The Awakening

Chapter 2

"There are no mythical creatures, just creatures man ran into hiding"

                                        -Julia Golding.

Dead.

I shiver as it sinks in.

Mary is dead.

"Miss Jenkins?"

I glance up at the detective in a daze "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said the reason we called you in is because your number is the last miss Daniel called. In fact, she called you 20 times but you didn't pick up"

"I didn't kill her"

"That's yet to be seen. Why..."

"I didn't kill her" I interrupt him, "She is...was my coworker. She's nice, at least that I can tell. Why the hell would I want to kill her?. I don't even know her that well."

The detective looks me dead in the eye "You're not here as a suspect Miss Jenkins. I just want to ask you a few questions"

I wrap my arms around my waist trying not to cry. Hold it in Khloe.

"Okay" my voice comes out small.

"Why didn't you pick her calls?"

"I just got back from a date with my dad when she called. She's been trying to get me to go to a club with her but that's not really my scene. When she called last night, I picked up the first time, she sounded drunk. No, she was drunk. She asked me to come pick her up but I said no. I asked her to call someone else but she said she didn't know anyone else, then I...I told her to call a cab"

"Why did you refuse to go pick her up?"

"I... I have a thing against loud crowded places. Strangers trying to grab me"

He nods and jots a few things down "You said she was drunk?"

"Yes. I asked her and she said she didn't know if she was. That she only had like three or five drinks"

He jots again "We didn't find a trace of alcohol in her bloodstream but we'll check again. Thanks for coming down here and answering my questions." He stands up.

I shakily follow suit "No problem"

In my car I take deep breaths. It's not your fault Khloe. It's not your fault she's dead. She was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

As I drive away I call Spencer. We met in college and have been friends of some sorts since we shared a dorm together.

"Did you misdial?" she asks when she picks up.

I put her on speaker phone so I can have both hands on the wheel "Help me. I've been abducted by aliens"

"Give the phone to those blue skinned creatures, let mama talk some sense into them."

"How do you know they're blue skinned? They could have been green skinned."

"Call it mother's intuition. Now, give them the phone"

I laugh breaking character "I've missed you Spencer"

"Really? I couldn't tell from the zero calls I've gotten from you"

"You know I do. Just because I've..."

"Been busy at work? Yeah I haven't heard that before"

Feeling chastened, I make an impulsive decision. I take the next turn so I can double back and go to her apartment. "Are you still staying at that rumbled pile of bricks you call home?"