Jenny woke to the sounds of the birds singing happily from the tree. She stretched her arms above her head, yawning deeply. She gazed sleepily around the room. She could hear her father pottering around in the kitchen. She sat up and threw the duvet off of her legs. She swung her legs over the side of the bed. The ground was cold to the touch when her feet touched the dull hardwood floor. A shiver ran up her spine. Jenny searched around for her slippers. She found them under her desk. She walked quickly over then shuffled into her slippers. She walked down the creaky stairs and into the kitchen. Her father greeted her with a smile and held out a plate of warm cooked food.
"Good Morning, sweetie. Have some breakfast." He said. Jenny gratefully took the plate. "How did you sleep?" Jenny shrugged her shoulders.
"I slept okay. It got a slight bit chilly in the later night. But other than that I slept fine. What about you father?" Jenny asked. She quickly sat down at the small kitchen table. They did not need to have a larger table because there was only the two of them.
"Yes. I agree. It did get cooler in the night." Her father said. He dished up his breakfast then joined her at the table. Jenny ate a mouthful of bake beans, and then looked back at her father.
"Are you going to come on the run with me today?" She asked. They always go on morning run, though it usually ended up as a mid-morning run. Her father had a mouthful of orange juice then responded.
"I am afraid I can't this morning. I have some work that I need to get done ASAP. I hope you don't mind." Her father said, with regret heavy in his voice. Jenny could feel her happy morning mood depress slightly. But she focused on the positive side of the day. She was still going to go for her run, but she would have to just stick her headphones in her ears in a solitary run.
"That's fine, father. Maybe tomorrow." Jenny said, doing her best to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She quickly finished her breakfast the n hurried back into her room to change into her jogging pants and a thin top. She was soon out the door and onto the quiet street. She pulled her hear into a messy and lose pony tail on top of her head. She began to run her normal route. She went up to the town square and ran once around there then she would go a short way through the woods the finally around a less used parking structure.
She was just coming up to the parking facility when she had to stop to catch her breath. She found a spot to lean against the wall so that she could catch her breath. She let her eyes fall to the ground. She notice small little red drops in a small pile off to one side of her. She pulled her headphones out, and walked towards the drops. She saw that there was a trail of drops leading inside the building. She took a deep breath and followed the trail inside the building. She didn't have to go far to see the source of the red drops, they were blood drops, and in front if she was the lifeless body of her best friend, Kelly Milton.
Jenny started to gasp for breath. She placed a hand on her stomach and backed out of the parking structure. The tears were streaming down her face. She pulled out her cell phone and dialled 911.
An hour later she was sitting the in the crowded central work area of the Wells Hill police department. They had arrived on the scene not long after she had called. When they arrived she identified the body for them then was led off to see the ambulance to see if she was in shock. Now she was answering questions, in a loud and very busy station. Jenny sat with her head held down. She couldn't get the image of Kelly out of her mind. The officers just kept walking past her not noticing her. She had not been asked any questions in what seemed like hours. Finally a young deputy walked up to her. She raised her head and looked at him.
"Miss. Scott?" he asked in a kind voice. Jenny gave him a small smile as a reply. She didn't have the energy or will to speak. "You can go home now. I can drive you home if you want." Jenny shook her head. She had seen Mr. Milton enter the station. He had seen her and said that he would take her home.
"I am...getting a ride from...Mr. Milton." She said, trying to keep her breath steady. The officer merely nodded then walked away again, leaving her in her solitude. She sat there for a few more minutes then Mr. Milton exited the chief's office. They were still talking but Jenny was too far away to hear. Mr. Milton made his way to her and Jenny stood quietly up.
"Are you ready to go, Jenny?" He asked softly. His voice was thick with sadness. Jenny nodded and wiped a lone tear from her face. She felt Mr. Milton put and arm around her shoulder and allowed her to be led from the station. The world outside of the station seemed to be quiet with mourning. It was a small town so almost everyone knew Kelly. This was a dark day in the town's history. Jenny opened the door of Mr. Milton's beat up old car that he had purchased at a second hand car shop because he said that it had called to him. She clicked the seat belt into place and Mr. Milton started the car. He looked over at Jenny with heavy eyes. She felt her eyes begin to droop. I must be more tired than I thought. She thought to herself. Mr. Milton smiled at her. "Take a nap. I will get you home safely." He reassured her. Jenny allowed sleep to overcome her. Her eyes closed as they were pulling out of the police station parking lot.