Chapter 6: Murder, Murder!

I wait around the outside BK. My shift is almost on. I feel back to normal, yeah. Mother actually went to work; I saw her walk into the Smith's, which happens to be in the same shopping center as BK. The Jamaican woman is less an issue now. I barely even think about her. The bell on the BK door jingles. Justin walks out. I'm the one who takes over his shift. He glares down at me. We hate each other. He thought I was eighteen or something, 'cause he hit on me and I shot him down, on a Friday. Fridays are the busiest days at BK. In front of a packed room. I realize I sound arrogant when I talk about these freaks hitting on me, but I'm just being honest. These are the worst moments that stick out in my mind. Screw you if you think otherwise. So he had his shift changed. I pass him and walk inside, there are most of my classmates, eating, conversing, and relaxing. Well, today should be odd. I walk behind the counter, take off my fucked up, ghetto jacket- my only jacket- and hang it in the employee closet. The manager berates me if I don't wear my hair in a ponytail. So I put up my hair. Stupid. Oh yes. And I have to wear those regulation shirts with the blue and white stripes down the front. Oh and the hat. The hat! A red visor that has our name sewn on the front. Ugh, how I despise that... that... thing! I button up the ugly shirt and take the hat. I feel like ripping it in half and burning it. I place it on my head. I look up in the employee mirror; I look like a stupid prep. Welcome to Sucks-Ville. Wow, that was probably the corniest thing I've ever thought. Sigh... I walk out of the back room and head to my register. There's already a line of, like, seven people. I enter my employee number and password,

"Welcome to Burger King. My name is Kimberly. What can I get for you this wonderful morning?

"A Coke, please, Kim."

I look up, it's Sam Alcona. He's, like, the shyest kid in school. He's in my Hall and sixth periods. I walk to the soda machine behind the counter and pause,

"Small, medium, large or Giant?"

"Medium, please."

I grab a medium and start to fill up the cup.

"Are... aren't you wondering why everyone's here? 'Cause, I think I figured out why you're always absent. "

"Shock me, Sam."

My sarcasm makes him a bit shifty. I lid his soda and give it to him over the counter. He grabs the drink, passes me a dollar, and leans over, in a whisper he says,

"Someone was murdered."

"Surprise, surprise."

"But, someone in school was arrested for it."

"They arrested me."

"You... YOU? You killed that guy?"

"No. But he was attacking me. He hit me in the head with a rock. I was... out."

Sam looks puzzled. He sits down at the counter top. The other people at the counter are getting rowdy. I go back to the register. First in line is my least favorite person. Rick Tether. Sam seems rather hostile towards Tether. I can't blame him.

"Can I help you?"

"Flirting with Alcona, Kim?"

I see Sam, out of the corner of my eye, blush scarlet.

"What do you want?"

"A quarter-pounder with cheese."

"Yes. Very macho, isn't it?"

I log it into the computer. Bloody bastard.

"Ninety-nine cents, with tax: a dollar six."

He hands over a five. I am making change when he reaches over and takes my hat from me. Messing up my already messy ponytail. He puts it on his head.

"Ew, lice."

"That's not nice Kimberly."

I snatch back my hat and walk to the back to grab the stupid burger. I take it to Tether. He pats me on the cheek and says,

"Good girl, Kimberly!"

I want to grab his arm and give him an Indian burn. But that's enough to get me fired. I look down at his other hand though. It's mummified. Swimming in gauze. Wuss. He sees me staring and hides it quickly. I scoff, just making him feel self-conscious. He sulks away. Sam smiles at me. I glare at him. Screw you, blushy-boy. His gaze shifts to his soda, his cheeks redden.

"Hi, Kim!"

Pip walks up to the counter. He takes the seat next to Sam. I feel my face warm-up. Shit! No! Not now! I turn around. I fiddle with my shirt.

"Hello, I'd like to eat here!"

Oh yeah. Customers. Damn them all to Hell. They blow chunks. I spin in around avoiding his gaze.

"Welcome to Burger King. My name is Kimberly. What can I get you?"

There's a sigh of relief as another register opens. Kevin starts his shift. He glances at me sheepishly. I glare at him. He quickly averts his eyes.

"Kimberly!"

The manager. God I hate him. Max.

"Yeah?"

"I'm letting Lindsay take over your register so I can train her. Take a break."

Shit. Today is not my day (nor was yesterday really). Now there's no escape, Pip will talk to me. Doomed. I need to draw. I walk around the counter. Sam watches me. He blushes... why? I don't know. He's just some superficial blushy-boy. I think that's what Jack calls him too. Jack's Sam's older brother. Jack's a rebel of sorts. The Alconas' are privileged, true, but he's a rebel in a legal sense. He boycotts unnatural things like, like... nature crap. And he's big on trashing Bush. Whoa... thoughts are getting off track... concentrate. Pip. How do I avoid him? Well, there is no way of doing that. So, how do I avoid blushing? ...Don't look at him? ...Hurt him? I don't think I'll be able to. I look up. Pip and Sam are already chummy. Wow. That didn't take long. He looks at me. Those emerald eyes smile at me. They touch me. It's honest, kind and meaningful ...Kim! What the Hell are you thinking? He beckons me. My brain says no, but my feet say yes. I sit myself at the counter.

"Look what I've got Kim!"

Pip reaches down to the side of his chair and pulls up a neatly wrapped present. A-a gift? For me? Jesus, god...

"For serious?"

He smiles and nods. I feel my face get warm. I force myself to calm down. I am sitting with Sam at my right and Pip on his other side. He passes it past Sam to me. I take it in my hands. I look at it. What do I do? ...Open it, stupid! I start ripping the delicate paper. The paper reveals just what I was looking for. A sketch pad. Pip can tell I'm pleased. I blush. Like never before. I really feel it. Like a heat wave.

"Kim? Are you okay? You're flushed."

Just like on the bus.

"Yes. I'm perfectly fine. "

Sam seemed more concerned. He placed the back of his hand to my forehead.

"You're rather warm... you should lie down."

"No, really, I'm fine."

I look at Pip sternly. This better not be a joke. He just smiles. I open the sketchbook. There is a small note in there scribbled by Pip. 'Kim, I figured out that you like to draw. But all the papers you carry in your bag are messy. So I figured you could use this. Have fun!' God this guy is not normal. He's like, like... a woman. To put it plainly.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah..."

I looked back at Sam. He blushed yet again. Just looking at him reminds me. Someone was killed. That's why they're out of school.

"Pip?"

"Yes, Kim?"

"What happened the other night? ...Where did you go?"

Pip's eyes widen then he turns his head in the other direction. Sam looks from me to Pip. Very confused. I look down at the little French- excuse me- Freedom fries and hamburgers dancing printed on the wooden counter.

"Kim we need to talk."

Sam looks at me funny. I roll my eyes. He looks at his soda sternly, flushing slightly. Pip leads me to the play area of BK. Sam is left alone at the counter. I feel almost bad for him. Nah. I sit down at the step of the jungle gym/playhouse thing (whatever it is). He sits next to me.

"Kim. What I tell you now I trust you not to ever reveal it. Can I trust you?"

His eyes are pleading me. I nod.

"Kim, I have problems. I killed that man. ...Sort of..."

Pip slouches and puts his head in his hands. I freeze. Pip...? Killed the man... Sort of...? How can you 'sort of' kill someone? I'm too astonished to speak.

"I know it's hard to believe. But you have to! You have to believe me! I didn't do it! Exactly..."

Exactly? I knew I only would befriend the worst people. Befriend...?

"How? ...Pip answer me!"

He seems so ashamed.

"You are the first person I've ever told this to... please understand. My body is not completely mine."

"You're a hooker doubling as a murderer?"

I ask incredulously. He almost laughs at that. I was totally serious though.

"It half belongs to someone, Feran... He isn't human."

Oh, right. An alien abducted him and performed all these weird tests on him. They controlled his mind and made him kill the bastard. Sure.

"I... know it sounds stupid. But I don't know how else to explain it. He takes over me at night. I can't control him."

I sit there. Laughing inwardly. I want to slap myself on the knee and laugh aloud. But that's just weird. Especially for me.

"Sure. Right, Pip."

He turns with wide eyes of hurt and desperate-ness. Depravity, craving the comfort of someone's understanding. He grabs me roughly by the arms. He gets on his knees in front of me, commanding my full attention.

"You have to believe me. I didn't do it. Feran did."

His grasp is clamp-like and he is totally insane looking. I admit, I'm a bit frightened now. His eyes look right into mine. He whispers frantically,

"You are the other Key, you must understand!"

"What do you mean with all this Key junk?"

He grabs my tacky shirt sleeve of my right arm and rips it clean off. He lets it fall to the floor. My birthmark- a perfect circle- stands out on my pale skin. He lets go of me and rips the left sleeve off of his own shirt. He has a birthmark, too. In the shape of an upside down 'F'.

"You see? The Keys!"

I don't know what to do. I feel like... I don't know. I... I...

"Stop it! Let go!"

I slap him across the cheek. It echo's around the empty room. I jump up. I can't believe him! I cover my birthmark. I collect myself a bit. Pip is still on his knees, staring up at me utterly confused. I glare down at him.

"Pip, I won't tell anyone what you told me or what just happened. As long as you never talk to me again."

He looks so pitiful. What has he done? The jerk!