CHAPTER ONE:
Disclaimer: I do not own anything that seems familiar to you- I do own the storyline, as original as it may be (rolls eyes), and I own the characters you do not know, but I don't own the CSI'S obviously, so please don't sue me!
A/N: Okay this could get a little crazy, but I'm going to try and keep it as good as I can. It's mostly a case-centric fiction but it will have a pairing at the end, what it is, I'm not gonna say.
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"Look, I know that you think you have this all figured out- but Cadence wouldn't commit a murder. She couldn't. She's one of those people you can push to the edge, and they'll let you if they think it's what you need to do. She's too trusting, too naive, too nice…" Markus babbled.
"For the record, I don't think that I have this all figured out, and no one knows anyone as well as you claim to know your daughter. And, the kind of person you're describing is usually the most unpredictable kind that you know nothing about." Brass informed the man, very annoyed at the overall way he presented himself.
"Maybe you just got tired?" Grissom spoke quietly and directly to Cadence, ignoring her parents and Brass completely.
"I don't get tired." She spoke quietly and for the first time since they'd brought her into the station. "I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?" Brass inquired.
"Exactly as it sounds, I won't let myself, I can't." Cadence all but rolled her eyes at the seemingly obvious answer to her. She let her light gray eyes that told horror stories of knowledge far beyond her years stray from Brass and rest on Grissom's blue ones. She was drawn to Grissom; he seemed to understand her like no one else ever had. He gave her a chance to answer, to speak for herself, where everyone else had brushed her off as an incompetent weirdo.
"Right." Brass sarcastically remarked, trying to keep his usual demeanor about him, but something about this girl was making him feel uncomfortable. Whether it was the way she spoke, like she always knew exactly what she was going to say, as if she had memorized the script of life, or it could have been the way she never broke eye contact while she spoke to you so unlike every other teenager he'd ever interrogated, he didn't know. Maybe it was a combination of both, or something else all together. Grissom didn't say another word, but kept eye contact with Cadence while Brass argued with her parents, an argument which neither Cadence nor Grissom heard any of, they were lost in their own world, trying to read each other. There was an unspoken connection between the two of them; they understood each other on a level that was very rare for either of them to be understood at. Yet as appreciative as they were for their understanding connection, they hoped the other hadn't endured similar tragedies that were the reason for their connection, but knowing they had. It was the only explanation for the connection.
--& hours earlier &--
"Oh my gosh!" Screamed a giggling fourteen year old Savannah Wilson.
"Shh!" Her sister Mikala slapped her across the face to try and shut her up. The two girls and their three friends were making their way across a busy residential street at eleven o'clock at night heading towards a party.
"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Katrina whispered to Savannah exaggeratedly as they neared the house with music blasting out every window and drunken teenagers sprawled across the lawn.
"What if Cadence or Seth is here?" Leah asked Mikala, who, although it had never really been discussed, was the groups leader.
"As if Cadence would be here, and Seth won't notice." Mikala rolled her eyes. "Seriously guys- think."
"This is only my second time Mik!" Lauren protested, "We can't hold as much as you can and keep control."
"At least you can still think, unlike those three. They're hammered already." Mikala sighed, jerking her thumb and pointing at her sister and two friends.
"Well I have only had two shots." Lauren shrugged.
"Same as them." Mikala pointed out.
"Whatever, let's go." Lauren smiled, trying to contain her excitement by bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.
"Chill out." Mikala was getting frustrated. "Next time we're not drinking anything until we're in the party so we won't look like complete losers coming in."
"What?" Leah giggled stumbling over to where Mikala was walking a bit ahead of her and linking arms.
"Okay before we go in- stop being retards, be cool and stay calm. You don't want to make a fool of yourself and seem like you can't handle yourselves or they won't want you there." Mikala explained to her friends who obviously weren't registering anything she was saying.
"Whatever let's go." Savannah raced ahead, swerving ever so slightly, Katrina hot on her heels. Mikala motioned for Leah to follow them and she and Lauren waited until the three more drunken girls were engulfed in the crowd of people and music before they started their approach to the house.
"I still can't believe we're doing this." Lauren giggled. "I mean, look at what we're wearing, and going to hangout with grade eleven's and twelve's?"
"I'm glad you're proud of yourself." Mikala smirked. She'd gone to many a party before this year and thoroughly enjoyed them all. The first few times when she'd woken up in unfamiliar places with a hangover, she'd been a bit creeped out but she was used to it by now. Usually between her and the people she woke up around and friends she talked to later on that she hadn't woken up with, she could piece together the previous night, and she knew she had a good time.
"Okay I can't wait any longer, let's go!" Lauren exclaimed tugging on Mikala's sleeve.
"Fine, let's go." Mikala smiled at her friend before heading across the street doing her best model walk. It didn't matter to her if all the guys at the party were drunk, she wanted to try and get their attention anyway.
--& Still hours earlier &--
"Seth, come on let's go." Cadence tried to drag her friend out of the party, but he was attached to the couch and whining.
"Cade, I don't want to leave!" He whined, holding onto the couch tighter.
"Seth we've got to go now." Cadence raised her voice, catching the attention of some of the drunks around her.
"Why?" He continued his whining.
"The cops are going to get here soon and you're already on probation for underage drinking." Cadence tried to reason with him.
"Don't worry, I won't get caught this time." Seth reassured her.
"Dammit Seth, get your ass off that couch now!" Cadence yelled.
"Fine." Seth gave in and got up. Cadence took his arm and started to pull him out of the party when he passed out.
"Great, just fucking great." She cried in frustration as her friends weight was dropped upon her. She started dragging him when an older guy approached her from behind. Wrapping his arms around her waist, she cringed and turned around.
"Hey babe." He drawled with a, what he though, was a charming smile, and she thought was disgusting, but then replaced her scowl with a sweet smile. She might as well use him to her advantage.
"Hey, my friend passed out, can you give me a hand?" Cadence asked as flirtatiously as she could manage without throwing up from either the overwhelming smell of alcohol and drugs in the air or the guys hands around her waist.
"Sure." He nodded, grabbing Seth and draping him over his shoulder. "Where's your car?"
"Over here." She started walking towards her car when a more pressing issue got her attention. "Actually, do whatever you want with him." The guy looked at her curiously before setting Seth down on the lawn and following her gaze to the entrance of the house.
"So what do you want to do now?" The guy raised his eyebrows suggestively, and Cadence gave him a glare before stalking off towards the entrance of the house.
"Do not set foot in that house." She pretty well screamed. The two figures froze then slowly turned around.
"What are you doing here; shouldn't you be like doing homework or something?" Mikala greeted her sister coldly.
"Actually I was coming to bail out Seth before the cops showed up, but now I'm going to have to get you guys out of here." Cadence shot back.
"Umm, k?" Mikala crossed her arms and leaned against the house. "Seriously Cade, we know what we're doing, and what we're not doing is leaving."
"Yes you are." Cadence argued, "Lauren go wait by the car." Lauren silently shot a look at Mikala and went to wait by Cadence's car. "Where's Savannah?"
"I don't know." Mikala shrugged.
"She was with you at some point then?" Cadence continued her interrogation. Just then a guy that Cadence recognized as being in her English class approached Mikala, putting an arm around her and handing her a beer.
"Thanks." Mikala shot a smile at the guy before turning her glare icy and on her older sister.
"See you tomorrow Cade." Mikala waved a hand in Cadence's face before interlacing it with the guy's hand and pulling him into the house.
"Mikala…" Cadence started but gave up. If her sister wanted to get drunk with older guys and fuck up her life, she could. Cadence was going to take Lauren home, or rather, to her house so she wouldn't get in trouble for drinking and come back to get Mikala and Savannah later. Making her way past the drunken occupants of the lawn she got to her car which Lauren was leaning against and opened it. "I know you were just trying to have fun, but seriously, the cops are gonna come and you're all going to get in trouble for underage drinking."
"I know, thanks." Lauren smiled at her friends' older sister. "I don't know, I knew it wasn't a good idea to come here… but the prospect of being at a real high school party seemed so, inviting… and Mikala and everyone were into it, so I figured I wouldn't be normal if I wasn't." Lauren shrugged.
"Don't worry about it." Cadence shrugged as they pulled away from the house. "I was never drawn to alcohol because…well, it's a long story, but I understand why Mikala's into it- Savannah does everything Mikala does, but seriously, that doesn't mean you have to."
"Thanks." Lauren smiled as Cadence continued driving. As they pulled into the Wilson's driveway, Cadence and Lauren got out of the car and quietly slipped into the house. They went down the stairway to where Cadence's bedroom was and Cadence opened it. "Why do you have so many locks on your door?" Lauren curiously asked Cadence.
"Um, you know Mikala and Savannah- always trying to steal my clothes." Cadence gave her a weak smile and Lauren just nodded and flopped on Cadence's bed. "I'll be back in a few minutes alright? I'm going to go get Savannah and Mikala."
"Leah and Katrina are with them too." Lauren told her before her eyes drifted shut. Cadence nodded and locked her room behind her as she made her way back to her car and drove off. She turned on the radio and was pleased at the distraction it provided from her thoughts of what horrible trouble her sisters and their friends could be getting into at the party at that very moment, not to mention Seth- even if the police hadn't gotten there yet. Pulling up she scanned the lawn for Seth and noticed he wasn't where the guy had set him earlier, so he must have gained consciousness which was a good thing. Pulling into a parking space near the house she ran into it, since the cops somehow hadn't been called yet, she wanted to get to them before they were called. She saw Savannah across the room making out with a guy that looked years older than her and shook her head slowly approaching them. "Excuse me," She tapped the guy on the shoulder and he pulled his tongue out of her sister's throat and looked at Cadence.
"Get in line." He smirked at her and Cadence just scowled and she grabbed Savannah.
"Cadence! What the fuck get off of me!" Savannah drunkenly pushed her away.
"Savannah, we're going home now!" Cadence grabbed her arm.
"No way bitch, go away." Savannah slapped at her sisters arm.
"Catfight!" The guy yelled, and people immediately started gathering around.
"Fuck! Cops!" Someone screamed, and chaos broke out. Cadence immediately lost sight of her sister and dejectedly went back to her car, she didn't need to get hassled by the cops despite the fact she hadn't done anything wrong. She got in and locked the doors, watching people flee, some by foot, some by car, away from the house, but didn't dare to leave in her car yet. No doubt at least one automobile accident would result from this scene-fleeing chaos. She rested her head on the steering wheel as she waited for the party disaster to go away. She hated how she felt the need to rescue her drunken friends, and now sisters, thus letting them escape punishment and feel they got away with something and making them want to do it again. She didn't see what they saw in getting drunk and having hangovers, it was the stupidest idea she'd ever heard. Some people claimed to drink to escape her problems, but she felt she had a bigger share of problems than most people, and she kept it together. She had to.
--&
A/N: This all may seem a little, well probably VERY confusing right now- but it'll all become clear in later chapters, that is if anyone's interested in reading later chapters. PLEASE review- even if only one person does and says they want to read more, I'll keep writing lol. Thanks!