Chapter 3
Sam's heart constricts as the Impala cruises onto the college campus. This is the life I left behind. Thoughts of what could have been creep into his mind. He turns away from Dean to hide his expression. In the driver's seat Dean begins to ramble, oblivious to Sam's distress.
"College Sammy! Think we'll meet any college babes?" Dean sends Sam a devilish grin and elbows his side.
Sam returns the gesture with a strained smile, but it soon turns into a genuine one. Behind Dean's shallow façade Sam can see his concern. Dean knows how returning to a campus will affect him. He always knows. Sam's constricted heart swells with gratitude.
"Don't get any ideas you perv," Sam taunts. The only way he knows how to show his appreciation.
"It's my job to protect," Dean replies. His joking sounds less forced as he sees Sam relax.
"So what are we going to do? We don't have a case to go off of, and we can't just sit around a college campus looking at girls," Sam asks, getting down to business. Dean cruises into a vacant parking spot and turns to Sam.
"Why not? I don't see the probl–," Dean's sentence is cut short when a crowd of students suddenly rush past the parked Impala.
"What the hell?" Dean questions.
"Maybe we do have a case," Sam mumbles as he steps out of the car.
Dean wastes no time. He grabs the wrist of one of the students in the crowd. The boy jerks backwards and looks at Dean with a fearful expression. Something really bad must have happened for a rock headed twenty-year-old boy to show emotion, Sam thinks. He follows Dean as he brings the petrified young adult to a less crowded area in the parking lot. Sam can see Dean loosen his grip as he becomes aware of the boy's demeanor.
"What's happening?" Dean asks in an urgent tone.
The student gasps for air before uttering any words.
"They f-found her... They found D-Denise... She's... Oh my god," he pauses and brings his hand to his mouth before continuing in a whisper, "She's dead."
Sam quickly jumps in to calm the frazzled boy.
"We're members of the FBI," Sam says softly as he shows the him his fake badge, "We were just contacted by your school. Could you please tell me what you know about Denise?"
"You guys got here fast," the student replies, momentarily putting his other emotions on hold.
"The FBI prides itself on efficiency. Now I would appreciate it if you answered my partner's question," Dean says in professional manner.
The boy looks at Sam and Dean with a slightly annoyed face, but eventually caves in and begins to speak.
"Everyone knows about Denise. She went missing two days ago. Most people thought she just ran away. You know, it was only a couple of days, but her friends were very adamant that something was wrong. I thought they were just overreacting, but now... Oh god."
"What's your name?" Sam asks.
"Anthony," he answers to the ground.
"Anthony, what happened to Denise?" Sam continues.
Anthony squirms uncomfortably and turns to Dean for solace from Sam's stare. Unfortunately he finds that Dean has the same determined expression. He sighs and replies.
"She was found by the lake... Drowned."