White Coats and Red Hands

Mara Linwood I first began with organising the books on the shelves that the kids always leave everywhere after reading. I sighed softly as I picked one of the books from the floor and got up, placing it perfectly with its other fellows, when soon I began hearing whispers of the rumors I earlier heard on the news when I was eating breakfast. I frowned slightly since rumors still concern me when one of my close friends, Marshell, walked towards me with a smile. Leaning on the shelves, “Hey, May-may, how's it goin’? Good breakfast aye?” I smiled towards her and shrugged my shoulders casually and spoke with a soft chuckle, “Hey, Marsh, I had a good breakfast, you know… the usual.” Marshell smiles lightly and speaks while fixing one of the book's positions on the shelf, “Ha, the usual ain't it? Black coffee with cooked eggs and bacon, hm? At this point I have yours memorised.” I laughed softly as she guessed it just right, which was exactly what I had for breakfast today, not surprising. We soon began walking together, when soon the topic of the rumors opened up and my heart raced slightly at the sound of it. Marshell grabbed a near cup of fresh steaming coffee and pulled a chair gently, gesturing for me to sit down as well as she spoke and said, “Hey, have you heard the rumors lately? I don't really understand since everything's been a mess lately,” scoffs lightly and sips her coffee. I glanced at her and crossed my thigh over the other while saying, “The rumors? Oh yah… it's about this weird killer being goin’ on taking victims.” Marshell raises an eyebrow and speaks, “A killer? You sure? Cuz’ it does sound more like a kids story…” Marshell laughs like it's no big thing. I glanced at her and managed to smile softly while my heart was drumming in my ears by just the mere thought of it. How could she be so casual about the topic? I mean it's no surprise since it doesn't look like anyone believes such a thing since Irvine is pretty safe with low crime rates, but still manages to surprise me. The conversation goes on between Marshell and I as we laughed a bit together at some other topics that flew by quickly. But, there's still a part of me that can't help but still worry. Why am I getting anxious about something that hasn't been confirmed yet? Instincts. Marshell seemed to notice my slight nervousness, because of my frequent fidgeting with my skirt while talking with her. She can clearly tell I was slightly shaken by the topic. She smiled softly and gently took my hand in hers and held it, allowing her warmth to spread through me like a reassuring blanket on my racing mind. “Hey, jokes aside… why the fidgeting? Things still haven't been fully proven and confirmed, Mara. Even if it does, I'm right with you, plus Irvine is pretty safe, yah?” I managed to give a weak smile as she comforted my racing thoughts and irregular heart beats. I nodded gently before she gently rubbed my shoulder and said, “Now c'mon… let's go cheer up for some cake!” As she pulled me from my seat, I couldn't help but laugh softly in a light mood, my mind not focusing on the rumors anymore since just her mere presence could calm me down. She always knew what I liked. Rhys Callahan Sitting on the couch with legs crossed, flipping through the news I kept seeing with a fresh steaming hot cup of black coffee in my hands, I kept my gaze fixed firmly on the TV, leaning in slightly focusing on what was being said. When suddenly June burst through the damn door like usual and closed it behind him, walking with the house keys swinging in his index finger with a smile, he saw me and spoke, throwing the papers on the coffee table, “Aye, Rhys… heard of the news yet? Guess a new case is going to be solved,” hopping into the couch next to me, making me spill some of my coffee on the ground because of the sudden movement. I gave him a slight glare before speaking and saying, “Seriously Jeanie? Slamming the door like that and making me spill my coffee? How many times have I told you not to do that already?” I sighed, tired from him, and glanced away and sipped my coffee calmly trying to calm the irritation that had already consumed me whole before I spoke and said, “And yes, I did hear about the damn news… can't you hear the TV drumming in your ears?” June rolled his eyes and sat comfortably next to me and spoke casually, casting a glance towards me then the news being played out for us in the room, “Well damn, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.” Keeping his gaze fixed on the news, soon his expression hardened slightly, focusing on the topic before slowly looking at me and spoke while his tone getting serious, “Ignore the fuss… don't you think it's kinda weird that a killer suddenly occurred in the news out of nowhere? It's also being said that the killer apparently is in Irvine, the safest city in California.” I heard his words and glanced at him, my gaze fixed on him as I heard every word that left his lips. I was silent for a few moments as I thought it through while my irritation subsided, before I spoke, my voice calm but holding an underlying edge of seriousness to it, a sharp contrast to my earlier tone, “Yah… it does seem weird. Where did you get that specific information from?” Wanting to confirm his words and check his beliefs about this new case. June kept his emerald, green eyes on me before he spoke while glancing at the papers he threw earlier on the coffee table, reaching over to grab them, “I actually got it from the office at the police station. Benji Hart, a cop who first began to notice a link between those victims related to the same killer.” I raised a slight eyebrow at him while my mind already began thinking things through, my gaze lowered to the papers in his hand as he kept flipping through them before handing them to me. I placed my coffee down and grabbed the papers while adjusting my position on the couch to a more focused one. I gave the first paper a quick scan. The words caught my full interest as I murmured under my breath while keeping my gaze on the sentences, “Lennox Vale… that's his name I see…” before flipping the paper over with a swift, skilled movement and practiced ease. My gaze dropped to the list of victims that have been captured. June looked at the papers in my hands with serious precision, the tension in the atmosphere shifted as we both were just getting started to solve this case. June reached over and sipped my coffee when suddenly he sensed a sudden shift in the air, he glanced towards me and noticed the sudden tension in my shoulders. He spoke slightly confused and concerned, “You're not mad at me, are you?” thinking I was mad at him for sipping my coffee, but that was not it. I was dead silent, my gaze fixed on the list of victims and on a specific name, my grip tightened on the papers and spoke with an angered tone, “She's… she's in the list.” Memories flooded my mind back and forth as I stared at the name, my worst nightmares flashed before my eyes, and my breathing slightly uneven from the pent-up anger… not on the situation, but at myself. June was confused by my answer and noticed how my mind was racing, so he spoke and said, “What? Who's she?” wanting more specifics and not just a general answer.