Shattered

By: Abellen

Chapter Nine: Foreboding

'You're looking cheerful this morning, Cornelius,' my mother said as I entered the kitchen. She watched as I picked up my science book from under the fruit bowl where it had spent the duration of the weekend before she continued. 'Is there any reason for it? Normally on Monday you're bordering on morose.'

'No, no reason,' I replied as I packed the last of my things into my bag, including Ingrid's umbrella.

'Hmmm, okay. Well, say "Hi" to Ingrid for me.' She smiled into her coffee mug as my head shot up, before becoming serious. 'You will remember what I said, won't you? I don't want to see you or Ingrid get hurt.'

'I know, Mom. I'm just doing what you said, and being there if she needs anyone to talk to.'

She nodded in approval and put a scarf around my neck. 'Don't complain; it's cold outside.' She fiddled with the woolly material for a moment before she sighed. 'Cornelius, promise me that if you think Ingrid is in real trouble you'll tell an adult rather than trying to sort it out by yourself?'

'You mean from Harris?'

'From the bully, or from anything else...' she trailed off, looking grim before she shook her head and smiled. 'Never mind, it's just silly "Mom" worries. Now, you'd better get going or you'll be late.'

I grabbed my bag and headed for the door, my stomach twisting in knots at Mom's ominous words. I barely heard my Dad, and only managed a vague goodbye before I shut the door.

I wished that I could be serious and unimaginative like Vallejo, but my mind had no problem in creating and then leaping to the worst conclusion. I tried to think of what Mom might have meant. All I could think of was that she thought Ingrid might be harmful towards herself. My gut reaction was a distinct "no". Ingrid was a strong girl, and I couldn't see her falling prey to that kind of problem. But then it was only a week ago today that she had been lying in that hospital bed, and she hadn't been the same since.

On the outside she had been herself: tough, uncompromising and collected, but there were cracks in her armour. Underneath she was vulnerable and in pain. I remembered how she'd looked in the park. I had seen her sitting on the swing, her head in her hands as her long skirt hem rested in the mud. She had looked so small and defenceless, and when I got closer I had realised just how distraught she was. It had shaken me to the core to see my partner like that, but at the same time it made me realise more than ever before how she needed help. It didn't matter how much she protested against it, she needed to be protected.

My lips twisted in anger as I thought of Harris. The others had been outraged when they heard about Ingrid's busted stitches, and couldn't believe she wasn't going to tell Folsom. Anza had scoffed when I told him she said it was an accident, and I had to admit that I still didn't quite believe her. If Harris knew just how defenceless Ingrid was now he would pounce.

I shoved my thoughts away from the idea of her in Harris' grip and thought about the day in the park instead. I had felt so useless. Every tear I wiped away was replaced with two more, and all I could do was hold her as she sobbed. Ingrid seemed to appreciate it though. She hadn't taken her hand out of mine until we got back to her house. She had been grateful enough to kiss my cheek... I grinned at the memory, and wondered what would have happened if I had just kissed her back.

My train of thought ground to a halt when I reached the stop sign near school. Ingrid wasn't waiting for me today, and that made my gut twist and butterflies flurry in my stomach. I quickened my pace towards the school and jogged up the steps to the doors. In a matter of minutes I was inside the office, but only Anza and Vallejo were waiting for me.

'Ingrid's not with you?' Vallejo asked, his face twisted with concern.

'No, I thought she might be here.' I took the scarf off and threw it over the back of my chair.

'Maybe she's in class already?' Anza asked, checking his watch. 'Although twenty minutes is a bit early to be in class, even for Ingrid.'

'She'll be here,' I said quietly, more to calm myself than the others. I grabbed the mug and mixed up some hot chocolate before perching on my desk to wait.

The door opened and we all looked up, only to slump as Tehama wandered in.

'Nice to see you too,' she sniffed, taking off her gloves.

'We're waiting for Ingrid.'

'Oh.' Tehama bit her lip and reached into her bag before putting a bar of chocolate onto Ingrid's desk. 'She's probably going to need this alot more than me. Has anyone seen her this weekend?

Vallejo and Anza shook their heads, but Tehama quickly noticed my lack of denial and raised an enquiring eyebrow.

'I saw her on Friday, just after the funeral. She was pretty upset.' I scowled at that understatement. 'Look, maybe she won't be in today. She might just need the time to herself, you know?'

'Yeah, I know,' Vallejo said soothingly. 'It's just I'd feel a lot better if I knew she was okay.'

I got to my feet and left the office silently, too wrapped up in my own thoughts to see the worried glances of the other officers. I had fought with myself all weekend over whether or not to call Ingrid. I had been desperate for reassurance that she was coping, but at the same time I knew Ingrid. At a time like this she wouldn't want pity, or to be smothered in concern. She would want her space. In the end I hadn't called at all, but now I was regretting my decision.

English was the first lesson of the day and I took my seat. I watched as people filed in, yawning and complaining. I had all but given up hope that Ingrid would be in today when she slipped through the door. She looked pale and drawn, but it was the deep shadows under her eyes made me wince in concern. She looked like she hadn't slept for days. She gave me a tiny smile of greeting as she slipped into her seat next to the window. I was about to speak when a woman stormed into the room, slamming the door behind her.

She was tall and menacing, with grey hair pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head. Her face was marred with frown lines and her lips were pursed. I heard Ingrid give a tiny groan. Ms Hawthorne was a substitute teacher, but rather than a gentle, well-meaning soul who would cut us some slack she was a battle axe. She acted as though every student was a waste of space, and she took delight in picking on people.

Everyone in the front row had cringed backwards when she entered, and watched her with horrified eyes as she barked out the register. When she was done she began to pace the room, lecturing on Shakespeare. She criticised the bard with every sentence, and I found myself feeling sorry for the long-dead writer. Ingrid was staring fixedly ahead, an unusual glazed look in her eyes. I knew that she was fond of some of Shakespeare's work, but she knew better than to question Hawthorne.

It was almost the end of the lesson when Ms Hawthorne stopped her pacing in front of Ingrid's desk. She tapped her foot impatiently and I frowned in confusion. Ingrid was awake, and had even made a few judicious notes, which was more than anyone else.

'Do you believe yourself beyond this class, Ms Third?' Hawthorne hissed, fixing Ingrid with a steely glare.

'No Ma'am,' Ingrid said quietly, her face carefully neutral.

'No? And yet you interrupt my lecture by scribbling incessantly. The other teachers cry their praises of you Ms Third, but I see nothing special in you.'

Ingrid remained silent which only seemed to annoy the substitute teacher further.

'You'll serve an hour in detention for your attitude.'

'What?'

Tehama and I had said it at the same time, but Hawthorne spun around and moved towards me. 'Do you have something to say to me, Mr Fillmore?'

Ingrid shook her head emphatically behind the teacher's back and I could see Anza leaning across his desk, whispering soothing words to Tehama. It would be wise just to keep my mouth shut...

'She hasn't done anything wrong! How can you give her detention?' I demanded.

'Easily, Mr Fillmore. You will be joining Ms Third for your impertinence. I suggest you hold your tongue in future.'

By the time the bell rang I had thought of half a dozen ways to get back at Hawthorne. Karen had glared at her constantly, and Anza kept cracking his knuckles menacingly. Ingrid had done nothing. She had sat with her hands in the pockets of my denim jacket and stared at her desk, as though it held the answers to life's mysteries. At the sound of the bell she lifted her head and waited for Hawthorne to confirm the end of the double lesson.

'You may go.'

None of us said a word until we were back in the calm of the Safety Patrol office. Ingrid slumped in her chair and shut her eyes. She didn't open them again until Vallejo put the mug on her desk. It was brimming with strong black coffee, and Ingrid cupped it in her palms.

'Are you gonna be okay?' he asked quietly.

Ingrid took a deep breath. 'Eventually.'

'If you need time off from the Patrol or anything, you let me know.'

'Thanks, Vallejo. I'll be fine. I just need to keep going, that's all.' Ingrid took a gulp of the coffee, and shut her eyes again.

'All right,' Vallejo looked around the room and frowned. 'Anza, Tehama, I need you two to go down to the cheer-leading club.'

'What happened?'

'Apparently someone's been taking money from their cash tin. See if you can get any prints or anything, and take Danny with you.'

Vallejo slipped into his office and shut the door as the three officers departed, leaving Ingrid and I in peace. She looked bone weary, and seemed to be having trouble keeping her eyes open. 'Are you really going to be okay?' I asked softly.

Ingrid didn't even open her eyes this time. 'I'll be fine, Fillmore. I just haven't been sleeping well.'

'Why don't you take a nap or something? You've got an hour before lessons.'

'I should be working on something,' she said quietly, but it was obvious she was losing her battle against sleep.

'Just rest for a few minutes. I'll wake you up.'

Obediently she leaned forward and put her head on her arms, which were resting on her desk. Within moments her breathing deepened, and she was asleep.

I worked as quietly as I could for about twenty minutes, trying to find any clue to the mysterious callers that had been bothering X's top students. We were still waiting for them to make their next move, and had drawn up nothing but dead ends. I couldn't decide if it had all been a hoax, or if the perpetrators were just lulling us into a false sense of security.

It was halfway through the lunch hour when Tehama marched back into the office, a thunderous expression on her face. She didn't say a word, but sat at her desk with her back to the room. Minutes later Anza and Danny walked in, both giving their full attention to the cheerleader between them.

Tanja Rossi was the picture of distress, and was also one of the prettiest girls in school, in a Barbie doll kind of way. Her wide blue eyes found me and before I knew it her hands were on my arm.

'Oh Officer Fillmore, you've just got to help us! They taken nearly fifty dollars!' Rossi squealed, fluttering her eyelashes.

'Without that money we've got no chance of entering the state competitions,' a brunette cheerleader stated as she closed the door. She was the picture of level-headed calm, and gave me a warm smile. 'It's not the end of the world, but it validates the squads existence.'

'Can I take your name, miss?' I asked, detaching Rossi from me and moving to the less dramatic cheerleader.

'Marlene Kelly. I'm the head of the squad. We noticed the money was missing this morning.' She continued to describe what had happened as I dutifully took notes. 'We were cut from the funding a few years back to make way for the Scholarship programme. We make all our own money through events, which actually works well for us because we don't have to justify the funds.'

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Ingrid's eyes snap open, and saw her hands clench into fists for a moment, before flattening again. No one in the room seemed to notice and she remained motionless, glancing around with a frightened look on her face. After a moment she got to her feet and made her way to Tehama's desk, ignoring the cheerleaders and talking in a low voice to Karen.

Eventually the two young women left. Marlene strode out of the room, while Tanja simpered and flirted her way to the door. I rolled my eyes in disbelief. She might be pretty, but she was used to getting her way and knew it. The fact that Danny and Anza had obviously fallen over themselves to help her only encouraged her.

'Cow,' Karen muttered when she had gone. 'There's nothing wrong with my nose! At least it's the one I was born with!'

Ingrid gave a tired chuckle. 'Did you find any prints?'

'Nothing that didn't belong there. All the cheerleaders had access to the box. It was probably an inside job. Do you think we can pin it on Rossi?'

'I wish. Did you take an pictures of the scene?'

'Of course,' Karen turned to Danny. 'Can you get those photos developed as soon as possible?'

'Yeah, sure. I can have them done by the end of the day.'

'Let me know if you find anything interesting?' Ingrid asked.

'Well whatever's going on, it'll have to wait. We've got History.' I pointed to the clock, where the hands were edging towards the end of lunch I just hope Hawthorne isn't substituting in that, as well.'

------------------

The bell rang to announce the last lesson of the day and I stifled a groan. Normally I'd be glad to get back to the office and get some work done, but instead I was going to be spending an hour my time staring into space. Detention was a punishment that rarely caused reform. It was a waste of time, particularly when handed out by power-hungry substitutes like Hawthorne.

Ingrid waited for me outside of the door and we made our way towards the detention hall. 'Can you think of anyone scheduled for today?' I asked. Sitting in a room full of people I'd caught committing crimes didn't appeal.

'No one's on the books. It might just be the two of us. You could get some homework done.'

'I haven't got any. None of the teachers are giving out homework with the exams on Thursday.'

'I'm sure we can find something to keep us occupied.'

I raised an eyebrow as Ingrid gave a tired but cheeky grin. 'Got anything particular in mind, Third?'

'We'll see.'

The hall was empty and the two of us sat down in seats close to the front. Normally there was a teacher to make sure we were thinking about what we'd done, but none had put in an appearance yet.

'I don't think Rossi was impressed with you today,' Ingrid said, smothering a yawn as she swung on the back legs of her chair. 'I think she was expecting you to melt at her feet.'

'She's too shallow and manipulative.'

'You sound like your speaking from experience.' When I didn't reply Ingrid looked at me, her tired eyes wide with curiosity. 'Have you been out with her?'

'It was ages ago,' I said defencively. 'She was less stuck up then, all though still pretty bad. It wasn't serious!'

'How old were you, and how come I didn't notice?'

'Not old enough to know what a relationship was about, and it was well before you got here.'

'Who is old enough to know what a relationship is about?' Ingrid murmured, going back to swinging on her chair. 'Her friend wasn't so bad though. She seemed pretty down-to-earth.'

'Yeah. You'd think most people would be worked up about having their money stolen, but she seemed pretty calm about it.'

Ingrid shook her head tiredly and gave a small groan. 'I'm too tired to think. I keep thinking about this case, but I can't put the pieces together.'

'Why haven't you been sleeping?' It was a tentative question, which I didn't expect her to answer.

She paused for a moment, staring unseeingly at the wall. 'I keep having very bad dreams. Every time I close my eyes I can see my parents in the car. I keep dreaming that they're burying me alive and I can't get out. I can't sleep for more than a little while before the dreams wake me up again.'

'Doesn't anything help?'

Ingrid shook her head. 'Ariella stays with me, and it's easier, but she's just as tired. She needs a break, but I can't sleep if I'm by myself.'

'Well, I'm here now. Why don't you doze off? If it looks like you're having a bad dream I'll wake you up.' I moved closer and offered her my shoulder to lean on. She looked at me for a moment with a puzzled frown on her face, before accepting it. 'Just don't dribble on me, okay?'

'I don't dribble, Fillmore,' she laughed quietly, before closing her eyes.

The minute hand crept around the clock and I tried not to make any movements that might awaken Ingrid. I was just starting to get stiff muscles in my back and neck when she made a tiny whimpering sound. I heard her breathing turn into panicked gasps and her body begin to tremble and shudder. Quickly I shook her shoulder, and her eyes snapped open.

'You all right?'

She shook her head and pulled her knees up to her chest. 'I just want to sleep,' she whispered.

'Come on, we've been here an hour. Why don't we get you home?'

'No,' she replied, her voice strengthening with conviction. 'I don't want to go home yet. Let's get back to the office; we've got work to do.'

As I followed her down the hall I couldn't help but feel my anxiety escalate. Ingrid was practically helpless, held prisoner by the torments of her own mind, and I was powerless to help her. I was beginning to think that the Ingrid I knew would be lost forever. It was as though she had died with her parents in that car, and what was left was nothing but a shadow of grief and pain. Every now and a gain a flicker of the old Ingrid would shine through, but that flame was dimming. If anything else happened to her it might be the end of Ingrid Third.

End Of Chapter 9

There are probably at least another five chapters to go of this story, and possibly more. I hope you carry on enjoying it, and reviewing! I'm also not sure when the next update will be, as I'm going away next the weekend, but I'll try and get one up soon!

p.s. To Amoeba 2: I just liked the pattern of using "F" words in all of the chapter titles. I am running out of ideas though!