Caia's POV
'Caia, we're here.'
I snap awake from my daze and through slightly blurred eyes, I see my mother turn around to look at me, wearing worry lines around her eyes, which seems to emphasize the reddish tint of crying in them.
I take a shaky breath and open my mouth to reply only to close it again immediately as I feel a sob emerging from my throat, settling down to nodding instead.
'Honey...' My mom leans towards me and places a hand on my knee.
'If you don't want to, we can ask them to arrange your interrogation tomorrow.' My father looks back at me as well, his hands still tightly clutching the steering wheel.
I look beyond their faces and the windscreen and notice a crowd of black-cladded people standing in the entrance to the main building of the New York Police Department. As my eyes focus further, I recognize Jessica Hoggs, Angela Caitlin, and Margaret Hardie, Cecilia's three best friends, along with a few peers of our school, amongst the crowd.
I find it painful watching them, so I look down at my hands which lay on my lap; at the plain black dress I changed into before leaving my house.
'It's fine.' I chock out. 'I'll manage.' And I place my hand atop my mother's and gently squeeze in reassurance.
My father nods as I get down from the car and start my way towards the crowd. Now, having joined them, I notice Detective Mason attempting to converse with Margaret, which doesn't seem to be going quite well, since she keeps bursting into tears every few seconds.
Angela looks up as I reach them and offers me a grim nod before looking away again, while Jessica makes it perfectly obvious she's ignoring me. I pass them, walking through the entryway, and head down one of the broad hallways, following the signs directing me towards the interrogation rooms.
* * * *
One of the doors burst open and Cc's brother, Alfred Swan stomps outside. He looks around in what seems like frustration, then heads towards the wall opposite the door and punches it hard before leaning his head on the wall and closing his eyes.
Watching him doesn't make my day any better. Having no siblings of my own, I doubt I would ever understand his pain, but from all that Cc has told me, I know the two of them were bonded remarkably. I debate with myself for a while and decide that I might as well talk to him and try to offer a few words of comfort.
'Hey, Fred.' I say in a small voice once I'm close enough to be heard.
He takes a glance at me, then double-takes. In less than a second, all his slumpedness is gone and rigidness takes its place. His cheeks glisten with tears but the look in his eyes is close to murderous.
'You. You got her into this mess.' He spits.
His words hit me like a stab through the heart. 'Fred, what...'
'You and the rest of you meddlesome fools did this to her! You were the one who set her up with him! You are the reason she's gone!!!'
'Alfred, that's enough.' A soft-spoken voice seems to freeze him in place and I glance around to see the speaker.
'Cecilia.' The words are out of my lips before I even get to consider the fact that I'm looking at a woman much older than my friend. But they share the same bluish-green eyes, heart-shaped face, and soft jawline. The only feature that would distinguish them when placed side by side would the fact that the woman in front of me has chestnut brown hair much shorter than Cecilia's hair was.
She gives me a sad smile before turning back to Cc's brother with a look of sternness. 'I think a breath of fresh air would do you some good.'
Alfred glares back at her, but it's clear she has a certain authority over him since he shrugs after a while and walks out of the hallway with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
The woman approaches me, her eyes bearing sadness so similarly as Cc's did.
'You must be Caia.' She says and holds out her hand. 'I'm Emily, Cecilia's sister.'
I gasp as I take her hand and shake. 'Cecilia's sister...'
'Hence the resemblance.' She explains, breaking our handshake and motions to the seats lining up the wall.
As I take my seat, I go through my memory until I resurface one in which we were hanging out in my place and I wonder out loud how fun having an elder sister would be.
'They are kinda awesome.' Cc replied back then. 'But I wouldn't know much since mine is way older than me and left for college before I even made it into mid-school.'
'You have a sister?' I asked. 'How come I've never met her?'
'She's off in Frisco, doing this editor job in some publishing company and doesn't exactly like the atmosphere back home.' She smirked. 'Don't blame her. So do I.'
'Don't worry about what Alfred said.' Emily's voice revives me out of my memory. 'He's just angry that my sister left him behind to face our parents and their problems alone. And I guess he feels guilty for not being there for her last night.'
I nod. She fishes out a handkerchief from her pocket and hands it to me, and I realize a tear has escaped my eyes once more.
'Thank you.' I say, wiping it off.
'Well, I've heard a lot about you.' And as I glance at her, she smiles.
'From Cecilia?'
'Of course.'
'I thought you guys weren't that close.' Only after I've commented, I wonder whether it was a wrong thing to say.
She lets out a soundless laugh.
'In normal sisterly standards, I guess not. But we were in touch rather often.'
Hmmm... okay.
'Did she mention all of us to you whenever you guys spoke?' I test the waters.
'Some, I guess. Once in a while, a few annoying comments about that girl, Jessica, and funny scenes of her and the other two of her dramatic best friends. But mostly you.' Warmth brightens her eyes. 'She trusted and respected you a lot.'
The heartbreaking sadness returns, but this time my eyes remain dry.
'I must thank you really.' She starts again. 'The switch of schools didn't go well with her at first and I was miserable since I wasn't here with her to help out. But I guess meeting you and the rest of them put her at ease a bit. Then, that recent incident... She told me you were the only one who knew and really helped her out. So thank you for looking out for my baby sister.'
I suppose she said those words intending to comfort me, but I am left rather empty. That recent incident... Cecilia's mental breakdown... Back then, I couldn't bear her pain, but now I wish I was back in time, where I could have helped her out with the constant company and friendly advice rather than having to answer questions about her death.
As if reading my thoughts, Emily takes my hands between hers.
'The coming days will be dark times for most of us, but we are going to have to face them bravely. Cecilia would have wanted that.' She pulls a business card out of her jacket pocket and places it in my hands. 'And if you ever want someone to talk to about Cecilia, feel free to call me. I guess we understood her in ways that are quite similar.'
She draws back her hands, giving me her sad smile.
I glance down at the card.
Emily Swan
Assistant Editor
City Lights Booksellers & Publishers
415 939 6699
Before I could thank her, Detective Mason walks into the hallway and nods at me.
'Please follow me, Miss Brinkmann.'
Sharing a glance with Emily, I stand up and head towards the door he holds open for me. The room beyond is small and whitewashed, with no windows what-so-ever. The single long desk is placed in the middle of the room, with three chairs, two on one side, one on the other.
One seat is occupied and I stop on my tracks as I recognize the occupant's face as the one I've loathed for the past two months; the very person responsible for Cc's mental breakdown.
Dillan Archers.
* * * *