Authors Note: Words like in ' ' are thoughts and " " are speech.
The people that moved around the flashing of the blue and red lights, confused Christine. They moved with a chaotic precision.
'Had something happened? An accident? Wait a minute. Was there always this many trees?' Christine though as she walked towards the flashing lights and the crowd around them. Her mind racing with questions.
Taking out her ear buds, she noticed that something sounded different.
'Where was the cars?' Christine thought. Finally taking in her surroundings.
Christine stopped where she was and began to look around frantically. This was not where she was supposed to be. She was, most definitely, in a forest. No where near the collection of buildings that made up the office complex where her work was.
"This just isn't right." she muttered to herself.
The sound of a car pulling up behind her, drew her attention onto finding out what on earth was going on here.
Turning her attention to the newly arrived car. Christine watched as two men got out of the car. One tall with dark skin and dark, short hair. The second was a shorter man. White skin with a hint of a tan. His own dark hair was messy, as though he'd just gotten out of bed. She watched as they walked up to the police tape, surrounding the main collection of people. Ducked under and up to a police officer and began talking with him.
"Why do they get to cross the tape?" Christine muttered to herself. Taking a few small steps forward trying to hear what they were talking about. Her curiosity getting the best of her. As it had done so often when she was a child.
"What do you have Wu?" The shorter of the two men said to a police officer standing near to the police tape. His dark hair looking slightly ruffled like he hadn't slept for long.
Christine couldn't hear them anymore as they walked with this new man 'Wu' further into the group of officers. So she moved over to where she thought most of the other non-police people, who were milling around, were stood. She noticed, then, that she stood out quite a bit from these people. They were all in exercise clothes, or at the least jeans and t-shirts. Where as she stood in her black office trousers, a white shirt and her light weather tan jacket.
Hoping they would think she was maybe just someone pulled by whatever had happened, she moved round the edges of the different groups and began to over hear bits of conversations.
A body was found in the woods. Found by his girlfriend. No, a married man by his lover.
'They were definitely seeing each other. Probably weren't supposed to be seeing each other if they were having to meet up in the woods.' Christine thought to herself. 'Could he or she have tried to break it off and the guy who's dead obviously didn't enjoy what was being said. She noticed the same three men from before were walking back now. The third Wu, trailing behind the first two, still talking to them. She began to hear them the closer they got. So she moved closer to where they were walking to in hopes of hearing more.
"She said once she found him, she ran away calling for help. Apparently it was a regular spot for them to meet, or so she says. She's pretty shook up about it. Understandably so considering the state of him. Came running down the path, got the attention of some early morning hikers and they called us in." he walked them right past her and toward the open back of an ambulance.
Following them, slightly behind so not to bring attention to herself. Christine tried to walk as lightly as she could on the rocky ground. She could see a young girl couldn't be more than 18. Sat in the back of the ambulance, a paramedic with her, with a grey blanket around her shoulders.
"Sophie, I'm Detective Burkhardt." The shorter man, Burkhardt, said. Gesturing to himself. "This is Detective Griffin. We're with the police. Can you tell us what happened?"
Christine watched as Detectives Burkhardt and Griffin looked expectantly at the young woman, while she just stared blankly back at them. The detectives must have realised they weren't getting anywhere. Just when Christine expected them to leave the traumatised woman alone. Suddenly Griffin sat down next to the girl and with the upmost tender care, rested one of his larger hands on top of hers.
"Sophie," he said gently. "Tell us. What happened to James?" His voice tender and quiet. So quiet that had Christine not been standing so close. She might not have heard him.
Hearing James name must have registered something in Sophie because the next thing Christine knew Sophie was talking so animatedly it was difficult for her to keep up.
"We meet here every Thursday morning. We both need to leave early for 'revision' class. That's how we first met you see. Revision class for our algebra class. Last year, we were both doing really badly so a couple of us from class all decided to get together on Thursday mornings to revise. Anyway, the teacher said we could use his classroom since the library wasn't going to be opening early anymore, Mrs Wilson was going on maternity leave, but only if we made it an open invite to anyone in our year that needs help with algebra. Well James and I, we're not even in the same class. So it really was fate! It was meant to be! But we had to keep it quiet. Our family's don't really get along and for sure my friends would tell their friends and it would get back to our family's one way or another. And then, then after the tests were over we were supposed to stop coming and we just couldn't stop seeing each other, we were in love. So instead I came up with the idea of coming here every Thursday morning. I mean, all we had to say was that we were still going to revision classes. Our parents were so happy we were putting in this extra effort for our final year and we'd just talk. About everything." By now there were tears in her eyes. Her whole body trembling. "And then, then he proposed. I was so happy. He's the first boy I've really liked. I mean we were each others firsts! But we couldn't tell our parents any of it. We were saving up to run away. We had a plan. We were going to finish high school. Then go to the same college, some where out of state. Far away from both our family's. Then in our second year, we'd move in together and just stop coming back home. We'd say that college was getting stressful, or work, or what ever. But we'd just stop coming back and just stop seeing our family's. But now..." She trailed off. Tears freely flowing down her face. "Now, i just don't know what I'm going to do. I mean, why would someone do something so horrible to him? He was so sweet." The young woman trailed off. A pleading look in her eyes, tears streaming down her face.
Christine watched as this young woman, no girl. Pored out her sadness. She'd never seen someone so broken before. Then she saw something else that she'd never seen before.
Something that would forever change her.
That made her doubt everything she knew up till then.
That made her change her very way of thinking and she let out a gasp.
And as they say that's all that they wrote.
I kid. There will be more. Already writing it up. Just thought that was a good stopping point.
So thoughts, opinion's. They're more that welcome! I'd also like to thank those that have been reviewing. Really made a high point in my day which I've needed lately.
Don't worry. Already started chapter 2 but I'm being mean and making you wait a month. Yup only one a month. That's what I'm sticking to. Also I've gotten my daughter to watch it, she's old enough now and she's hooked already. We're up to season 2!