style="font-size:15px;"> “Who are you?” Kyle said.
“Jojo,” the girl replied. She twirled some hair in her fingers and smiled. She was wearing a Ralph Lauren top. Clearly one of Vivian’s friends.
“Well?” Kyle said.
“I…” the girl began but stopped. “We were at a party together the other night.”
“And?” Kyle demanded.
“I saw her. With this guy. Really hot guy actually.”
Becca and Jasmine exchanged a look. Jojo coughed and carried on talking.
“They were talking about how they couldn’t be together forever because he was, like, dying or something.”
Kyle’s patience ran dry. He flew across the floor to the girl and hauled her into the air.
“Skip to the end!” he cried.
The girl clawed at his hand round her neck. “Church.”
Kyle studied her for a moment then put her down. “Church?”
The girl nodded, her eyes wide with terror. She rubbed her neck.
“Church. Or castle. Or cathedral. Something like that. They… flew off together.”
Had the girl said such a thing earlier, her classmates would have ridiculed her. But moments after witnessing Kyle fly across the room at her, the idea of Scarlet Paine and some handsome boy flying into the moonlight together suddenly seemed less far-fetched.
From her heap on the floor, Becca flashed angry eyes at the girl.
“Why would you tell him that, Jojo?” she cried. “He clearly wants to hurt her!”
“Vivian loyalty,” Jasmine replied scathingly.
Kyle’s ears pricked up. He thought of Vivian’s sweet blood. He turned to Jojo.
“You’re one of Vivian’s friends?” he asked.
The girl nodded.
Kyle grabbed her hand.
“You’re coming with me.”
The choir watched in horror as Jojo was dragged from the room and into the hallway. Kyle dragged her along the corridors with him. The whole place was a scene of chaos. The kids he’d turned had begun feasting on one another. Those who had yet to be turned were running and screaming, trying to get out. Kyle nodded to the goth girl and her friend as he passed them, watching them sucking the blood of their school mates. Beside him, he felt Jojo quiver.
He reached the gym and hauled open the doors to find the cheerleader girls had attempted to form a human pyramid to get out through one of the top windows. The pyramid tumbled as soon as they realized their capture had returned and foiled their plot.
“Clever,” Kyle said with a laugh. “You’ll all make excellent additions to my family.”
“Jojo!” someone cried as Vivian’s friend was thrown into the gym.
Kyle looked around and licked his lips.
“Let the fun begin,” he said to himself.
CHAPTER FIVE
Police officer Sadie Marlow peered through the small glass window into the room. In the otherwise bare room, she saw that there was a bed against one wall. Sitting upon it was the girl she’d been sent here to speak to.
The psychologist standing on one side of her pulled a swipe card from his pocket. But just before he swiped it against the door lock to allow the officers entry, he paused and turned to face them both.
“You know we haven’t been able to get an intelligible word out of her yet,” the psychologist said. “All she says is ‘Scarlet. Scarlet. I have to find Scarlet.’”
It was police officer Brent Waywood’s turn to speak up.
“That’s why we’re here, sir,” he said, pointing to his open notebook. “Scarlet Paine. That name keeps cropping up in our investigation.”
The psychologist pursed his lips.
“I understand why you’re here,” he replied. “I just don’t take kindly to the police interrogating my patients.”
Brent flipped his notebook shut abruptly, making a smacking noise. He glared at the psychologist.
“We have dead cops,” he said in a clipped tone. “Good men and women who won’t be going home to their families tonight because of some psycho who will kill anyone and everyone in his path. What does he want? Scarlet Paine. That’s all we have to go on. So you can see why questioning your patient is a priority for us.”
Officer Marlow shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, frustrated by the way her partner seemed to find conflict in every situation. She couldn’t help think that her job would be much simpler if she could do these interviews by herself. Unlike Brent, she had a calm demeanor__ and a way with witnesses, particularly the mentally vulnerable ones like the girl they were here to see. That’s why the police chief had sent her to the secure the mental facility in the first place. She just wished he’d picked a better officer to accompany her. She realized then, with a sinking feeling in her stomach, that the police chief hadn’t exactly had many cops to choose from. Other than the ones guarding the high school, the rest in the precinct were dead or injured.
She stepped forward.
“We understand the witness is in a fragile state,” she said, diplomatically. “We’ll keep our tone civil. No demanding questions. No raised voices. Trust me, sir, I’ve got years of experience talking to kids like her.”
They all glanced back through the window at the girl. She was rocking back and forth, her knees pulled up to her chest.
The psychologist finally seemed satisfied to allow the officers entry. He swiped the card against the door lock. A green light flicked on, accompanied by a bleep.
He led the two officers into the room toward the hunched girl. It was then that Officer Marlow noticed the cuffs on her ankles and hands. Restraints. The hospital didn’t issue restraints unless the patient was a harm to themselves or others. Whatever this girl had gone through, it had been horrific. How else would a sixteen-year-old high school kid without so much as a blemish on her permanent record be suddenly deemed dangerous?
The psychologist spoke first.
“There are some officers here to see you,” he said, calmly to the girl. “It’s about Scarlet.”
The girl’s head darted up. Her eyes were wild and roved across the faces of the three people before her. Officer Marlow could see the anguish in her expression and the desperation.
“Scarlet,” the girl cried, pulling on her restraints. “I need to find Scarlet.”
The psychologist looked at the two officers as he left the room.
Maria looked up at the officers. Somewhere in the back of her mind, the sane part of her was still working, still lucid and awake.
