Heard 'Round the World: Part 6 of ?
So, I know it's been forever since I updated, but I hope you all can forgive me. Now that school is out (hurray!) I can finally concentrate on the important things. Like writing. Fanfiction. For you all to read. Keep those reviews coming, because the death threats seem to have a positive effect on my updating schedule.
--------------------
Sam tapped his fingers in a rhythmless pattern against the back of the front seat as he restlessly waited for the clock to strike 2:15 pm. It had been about four hours since the brothers had rendered the motel's pillows featherless, an action which had earned them harsh glares form the staff, and Dean was still looking like a chicken had roosted in his hair. How so many feathers had found nest in his brother's short locks Sam would never know.
"You know, if I wasn't such a generous and forgiving guy, you might be six-feet under at the moment," Dean grumbled good-naturedly, picking yet another piece of white fuzz out of his hair. Sam just chucked and looked out of the window at that comment, and let himself relax into their easy trading of barbs. He was relieved that the tension and the interrogation from hours ago was gone and replaced by this calm atmosphere, if only so that the brothers would be able to work in tandem when questioning Miranda Glaze and her friends. Though he was loath to admit it in front of his brother, Sam was dreading meeting the six kids and was willing the clock to go slower with every ounce of the great power he swore he could feel inside himself.
RING!
Or maybe... not so great. The younger Winchester heaved a deep sigh as both Dean and he pulled themselves out of the Impala; kids were now streaming out of the brick building and into the bus loop and parking lots. It was time to start the hunt. Dean had a picture of Miranda firmly in his hands and the location of where she usually waited for a ride pulled begrudgingly from the matronly school secretary, who seemed to be on a personal crusade to watch of and protect 'that poor dear girl and her sweet friends'. Then again, Sam thought, maybe the kids need all the protecting they can get. Nothing like having a gun pointed at you head by you best friend to traumatize you for life.
As the pair neared the designated spot, both of them caught sight of a girl standing right where the woman had said. Dean gave a quick glance between the photo he held and what they could see of the girl's face and nodded to Sam. It was her.
"Excuse me, Miranda Glaze?" Dean approached the student with a much more reserved air than Sam had ever seen on him before. That in and of itself cemented the knowledge and truth in Sam's mind: this case was the usual fair.
Both brothers had to struggle not to start as Miranda whipped around and they got their first full look at her. And achingly thin face greeted them, pale as the moon but covered in freckles that also adorned her arms. A contrasting high forehead and small button nose made her look a bit younger than her years, but her long legs, curvy torso, and mature chest alleviated doubt that this was a teen on the verge of becoming a woman. Her red-gold hair was choppily cut to a little below her chin, adding a modern edge to her appearance. Right now, her greyish eyes were wide and locked on the two young men who'd snuck up behind her and startled her.
"Who are you? How do you know my name? What do you want?" She fired off her questions rapidly, and Sam put up his hands in a placating manner. He noted appreciatively that the girl's eyes were everywhere at once, taking stock of the situation and surroundings. He actions both impressed and saddened him, because he doubted she would have done that before the school shooting.
"It's okay, Miranda, we're not going to hurt you," he began as calmly as he could. "My name's Sam, and my friend is Dean. We're with the N.C. National Guard and were assigned to help the police end this prank as soon as possible. We were actually hoping you might help us become more familiar with the history of the place. Newspapers and townspeople can only tell us so much."
Sam knew he didn't have to elaborate on what 'prank' or place he was talking about when Miranda flinched as though in pain. Oh yeah, she still carried scars. Yet her tense stance relaxed somewhat and she let her backpack fall to the ground, her silence inviting Sam to continue.
"We know how painful this must be for you; reliving it everyday because of a heartless copycat. But trust us when we say that all was want to do is end this, for the sake of everyone in Camden. If there were someone more familiar with the events of that day other than you and your friends, we would ask them but there isn't. Please. Maybe if you give us information, no one else will die."
"How d'you figure that?" Miranda hadn't taken her eyes off the pair, and was now fiddling with the hem of her Beatles shirt.
"Well," This was where Dean picked up, "since the perps are copying the style, they might be copying the motive as well. We know that Evan, Recarlo, Olivia, Chris, Neal, and you all had ties with the original shooters. If you could, we would like you to give us a fuller idea of what really happened that day."
By now, it seemed the small group had gotten the attention of several other students. Eyeing each other with slight apprehension, three jogged over the see what was going on.
"Miranda," one of them said firmly, placing a hand lightly on her forearm in an almost protective way, " you're sister has your car over there because of traffic. Anything wrong?" Miranda gave the two boys and one girl a small grin before turning back to Dean and Sam.
"It's nothing big, Evan. You, Olivia, and Neal can go back to the Mustang. Just tell Micki I'll be there in a couple minutes." Sam absorbed the identities of the newcomers and surreptitiously examined them. Evan was obviously Jewish and possessed a very ethnic appearance. He stood head and shoulders above Miranda when they were side by side, making him only several inches shorter than Dean. Neal was as tall as Dean but with a sandy complexion. He resembled Miranda a lot, except for the healthy tan to his skin and muscle coating his limbs. Olivia, on the other hand, was very like Miranda in her slender build, but she was African-American and her dark skin contrasted harshly with the other three's milky complexions. At the moment, all three were regarding the Winchesters with suspicion and distrust, but at Miranda's urging they returned the way they'd come. Miranda herself was still staring steadily at the two before her.
"You just wanna know what happened that day?" she asked in tired resignation. Sam nodded, his face displaying compassion for the girl. Reliving the horror was something she no doubt shied from at every chance, but to save the town she would willingly do it before two complete strangers. "If ya want the full thing, you should come to my house in an hour or so; Evan and the other five will be there. I'm guessing you can find my house the same way you found my name?" The brunette allowed himself to chuckle softly before nodding. She was smart all right – not giving out her address in case the people talking to her weren't who they claimed to be... which, in fact, they weren't. Smart girl. "All right. I'll have the others convinced by then." With that, she picked her bag up off the ground and walked to the 1967 Mustang parked several yards away. The door wasn't closed more than two seconds before the car sped off out of the school parking lot.
--------------------
"You sure you don't want to drive?" Micki asked her sister worriedly. Miranda nodded, leaning her head on the window. The twenty-year-old shared anxious glances with the three kids in the rearview mirror. "Who were the guys you were talking to, Randi?"
Miranda stayed quiet for a few moments more, unsure of how much to reveal to her overprotective sister. In the end she just shrugged her shoulders wearily as she watched the houses go by outside the window.
"Not who they said, but their safe enough. Just cautious, I got, not dangerous." Micki cast her an uneasy glance out of the corner of her eye, occupied with maneuvering Randi's car along the street.
"I know you're a good judge of character, kid, but if they lie..."
"Don't worry, Mick. They'll be coming to the house in an hour or so, and we can all get to know them better."
"You invited them over?" It was Neal who spoke this time, wariness coloring his tone.
"Yah, and I need all o' y'all there." The Southern touch in her voice became more pronounced. "They want to know... about recent events."
Her friends in the back seat stilled with this new information. Miranda turned in her seat to gaze at them beseechingly.
"Guys, they wanna stop what's goin' on. That much they were telling the truth about. Please, I don't think I can do this without the five o' you there to help me. And Micki too," she added to her sister, who nodded her head in acquisition, albeit reluctantly. And whether it was the pleading look on Miranda's face of the looming condemned structure of Riverside High School that showed itself behind her, Olivia, Neal, and Evan all came to the same painful conclusion. Olivia sighed and spoke for all of them.
"All right, count us in."
--------------------
A/N: So there you have it. Four of the six kids have been introduced and we are finally getting somewhere. Just a thing, there are no Mary-Sue's in this story, nor will it be romance. That said, go now and review!
