Sorry this is so late, guys. I've had a busy week, and this chapter gave me a bit of trouble. But I hope you enjoy it, and please review if you do. And thank you for the reviews last chapter, you guys are great. :)
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February 14th
The two girls are sitting side by side in the waiting room. One of them is crying, her dark hair pinned back by clips that are starting to fall out, her pale blue dress smeared with dirt and some stains that look like blood. The other girl is slightly more composed, but she also looks like she's been dragged through the woods; her cream-colored dress (he can only assume that's the color it is; it's so dirty that it's hard to tell) is ripped in several places, her blonde hair has leaves strewn through it, and she's biting her lip so hard that she's drawing blood. She doesn't seem to notice.
He approaches them slowly, but they still look startled when he reaches them (the officer who'd brought them in – who has conveniently turned in early – said that they were both reluctant to leave the scene, and were 'like frightened baby deer' when anyone tried to approach them). The blonde grabs the other girl's hand and squeezes it, and they both look up at him with slightly blank expressions, as if they're not sure this is really happening.
"Hi girls," he says gently. "My name is Detective McDonald."
The blonde-haired girl sniffs, shaking her arm so that her bracelet falls back down to her wrist. She watches it for a moment, then turns back to the detective. "I'm Hanna," she says. "And this is Emily."
The other girl buries her face in her hands, her sobbing becoming louder and more uncontrollable.
"Hanna, Emily," he says. Sometimes saying people's names can help ground them, and at the very least it makes him seem more approachable, more friendly. And he feels like he needs to be both those things if he's to get through to them – they'd been at the scene, but they'd only been brought in now because they'd had to stay behind while paramedics treated one of them for a panic attack, and the other one refused to leave her behind. They're fragile, to say the least. "Thank you for coming in. My partner over there said you know what happened. Were you there when Miss Hastings -"
"Spencer," Emily chokes out, looking up at last. "Is she okay?"
McDonald hesitates. How the hell is he meant to answer a question like that? But his failure to answer seems to give the girls all the information they need.
"Can… can we see her?" Emily asks hopefully.
"Not right now." He tries not to notice her face falling. "She's still being questioned, and until we know what happened it's best she doesn't see anyone."
At this point Hanna starts crying too, and McDonald feels even more uncomfortable. He feels like he should do something to comfort them. What did his mother used to do when he was upset as a kid?
"Girls, can I get you anything?" he asks. "Some tea, maybe? Or coffee?"
"T-tea," Hanna replies. "That would be nice."
He nods. "I'll be back in a minute."
The first person he finds is not an intern but Delaney. "Can you run across the road and get the girls some tea?" he asks him.
Delaney stares at him. "I'm not an intern," he says. "I don't -"
"Look at them," McDonald interrupts. " They're nervous wrecks. It'll do them good."
His partner rolls his eyes, but something in his expression softens as he watches the girls, who are trying to keep it together. Hanna leans over and rubs Emily's shoulder, and Emily mumbles something that's probably meant to be comforting, because Hanna gives her half a smile. "Fine."
After Delaney leaves, McDonald goes back to the girls. They seem a little more together now, and they look at him with more expression; although that's worse, because he can see the pain, the fear, the shock. It makes him feel slightly faint.
"My partner went to get you some tea," he explains. "But in the meantime, do you feel up to telling me what happened?"
"W-we were at a party," Hanna says. "Me and Spencer and Emily. But Spencer, she… she was acting kind of strange."
"We were really worried about her," Emily adds. "Ever since… I mean, she hasn't been herself lately."
They seem completely in-synch, falling into their storytelling roles with ease. It still seems to pain them, but the more they talk about it the more open they seem to be. He pulls up a chair and sits in front of them, gesturing for them to go on. Maybe Hanna and Emily will be able to shed some light on this tragic tale – although, if he's perfectly honest with himself, he's not sure he wants to hear the rest.
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The next chapter is quite cute, so stay tuned. You Sparia fans will like it, I promise.
