Chapter 6
The sun peeked in through the window the next morning, waking Amber from her slumber. She groaned and opened her eyes. Kylie was still out cold as usual while Danielle was already up and playing with her phone. "You're up early." Amber mentioned, distracting her friend from whatever she was doing on her phone.
Danielle turned to look at her "Yeah, that usually happens to me. Once the sun comes up then so do I."
"I wish I had that ability." Amber giggled then looked over to Kylie and tried waking her. "Ky, time to get up."
"Mmm..." was her only response as she continued sleeping.
"Ugh... lazy." Amber rolled her eyes.
"Just leave her." Danielle got up out of bed.
"Alright, let's go get some breakfast." she got up and headed out the door.
"Pancakes?" Danielle asked excitedly.
Amber smiled "If you ask Mom nicely."
"Sweet." she followed her out of the room.
Amber started down the stairs first and in the living room she saw her mother, father and...
"Uncle Henry?" Amber quickly turned to make sure Danielle wasn't still following her because Henry, her father's partner, was sitting with her parents. Once she was sure that she wasn't being followed she turned back to the adults in the room. "What are you doing here so early?"
"Amber, sweetie, we need to tell you something." Jacklyn said "Can you come down here?"
"Uh... sure." Amber continued down the stairs and sat down on the couch. "What's happening?" it was then that she noticed the grim looks on their faces. "What's going on?"
"Amber," Mike said "We have some bad news, it might be tough for you to hear."
"Okay." Amber said slowly as she tried to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to be told.
"You know a girl about your age named, Toniann Watson, right?" Henry began.
"Yes." she continued as she increasingly got nervous.
"Well, early this morning her parents found her in bed..." he paused. "She's dead." Henry said as calmly as possible.
Amber felt her stomach twist into knots. "What? No, that's crazy I was just talking to her last night. What happened?" Both Michael and Henry kept quiet, not really knowing how to explain the current situation. "Just tell me. Did it happen in her sleep? Was she killed?"
"I'm sorry, hon." Jackie said. That was all the answer she needed.
"What's going on?" Kylie yawned as she wandered out of the room. She saw Danielle keeping herself pressed up against the wall, out of sight of the people downstairs.
Danielle turned to her and placed a finger over her lips, signaling her to keep quiet.
"Who killed her?" Amber felt tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. "... was it that serial killer?"
"We have reason to believe that is what happened."
Full blown tears were now pouring down her cheeks. "I should've stopped her. I could've stopped her."
"About that. Since you were the last one to speak to her, we're going to need to ask you some questions."
"Henry!" Mike scolded. "Not now."
"No Dad, it's fine. I'm gonna do what I can to help you catch this guy, but I don't think what I have to tell you will be of any help."
"Anything you have will help."
"Okay..." she sighed "I'll be right back." she quickly made her way upstairs where Danielle and Kylie were patiently waiting. They followed her back into her room.
"Amber, I'm so sorry." Kylie said. She wasn't really sure of what else to say. She just found out that her friend was murdered.
"It's fine. There's nothing you can do about it." Amber said bluntly with the most straight face that either one had ever seen. It was almost scary.
"Do you want us to stay with you?" Kylie didn't want to leave her friend especially not now.
"No, I'm not gonna make you stay here while I'm getting questioned." Amber sighed and wiped away the remainder of her tears. "So go home."
"Are you sure?" Danielle asked. "We can stay if really need us to." Amber nodded tiredly. "Alright, call us if you need anything, okay."
Amber nodded again and the mutants hesitantly headed out the window. "Guys," Amber called out before they could leave. "Be careful, okay."
Danielle and Kylie knew exactly what she meant when she said that. Both mutants went back over to her to give her a big, comforting hug. "You don't have to worry about us. We'll be just fine." Kylie reassured.
"Yeah, that's what I thought with Toni and now she's gone." Amber cried as she clung onto her two friends.
"It's different with us. You know that." Danielle continued trying to convince her that something like this would never happen to them.
"I know, but still... just stay safe, okay."
"We will." They hesitantly separated from their distraught friend and headed back for the window. Once they were on the rooftop, they made their way home. "I kinda feel bad for leaving her." Danielle finally said hoping over a particularly large gap.
"I know, but with her it's best not to crowd her when she's upset. Just gotta leave her alone for a little while."
"I guess you're right."
"Now Amber, do you have any idea who Toniann was talking to? Did she have a boyfriend or something?" Henry probed once she sat back down on the couch.
Amber looked up at the aging man. Right out the gate he was bringing up the boyfriend. "She had a boyfriend, but I know it wasn't him." Amber continued. "I don't know who it was, but it wasn't him."
"Okay, tell us about the conversation you had with her last night." Mike continued with the questioning.
Amber took a deep breath before explaining "Last night, she called me and she was so excited about this guy that she met at a party. She told me that he was going to be coming over to see her."
"She didn't tell you his name or anything about him?"
"No," Amber sighed while her mother rubbed her back . "She was probably going to, but I was too busy scolding her because she was inviting a random guy to her house." she gave a sad smile. "She never liked it when I "ruined her fun."
"Are you sure it couldn't have been her boyfriend?" Henry immediately went back to the boyfriend. "By what you're telling us, Toniann wasn't very faithful. Could he have perhaps found out about what she was planning on doing that night, went to her house and killed her there."
Amber gave an almost inaudible growl. "I'm telling you. He wouldn't do something like this." she said frustrated as she slammed her fist on the arm of the couch.
"Quick question. You said she met this guy at a party?" Mike asked while simultaneously diffusing the situation. He knew that he needed his daughter to cooperate and she wouldn't be able to do that when she was all worked up. His partner wasn't really helping matters.
"Yeah, one of our classmates was throwing it for all the seniors I think, before we all graduate and go our separate ways."
"Do you know the name of the student that threw this party?"
She exhaled and nodded.
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