a kid, but now I'm grateful," Collin replied with a smile as he gazed down at her.
"Well, I'm grateful to your mother too. I had the best night of my life," Erika announced, and she meant it too.
"Then I'm going to have to come up with something really impressive to top this," Collin replied teasingly.
"Oh be quiet and give me the perfect end to my perfect night," Erika retorted. Fortunately, Collin knew exactly what she meant as he leaned forward to kiss her.
"Will you be all right getting home on your own...?" Collin asked a little worriedly as they separated.
"I'll be fine," Erika assured. Collin looked like he wanted to protest but was holding himself back. Just as Erika had predicted, he'd found out what happened that night. He'd been extremely worried and had taken to calling her every night just to make sure she was okay. He knew her mother stayed at work late and had even offered to sit with her until her mother got home on more than one occasion. Erika was flattered, but she really didn't need his concern. She'd already proven she could handle herself. Not that she could tell him that.
"Really, I will. I'll call you when I get home, if it makes you feel better," Erika assured.
"All right. Be safe," Collin replied, stealing one last kiss before climbing into his taxi. Erika got into her limo and relaxed as it took her back to the apartment. She could get used to this kind of treatment. She definitely needed to be sure that whatever career she and Collin picked led to them getting filthy rich.
The limo arrived all to soon and she reluctantly got out and started heading to the building.
As she walked toward the door she saw an unfamiliar man standing off to the side. He wasn't anyone she'd seen before, but then it was a big city so that wasn't that much of a surprise. Hell, she didn't even know half the people who lived in her apartment complex. For all she knew he could be one of the tenants. She was rarely out this late too. It was even later than when she'd come home from the wedding. It was a good thing there was no school tomorrow.
Since the guy didn't move as she walked past him, Erika just ignored him. Although she did keep an eye on him for any sudden movements. The guy seemed to be returning the favor but didn't say anything. The silence was honestly creeping her out more than anything else. She supposed she could break it by saying something first, but she didn't want to talk to this guy if he turned out to be some crazy or something.
She was almost inside and ready to breathe a sigh of relief when suddenly she was grabbed from behind.
"Don't say a word," the man ordered, his voice low and sinister. Erika felt terror raise in her breast but refused to scream. She didn't have the gun on her. She hadn't moved it from its new hiding spot and besides, there was no where on her to store it without it being visible right now. And even thought she'd taken to working out, this was a grown man and she was just a girl.
Besides, her attempt at resistance weren't doing anything to budge the guy. She could be struggling against a rock for all she could tell.
"You're coming with me. There's someone who wants to see you," the man stated ominously, before lifting Erika up and tossing her unceremoniously over his shoulder.
"I'm not wearing the clothes for this," she hissed, her voice shaking as she tried to sound more in-control than she was. She supposed she could try screaming, but she was afraid that this man would break her in half before anyone even came.
Not only that, but who would be around at this hour? They were on the edges of the city so most of the residents of the area were likely already in bed. And the night owls like her mother and the party-crowd would all be in the city since it was too early for them to be heading home.
There was literally no one around to save her and this guy knew it. Collin had been right, she should have let him take her home. Except then he would have gotten caught up in this too. He wouldn't have been able to fight off a guy like this and probably would have just gotten hurt or worse anyway.
Erika felt a glimmer of hope when she spotted a taxi upside-down on the street. But when the man opened the door and shoved her inside she knew this wasn't her salvation. The guy didn't even need to tell the driver where they were going, he just sped off, which meant that he was likely in on this too.
'What's going to happen to me?' was all she could wonder nervously, trying to focus on her own reflection in the car window to calm herself as they drove into the shadier part of the city.
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Another cliffhanger! Mwa-ha-ha! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Collin is such a cutie. Poor boy has no idea that Erika already has their entire life planned out for them. Hope he follows her script or else who knows what she'll do... Although right now she has more pressing issues to deal with. And the next chapter is going to take a huge amount of set-up and I'm feeling very intimidated by what I want to do and it's probably not going to turn out anywhere as cool as what I've pictured in my head but I'll do my best. However that also means that the next chapter will probably take me a while so don't expect an update any time soon. I'll try to get it shot and written up by this weekend, though.
