Chapter two
"So, what do you lot do for fun all day? Other than scrubbing away at graffiti that is" Lyla said, arching an eyebrow at them.
Nathan threw his scalpel into the bucket, knocking soapy water everywhere.
"Oh, we're a fun bunch, us! Especially me, I'm-"
"A prick?" Curtis quipped, causing Kelly to snigger.
"See that's the sort of negativity we don't need, man. I'm hurt. Seriously" Nathan pouted.
"What did you all do? To get community service?" Lyla said quickly.
Curtis grunted, turning his back to scrub at the graffiti pointedly.
Alisha and Simon was huddled together, oblivious to the conversation around them.
"I 'ad a fight with some skank in Argos. But we're all right now" Kelly shrugged.
"And I got done for eating some pick 'n' mix" Nathan smirked.
"Interesting. What about those three?" she asked.
"Alisha got done for drink driving. Curtis drugs. Barry tried to burn someone's house down" Nathan said nonchalantly.
Lyla's eyes flashed at that.
"Really? He doesn't look the type!".
"It's always the quiet one's" Nathan said darkly.
"What did you do?" Kelly demanded.
Lyla hesitated for a moment, the pause in the conversation dragging on.
"I…got caught shoplifting" she said weakly.
"We all got caught. That's why we're here" Nathan chuckled.
Lyla smiled at him, deliberately holding his gaze.
"Hey…do you wanna go for a drink? Tonight?" he said quietly.
"Yeah. Why not" she smirked.
Kelly rolled her eyes expressively.
"You know, there's something weird about that new girl" Alisha commented, grabbing her drink from the vending machine.
"I thought she seemed quite…normal. For Nathan" Simon frowned.
"I dunno…I just have a funny feeling about her" Alisha sighed.
"Do you think she has a power?" Simon said eagerly.
"Who doesn't have an effing power around here these days? That storm just fucked everything up for everyone" Alisha huffed.
"If it wasn't for the storm, we might not be together" Simon pointed out.
"Well, that's one good thing that came out of it" Alisha smiled.
"Good thing? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me" he responded quietly.
"I love you" Alisha sighed happily, blowing him a kiss.
He mimed catching it.
"I love you too" he said softly.
The next morning, Kelly bounced into the community centre, in a surprisingly chirpy mood.
She yanked open her locker door, quickly checking her hair in the mirror as she did so.
Nathan entered the room, his hair askew, his eyes red and his skin pale and waxy.
"Someone's a bit 'ungover" Kelly said smugly.
He merely groaned, smacking his head against the locker door.
"Did you have a good night?" she enquired.
"Of course I had a good night. I got ridiculously drunk and I shagged a pretty girl. Win-win situation" he said thickly.
"Cor that was quick, 'wunnit? So, where is she now?" Kelly frowned.
"I don't know! She's all right and everything but she talks too much. It was like twenty one questions, I went to bed with her to shut up her" Nathan mumbled.
"It's not love then?" Kelly teased.
"There's no such thing as love. Not for me. Only the physical kind" he leered.
Kelly shook her head, sighing at him despairingly.
"What sort of questions did she ask?" she said.
"She was very interested in our community service and the probation workers".
Kelly froze-that sounded suspect.
"You didn't tell her that we killed them, did you?" she said quickly.
Nathan was very still.
"Did you?" she growled.
"I was very drunk…I can't remember everything I said" he protested.
Kelly's fist swung out to punch him, but she suddenly caught someone's thoughts, someone outside the door.
Oh my goodness. Oh good heavens. Murderers! The police, you must call the police immediately.
She rushed round the corner, slamming into the new probation worker.
"What are you doing?" she snapped.
The woman gave a squeak , shrinking against the wall.
"You've killed people! Your probation workers. I heard you!" she spluttered.
At that moment, Simon, Alisha, Curtis and Lyla rounded the corner.
Alisha's green eyes swept the scene before her with confusion-Kelly threateningly backing the probation worker against the wall.
"What the fuck is going on?" she demanded.
"She knows we killed the probation workers! She's gonna rat us out to the fooking police!" Kelly cried.
"You can't do that! We'll get put in prison!" Alisha shrieked.
"And with a face like mine, I'll lose my anal virginity within seconds" Nathan added.
"You're…thugs! Violent thugs! Of course I'm going to call the police! You killed someone!" the probation worker squealed.
"Three people actually" Nathan smirked.
"You need to be brought to justice! You're wild, feral, common little-"
SMACK!
They all spun around in shock, as the metal bar smacked her hard across the head.
Alisha was stood, the bar clutched in her hands, slightly shaky but a small smile on her face.
"Well somebody had to do it! And none of you pussies were going to" she said defensively.
The probation worker lay on the floor, a puddle of dark red blood pooling around her head.
She was stiffening already, quite unmistakeably dead.
They were all silent, staring down at her in morbid fascination.
"I'll go get the shovels and the car" Nathan said with a sigh, bobbing out of the room.
"You've done this before? Three times?".
They all jumped, as if only just noticing Lyla's presence in the room.
"What's it to you?" Alisha said aggressively.
"I'm just curious" Lyla replied lightly.
Kelly narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously.
That's it, get as mouthy as you like, you common little tart. I'm about to bring all of you down so fast you won't know what's hit you. I'm gonna be a millionaire because of you simpletons. This story is gonna go down in history-and I'm the one that's unearthed it.
Kelly let out a strangled, ugly yelp.
"You fooking little tramp! You was just using Nathan, trying to get the dirt on us! She's a fooking reporter! She's gonna rat us out!" she screamed.
Before any of them could move a muscle, Lyla had turned and slipped from the room, a smirk all over her face.