sorry this took so long to post, I get procrastinated like a moth drawn to light.
"Was the intruder violent in anyway, Miss Sayomi?"
The adolescent lingered on the question, recalling previous events. She eventually raised her shoulders and replied, "Not really. More confused than anything."
The officer, Mr. Moreau, raised a brow and hummed, scratching down something onto the notebook he held. "Well, the chances are that he could be mentally disturbed, since he showed signs of amnesia, but we won't know for sure until the psychiatrists look him over."
Leia bobbed her head in understanding, shoving her hands into her hoodie pockets and glancing over to where an unconscious 'Eren' was being manhandled onto a stretcher. Maybe she shouldn't have banged his head so hard, but better this than having to deal with a possible outrage when he figured out she had called the police. A barely there feeling twinged in the back of her mind that felt a lot like guilt, though that wasn't an uncommon feeling for her, so she simply tucked it away as usual.
The clearing of a throat regained her attention and she turned back to Mr. Moreau, who was still staring at the notepad, but not writing anything. He wore a troubled expression and Leia immediately knew where this was going. He opened his mouth, but she beat him to it.
"Everything's fine, you don't have to worry so much about me, okay?" she interrupted. "It's been two years, now. If I'm not used to it now, I never will be."
The elder man exhaled softly, the action causing a fog to appear from the frigid morning air, nodding his head. "I know, hun, I know. I just worry about you, since you're here all the time by your lonesome. I mean, just look at what happened today. You know, the offer is still open if you ever want to-"
Leia vigorously shook her head, holding up a hand to cut him off. "I appreciate the thought, Mr. Moreau, I really do. But this is my home, and this is where I'm staying," she stated, running her fingers through her hair. "Besides, you've already done so much for me, keeping me from going to juvie and all. Not to mention all those fruit baskets you keep sending me every month, like I'll actually eat them."
She chuckled when the deputy gave her a disapproving look. He had always condemned her eating habits, but they weren't changing anytime soon.
A couple beats passed where nothing else was said, then another officer signaled Mr. Moreau that it was time to leave. He brought Leia in for a quick hug, muttering, "You're a sweet girl, hun. I only wish other people could see that," before letting go and heading towards a group of fellow policemen.
She took that as her cue to depart as well, turning on her heels and bounding up the five steps to her porch and taking one last peek at the ambulance doors shutting before heading inside.
It was still early dawn, the sunlight grazing the horizon and casting a faint glow across suburban rooftops. Looking at the clock told her it was exactly as early as she thought, 5:47 AM. Really she had no reason to be awake at this hour, considering it was Saturday and her winter break had begun yesterday, though it was most likely out of pure habit.
Leia shuffled into the kitchen, face scrunching up when her bare feet met cold tiles, and opened the fridge. Inside it was barren, minus a few leftovers and drinks, and she added to her mental list to go grocery shopping soon. She grabbed the orange juice and drank straight from the carton. It wasn't like anyone else was going to drink out of it.
Her eyes caught sight of the decorative calendar hanging on the wall, colorful and almost child-like, but she bought it anyways because she needed one and it was on sale for fifty cents. December 25th was surrounded by candy canes and presents, jolly old Saint Nick in the center of the small square.
Stupid.
She placed the drink back in it's place, almost throwing it, and suddenly felt tired. Having nothing else planned for today, she climbed the stairs to her room and crawled onto the mattress. Her eyes slid shut, welcoming the unconsciousness that took over.
A sort of routine settled in, and she went through the next few days almost in a daze. Groceries were bought, bills were paid, chores were done. It was the normal for her, and she had easily forgotten about the indecent prior.
Wednesday, after a morning run, she dropped onto the sofa and turned on the TV, switching to the news channel. She normally avoids any sort of media channel, since they tended to feed off of gossip and rumors, and really just bad things in general, but halfway through her jog, she heard approaching sirens and police cars hastily passed by, too many for comfort. Leia figured if it was big enough, it would be reported on the news, and sure enough, it was.
A woman dressed formally and wore a stern expression was reporting about another homicide that police believe was another victim of a recent serial killer; also known as "The Shredder". Everyone and their mother's mother knew about the recent mass killings that have been happening for the past 3 months, coming up to a total of 29 deaths as of today. The nickname was born after numerous bodies were found in several pieces, making a few of the victims nearly unrecognizable.
Though you would assume everyone would be in hysteria in this event, a surprising amount of people actually treat it as some type of campfire story used to spook your friends. At school you would hear girls and guys alike snickering to each other, saying, "I wouldn't go to that party tonight if I were you, The Shredder is probably going to be lurking about," and their laughs and squeals would echo through the halls. How this whole ordeal was amusing, Leia would never know.
What made Leia so uneasy was the fact that the killer didn't seem to have any objective. There was no gender or age preference, so they couldn't be labeled as some perverted sicko. The targets weren't all rich nor all poor, making money not the issue either. Despised people, adored ones, healthy, unhealthy, gorgeous, unattractive, it didn't matter in the least what type of person you were, or what you did, there was a chance that you were next.
The sound of a squeaky toy brought her back to her current setting, making her reach over to pick up her cell phone from the coffee table. She should probably change that message tone soon, it was beginning to grate on her nerves.
She unlocked her phone, seeing that she had received a message from Mr. Moreau.
Officer Ojiisan: r u ok?
You: yeah I'm good, just watched the news, how about u?
Officer Ojiisan: i've seen better days. keep ur doors locked ok hun?
You: I know, I'm not an idiot, contrary to popular belief
Officer Ojiisan: ok ok miss i'll stick my tongue to the frozen pole to spite u
Leia choked on a gulp of tea, coughing furiously.
You: that was one time and I was 13 please let me live
Officer Ojiisan: haha well i've got to get back to work. see u later kiddo, stay safe
You: I will, later
She smiled fondly and tossed the mobile back onto the table and tuned her attention back to the television, hoping for something other than doom and gloom.
"-olice are still investigating this perplexing case. We will continue to keep you updated when further evidence is found. In similar news, police are still on the look out for an escaped mental patient that may be hostile-"
The screen blinked to black as Leia pressed to power button on the remote, sighing in exasperation. "Damn, and people say I'm a Negative Nancy," she mumbled, standing and raising her arms up to stretch. Checking the clock declared that it was already half past noon, she still hadn't eaten since last night and it seemed her stomach was not happy about the abuse.
She pulled on a loose thread on her jeans in thought. Maybe she could go out this time instead of being tucked away for the whole winter break. Socializing wasn't really her thing, that was more up her brother's alley, but the weather is decent today, so, why not? Grabbing her keys and wallet, Leia slipped on a pair of worn out converses and headed out.