Chapter Two: Just Like Watching the Detectives
"Attention all faculty and students", The P.A. system echoed through the halls of the junior high, "We regret to have to make this announcement. This morning, William Medaeo was found dead near the park. We will be closing school early so that police may interview anyone that knew William, and so that anyone that wants to may visit our school counselor to talk through any grief you may be feeling. We will also be sending home packets for your parents to read with you, so that we may avoid this tragedy from happening again. Now, we ask that everyone please bow your heads for a moment of silence, in memory of William Medaeo."
After a minute the P.A. broke the silence with a crackle and a pop. "We'd like for the following students to please report to the principals office: Thomas Aaronson, Jonathan Bringham…" The list continued for roughly twenty names before reaching Alisyn's name, and continued for another dozen afterward.
"Fuck." Alisyn couldn't understand why she was being called. No one was supposed to have known she even knew William, let alone know that she was with him the previous day. She was discreet about the whole situation, but someone must have seen them together. She needed to come up with something to cover, at least long enough to get things taken care of.
The school office was brightly lit. But it was a fake brightness… the kind of light that could only come from the soft buzzing halogen lights, filtered through a decades worth of dust buildup and "frosted" Plexiglas. The shades had all been shut in a vane attempt to keep a sense of privacy in the room. Alisyn knew that anyone with eyes could peer into the room just as well as she could peer out, but she wasn't concerned with her privacy here. Her main concern at that moment in time was the bullish Detective, clad in an ugly brown corduroy suit, that was probing her for information.
"Mr. Bringham says he saw you and Mr. Medaeo talking yesterday. He thought you might have some information about his disappearance. Why don't you tell us about the last time you saw William, Ms. Pyre." The Detective was persistent to a fault. He spent at least an hour with every student who had been seen with the boy within the past twenty-four hours. Through the shades, Alisyn could see it was almost dark. She just needed to appease this moron for a few minutes and then she would be able to go to the one who could solve all of her problems.
"I saw him yesterday during lunch. We were supposed to meet at the park to walk home after school, but, he never showed. I guess now I know why. Oh God, it coulda' been me." Alisyn began sobbing; she was an expert at playing the victim. The "almost-a-victim" role wasn't a difficult transition to make.
"I didn't see anything unusual while I was waiting for him, maybe if I had been paying more attention he would still be here today." At this point her face was wet with tears. She looked up at the portly detective to show him that her face had turned completely red, and to see if her ruse was having any affect on the calloused man.
"It's ok, Alisyn. We can stop now. If you can think of anything that might help us find the person who did this, you can give us a call." The detective reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. "Just ask for Detective Russman, they'll connect you to me, no matter where I am."
Alisyn carefully gripped the edges of the card and slid it into the pocket of her school uniform. "Can I go home now?" She asked as she stood, wiping the tears from her eyes and trying to rub the red out of her face. Detective Russman nodded and Alisyn quickly made her way for the door. Alisyn had a job to do, she had to find out who ratted her out, and she had to get the Detective off of her back. She hurried down the hall towards the girls' restroom, and found an empty stall. Alisyn feverishly dug through her backpack and pulled a small talisman from deep within the main compartment, and then she waited till the only sound she could hear was her own breathing. Clutching the talisman tightly, she concentrated on her desired destination, and silently, she disappeared.
The very next moment Alisyn appeared in a lavishly furnished office. A large dog lumbered toward her, sniffed her hand, and wagged his massive tail in approval. She made her way to a velvet upholstered Victorian-era couch at the far end of the room.
"Remind me not to bring you the popular kids from now on." Alisyn stretched her legs and propped them on an ornate coffee table as she lounged the couch.
"Was there a problem at school today?" Asked the calm, strong voice coming from a luxurious leather chair behind a large handcrafted oak desk. The same desk that was etched into the final memories of young Mr. Medaeo.
"Yeah, they found his body at the park. And some detective was asking every body questions about it. If it woulda' been one of those stupid little mopey euro-trash kids, nobody would have even batted an eyelash. But one jock goes missing and their whole world starts falling apart." Alisyn lazily extended her arm and brushed her hand across the large dog that had been wandering the room. She absent-mindedly traced patterns in his fur until he settled into a position that was just beyond her reach. She sighed as she plodded her feet to the ground and slumped forward. Carefully, she reached into the pocket of her uniform and grasped the edges of the card that the detective had given her. "The annoying, fat fuck of a Dick gave me this… Thought you might be able to do something with it."
"You've touched it." Exclaimed the man behind the desk, annoyed at the fact that Alisyn thought that he could do anything with the card after she touched it. Any psychic impressions left on the card were useless now.
"Barely! Besides, you're a smart guy. With the resources you have at your disposal, there's gotta be something you can do with it that doesn't require your Blood Magic or whatever it is that you do with that kind of stuff." Defiantly, the young girl placed the card on the desk, returned to the couch, and resumed stroking the large dog's smooth black fur.
"Watch your tone Alisyn. I am forgiving, though others of the Clan would destroy you for such insolent behavior." The man let out a heavy sigh. "You are right though. You and Brahm go on home. I'll make sure this Detective Russman doesn't trouble you further."
"Ok. Oh! By the way, expect another one that needs to go away sometime within the next couple of days. And it would probably be a good idea to make Detective Russman forget that he spoke to Jonathan Bringham."
Alisyn gathered her belongings and made her way across the room to a mirror that stretched from floor to ceiling. She stood there for a moment adjusting her hair and making sure she had everything that she arrived with. She was a pretty girl, with long black hair and big green eyes that glittered in the light. She was no exotic beauty queen, but she was definitely one of the most attractive girls in her school. But, unlike the other pretty girls her age, she had intelligence, and a personality of her own. She knew this, and she liked it. After checking her self in the mirror, she slapped her hand against her thigh and the large dog came trotting to her side. Grasping the dog's collar and placing her hand on the mirror, Alisyn stepped forward through the mirror and into her mother's living room.
"Hi mom. I'm gonna go to bed… It's been a really long day, and I have some things I need to take care of tomorrow."