《Mischievous Fox》


 sleep is overrated

    My first memory is falling.


    I¡¯m Noah Reynard, a 15-year-old boy who should learn when to leave things be and actually sleep for once.


    I¡¯m walking a way I¡¯m very familiar with since just a few blocks away is Rosewood School. Putting one foot in front of the other is starting to get tiring. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have stayed up 2 nights in a row reading a mystery novel. However, it was just way to capitating. I don¡¯t pay attention to my surroundings, so I almost walk into something if it wasn¡¯t for the voice I hear warning me. I abruptly stop walking. Just now I see that this thing I almost walked into is actually a person. Ryota Kato, a detective in his twenties and someone who lets me help on cases. He is tall and has black hair. Due to how pale he is and his eyebags I sometimes wonder if he ever heard what sleep is. Despite it only being 7 am Kato is already smoking. Though he quickly puts the cigarette out.


    ¡°Good morning!¡± I greet him while looking around searching for the reason Kato would be here. It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t live around here it¡¯s just that he doesn''t tend to leave his house unless it¡¯s for a case especially so early. In response Kato simply sighs looking as if my mere presence took several years of his life. Kato twitches ¡°There is no investigation to push your nose into. I was just getting coffee.¡± What Kato said made sense. There wasn¡¯t anything around that would indicate that there was an investigation going on and in his hands is a to go coffee cup from the bakery they are standing in front of. I almost believe him.


    However, there is a voice screaming in my headHe¡¯s lying.It¡¯s the same voice which warned me earlier and one of many voices which I have been hearing for most of my life. I look to Kato unimpressed making it obvious that I¡¯m not believing his bullshit. ¡°Stop that. Don¡¯t you have school.¡± Kato grumbles. I do but I also don¡¯t care. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a case?¡± ¡°I already told you that I don¡¯t.¡± I hear the voices in my head screaming bullshit and liar. I have half a mind to slam my head against the bakery¡¯s wall but decide against it. I don¡¯t feel like looking like a complete psycho.


    ¡°You know I can help. You said that-¡± Before I could continue Kato cuts me off. ¡°There is something wrong with this case. However, there is no need for you to get involved everything is under control. Promise me to stay out of it.¡± Kato looks slightly anxious which means that he must seriously be worried. I pause for a second.Aw your father is concernedthe voices coo. Who cares if I look insane, I will kill those voices and then myself.Try it!I take a deep breath and remind myself that murder and suicide are not the solution.Ok, what if they are though?I can¡¯t kill the voices I have been stuck with them and they refuse to leave.


    I snap out of my thoughts hearing Katos voice ¡°Kid, You good?¡± I realize that I have yet to answer him. ¡°You will stay out of this, got it?¡± I nod. It is easy to tell that neither of us believe it. ¡°Bye Detective!¡± I take a step forward ready to leave when I get stopped by a hand on my head. Kato awkwardly pats my head. ¡°You should sleep more you look like shit.¡± Before I could do anything else he was already gone.Tsunderethe voices chant.


    I take out my phone realizing that if I don¡¯t hurry, I will actually be late for school and my teacher will kill me.So just kill him first.The voices suggest. They tend to be rather trigger happy who always suggest murder first and say fuck questions. That might come from the fact that they are convinced that they hold all the answers in the universe. I think they are full of shit. They are annoying and constantly give me headaches or even migraines. I started carrying ibuprofen with me everywhere just in case. I don¡¯t even know why I hear voices. One day they just suddenly appeared. At first, I thought I might have hit my head a little too hard, but they didn¡¯t go away nor did they shut up. I¡¯m not sure whether they are real, or I have simply gone insane.Boththe voices say.


    I ignore them walking into my school. It doesn¡¯t take long until I arrive at my classroom. In front of it are two people I immediately recognize. My friends Kai and Ava. Kais¡¯s hair is just as black as Kato¡¯s however he isn¡¯t pale and actually has a somewhat healthy sleeping schedule. His hair is really fluffy even if it doesn¡¯t look like it. He always wears a t-shirt no matter how cold it is and claims he is fine dispite his body tempature being freezing. Sometimes I wonder if he is as familiar with the word cold as Kato with sleep and Ava personal space. Kai also looks like he hasn''t aged a day since I met him but I can''t really judge. Ava has long kind of dirty blond hair. Also, she accidently punched me when we first met and she is definitely stronger then she looks.


    ¡°Took you long enough. I thought you wouldn¡¯t come.¡± Ava says practically jumping in front of me and hitting some random student with her hair. I greet her back but get interrupted by a yawn. My body screaming for sleep. ¡°Morning sleeping beauty.¡± Kai laughs coming over to Ava and me. Ava is already talking about something throwing her arms around to get her point across better almost hitting multiple students in the process. She also hit Kai at least 5 times I¡¯m starting to think that this might be on purpose.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I think crack is way too expensive.¡± Ava finishes her rant. Perhaps I should have listened after all because now I am not sure if I should be concerned or not.It¡¯s finethe voices reassure me which just makes me even more doubtful. I¡¯m about to ask Ava for some context on her interesting statement. Even though I doubt that any amount of context could save this. When the teacher arrives. He unlocks the classroom and lets all students inside. The second the students are seated the teacher starts to talk. I¡¯m not really listening more occupied with the task of staying awake though currently being awake or asleep wouldn¡¯t make a lot of a difference.


    My mind travels back to my conversation with Kato this morning. It was a little weird that Kato wouldn¡¯t let me help. At first, he had been hesitant and cold when I started to stick my nose into police investigation but after some very friendly and legal conversations, they gave up on trying to keep me away from cases. Besides I always happened to stumble upon crime scenes. After that Kato became an unofficial mentor for me. There are always cases that Kato would prefer I stayed out of, but he also prefers if I investigate in a way that he can look after rather than me doing it behind his back.


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    I yawn again completely losing my train of thought. Perhaps I should have gone to bed. Getting no sleep and then having math first period is a horrible combination. I take my phone out and hide it behind my pencil case so that my teacher doesn¡¯t see it. One of my teachers which was supposed to teach in third period has gotten sick and we now have a sub. Usually there are two type of substitute teachers. The ones which force you to do work no matter what even worse if you sub teacher has learned the same subject as the one, they are filling in for. On the other hand, there are the sub teachers which couldn¡¯t care less about what you do or what happens to you.


    If I¡¯m lucky it is the latter and I can catch up on some sleep in 3<sup>rd</sup>period. Though currently I feel like I won¡¯t even make it to the end of 1<sup>st</sup>period without falling out of my chair. My teacher noticing this ask me to answer some question. I look to the board taking a second but giving an answer in the end. My teacher said nothing and simply turned to the next student. I feel a tap on my shoulder. Kai is looking at me with concern ¡°You look dead. Are you sick?¡± Wow I really should have gone to bed.Sleep is for the weakthe voices argue. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just didn¡¯t sleep.¡± Kai titles his head to the side and started smirking ¡°Didn¡¯t sleep? Were you perhaps thinking about me?¡± After a few seconds Kai started to get red. ¡°I mean Ava and me. Since you know. We are planning on meeting. Later all three of us.¡± At this point kai has lost all confidence and is just rambling. I take note of his red face. Maybe he is feeling sick.Should we tell him?The voices wonder.


    I got him to calm down. Luckily the teacher didn¡¯t notice us since he was way too busy scolding another student who apparently used his phone in class. ¡°Are you ok? You still seem red.¡± I ask bringing my hand up to his forehead. ¡°Also, you are burning up.¡± Kai looks positively dead. ¡°I could take you to the nurse if you want.¡± I suggest. Kai backs away a bit making me drop my hand which I didn¡¯t even realize I was still holding to his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m okay. I just also didn¡¯t sleep a lot.¡± He trailed off at the end.Lairthe voices say. I¡¯m starting to think that either every other person is lying to me, or the voices have trust issues. Either way I shouldn¡¯t care I have been listening to these stupid voices way too much lately.


    I got lost in thought again and when I snapped back Kai manged to completely calm down. His face was now only slightly red tinted. I decide to leave it alone for now if he isn¡¯t feeling well, he can tell me. I focus back on class realizing my teacher has been writing some stuff on the board which I need to copy. In my opinion math class takes way too long. Despite all classes being 45 minutes Math feels more like 5 hours. After the bell finally rings Ava takes her seat and puts it in front of our desk. Kai and Ava immediately started to talk about everything and nothing at the same time. I decide to listen sometimes giving my opinion or answering a question.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the 5 minutes to pass, and Ava being forced to go back to her seat. In 2<sup>nd</sup>period we have English. Nothing really happened. I somehow managed to get through the class without passing out. We now have a 15-minute break and are forced to leave the classroom. I try to close my eyes a bit but it¡¯s way too loud. The break passes in a blur and before I know it, I¡¯m back in my classroom. Our sub teacher ended up only showing up for a minute before saying that she has to look after another class and needs to leave. I didn¡¯t really listen the second she was gone I practically slammed my head on my desk and passed out.


    I felt something shake me. I open my eyes trying to figure out where I am. I look at the source of the shaking and see Ava. ¡°It¡¯s 1 minute until 4<sup>th</sup>period class starts. You better wake up if you don¡¯t want to get in trouble.¡± In response I yawn. I felt a little better now. That¡¯s how the rest of my school day went. I¡¯m trying to not fall asleep and if I do Kai or Ava wake me up.


    At the end of the school day, we each say goodbye to each other, and Ava pulls Kai and me into a hug. I¡¯m walking back to my house when I hear the voices sayGo left.That however is the wrong way. I have to keep going straight forward so that¡¯s what I do. After all there is no reason for me to listen to some voices in my head. They aren¡¯t real. There is just something wrong with me. They are not real-LEFT. The voices scream so loud I have to stop walking. I feel dizzy and I can already feel a headache forming. They keep chantingleft left left.


    I choose to give in. When I have to choose between a different route or getting a headache I will take the different route. Besides following the voices so far hasn¡¯t ever really ended too bad mostly just mildly dangerous situations. So, I turn left. Fuck you, I think. I can feel the voices smile in satisfaction. A shiver goes down my spine. This is creepy I decide.


    At this point I have been walking around for about 30 minutes and I¡¯m starting to get tired. I finally arrive at a creepy looking forest. The trees are really close so hardly any light gets into the forest which makes it impossible to look very far inside. Getting lost in there would be easy. Fuck this shit I decide and abruptly turn around. I reach for my phone planning on looking for the fastest way home. Suddenly I hear something behind me. Someone was walking out of the forest. It sounds like an adult. They are heading straight for me.


    I¡¯m already planning my funeral knowing I most likely won¡¯t get out of this. I would like dahlia and oleander flowers on my grave. My thoughts are interrupted by the annoying voicessafethey say. Then I hear it a voice I know quite well. ¡°Noah what are you doing here?¡± It¡¯s Kato. My shoulders sag in relieve. I didn¡¯t even realize how tense I kept them. Turning around I see Kato standing there though he isn¡¯t alone. There are two police officers. Kato is looking at me expectedly and I realize I haven¡¯t answered his question yet. However, I could hardly say ¡®The voices in my head told me to go here. I don¡¯t know why either¡¯ That definitely sounds sane. ¡°I was just walking around.¡± I settle on. ¡°You should go back home.¡± Kato must be on a case right now hence the officers. The case Kato doesn¡¯t want me a part of to be precise.


    Kato looks at me realizing that trying to lie now wouldn¡¯t work. ¡°How do you always manage to appear at crime scenes or my cases. It¡¯s like you are a dog smelling a treat.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about the metaphor Kato used and decide to leave it for now. The voices however are really offended by being called a dog if their complaints and threats are anything to go by. Kato seems to mull over the idea of strangling me or simply sighing fondly. I shrug my shoulders since I don¡¯t have a good excuse. It was alarming and weird, but the voices always seem to know when something happened or is about to. They also love to send me to these locations. I wouldn¡¯t really mind it since I do want to become a detective, but it was starting to actually make people concerned I was some type of Shinigami. I¡¯m not too sure. Every time the voices know something they really shouldn¡¯t it¡¯s hard to see them as nothing more than a defect in my brain.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m already here why don¡¯t I help out a bit.¡± I smile. Kato looks pained by the mere suggestion but before he could say something most likely remind me of our conversation this morning a police officer speaks up. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let the mini detective help¡± His name is Mike, and he is almost always at the same scenes as me. He has always been nice to me. ¡°This isn¡¯t the most gruesome scene he has seen, and he knows really weird things like our personal psychic.¡± Mike continuous but Kato still isn¡¯t convinced in fact it looks like he is 2 seconds away from slapping officer Mike. ¡°Fine do whatever you want.¡± He caves after all. ¡°Come and be careful.¡±

 I hate walking

    Kato and the two officers walk into the forest, so I follow. I yawn. It takes around 5 minutes for us to stop. My feet are killing me at this point, but my focus is quickly changed.  On the floor between two trees was a lot of blood. A body. A woman with blond hair in a braid that is falling apart just barley holding itself together. The blood comes from a wound on her neck. It was cut in such a way that some blood spilled on the right tree. It really isn¡¯t the most gruesome scene I have seen but something about it made me nauseous and uncomfortable. Something doesn¡¯t seem right.


    The voices are quiet, but I can tell that they are watching. ¡°The victim is female and 26 years old. Her name was Ruby Foster. No siblings and no relationship. She only has her parents. The cause of death is a cut jugular vein.¡± A third officer says.


    Dreams the voices whisper. I have no idea what they are going on about now. Dreams the voices repeat this time louder. While I hate to admit it, this was probably a clue, but I really don¡¯t want to listen to the voices especially since my head is already pounding. However, finding the killer is a priority and it doesn¡¯t matter which issues I may have as long as I get the job done. ¡°Dreams¡± I mumble trying to find a connection with the victim. The officer which was telling me the information earlier seems to jump. They were looking kind of freaked out. ¡°Dreams?¡± The officer repeats. Officer Mike looks over to me ¡°The victim was seeing a therapist. Something about Dreams. We aren¡¯t sure because of doctor confidentiality. How did you know? Did you know the victim?¡± All the attention snapped to me making me uncomfortable. No, I think but apparently the voices do. ¡°Not really. I just saw her once.¡± I lie. It wasn¡¯t my best lie, but it was the best my sleep deprived brain could come up with.


    ¡°We already contacted Dr Matinez since she was apparently the last one to see the victim alive. She is waiting at the station.¡± Mike informs us. Kato nods ¡°Let¡¯s go kid.¡± We both walk out of the forest at this point I¡¯m surprised I can even walk. We got to Katos car and drove away. ¡°I asked you not to get involved. Also, before you start it¡¯s not because I don¡¯t think you can handle it but rather that this doesn¡¯t seem right.¡± Kato says. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine.¡± I reassure him.  Famous last words the voices laugh. These will be your last words if you don¡¯t shut up, I think. I decide to change the subject. ¡°Do you think the Doctor knows something?¡± Kato sighs ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t know yet however she was with the victim last. So she is the prime suspect. Anyways we are about to find out. We are here, kid.¡±


    After getting into the station, we met Dr Matinez. She is in a normal interrogation room with a single table three chairs and a two-way mirror. ¡°Hello Dr Matinez. I¡¯m Detective Ryota Kato and this is Noah.¡± Kato introduces us and we both sit down. Dr Matinez looks perplexed ¡°That is a child.¡± She says. That coming from the raisin look alike. It may be unusual but that was very blunt especially for a therapist.


    It took a lot of convincing from me to be allowed to be present during interrogations. However, it makes sense since I know a lot even things I shouldn¡¯t. Sometimes even things the murder or victim were unaware of thanks to the voices though that tends to be a little creepy for all parties involved including me. All parties except the voices who seem to find it hilarious. After a certain point the police stopped trying to find out how I know. It only took like a whole year. Also, people are more likely to let their guard down when I¡¯m here.


    I snap back to reality realizing that maybe I should be paying attention. I stifle a yawn and turn to Kato who just seemed to finish explaining some things to Dr Matinez. ¡°Your patient Ruby Foster why exactly did she visit you. Her file says something about dreams could you perhaps elaborate?¡± Dr Matinez nods. ¡°Yes, she was having weird dreams. At times her dreams would come true. It made her feel confused and scared.¡± Kato puts the file to the site. ¡°Why did she feel that way? It were most likely just dreams and coincidences.¡± ¡°She saw things like her own or other people¡¯s death.¡± I feel cold. Distantly I wonder if she saw this too. Kato simply raises an eyebrow. ¡°So she had nightmares?¡±


    Dr Matinez shook her head. ¡°What Ruby saw normally came true at least almost. One time she saw herself getting hit by a car with another person. That day she decided to go a different route. She lived the other person didn¡¯t. After that she came to me.¡± Prophetic dreams the voices say. I feel torn. I don¡¯t exactly believe in supernatural things, but I also don¡¯t not believe in it. The fact that the voices in my head are telling me this isn¡¯t making my choice any easier. After all I could simply be insane and there is no way to prove that Ruby wasn¡¯t too.


    ¡°The weird thing is that she did not foresee this at least as far as I know.¡± It seems like the Doctor believes in prophetic dreams. ¡°It¡¯s really not that weird. Why should she have seen this.¡± Kato grumbles. His stance on the matter is also very obvious. ¡°She actually came to me basically glowing. The night before she did not have a dream of any kind.¡± Maybe whoever cursed her to have these nightmares decided to give her peace before her death. I wonder if I would be given the same peace in my final moments or if even then I would have to hear the voices. A reminder that there is somethings wrong with me. I would never know why I was this way and why I couldn¡¯t change.


    Kato ignored everything the doctor said not seeing how it could have any value to the investigation. ¡°Was there anything unusual about her in the last 24 hours? What was your last conversation about, and did she mention if she was going to meet someone?¡±  Dr Matinez turned quiet thinking about the answers. ¡°No, she didn¡¯t seem weird, but she did mention getting flowers. It was weird since it didn¡¯t have a sender and Ruby didn¡¯t know a lot of people¡±.


    Destinys flowers the voices say. I¡¯m not too sure what they mean. ¡°You appear rather calm considering Ruby was recently murdered.¡± Kato notes. It seems that Dr Matinez doesn¡¯t take any offence instead simply nodding like they were talking about the weather. ¡°To be honest I¡¯m still hoping that this is another one of Rubys dreams. At the same time I never was close with Ruby. She was just another one of my patient.¡± The voices suddenly yell commanding me to ask something. It¡¯s hard to understand what is going on. Distantly I realize that I¡¯m getting overwhelmed. The voices alone would be bad enough but Kato and Dr Matinez are talking as well. I need it to stop. Everything was too much too bright. I don¡¯t get what the voices want.


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    ¡°What flowers were it?¡± I almost cry in relief when the voices mostly shut up. Perhaps they really just wanted me to ask anything. Both Kato and Dr Matinez look at me like I¡¯m insane. Who isn¡¯t? ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kato asks. ¡°The flowers that Ruby got. What kind were they?¡± Dr Matinez looks unsure if she should answer looking to Kato for an answer. Kato while a little surprised is pretty used to my unusual questions so gives the doctor the go to answer. ¡°I¡¯m unsure. I don¡¯t think she even told me.¡± Destinys flowers the voices repeat. ¡°Do you think the murder send them?¡± she questions. Kato also looks curious. I wish I could tell them but I really don¡¯t know and the voices won¡¯t stop being cryptic. At this point I¡¯m really debating if I should call a mental hospital and see if they have some rooms left. ¡°Maybe¡± I say, ¡°Why do you need to know which kind they are then?¡± Dr Matinez asks.


    It seems that she is very unconvinced that the flowers could be a clue. Suddenly a police officer comes inside and hands Kato a new file. I look inside along side Kato. It¡¯s more information about Ruby¡¯s death including a time frame. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this topic for now. Tell us Dr Matinez what were you doing at 4 am today.¡± Kato puts the file to the other one. This time Dr Matinez seems more defensive. ¡°I was sleeping.¡± She bites out. ¡°I assume there is no way to prove this.¡± Kato states more than questions. Dr Matinez silence speaks volumes.


    The voices were really focused on Rubys dreams and then the flowers. Perhaps they were hinting at something or more like giving clues as to who the murder is. Destinys flowers disl-  A loud bang rings through the room interrupting the voices. I jump almost falling out of my chair. Kato looks unfazed and Dr Matinez looks something between scarily calm and furious. An impressive combination ¡°HOW DARE YOU! Accuse me of such a vile act!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not actually accusing you of anything. All I¡¯m doing is my job.¡± Kato raises his hands in mock surrender. Dr Matinez appears to have a short temper for a therapist. Anger issues the voices laugh. I doubt that. It¡¯s a joke geez. Instead of getting lost in my mind again I stay in the present. Fight or Flight. The voices say.


    Dr Matinez eyes snap to me before deflating and putting her head in her hands. ¡°I swear I would never do anything to hurt another person.¡± The voices don¡¯t immediately call bullshit so I calm down. If I had slept a little more lately I would have noticed how much I am relying on the voices right now and how much I was losing focus. Both things I dislike.


    The officer which gave Kato the new file still hasn¡¯t left the room. I only notice this once he speaks up ¡°We found something on the victim¡¯s phone. Apparently, she made a call at around 3 am. The Person she called was Dr. Matinez.¡± Both Kato and my gaze snap to Dr Matinez. "You and the victim talked one hour before her death, and you didn''t tell us." Kato leans forward. Dr Martinez looks to the side avoiding eye contact like it would kill her. Gritting her teeth she answers "I didn''t kill Ruby. The phone call was hardly 1 minutes long. All she said was that she called the wrong number and apologized." Looking closer I realize that there were tears collecting in Dr Matinez eyes. She appears emotionally unstable I note. Imagine being emotionally unstable the voices laugh.


    Currently all evidence points to Dr Matinez being the murderer however it¡¯s not enough. The murder weapon wasn¡¯t found yet nor was any DNA found on the scene. So, in the end Dr Matinez was let go because of lack of evidence. I don¡¯t mind too much since I¡¯m unsure if she is the murderer. It¡¯s better if we find some more evidence first. Hopefully nothing happens in the meantime. ¡°You look troubled.¡± Kato says. ¡°You look desperate for a cigarette.¡± I reply. Not giving him a chance to respond I continue ¡°So do you think she is the killer?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure. She seems mentally unstable though that doesn¡¯t automatically mean that she is capable of killing someone. Also there isn¡¯t enough evidence to say if she is or isn¡¯t the killer.¡± I look to Kato. He nods in approval. My eyes wander to the clock hanging behind Katos head. It says almost 3 pm. ¡°Shit¡± I curse under my breath. I¡¯m supposed to meet Kai and Ava in less than 40 minutes and I¡¯m quite a distance away from our meeting point. ¡°Everything okay?¡± Kato raises an eyebrow. I run past him grabbing my backpack and sprinting towards the door.


    ¡°All good! See you tomorrow¡± I rush out while I barley avoid walking straight into the door. I pull my phone out searching for the next bus stop. It¡¯s about a 5 minute walk away but the next bus comes in 1 hour. I¡¯m going to be late. Just steal a car the voices suggest. I ignore them and continue walking. If I have to walk one more time today I will kill myself. Why wait? The voices ask. At exactly 15:00 I got multiple text from Ava and Kai asking if I died in a ditch somewhere. I had to send multiple messages reassuring them that I¡¯m in fact still alive. That can still change the voices very helpfully tell me.


    Before I knew it the bus came. I didn''t even take a full step out of the bus but still ended up on the hard concrete. ¡°Took you long enough, mystery boy!¡± Ava says after body slamming me. I hear the sound of a camera and see Kai with his phone out trying to silence it. He looks to me noticing me staring and waves. ¡°Do you need help?¡± I slump in defeat. Ava still not letting go. ¡°Yes please.¡± After my back stopped trying to kill me we went to a ice cream shop. We sat down and started talking.


    It ended very chaotic. ¡°Do you want to walk around once we are done?¡± Ava asks always having way too much energy. ¡°If I have to take another step today I will pass out or commit a crime most likely murder.¡± I threaten. ¡°Well if you went to sleep earlier you wouldn¡¯t have this problem.¡± Kai chastises me while Ava tilted her head saying ¡°Should you really go around saying stuff like this when you want to become a detective.¡± Some murder never hurt anyone the voices answer.


    ¡°I will not answer either of those things.¡± I put some ice cream in my mouth to get my point across. Ava rolls her eyes at me but still smiling ¡°Such a drama queen.¡± Kai sighs seeming resigned to his fate. His cheeks are still slightly red tinted I distantly note. Perhaps I should check his temperature later. Maybe you should give him a kiss later the voices tease. I choke on my ice cream. I can¡¯t stop coughing and Ava started hitting my back so hard I started fearing for my bones.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± I wave her off. Silently I curse the voices out in every language that I know. I don¡¯t even get a full minute to recover when the voices interrupt me. You should leave they say It¡¯s going to be fun. I feel a shiver go down my spine. ¡°Are you cold?¡± Kai asks not even waiting for an answer already taking off his jacket and handing it to me. I am feeling oddly cold so I quickly put it on. Leave or see what will happen the voices insist. I was getting Dejavu from earlier today. I decide it can¡¯t hurt and don¡¯t want Ava or Kai to get on my case when they see me getting a headache because some voices can¡¯t take no for an answer.


    I silently mourn my already spent energy. ¡°You know maybe we could go on a walk.¡± Kai looks at me a little weird. ¡°Now I¡¯m sure that you are sick.¡± I puff out a breath in offence ¡°It¡¯s not like I never go out or go on walks. I just prefer to stay inside.¡± Ava ignored us grabbing both of our hands before we could say anything else and dragging us outside. ¡°Where do you think we should go?¡± She turns to me. Forward the voices command. ¡°Let¡¯s go this way.¡±

 Ava kidnaps someone

    This is how most of the walk goes we three bicker and the voices tell me where to go.


    At the end we arrived at a hospital. It¡¯s very old and looks like just standing next to it is a safety hazard. So of course Ava immediately jumps forward ¡°Do you want to go inside?¡± She turns to us with a giant smile. Kai hums ¡°Could be fun.¡± I shrug ¡°Why not.¡± So all three of us walk inside. It seems abandoned. We walk around a bit it wasn¡¯t really that exciting and it smells really disgusting. I am just about to look for Ava and Kai and suggest we go back when I hear two shrill screams. I run as fast as I can to Ava and Kai. When I find them there is a third person. Someone who is no longer breathing.


    A dead body. Someone around our age. He has brown hair and his expression is twisted in terror and agony. He has a knife stuck in his upper body. If I¡¯m correct exactly where his heart is. Before I finish processing what is happening I take Ava and Kais hand and drag them outside. I sit them down and make sure they are okay. Once I took care of them I call the police. I finish the conversation and then go to Ava and Kai again. They look deeply disturbed. At least I don¡¯t have to worry that the killer is still around since we already looked through the entire hospital.


    I do my best to calm them down. Giving them some water I still had in my school bag. Just a bit before the police arrived I got Ava and Kai to snap back to reality. I answer all the questions the police has. The second I¡¯m done I go back to Ava and Kai.


    I bite my lip. I feel guilty if It wasn¡¯t for me this wouldn¡¯t have happened. I should have known that this would happen. It was stupid of me to listen to the voices. I taste blood. Then I feel something knock softly against my head. ¡°Stop that.¡± Kai says. Not sure what to do I give him my water bottle again. He takes it. A police officer comes to us giving us three shock blankets. ¡°Thank you.¡± I say taking them. I hand Ava one and Kai two since I still have his jacket so he must be cold. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to investigate, mystery boy?¡± Ava tries to joke. It falls flat her smile wasn¡¯t even reaching her eyes. ¡°I think they can survive without me.¡± I say looking around for some way to help them. ¡°How do you do this. It¡¯s-¡± Kai begins but cuts himself off. I don¡¯t know how to answer so I don¡¯t.


    I bite my lip again feeling useless. ¡°This isn¡¯t your fault.¡± Kai hits me on my head again this time with a little more force as if he is trying to push his words into my brain. ¡°Get that trough your thick skull.¡± Maybe he literally is trying that. I nod whispering. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± From his face it¡¯s easy to tell that he knows that I don¡¯t believe that. It¡¯s not like Kai could even say if it is my fault or not. He doesn¡¯t know all the facts. ¡°Do you need anything?¡± I ask. They shake their heads.


    ¡°We contacted your parents they should be here to pick you up soon.¡± A police officer informs us. Ava and Kai nod getting up on shacky legs I try to support them on the way. We didn¡¯t wait long Avas father and Kais parents both arrived with such speed I am sure they broke multiple rules on the way here. I didn¡¯t care hugging both of them. ¡°If you need anything at all you can call me at any time.¡± They are gone before I can blink. ¡°This is the second time today.¡± I turn around and see Kato standing there with his hands on his hips like a disappointed mother.


    I shrug ¡°It¡¯s not like I do this on purpose.¡± I feel tired. So much has happened in one day. ¡°Do we know who the victim is?¡± I title my head. Kato nods ¡°The victim was 17 years old and male. His name was Lucas Ashford.¡± We go back inside the old hospital. ¡°I think the cause of death is pretty obvious.¡± The knife is still there. Fifth the voices say. Those annoying cryptic shits. ¡°You know your friends need to give a statement and all since they are witnesses.¡± ¡°Yeah but if I can I would like to keep them out of this as much as possible.¡± Kato lets out a long sigh ¡°That¡¯s what I have been trying to do for years and now look who is standing next to me.¡± I snort. ¡°That worked out great.¡±


    I walk towards the body. It doesn¡¯t seem to be that old. Probably happened today. It¡¯s weird two murders in one day. I pull some gloves from my bag and put them on. ¡°Could this be connected to Rubys death?¡± I turn slightly towards Kato. ¡°Maybe. While it is weird that two murders happened there isn¡¯t exactly anything suggestions that the murders are connected.¡± ¡°Did Lucas go to therapy?¡± Kato shrugs. ¡°We aren¡¯t sure yet.¡±  I turn back to the body. It looks like a simple kitchen knife was used. I doubt that we will find fingerprints on it. The box the voices say. There are a lot of boxes in this room.


    I get up and walk around looking at them a little closer. I look inside some of them. There doesn''t seem to be anything that could be helpful. My eyes widen. Seems like there is something here after all. It''s a phone. It has a blue phone case and is a little cracked. There is a charm on it. It¡¯s some character the same one the victim has on his jacket. This is definitely the victims.


    I pick the phone up. Luckily it turns on however I can¡¯t get in since it¡¯s password protected. I should have guessed. This needs to be given to Kato. Keep it. The voices say. That is one of their dumbest demands. Why not. You need to keep it they insist. Like keeping it would even have any point after all I can¡¯t get inside. Also there could be something on it and if that is the case the police needs it. ¡°Did you find something?¡± I jump a bit I didn¡¯t notice that Kato was behind me. Keep it. Trust us the voices insist. As if there is any reason for me to listen to them. If someone found out I kept something like this I¡¯m dead. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t found anything yet.¡± God fucking dammit.


    The voices laugh in delight. I slide the phone into Kai¡¯s jacket. Now you might wonder why I kept it. Which is a great question which I would like to know the answer to as well. It seemed right I suppose. Well if the voices in your head tell you to commit theft you really shouldn¡¯t listen. However I always had my doubts when it came to my sanity. ¡°Okay. Now come on I¡¯m going to get some coffee and drop you off at home on the way.¡± Kato tells me. ¡°Why? I¡¯m not done yet. Besides-¡± ¡°Besides nothing. Come on it¡¯s getting late. Kids your age need sleep. Someone could mistake you for a racoon with those eyebags.¡±  Kato crosses his arms. ¡°Like you can talk. You look like your eyebags have eyebags.¡± I retort.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Get in the car or you can walk home.¡± He threatens me. I sigh in defeat. After getting inside the car I black out. I wake up a little later. I¡¯m still in Katos car but we are now in front of the bakery from this morning. Kato isn¡¯t in the car so he must be getting his coffee right now. I must have been more tired than I thought. The car opens. Kato is back. ¡°Here for you.¡± A bag is shoved in my face and I take it. Inside is a cinnamoroll. One of my favorite sweets. ¡°Thank you.¡± I say. There is no response.


    I look over to Kato and see him holding what is probably an illegal amount of coffee. It was obviously the biggest cup they had to offer and knowing Kato there is a larger amount of expresso shots in it than times I wanted to slam my head into a wall. ¡°You know an average adult has 50-65% of water in their body. I wonder how much of that you have managed to replace with coffee. At this point it¡¯s a miracle you didn¡¯t have a heart attack yet.¡± Kato looks at me weirdly ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop talking for a minute.¡±


    Kato pulled up at my driveway ¡°Bye. See you!¡± I take my backpack and exit the car. ¡°Just not at a crime scene please.¡± Kato sighs. I don¡¯t answer instead simply opening the front door and entering. After taking off my shoes I¡¯m on my way to my room. Suddenly I¡¯m stopped by a voice and I jump a little. ¡°Mind telling us why I got a call from the police.¡± It¡¯s my mother and she doesn¡¯t look happy. ¡°I swear if I hear one more complain about you then you are never leaving this house again.¡± I blink. To be honest I didn¡¯t expect my mother to be home. She isn¡¯t supposed to be until next week and even then she would have left the next day.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything though. I was just walking around and then I found a dead body. That¡¯s not my fault.¡± I try to defend myself but she isn¡¯t listening. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear any excuses. You are grounded.¡± ¡°But that not fair!¡± She glares at me ¡°Life isn¡¯t fair! That¡¯s why I ended with some boy who HEARS VOICES IN HIS HEAD LIKE A PSYCHO!¡± I freeze. My parents tend to avoid this topic like the plague. My mother grasped my arm and shoves me in the direction of the stairs. ¡°Go to your room and don¡¯t come out!¡± I don¡¯t need to be told twice. I stay in my room for the rest of the day. I often wonder why they kept me.


    Any type of physical activity fucking sucks I decide. I¡¯m walking to school and my legs are killing me. Fuck sport. It wouldn¡¯t suck if you were good at it the voices taunt me. If you don¡¯t shut up I will put you into a microwave and watch you explode like a hamster. We don¡¯t even exist in the physical realm??? The voices sounded very concerned and confused. Serves them right.  Before I knew it I arrived at my school. ¡°Hey Noah!¡± I hear a voice calling turning to it¡¯s direction I see Alex. Alex is an upper classmate and really cool. He has split hair that is slightly cruled. One side is black and the other is blue to match with me. Also he always helps me when he can. ¡°How are you?¡± Alex reaches his hand out and absolutely destroys my hair. I take everything back he is a fucking traitor.


    I slap his hand away. ¡°Morning Alex! I¡¯m fine just tired.¡± Alex hums tilting his head and looking at me with such concern you would think I just told him that I¡¯m dying. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t been sleeping again. If you still have trouble with it I can get you some melatonin maybe. I heard it¡¯s supposed to help.¡± I smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. I will be fine.¡± Not sleeping for 3 days really is no cause for concern. The voices comment sarcastically. Shut up! Besides I slept for like 4 hours today. ¡°Before I forget where were you yesterday? I didn¡¯t see you all day.¡± Alex looks to the side avoiding my eyes. ¡°Sorry. I was sick.¡±


    ¡°I hope you feel better now. Also be careful more murders have happened lately.¡± Luca¡¯s face flashes before my eyes. He was the same age as Alex. ¡°Really? Are you part of that case?¡± I nod. ¡°Well then I think I should be the one telling you to be careful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Nothing has happened before besides I can take care of myself.¡± Alex levels me with an unimpressed stare ¡°You have the stamina of a broken Ikea table.¡± He deadpans. ¡°What the fuck!? Why is everyone against me?¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t make fun of you if you could run more than 5 seconds.¡±


    ¡°Fuck I get it. I¡¯m-¡± Alex interrupts me with a shocked gasp. His face looks flabbergasted. What¡¯s his problem the voices wonder. ¡°You can¡¯t curse! You are like 5.¡± His problem is that he is insane I answer. ¡°I¡¯m 15. You didn¡¯t even know me when I was 5.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you were a menace. I bet you were one of those kids who would bite my ankle.¡± Alex declares. ¡°One of the kids who did what? Does that mean you have rabies?¡± I wrinkle my nose. ¡°How did you jump to that conclusion.¡± Alex looks like he regrets his whole life. Serves him right.


    Before either of us could say anything else we heard the first bell ring. ¡°Shit!¡± Alex curses. We both hurry to our classrooms. Nothing really happens. It¡¯s not too long until school ended though it felt like an eternity. Once I can finally leave my classroom I start to think about the investigation. I¡¯m pretty sure that the two murders are connected but I¡¯m unsure how. Obviously if Dr Matinez is the murder then Lucas most likely also went to her for therapy however I have to wait until Kato confirms this.


    I¡¯m unsure where to begin with my investigation. Mind the voices whisper. Because that¡¯s super helpful. I yawn ¡°Are you ok?¡± Kai asks me. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just not sure what to do about the murders. The longer the killer is out there the higher the chance that they will kill someone again.¡± Kai puts a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you want I can help you. Two heads are better than one.¡± I bite my lip. ¡°Maybe by the way where is Ava wasn¡¯t she here just a minute ago?¡± I question. Kai looks around. Seems like he just noticed her absence.


    ¡°She ran off again.¡± ¡°HEY GUYS!¡± A loud voice screams trough the whole school. I wince. That¡¯s definitely Ava. Speak of the devil. The voices laugh. There was someone with her. ¡°Hey, who is that?¡± I wonder. ¡°OH! That¡¯s Liam. He looked like a stray cat so I took him with me.¡± She laughs. ¡°I looked like what?¡± Ava¡¯s newest victim cries. I sigh wondering if I wanted to deal with this. ¡°Ava that is a human and also what did you just take him?¡± Kai looks like he is having an existential crisis. ¡°Did you kidnap him!?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know!¡± Kai repeats. ¡°Well but look at him!¡±


    I walk to the door. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± Ava pulls me back. ¡°Not so fast.¡± Liam raises his hands and backs away slowly. ¡°I think I¡¯m going too.¡± ¡°Come on Ava I need to continue investigating.¡± Liam turns to me curious ¡°Investigate?¡± Tell him! The voices cheer He can commit computer fraud! I¡¯m not really supposed to encourage crime I sigh. ¡°I want to be detective and I am allowed to sometimes help out the police.¡± Liams eyes sparkle a bit. ¡°I heard Liam is a tech nerd. Maybe he could hack something and get you some information. You do tend to complain that due to privacy reason certain things can¡¯t be accessed until you get permission.¡± Ava suggests. There were 3 reactions to this. Kai ¡°How did you even remember that. Your memory is shit.¡± Liam ¡°Are you suggesting to an aspiring detective that he should let me commit crimes?¡± and mine ¡°Sure why not¡±


    Immediately three heads snap into my direction. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to discourage crime?¡± Liam asks hesitantly. I shrug ¡°Some crime never hurt anybody.¡± He learned the voices cheer. ¡°What? Yes, it did. That¡¯s literally why it¡¯s illegal.¡± Kai looks like he wants to throw me out the window. ¡°So, I need access to Ruby Fosters files from Dr Matinez. Could you please get them?¡± I turn my attention to Liam who hesitantly nods. ¡°Is this allowed though?¡±  ¡°Absolutely not¡± I answer. Ava laughs while Liam and Kai cry in despair. ¡°What kind of detective are you?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to Kais¡¯s house since it¡¯s the biggest.¡± Ava says. Liam shakes his head. ¡°No. I really don¡¯t feel comfortable going to a strangers house.¡± ¡°We could just do it at the school while the computer are shitty that way you wouldn¡¯t have to do something you don¡¯t want to.¡± I tell them. We all agree and go to the school libraries.

 we commit multiple crimes

    ¡°Seriously how come the school has such shitty technology.¡± Liam complains for the tenth time. ¡°Why do you even want to look into the files? It¡¯s just some stupid dreams.¡± This time Kai questions me. Why not the voices laugh. ¡°I think there could be something important.¡±  Kai hums and then goes a bit away to give us more space. It was pretty crowded with four people trying to look at the small screen. I¡¯m not sure what Liam is doing. I ended up talking with Kai, wo was sligthly distracted by his phone, when we are interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± I beam ¡°That¡¯s awesome. Would you mind making copies and sending them to me? Here is my number.¡± I hand him my phone. Don¡¯t you love it when they turn into chaotic criminals the voices say like some proud parent. I think they are exaggerating for comedy purpose.


    ¡°We should add him to the group chat!¡± Ava jumps. ¡°No.¡± Retorts Kai shaking his head to get his point across better. ¡°Why not? We already did some slightly morally questionable actions.¡± Kai still seems unconvinced. ¡°Why are you so against this?¡± Ava asks she seems a little irritated. ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry about anything¡± Liam looks desparate to stop a fight. This is fun the voices say in delight. At least they are enjoying the show.  They are chanting for a fight now. The way Ava is looking at Kai I think someone is going to get murderd.


    I yawn. Suddenly there is a hand on my shoulder. A shiver goes down my spine and I look who it is. ¡°Alex?¡± I ask. ¡°Hey, what are you all still doing here?¡± He smiles. Then looks to the others and his smile drops getting replaced with a concerned expression ¡°Do I want to know?¡± I look over as well and see that Kai and Ava are still at each other¡¯s throat. However at this point they just are insulting one another while Liam is having a mental break down. ¡°They are fine.¡± I reassure. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡± ¡°They are fine.¡± Alex looks to me.


    It took a bit but we managed to stop them. ¡°So why are you still in school? It¡¯s getting late.¡± Alex repeats his earlier question. ¡°We were¡­¡± Ava looks around ¡°selling crack?¡± Complete silence. Smooth the voices say. ¡°You were selling crack?¡± Alex repeats. His face was hard to read but I think he regrets coming. ¡°No, we were just researching for a project.¡± I correct. ¡°Right then why-¡± I cut Alex off by simply slapping my hand onto his face. ¡°You know how she is. Don¡¯t question it for all of our sanity.¡± Alex pushes my hand away ¡°Since when were you sane?¡±


    I did the very mature and intelligent thing by flipping Alex off. Alex, the responsible 17-year-old, does it right back to me. ¡°You should go home. I¡¯m sure your parents are worried.¡± I would be surprised if my parents are still home. ¡°We should probably leave. My parents are still a little paranoid because of what happened earlier.¡± Kai agrees. I wince slightly. That¡¯s my fault. ¡°Then it is decided.¡± Alex drags me out of the school before I can get another word out. ¡°My sister is already here anyway¡± Ava says.


    This was confirmed when I saw Haleys car parked outside of the school. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± I wave goodbye to Alex. ¡°See you then.¡± He looks a little weird when we all left in Haleys car. ¡°I don¡¯t think he believed us.¡± Liam cries. ¡°I¡¯m going to go to jail.¡± I pat his back in condolence. ¡°Who is this dipshit?¡± Haley asks. Before anyone can say something Ava explains. ¡°That¡¯s Liam. I think we technically kidnaped him but it doesn¡¯t really count.¡± ¡°Cool.¡± Was Haleys response which caused Liam to cry louder. ¡°The maximum prison sentence you can get for computer fraud is five years. It was nice knowing you.¡± I¡¯m still patting his back. ¡°What kind of detective are you?!¡± The insane kind. The voices answer. I¡¯m very sane thank you my dear disembodied voices inside my head. ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem¡± I answer. That did not help Liams current mental state apparently.


    ¡°Is he always like this?¡± He weeps. ¡°You mean like a cracked up racoon who should be put down?¡± Ava laughs. ¡°I suppose yes¡± Kai answers. Traitors, I think. ¡°Like you two have any room to talk.¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°You know you love us.¡± Kai innocently blinks and then leans into my personal space. I shove him off. His face is way too warm I note. Absently I notice the same problem with my own face. ¡°I think you all should seek medical help.¡± Liam tells us. Therapy is overrated try murder the voices tell me. I consider looking for a therapist to spite them. ¡°Also, you should perhaps try sleeping.¡± Liam this time directs his attention to only me. I laugh. ¡°Who needs sleep?¡± ¡°You. Desperately.¡± Kai tells me.


    ¡°Okay pipsqueak time to get out.¡± Haley interrupts us. We are at Kais house so after saying goodbye he left. ¡°Now where do you live?¡± Haley looks over to Liam. As it turns out Liams house isn¡¯t far from Kais. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Kai he can be pretty stubborn. He will probably come around.¡± I apologize. However, Liam only waves me off saying that it was fine and then it was only Ava, Haley and me in the car. ¡°Do you mind dropping me off at the police station?¡± I turn to Haley ¡°Of course¡± So, I end up exactly there. It only took me a few seconds to regret this decision because I start to develop a headache. Though it¡¯s not too bad yet.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Kato snaps me out of my thoughts. From the looks of it he is outside the police station to smoke but abandoned that plan when he saw me. ¡°I wanted to see you!¡± I tell him. ¡°Sure, I just have to do something first and then we can talk about whatever you want.¡± So, we go inside and Kato leaves to probably either do some paperwork or get coffee. Out of nowhere I get a notification from my phone. I go to check and see it¡¯s a text from an unknown number. The message read ¡®Hello, it¡¯s me Liam. Please don¡¯t get me arrested¡¯ and then a second message which is Ruby¡¯s file.


    I scan the files. Every little detail it was quite a bit, so it took me a couple of minutes to read. He is speed running this shit the voices sweat. It seems that Dr Matinez forgot to mention that Ruby not only had dreams about her own death but about her loved ones too. Also, during those dreams, she was not aware that it was not real what she was seeing. That must have really sucked. However, one dream specifically caught my attention. This time she did not know the victim. This dream happened about 2 months ago and was the only one like this and has as far as she was aware never happened. The victim was a teenager. The plot thickens the voices say. How very helpful.


    I yawn. There is nothing about flowers or at least nothing that Dr Matinez hasn¡¯t already told us. Destinys flowers the voices remind me. I decide to try a different approach. I opened google and searched ¡®Destinys flowers.¡¯ All I find is some book. The voices are kind enough to let me know that this is not going to help. Honestly, I already figured that out on my own. I¡¯m doubting a bit how important the flowers are to finding the killer. Destinys flowers terminate the voices elaborate. Because that definitely made sense.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    I decide that I need to know which flowers Ruby got and if Lucas got some too. ¡°Okay, kid, we can talk now.¡± Kato tells me. I jump a bit. ¡°Right. Did someone who went to Rubys house find something out about the flowers?¡± Kato sighs ¡°You are still hung up on that. Even if the killer send them what good does knowing what kind of species they are do?¡± Actually I doubt that this is about the killers identity. They are important but for another reason and I¡¯m curious what it is. However Kato tells me that no one wrote down what flowers it were after searching her house and no officer at the scene knows either. Such bullshit.


    ¡°Is that the only reason you came here? You know that you could have simply send me a text.¡± Kato runs a hand down his face. Only one in the other is a fresh cup of coffee. It seem that he got coffee and did some paperwork. ¡°No, I also came for another reason.¡± I corrected him.


    It¡¯s been almost five days since I had that talk with Kato. No new murders have happened. Also there was no new lead either. Especially since Kato later informed me that Lucas didn¡¯t go to therapy. Something knocks on my head. ¡°I can hear your thoughts from here¡± Alex teases me. ¡°Why is everyone¡¯s go to way to knock me on my head?¡± I grumble. You have a thick skull and punchable face the voices inform me. ¡°Stop thinking so much. Seriously we wouldn¡¯t want your remaining brain cells to fry.¡± Alex knocks on my head again because he apparently has a death wish. ?You mean like yours? Wait you never had any to begin with, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Alex and I are at a caf¨¦ right now. We decided to meet outside of school since it has been a while. ¡°If you don¡¯t shut up I¡¯m going to take your dessert.¡± Alex threatens. Rip we will not miss you, Alex  the voices salute. ¡°Try that and I will burn your dearest possession.¡±  ¡°Ok I won¡¯t you, mini psycho¡± I hit him in offence. I¡¯m perfectly sane thank you. Sure you are the voices in my head sing. ¡°Don¡¯t you threaten to commit crimes a bit too much for someone who wants to become a detective.¡± Alex raises an eyebrow. ¡°I never claimed to have the moral high ground.¡± I shrug. Alex furrows his brows in concentration.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think your future is going to be in a police station but not as an investigator.¡± I hit Alex again ¡°Shut up.¡± Who needs a law-abiding detective? The voices rhetorically ask. Before we could say something else I feel my phone vibrate. I check and see that there is a message from a group chat called ''help-seeking idiots ''. ¡®Hey I forgot to make a chat with Liam.¡¯ Ava texted. ¡®Couldn¡¯t u have just added him to the one we already have?¡¯ I reply. ¡®No <3¡¯ Okay that answers that. ¡°Everything okay?¡± Alex tilts his head.


    I smile ¡°Yes, I just got a message.¡± In that exact moment I got multiple new ones. ¡®Why did u make a group chat with him?¡¯ from Kai who still hasn¡¯t warmed up to Liam. ¡®Bc he is our friend. Now be nice. Or else¡¯ from Ava and a second one from Kai who decided to ignore Ava. ¡®Btw how is ur investigation going, mystery boy?¡¯ I sigh. ¡®There haven¡¯t been any new leads.¡¯ ¡®Are you allowed to tell us about this?¡¯ from a concerned Liam. ¡®Sure why not.¡¯ Once again for some reason my answer doesn¡¯t seem to help. ¡®Why is that your go to answer.¡¯ ¡®Why do u text like some middle aged man.¡¯ After that I put my phone aside. ¡°You look frustrated.¡± Alex remarks. I really can¡¯t hide anything from him. ¡°I thought you would kill your phone.¡± Or maybe I¡¯m just shitty at hiding my emotions in general. ¡°I haven¡¯t found a new lead. There is a murderer out there and I¡¯m doing nothing. I¡¯m useless. Also I have one single lead and it¡¯s baseless.¡± This time the hit on my head is harder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you even dare think like that. Besides who cares how baseless the lead is? If it helps you then it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m sure you will find the murderer. After all you are smart.¡± He messes my hair up again. I don¡¯t complain this time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He says. I title my head. ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± He doesn¡¯t look in my direction but instead outside ¡°I have to leave now.¡± He gets up. I whine a bit ¡°Already?¡± Alex laughs at my misery. ¡°Like I said sorry.¡± He leaves and I stay. After all I still have some of my drink and dessert left. I check my messages again. There are several new ones. However I don¡¯t feel like reading them. I simply type a question ¡®Hey crime boy, do you have any of Rubys personal information like her house number?¡¯


    I can feel Liams despair through his text ¡®Don¡¯t tell me you mean me also I do.¡¯  Immediately he sends a file. I checked and it had everything I needed. Alex is right who cares how baseless something is. A lead is a lead. I finish my drink and check for a bus. Not even half an hour later I¡¯m standing in front of an unfamiliar house. There is no one around. It probably shouldn''t be this easy. Before I can do something a car parks next to me. Three teenagers stumple out of it. ¡°I knew you would be here.¡± Kai huffs out. ¡°Thanks for driving us, sis!¡± Ava screams after a car. A quiet Fuck off is lost to the wind.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just drop the case?¡± Kai complains. ¡°This stress doesn¡¯t seem worth it.¡± I walk to the door. ¡°It¡¯s always worth it if I can get the murderer. Especially if it stops them from killing again.¡± I don¡¯t even need to look to know all three of them are standing behind me. ¡°What are you even going to do? Do you have a key?¡± Liam asks me. I take a hair pin. ¡°You could say that.¡± It doesn¡¯t take long for me to break the door open. He was concerned how baseless the lead was but not how illegal? The voices wonder. I push the door open and walk inside like I own the place.


    ¡°What kind of detective are you?¡± Liam ask in a surprisingly monotone voice. ¡°Morally he is more on the fuck around and find out side.¡± Ava kindly informs Liam. This makes him apparently lose all hope. ¡°What does that even mean?!¡± I think he is going to have an aneurysm if this continues. ¡°Why are we here again?¡± Ava puts a hand on her chin as if in deep thought. ¡°We are looking for flowers.¡± Destinys flowers the voices correct. At this point I serouisly get it. If they say this one more time I will throw my head against a wall. Liam throws his hands in the air ¡°Ever heard of a flowers shop!¡±


    I walk into what I think is her living room. ¡°DON¡¯T IGNORE ME!¡± There are plants. Some of them have flowers. However I doubt that it¡¯s any of them. We won¡¯t spoil the voices laugh. So they are useless. He is listening a lot lately. When was the last time he slept again? They worry. Kai is besides me. I haven¡¯t even noticed him. ¡°We just broke into a house to find flowers. Couldn¡¯t you have just asked the police?¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware also no. They don¡¯t think that this is important and I have no proof that it is.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think they are important?¡± Liam chimes in. Because they are duh. The voices would be rolling their eyes if they could. I¡¯m not sure how to answer. Kai is looking at me his expression is hard to read. He leaves the room. Liam and I stand in an awkward silence. Suddendly I hear a scream. It¡¯s Kai. I run to him into Rubys bedroom. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I wheeze out. The anxiety and my hatred for physical activity not being a good combination. ¡°I think I found them."


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK! I thought you-¡± Kai grabs my arm and drags me deeper into the room. There is a vase. It¡¯s pretty with a light blue color and golden motives. The vase is on her desk and inside are flowers. They are pink with five petals. In my opinion they are gorgeous and a type of flower I always liked. I have never seen them in real life. Oleander. They are known to be poisonous. ¡°That¡¯s them.¡± I decide. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Kai doesn¡¯t look to me. I simply nod.


    My vision blurs slightly. Perhaps I should go to sleep. I feel tired. There is a sound. ¡°Someone is coming!¡± Kai almost screams to us.

 I fall out of a chair

    We all hurry outside. We run into each other and at one point I hit a wall but we make it outside. ¡°Did you just give us all a heart attack because someone is on a walk with their dog?¡± Ava complains. Kai holds up his  hands ¡°Calm down. I thought he might notice that someone is inside the house which is supposed to be empty considering the owner is dead.¡± Ava huffs. Before this could escalate Liam turns to me asking me. ¡°Is this going to help?¡±


    I now know which flowers it was. I think the murderer send them. The question is why. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we just broke into a house for nothing.¡± Kai crosses his arms. ¡°Let me check something real quick.¡± I take out my phone and look oleander flowers up. There isn¡¯t really any new information for me. I look up its meanings and find out that they can mean destiny. I laugh a bit. ¡°They definitely were the right ones. I¡¯m sure they connect to the murder I just have to find out how.¡±  Dreams the voices chant.


    I want to scream in frustration. ¡°Does it not usually take Noah this long to solve a case?¡± Liam wonders. Kai shakes his head. ¡°No, sometimes cases go on for a longer period of time however he always gets stressed and frustrated when this happens.¡± Ava innocently titles her head and tries to make her eyes bigger. This can¡¯t end good I think. ¡°Maybe that is why his hair is so white. It¡¯s from all that stress. Maybe I should call him mystery grandpa.¡± ¡°Maybe the voices were right.¡± I contemplate. Murder and violence! they cheer. The three of them look at me with various levels of concern and fear.


    I laugh. My stomach starts to hurt. I think he went into hysteria the voices sweat. When I calm down slightly and only giggle a little I see that the others started laughing as well. Kai was looking at me the most. His face red again and still shocked. Maybe he still wants me to be put in a mental asylum. Honestly I can¡¯t blame him. Without warning Liams expression turns somber. His gaze turns to the house for a second before he looks to the side lowering his head hiding his eyes behind his bangs.


    ¡°This might seem sudden, but I don¡¯t think that I should hang out with you guys anymore. I don¡¯t want to get involved with this. If the killer finds out what you are doing he will kill you, Noah. Not only you but us as well. I don¡¯t know about you but I don¡¯t want to die.¡± I stay still. Ava does not she grasps Liams shoulders. ¡°You can¡¯t just leave! You asshole!¡± Liam throws her hands off ¡°IT¡¯S NOT LIKE I ASKED TO HANG OUT WITH YOU!¡± I feel exhausted. It may seem wrong but I can¡¯t muster up the energy to argue. I don¡¯t want Liam to leave but I doubt that convincing him will work. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± All head snap to me. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make you afraid. I just want to find the murderer no matter what. At times I forget that not everyone thinks like that. It¡¯s fine that you don¡¯t. It¡¯s okay that you are afraid.¡± I¡¯m not. I don¡¯t care if I make it to next year.


    Liam doesn¡¯t answer he bites his lip. ¡°I¡¯m going to go home.¡± He whispers before leaving. Ava has tears gathering in her yes. ¡°fine, leave.¡± Immediately she goes in the other direction not caring if that is the right way. ¡°I guess I should leave too.¡± Kai decides.


    We all go home. The next day at school is akward. Ava is still mad at Liam and avoiding him isn¡¯t really an option since he is in our class. He doesn''t hang out with us during break but instead sits alone. The whole day passes and nothing happens. It is now again another school day. Ava has claimed that she forgives Liam but she is still colder than usual. I decide to talk to her alone. ¡°Are you okay? You seem very agitated.¡± She avoids looking at me. A lot of people have been doing that lately. ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± Avas smile is strained unlike her usual one. It doesn¡¯t fit her. ¡°Why don¡¯t we look for more clues?  Maybe someone missed something.¡±


    I hesitate. ¡°I don¡¯t want to force anyone to do something that they don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I guess¡± I hear from behind me. Liam. Why is he here? ¡°If you are sure.¡± This seems weird. And so all of us go to the forest again. Alex also joins us. He said that he wants to help us and also has to babysit us. Additonaly since it¡¯s a crime scene we are currently trespassing. I make sure to tell all of them how to not contaminate the scene. Rubys body is gone. The blood is not. Just as I thought we find nothing new. However my body starts to get heavy. I¡¯m not sure why. It¡¯s a strange exhaustion. The same one I felt at Rubys house.


    I stop for a second to catch my breath. There is Liam he is doing something but I can¡¯t see what. He has a strange almost guilty expression. The air is still thick with tension. Ava though claiming that she isn¡¯t mad anymore still hasn¡¯t truly forgiven Liam. I feel uncomfortable. ¡°Maybe we should go.¡± Kai suggests. ¡°It¡¯s getting late and we are tired especially mystery boy over there.¡± He points in my direction. I huff in offence. ¡°I feel just fine.¡± Alex snorts. ¡°You look like you wouldn¡¯t know who the killer is if he was pointing a gun at your head.¡± I shake my head. Alex stays quiet after that. Distantly I wonder why the voices haven¡¯t made one remark since coming here. I don¡¯t get any time to ponder on it because we hear something.


    Without thinking we run. ¡°Why does this keep happening?¡± Kai cries. I agree. This is like my third time and at this point this is getting old. We all stop at a spot even deeper inside the forest and I start to think that this was really stupid. It¡¯s only us four because Alex didn¡¯t run and when he did he went to a different direction. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die.¡± Big tears are rolling down Liams eyes. He is shaking and sobbing. Someone is approaching. ¡°I should have left when I had the chance.¡± It¡¯s on my right. Kai is trying to shove me behind him as much as possible. Ava is balling her fist. Her hands are shaking. It¡¯s quiet. Kai breathes out. ¡°Maybe it was just an animal.¡± I hum. ¡°They are dangerous too, you know. Or maybe we are going crazy with paranoia.¡± You are already crazy the voices tell me. I did not miss them.


    Ava turns to Liam. ¡°WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!¡± I flinch back. No one says anything.


    Stolen story; please report.


    This is a fucking mess. Ava was breathing heavily. There were tears gathering in her eyes. ¡°WHY DID YOU COME IF YOU ARE SO SCARED!? LEAVE JUST LIKE HER YOU COWARD!¡± Her rant was interrupted by my scream. A hand suddenly landed on my shoulder. I was about to hit the person behind me out of reflex but caught myself when I saw who it was. ¡°You got to be kidding me.¡± I cry. It was once again Kato. I¡¯m starting to get de javu.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Kato asks. ¡°There was already one victim in this forest we don¡¯t need another.¡± No one said anything. Kato runs his hand through his hair. ¡°If you have to do this at least let me know next time.¡± I simply nodded. The others also murmured agreements. We stay still not knowing what to do. Everyone is tense. ¡°Come on, brats I will bring you home.¡± ¡°Why were you even following us like that, creep.¡± Kai huffs out. He moves to my side. He seemed a little on edge. This has been rather emotionally and physically exhausting but something bugged me.


    Kato looks like he wants to be anywhere but here. I throw my elbow into Kais side. ¡°Don¡¯t talk like that to Kato. What was he supposed to do? Let us walk around a forest with a murderer running loose. Though I would have apricated if you called us. Just appearing like that was scary.¡± ¡°I tried you didn¡¯t seem to hear me over the screaming.¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°Well seems like none of us would survive in a horror movie.¡± Liam looks torn between screaming or crying. ¡°That was your conclusion from this?¡± I shrug instead of answering.


    I look over to Ava. She is biting her lip. I whisper to her ¡°Are you okay?¡± It was really stupid. Of course she isn¡¯t fine. Still she nods. A new voice joins us. ¡°There you guys are.¡± Alex puts his hands on my shoulder and starts to twist me in all directions checking me for injuries. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He doesn¡¯t seem to trust my judgement instead continued to check me over. Such a prick I can take care of myself. You really can¡¯t the voices correct me. After Alex is done he lets go of me and then hits me over the head. ¡°You motherfucker!¡± I cuss at him. ¡°What was that for?¡±


    Alex put his hands on his hips. ¡°For making me worry.¡± ¡°You are the one who ran into a completely different direction.¡± I accuse. However Alex remains unaffected. ¡°Who runs deeper into a forest when they get chased? You four wouldn¡¯t survive in a horror movie.¡± ¡°We already established that.¡± I inform him. I think I hear a terrified ¡°Oh god there is two of him.¡± From Liam but it gets drowned out by the voices laughing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fit all of you in my car.¡± Kato informs us. Alex didn¡¯t even hesitate before answering ¡°That¡¯s fine I will take a bus.¡± I shove Alex ¡°I don¡¯t mind taking a bus. The reason why we all are here is because of me anyway.¡± ¡°No, you look like you would drop dead any second. When was the last time you slept?¡± Alex shoved me back. ¡°When was the last time you minded your own businesses. Besides I will be fine. I can fight should I see any murderers. Though I doubt that that is very likely.¡± In responses I get an unimpressed stare from Alex. ¡°The way you are right now I wouldn''t trust you to be able to tell the difference between a bus and a white van with candy.¡±


    I want to protest but I think my body is actually going to kill me soon. ¡°Send me a text when you get home.¡± I demand. Alex nods ¡°You too¡± He destroys my hair once again before leaving. We all go to Katos car. It¡¯s quiet the whole time. It is when Kato stops in front of Avas house that he says something. ¡°You know bottling everything up until you explode isn¡¯t healthy.¡± Ironic coming from him the voices say. I agree with them. However while it is hypocritical he does have a point. Don¡¯t act like you are any better. This time I disagree. I¡¯m fine.


    I didn¡¯t even realize that Kato already drove Liam home and is now in front of Kais house. He looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± He left. After that I was also send to my house. I enter and to no one¡¯s surprise my parents aren¡¯t here. The next day I go to school. I would rather do anything else. I feel exhausted. Stupid flowers the voices start to cuss. I don¡¯t even question it this time. When I arrive the others are already here. No one else. We all arrived way too early. The reason why I cam early dispite my wish to stay in bed, you might ask. Simple the cpriptic fucks in my head. They have not stopped bugging me since I woke up.


    Ava refused to look anyone in the eyes. She was looking at the floor like it stole her favourite dessert. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I yelled yesterday.¡± She forces out. ¡°I was upset. Liam keeps talking about leaving but still joins us. I don¡¯t want that again. My¡­¡± No one interrupted her. It seemed like she needed to gather her thoughts. ¡°My mother left." Liam looks guilty. "I didn¡¯t mean it. Atleast not completly. I was just scared. I don¡¯t want to leave all of you.¡± ¡°I overreacted.¡± Ava says. Healthy communication in this economy, that¡¯s new the voices say in wonder.


    It¡¯s quiet no one knows what to say anymore. Who was right or who was wrong. I think all of us messed up in some way. I felt guilty. They wouldn¡¯t have to be scared if it wasn¡¯t for me but I wasn¡¯t even sure how to apologize. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t leave.¡± Liam was looking at all of us. Ava was smiling. It was weird. We all didn¡¯t know each other for a very long time but I think I would break if any of them left.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to class. We still have some time and I want to go over the material for the test.¡± Liam smiles too. However in that moment Avas drops. ¡°What test?¡± We all groan. ¡°Again seriously?¡± Kai throws his hands up. ¡°Shut up!¡± Ava hits Kai before sulking in a corner. After that school went normally. None of us went home yet. Instead we stayed in the school library.


    ¡°What should we do next?¡± Liam asks turning to me. I title my head to the side slightly perplexed. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Kai let out a sigh. ¡°You know the investigation. You are the detective. Tell us what to do next.¡± I furrow my brows. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Do you think we would be asking if we weren¡¯t?¡± This time it¡¯s Ava who looks at me like I¡¯m a complete moron. To be fair you are one. The voices once again give their unwanted opinion. ¡°You don¡¯t have to help.¡± I say. ¡°You really need to shut up sometimes.¡± Ava seemed like she was about to hit me too. Let Kai kiss him that should him shut up for a good while. The voices laugh.


    I choke on air. I fall out of my chair. They all look to me in concern. ¡°Are you okay?! You are extremely red.¡± Kai was immediately by my side. I really want to die right now. Where is a killer when you need one. Liam and Ava are hovering above me too their faces are a mix of way too many emotions. ¡°What happened.¡± They all looked at me like I was a little insane. ¡°Nothing.¡± I choke out. I turn away from Kai and instead look at the celling. ¡°People don¡¯t usually do stuff like that because of nothing.¡± Ava gives me an unimpressed look. ¡°That must have hurt. We should make sure you didn¡¯t injure yourself.¡± Kai chimes in. This is a very interesting celling.


    Truly why is it that every school has a celling with holes in it. You know those small ones that you try to count when everything gets too boring. I think the last time I gave up after like 45. A hand is waving in front of my face. ¡°Noah? Do hear us? Do you think he hit his head.¡± The hand and voice belong to Liam. I sit up. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I didn¡¯t get hurt.¡± They all look unsure. I didn¡¯t pay attention again. Too busy curing out the voices. Seriously what the actual living fuck where those bastards thinking spouting bullshit like that. If I ever find out how to kill them, I will do it. How vicious the voices shiver. It was so fake I wanted to slam my head against the ground a second time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try to contact Lucas Ashford¡¯s family.¡± I tell the others. No one moves.

 I get accused of murder

    ¡°Sure¡± Ava and Kai get up as well. Kais hands hover near my head while he says ¡°We should still check your head beforehand.¡±  Liam was still a little dazed from the sudden change but quickly caught up. I wave Kais hands away ¡°I told you already I¡¯m fine.¡± Liam turns to me ¡°Do you know his family?¡± ¡°No, why should I.¡± Ava turns to me. ¡°How should we contact them then?¡± ¡°Let me guess you want to somehow get a hold of his personal information.¡± Kai raises a single eyebrow.


    In turn I smile. Kai check appear to be redder than they were a second ago. ¡°Of course. He used to be a student here. His information is right here why not use this perfect opportunity.¡± I didn¡¯t even have to outright say it for Liam to know what I want him to do. It didn¡¯t take long for us to find his address. It actually wasn¡¯t far away and was in walking distance.  I hate walking. My stamina is horrible. On our way to the house Liam decided to ask me some questions. ¡°Why do you want to be a detective? No offence but you don¡¯t seem like the ¡®Justice must be brought to criminals¡¯ type or something similar.¡±


    I hum. ¡°You are right. I¡¯m not a morally good person. However Kato is a detective so I want to be one too.¡± Kato was the first person I met here. It was the most fun I had in a long while. ¡°That¡¯s not the weirdest reason.¡± Liam nods in approval ¡°What did you think my reason was?¡± ¡°Knowing you it could be anything.¡±


    Ava jumps into the conversation ¡°Yeah, like someone stole something precious to you and now you are hunting them down looking for clues.¡± Kai also decides to chime in ¡°or you had a therapist who got annoyed how you analysed everything and challenge you to become a detective.¡± Should I feel offended? I don¡¯t even analyse everything I¡¯m too lazy for that.  ¡°Or you had a pet who could talk and on their death bed asked you to become a detective.¡± Ava was wiping a fake tear out of her eye. What is happening?


    We ended up laughing so hard we lost track of where to go and got lost. It took us 10 minutes longer that it was supposed to. I blame the others. We ring the doorbell and two people open the door.  A women and man in their late thirties. Their eyes are red from crying. I feel a bit sympathy. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m sorry to bother you but we would like to talk with you if it isn¡¯t too much of a bother.¡± The pair look unsure at me ¡°We want to make an Obituary for Lucas.¡± I tell them. The others luckily don¡¯t react too much at what I said. Scammer the voices cough. It is a dick move but I never claimed to be a good person.


    They were still hesitant but let us in. ¡°What would you like to talk about?¡± Lucas¡¯s mother asked. ¡°What was he like as a child?¡± I decided to start simple. After all they had to think we really were writing an obituary. Even if I''m not really sure what is written in one. ¡°He was a bright little kid. Always running around.¡± His father looked close to tears. I hoped they wouldn¡¯t cry I don¡¯t know what to do when people cry. ¡°Extremely smart when it came to others¡¯ emotions.¡± His mother nodded along. ¡°So he was an empathic person.¡± Liam concluded. ¡°Yes, though when he was younger he didn¡¯t like being called so. He was hellbent on him being like that for another reason.¡± Lucas mother has a nostalic smile which quickly falls. Mind the voices chant.


    ¡°Really? What did he say?¡±  I decide to expand more on the topic. His mother gave a wet chuckle ¡°He said he could read other people¡¯s mind. Every time he got a headache, which sadly was often, he claimed it was because of his power.¡± ¡°The doctor never found out why he fell sick so often.¡± I clench my fist. I stopped listening. My mind was stuck in old memories. I was a really dumb and useless child. I told my parents that I heard voices. I was dumb. There were so many therapists and doctors. My parents always screaming at them to fix me. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± I tell them.


    I stand up quickly and grab Kai and Avas hands. Ava immediately took Liams, and I dragged them all out. I didn¡¯t hear a reply from Lucas¡¯s parents. I didn¡¯t hear anything my head was ringing. I didn¡¯t even hear the voices.  ¡°NOAH!¡± It was Ava she grabbed my shoulders at some point and started to shake me. I blink. Everything feels so far away. ¡°Hey! Come on answer me¡± I look around. There were three people surrounding me. Ava, Liam and Kai. They all look weird. I blink again. Everything is wrong. They look so upset. I think they are about to cry.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he hit his head earlier? He has a nose bleeding.¡± Liam rubs his hands together anxiously. Kai nods ¡°We should get him to the hospital.¡± ¡°Right of course.¡± Ava took out her phone. All of their hands were shaking. Oh¡­ They are worried. I laugh. All their eyes snap to me. It was really not the right time but I didn¡¯t stop laughing. ¡°Sorry for scaring you. I¡¯m fine really.¡± I don¡¯t know why I overreacted like that. I didn¡¯t change at all I¡¯m still dumb. ¡°Fine? THAT¡¯S what you call fine.¡± Kai was not buying this at all. ¡°I think it¡¯s just the lack of sleep.¡± I shrug off their concern. Seriously I¡¯m fine. If you are fine then we will eat a broom the voices say. You guys don¡¯t even have a body. Hush child and rest. I¡¯m going insane.


    It took a while but I got the others to stop worrying and leave me alone. We ended up going to a nearby park to talk. ¡°About that Lucas guy. I think he definitely had superpowers.¡± Ava says her eyes shining like those of a child on Christmas. ¡°Supernatural things like that aren¡¯t real.¡± Kai doesn''t look sorry to burst Avas bubble.  I nod ¡°Kai is right. There are no such things.¡± So you are just insane or what? The voices sarcastically ask me. ¡°I have to agree with Ava there is definitely a possibility that Lucas could have had powers.¡±  I shake my head at Ava and Liam. It''s honetly a bit surprising that Liam believes in supernatural things ¡°He was just a kid with a pretty wild imagination doesn¡¯t mean he actually could hear peoples¡¯ thoughts.¡±


    You should leave the voices whisper. I decide why not. ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡± It¡¯s better than an argument breaking out. I¡¯m exhausted. Once again the voices want to lead. I debate how high the chances were of us coming across another dead body and if I should just take the migraine instead. I ended up following them and the others decided to follow me. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Ava skips a head a bit. She has way too much energy. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Kai gives me a bit of an odd look ¡°Since when do you willingly walk for no special reason?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that bad¡± I grumble.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    We of course ended up at an abandoned cemetery. It was creepy and far away. If one of us screamed no one would hear. ¡°We should leave.¡± Kai says. He grabs my arm. I don¡¯t move. ¡°Please Noah. It¡¯s not safe here.¡± The other look uneasy as well but Kai seemed desperate. Don¡¯t leave. There is no one here. The voices tell me. I wanted to listen to Kai but couldn¡¯t. I look to the side avoiding his eyes. Then I saw it. Slightly hidden by a tombstone. There was someone lying on the floor.


    I ran to the person. I touched their neck. No pulse. I call the cops. This time the person was hurt in their abdomen. The murder weapon doesn¡¯t appear to be around. Sixth the voices say. A cold shiver went down my back. In that moment I realized. The voices are counting the victims. If that is true. There had already been six victims. I look behind me. The police arrived. A police officer comes to me. I¡¯m not sure who he is. ¡°How are you always the one to find the bodies.¡± The officer was giving me a weird look. I think his name was Henry.


    He was a prick from what I remember. That doesn¡¯t matter though. If the cryptic shits are counting the victims that means there were 6 so far probably all killed by the same person. So far I only know of three. I wonder where the others could be. Also what connection do the victims have? I didn¡¯t even notice how many people joined until I snaped out of my thoughts. My friends were father away with shock blankets. They seemed to be as well as you could be right now. ¡°You know all three victims have one thing in common.¡± Henry huffs out. I turn to him. My eyes lightning up. Finaly. ¡°What is it?¡± I eagerly ask. ¡°They were all found by you.¡± I stop. Trying to process the words. He doesn¡¯t mean¡­ ¡°Are you implying that I killed them?¡± I title my head. Surely not. Henry looks scary. ¡°You said it.¡± I chuckle ¡°Sure blame the 15 year of committing mass murder.¡± Ava is suddenly besides me ¡°I don¡¯t know I think you could do it.¡± ¡°Not helpful¡± I whine.


    ¡°Why do you even think all these murders are connected?¡± Henry says. I don¡¯t like the look in his eyes. ¡°While it is strange that so many murders are happening there is nothing that connects them. Nothing that would make someone assume that a single person did this.¡± I scowl. This guy is starting to get on my nerves. ¡°Then why did you assume that I killed all those people?¡± Henry mutters fucking punk before been called over by someone. I decide that I absolutely despite this guy. His character seems like shit.


    ¡°How rude¡± Ava shakes her head. Burn down his family the voices cheer. I decide to drop the topic. Though thinking about the voices there were pretty stuck on the details of Dreams and Mind. Were they simply referring to something like the brain in their overly cryptic way or were they hinting at something else. I slap my checks. Besides me Ava jumps. No, I decide. I¡¯m not that insane yet. Cold the voices whisper. Shut up before I find something to smash my brain in. ¡°Not again.¡± He hears a monotone voice. It¡¯s Kato. I smile ¡°Hey! Can I ask you something?¡± Kato raises an eyebrow. ¡°Sure.¡± Ava jumps to me hanging on my shoulders and making me almost fall over. ¡°I will go and make sure the others don¡¯t kill each other.¡±


    ¡°So what did you want to ask me?¡± Kato is looking at me expectancy. ¡°I have a theory concerning the murders but it¡¯s kinda dumb¡± ¡°Are you going to tell me this theory?¡± I look at Kato like he is an idiot. I would like to not end up in an asylum or prison.  ¡°Okay it¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t tell me right away. I honestly don¡¯t care how dumb your theory is if you think it could help or is right then you can tell me. However you should first stay neutral. Find evidence to prove or disprove your theory. If you need any help you can tell me.¡± ¡°Thank you¡± I say. Before I can regret my life choices I give Kato a small hug.


    I immediately run to my friends not even looking at his reaction. Ava is talking with Liam and Kai is on his phone. ¡°Hey could you help me with some research?¡± Liam turns to me. ¡°Sure, what do you need to know?¡± ¡°Can you find out if the victim went to therapy or had any complains?¡± Ava is rather chipper especially considering how she reacted the first time she saw a dead body. ¡°Of course he can do it!¡± Liam seemed embarrassed by Avas trust in him. ¡°Well I need to know who the victim is first.¡±  ¡°I don¡¯t think that we know who the victim is yet¡± I tell Liam. ¡°You are always so distracted¡± Ava suddendly complains to Kai.


    She seems to be bored and now wants to annoy Kai. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you are doing.¡± Ava tries to take Kais¡¯s phone but he starts to fight her. I decide that this is not my problem. ¡°I can¡¯t research him if I don¡¯t know who he is.¡± Liam looks to me apologetic. Kai is suddenly besides me ¡°I know who he is. Max Harrington, he is from out of town but has a YouTube channel where he goes to lost places.¡± Cold the voices whisper. Cold, dream and mind is what they said at any crime scene so far. ¡°Is that why you were on your phone this entire time.¡± Liam asks Kai. He seems a little awkward. In that moment I remember Ava tried to steal his phone. It seems she failed considering she is pouting in the back. You should leave the voices tell me. Great these assholes really love telling me what to do. Leave now they insist. If this is another corpse I will quit and kill myself. You don¡¯t even have a job the voices unhelpfully tell me.


    ¡°I will be right back.¡± I inform the others. All their heads snap to me their previous conversation forgotten. ¡°I don¡¯t think you should go anywhere alone.¡± Kai immediately tells me. The other two are nodding their heads agreeing with Kai. ¡°I will be fine. It¡¯s going to be quick, and I will be back as soon as I can.¡± I don¡¯t give them time to further discuss this and leave. The voices lead me. I¡¯m starting to think that if there is truly another victim that Henry will just straight up arrest me. Well it is what it is. You are so weird the voices inform me. ¡°Really? I couldn¡¯t tell with the voices in my head and all.¡± I didn¡¯t need to go further the voices told me to stop at an alleyway.


    Inside is someone who seems to be my age. There are also 3 older people. They are hitting the boy. ¡°Imagine if your poor family knew what a fucking disgrace you are.¡± One of the guys sneers. ¡°Guys don''t be so harsh. You know how sensitive he is¡± Another guy says with fake sympathie. Suddenly one guy fell to the ground. He was hit in the back of his head with a metal stick by me. These guys were pissing me off. This time we didn¡¯t even have to convince him the voices cheer. Now kill him they continue. I can¡¯t you idiots there are way too many witnesses. I feel like that isn¡¯t the right reason to not consider murder the voices for some reason want to now play innocent. ¡°YOU PSYCHO!¡± Some guy screams at me.


    Their voices are really annoying. I get ready to hit the next guy this time aiming for his knee caps. They must still be in shock because he doesn¡¯t defend himself. The guy who I hit first already got off the ground though he seems dazed I regret not having hit him harder. They leave screaming some threats at me. It¡¯s funny I¡¯m way shorter than them but they were scared. I¡¯m not even that threatening. I¡¯m starting to think he has split personality the voices seem to discuss my possible mental health issues. They are way more vicious than me. I throw what I think is a pipe away. ¡°Are you okay?¡± The boy on the ground looks at me when I ask him. I admit it¡¯s a pretty dumb question. Though his eyes seem to be sparkling.


    Hey! That¡¯s Ethan. He gets bullied because he commits crimes the voices suddenly inform me. Though he didn¡¯t acctually commit any crimes. How lame they correct their earlier statement. ¡°Ethan?¡± That name sounds familiar ¡°Getting bullied because of crimes that you didn¡¯t commit must suck.¡± I start to get a little lost in thought. ¡°Do you know me?¡± Ethan snaps me out of my thoughts. Shit¡­ I suppose one more person who thinks I¡¯m insane doesn¡¯t matter. At least he doesn''t appear to be the bully type. ¡°Also how are you so sure that I didn¡¯t commit these crimes?¡± I shrug. This is too much for me I want to go to my bed and sleep.


    He must be in pain. There are several injuries on him. ¡°Can you stand?¡± I extend my hand to help him up. There aren¡¯t too many wounds on his legs and nothing appears to be broken but I¡¯m not a doctor.

 I get free food

    Ethan takes my hand without hesitation. There is a store nearby the voices inform me. They give me directions and I follow them. It¡¯s good that they know what I wanted that makes things easier for me. ¡°I have never seen you around here.¡± Ethan notes. I guess he is here often then. It makes sense that he doesn¡¯t see me here often. If I have a choice I prefer to stay at home but if I get dragged out I tend to hang out at different places.


    We are both walking together to the store. I make sure to walk slower so that he can keep up. If you ask me, it¡¯s weird how much he seems to trust me. ¡°I happened to be in the area.¡± That¡¯s a lie and the walk from here to the cemetery isn¡¯t short either. I tell Ethan to wait on a bench and go into the store. I¡¯m looking for things for Ethans wounds when my concentration is destroyed by the voices. That hyperactive girl¡¯s mother is a criminal. ¡°Is that why she left?¡± I wonder out loud. No, that women simply is an asshole. The voices correct me. ¡°¡­ I see¡± I take a deep breath ¡°Why are you telling me this and why now.¡± We need entertainment the voices whine. ¡°How about I throw you off a bridge how is that for entertainment.¡± We don¡¯t even have a physical form. ¡°I will find a way.¡±


    After that the voices shut up. Well I find this pretty entertaining. I find all I need and pay before leaving. Could have just stolen it the voices complain. I start to work on Ethans injuries neither of us said anything.


    Fuck this is awkward. I¡¯m done with Ethans injuries and he is now looking at me. ¡°How did you know about all of this? Those guys didn¡¯t tell anyone as far as I¡¯m aware.¡± Ethan finally talked. I¡¯m starting to think that he is getting blackmailed on top of everything. He is, those assholes are trying to pin their crimes on Ethan the voices confirm my suspicion. They love to wait until I know certain things myself before telling me. Honestly it would be way faster if they just told me.


    Also why are they calling Ethan by his name? They don¡¯t tend to do that. ¡°You seem pretty sure I didn¡¯t commit any crimes. What¡¯s up with that?¡± I sigh Ethan is not giving this up. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the type to commit various crimes.¡± Ethan still has that weird look on his face. I¡¯m starting to have a bad feeling. ¡°You also don¡¯t seem like the type to beat people up but look at what happened not even five minutes ago.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that I beat them up.¡± Should have killed them the voices sound disappointed. Ethan looks at me more curious now. Actually he seems to be looking at me like I¡¯m some puzzle he wants to solve.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you scared that you will get in trouble? You could get sued or bullied for harming them¡± ¡°They won¡¯t sue me and even if they do, I¡¯m not worried.¡± It¡¯s true I always have multiple ways to get out of trouble. Otherwise you would have been executed ages ago the voices agree. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that bad. ¡°If you say so. Is that your real hair and eye colour? You have white hair and red eyes. Well slightly red it¡¯s hard to tell. Did you dye your hair? I¡¯m pretty sure that the blue parts in your hair are dyed. Pretty sure the white is dyed too but I could be wrong. You never know.¡± That¡¯s too much. ¡°Sorry but I have to leave.¡± I don¡¯t give him a chance to say more before going back to the cemetery.


    It takes a while and I curse the whole way. First because I fucking hate walking and second I left a murder investigation for this and apparently am already a suspect for some people. Listen I know that children can kill people I had a few cases myself were the killers were really young. Additionally the youngest killer in the world was like 5. However I could fight with a door and lose. Does this guy have selective amnesia the voices whisper I think he is in some type of denial they continue.


    I arrive at the cemetery while the others seem to be giving statements. A police officer turns to me the second I arrive. ¡°You are aware that you can¡¯t just walk away, right?¡± He is talking to me like I¡¯m 5 ¡°Sure¡± I walk to my friends. ¡°You are back, mystery boy.¡± Ava almost screams. ¡°Glad that you survived.¡± Kai jokes and Liam nods. ¡°I feared that you found another body.¡± I title my head ¡°I¡¯m not that bad.¡± I don¡¯t get an answer just three unimpressed faces. Deciding to not deal with this I go and look for things that could help with the investigation.


    Ava and Liam start talking again and Kai goes back on his phone. I finally had some peace and quiet. Of course the universe hates me so I hear a voice. ¡°It¡¯s that guy over there.¡± It was Ethan. ¡°Why is he next to a dead body?¡± A second voice which I don¡¯t recognize asks. I don¡¯t want to turn around however accepting my fate I go over to them. There is indeed Ethan standing next to a girl with brown and pink hair. She looks pretty cool. ¡°You can¡¯t be here this is a crime scene.¡± The same officer which was talking to me earlier was now talking to Ethan and the unknown girl. He was still talking in that voice which makes me regret throwing the metal pipe away.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I join them. Mostly because I fear that I might have to deal with a second corpse if that girl¡¯s expression is saying anything. ¡°Hello Ermine!¡± Ethan was waving at me enthusiastically. I don¡¯t want to know. You look like you ate a lemon the voices laugh. ¡°Ermine?¡± Liam looks to me for an explanation. Something must have shown that I was just as clueless because he didn¡¯t look to me for an explanation anymore. ¡°Those things are really cute.¡± Kai joins he showes us all photos of ermines. Apparently, he got curious and googled. ¡°I think it fits you.¡± A second later Kais cheeks seem to heat up in embarrassment. He blushes really easily. You are not better the voices say. Fucking traitors. That¡¯s not true.


    ¡°Omg they are cute! I can totally see it. You both also got white hair.¡± Ava squeals. ¡°Did you dye your hair?¡± Liam asks me. What is it with everyone and my hair today. ¡°The blue strands are dyed the white is not.¡± ¡°It looks nice.¡± ¡°Thanks¡± Thank fuck Ava kidnapped Liam or I would have lost my sanity. You already did the voices say with pity. Acting like it isn¡¯t your fault, assholes I cuss back. Ethan adds his own opinion ¡°They both have white hair and ermines are known for looking harmless but they are capable of killing threats way bigger than them.¡± I decide to not react to that statement. ¡°Who are you two?¡± Kai eyes them with suspicion. He looks even more hostile then when Liam first joined us.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°I have to ask you to leave since this is a crime scene.¡± The police officer who I have completely forgotten existed pushes us away until we left. We are now just standing in front of some shop. ¡°Did you adopt some strays. You usualy are not the type to pick up random people.¡± Ava hangs from my shoulders. Though she quickly decides that Liam is a better target. ¡°I¡¯m Ethan, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Myra¡± Well I at least know her name now. It was a weird to constantly to refer to her as the girl. ¡°I¡¯m Ava! It¡¯s nice to meet you too.¡± ¡°Hello I¡¯m Liam.¡± ¡°Kai.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Noah.¡± Ava still has too much energy. ¡°How do you know each other?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know him.¡± Myra says her voices is monotone. Though I think that''s her default way of speaking.


    ¡°He helped me.¡± Ethan says he looks a bit like a puppy. Ava gasps dramatically ¡°Oh my, how nice you are! I can¡¯t believe my little baby brother is all grown up. Finally going around and socalizing on his own.¡± ¡°We are the same age.¡± We both punch each other. I didn''t even do anything! Why am I getting punched? Kai looks at me. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me like I did something wrong.¡± Before our conversation could continue Ethan injected ¡°He just suddendly appeared, you know! He knew things about-¡± I slapped a hand over his mouth. Everyone seems perplexed by my action except for Myra. It¡¯s like she is looking into my soul. ¡°I think we should leave. Don¡¯t you have kick boxing today, Ava?¡± Said girl suddenly jumped. She forgot again? That must be a new record the voices laugh. ¡°You are right! What would I do without you.¡± Ava fake cries using my clothes to dry non-existent tears.


    ¡°You are joining me today.¡± She declares to Liam before running off. Even though she seemed a bit hesitant it appears that she wants to spend quality time with Liam. If you ask me, I¡¯m not sure how good using someone as punching bag is to strengthen a friendship however I also think she has some pend up frustration. Looking to the side I notice Kai looking uneasy. He catches my eyes and opens his mouth but gets interrupted by a phone call. ¡°Wait a second please.¡± Kai goes a bit away also very hesitant to do so. ¡°Would you like to join us at a caf¨¦?¡± Myra asks me. I don¡¯t think she blinked even once the voices seem to shake. Stranger danger is apparently no longer a thing. ¡°No thank you. I still have some things I need to do.¡± I will try to stay polite and just run. ¡°We would pay and you could get whatever you like.¡±


    Before anything else happens I want to say that free food is worth the possibility of getting stabbed. While my family doesn''t struggle with money, especially since they started to work more to avoid me, getting free things doesn''t hurt. Most of the time. In addition the caf¨¦ is really good. ¡°How is it?¡± Ethan leans towards me when asking this question. If he were a dog his tail would be hitting something from the aggressive swinging. It¡¯s almost like he has stars in his eyes. How did I get here again? This is your own fault for going with strangers the voices chastise me. However they are perfect targets for pranks just imagine- As soon as they started going on their usual rant I tune them out. ¡°You are distracted.¡± Myra notes. I turn my attention to her. ¡°Sorry.¡± I get no other answer. Ethan on the other hand is still talking about something. ¡°I really like animals. I immediately thought of ermines when I saw you because while they are cute you don¡¯t want to be their enemy. They are known for being ferocious hunters.¡± Myra then decides to add ¡°Also you both are small.¡± ¡°My hight is perfectly normal thank you.¡± I feel offended by the following silence.


    ¡°Anyways did you know that weasels and ermines are the same thing since they both are genus Mustela. Other animals who are part of this family are mink, polecats-¡° he suddenly cuts himself off. ¡°I was rambling, sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I don¡¯t really care while it can be overwhelming I¡¯m quite used to it because of Ava. Myra looks like she softened a little though she looks just as dead as before. So I could be mistaken. ¡°You can continue if you like, Ethan.¡± She didn¡¯t even finish talking when Ethan lights up and starts to name more animals of the Mustelidae family. ¡°All that aside you are almost like an all knowing god!¡± Now that escalated. He knows talent when he sees it the voices arrogantly agree. All I know is that I either need patience or a gun. If there truly is a god out there please help me. All that aside how did he jump to that conclusion the things I knew weren''t that strange, right? ¡°And what you did to those guys! I wish I could defend myself. No one ever comes to that alley so I was really surprised when you showed up. You knew I was there, didn¡¯t you?¡± I look to Myra for help but she doesn¡¯t help. I take everything good I said about her back. ¡°It truly is a miracle that you were there. You also seemed to know Ethan before hand.¡± You weren¡¯t even there!


    How did this happen? "I think I should leave." and you should get help. Ethan doesn''t stop. "I know it seems weird but I''m sure you know more than you admit. I can''t really explain it but I know more than I should too. Though probably in a different sense than you." The voices are something too. It''s too loud. Ethan isn''t making any sense and Myras gaze is giving me the creeps. It''s not a threatening or harmful situation but I want to leave. This is Ryans cafe, right? Why am I not sure. I know I checked. Bro is getting double amnesia the voices say. Not. Helpful.


    I can leave. They aren''t holding me down and don''t seem like they would restrain me. So why am I not fucking moving?! Am I even breathing. Why is everyone talking? "-nah. Noah!" That''s Alex. Why and how is he here? "Alex?" "I was nearby and saw you. If you were about to leave I could bring you home." Alex offers me. Thank fuck. I will never complain about Alex messing up my hair again. I realize I still need to talk so I force my mouth open. "That''s perfect I was just about to leave" I grab my stuff and walk away. My hands hurt a bit seems like I unconsciously gripped my clothes. "Wait! Here" Ethan hands out a paper with a number on it. It''s his. Alex takes it for me and give a strained and obviously fake smile before leaving without saying a single word to the duo. Sometimes I wonder how they are related the voices muse. Ethan and Myra look similar so I already assumed that they were related- Wait you met them today why are you surprised. "You okay?" Alex forces me out of my thoughts. "I''m fine." "Sure you are. So do you look like you got hit by a car in purpose or?" "At least I don''t look like an emo." Alex hits me on the back of my head. "How many times do I have to tell you I''m not an emo. Do you need glasses?" I hit him back. "Not as desperately as you."


    "Who was that boy?" Alex asks me. His eyes look weirdly cold. "Just some random guy I met. His name is Ethan." Alex hums before stopping. "First of all you socialized?" Can people stop being surprised by that. I socialize for fucks sake. "Don''t give me that look. I had to pry open your mouth when we first met so that would talk to me." Asshole. "Second of all Stranger Danger. Ever heard of that?" "Ever heard of not looking like an emo." "Do you have any other insults?" "Do you have any clothes that aren''t black?" "Next time I won''t help you." "Sure you won''t" Alex takes a deep breath. "Back to the important topic." I hoped he would forget about that. "I don''t think you should hang out with that boy." Alex looks serious. "Besides why would you go to a caf¨¦ with him?" Because free food. Was it worth it? the voices ask. Yes, it was. "It doesn''t matter, what happened happened." "Noah I mean it when I say that you should stay away from him." What does Alex have against him? and why only Ethan? Did he not notice Myra. No, I''m sure he did.


    "Don''t worry I''m not planning on meeting with them anytime soon." Despite still looking worried Alex finally drops it. You should totally meet with them again the voices disagree. To be honest the first meeting wasn''t great. I would prefer to stay away from them. NOOO the voices whine. I wince. Alex notices and looks at me. "It''s nothing." Alex opens his mouth to say something but I scream. "IS THAT A CAT!" That idiot turns around. I run past him and steal the piece of paper, which Ethan gave him, from him. That moron didn''t even notice. "See you on Monday!" I tell him and then run to my house. It wasn''t far but I will regret this tomorrow.

 Committing crimes to prove innocence

    "First of all, you socialized?" Can people stop being surprised by that. I socialize for fucks sake.


    "Don''t give me that look. I had to pry open your mouth when we first met so that would talk to me." Asshole. "Second of all Stranger Danger. Ever heard of that?"


    "Ever heard of not looking like an emo."


    "Do you have any other insults?"


    "Do you have any clothes that aren''t black?"


    "Next time I won''t help you."


    "Sure you won''t" Alex takes a deep breath.


    "Back to the important topic." I hoped he would forget about that. "I don''t think you should hang out with that boy." Alex looks serious. "Besides why would you go to a caf¨¦ with him?"


    Because free food.


    Was it worth it? the voices ask. Yes, it was.


    "It doesn''t matter, what happened has happened."


    "Noah, I mean it when I say that you should stay away from him." What does Alex have against him? and why only Ethan? Did he not notice Myra. No, I''m sure he did.


    "Don''t worry I''m not planning on meeting with them anytime soon." Despite still looking worried Alex finally drops it.


    You should totally meet with them again. the voices disagree. To be honest the first meeting wasn¡¯t great. I would prefer to stay away from them.


    NOOO. the voices shriek. I wince. Alex notices and looks at me.


    "It''s nothing." Alex opens his mouth to say something but I stop him by screaming.


    "IS THAT A CAT!" That idiot turns around. I run past him and steal the piece of paper, which Ethan gave him, from him. That moron didn''t even notice.


    "See you on Monday!" I tell him and then run to my house. It wasn''t far but I will regret this tomorrow.


    The next morning I wake up and do regret it. I have a bad feeling about today. Well it¡¯s not like I¡¯m planning on leaving my house. It¡¯s weekend and I prefer to stay alone during it. I stay in my bed for longer. Until my body complains that it needs food and the voices get too annoying to ignore. I take my phone and go downstairs. Once I unlock it I get hit with a fuck ton of notifications. That¡¯s new. There are over 100 messages from Ethan, who I texted before going to bed, and 1 from an unknown number.


    The first couple of messages are mostly just ¡®Hiiiiiiiii! It¡¯s me Ethan!¡¯ and after that I stop reading.


    The text from the unknown number is simple. ¡®Hello, I¡¯m Myra¡¯


    Ethan must have given my number to Myra. I put my phone away. It¡¯s too early for this. I grab some bread and start eating. Not even 2 minutes later the voices decide to chime in.


    You should leave.


    ¡°You should shut the fuck up. It¡¯s 9 am on a Saturday. I¡¯m not leaving my house.¡± I answer. I can practically feel the voices pouting.


    ¡°If it¡¯s another dead body I quit.¡± This killer is so annoying.


    It¡¯s not! The voices reassure me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care¡­¡±


    Five minutes later I¡¯m leaving my house. I hate this. I once again get led by the voices and end up at some random street far away from my house and my bed. At this street I see Ethan, Myra and some random girl.


    She is the little sister of bastard 1. the voices correct me. I turn around.


    ¡°Were you going to steal it? SAY SOMETHING YOU DAMN THIEF!¡± I grab the girl and make place for me to stand between the girl and the newest headaches I met.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Stay out of it! This is none of your business.¡±


    Destroy her bloodline! The voices cheer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it isn¡¯t but if you scream any louder it might become the business of the whole town.¡±


    She takes a deep breath probably to scream more.


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± I take Ethan by his wrist and drag him away.


    Myra is following us without saying anything.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Ethan has taken my hand and started to shake it. I take my hand back. He shouldn¡¯t thank me I was simply concerned that there would be a new case for me if Myra was left alone for another second.


    ¡°How did you know that we were here? I knew it you are omniscient!¡± I try to stop Ethan before he gets any weird ideas.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it wrong. It¡¯s just a coincidence-¡± Ethan doesn¡¯t listen but instead keeps ranting about his previous idea. I catch some things. What nonsense is this about gods again?


    ¡°No, wait-¡±


    ¡°We should talk in private.¡± Myra interrupts me. Ethan stops talking as well. Do I look like some doll that people can just drag wherever they want?This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t. Have a nice day.¡± I leave. I¡¯m gone before anything else could be said. I¡¯m halfway home when I get stopped. It¡¯s Kai, Liam and Ava.


    ¡°HEY!¡± Ava screams. ¡°We were just on the way to your house.¡± Why? I don¡¯t remember making plans. Why can¡¯t I have one quiet day.


    Cry about it the voices taunt me. Fuck you too.


    It seems Kai finally warmed up to Liam.


    ¡°Why are you outside?¡± Ava looks around not seeing any reason why I would leave my house. I don¡¯t know either.


    ¡°I was walking around and stumbled upon Ethan and Myra.¡± Kais¡¯s face soured.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should hang out with Ethan.¡± I wasn¡¯t. Besides why only Ethan? Didn¡¯t Alex have the same concerns? Ava turns to Kai with a judgemental stare


    ¡°You are way too paranoid about new people.¡± She suddenly gains a shit eating grin. ¡°or~ are you jealous?¡± Kai pushes her. His face is red again.


    ¡°Shut up! Why the hell would you think that?¡± I tune out their bickering.


    My mind goes back to the current case. I wonder how the killer got the victims to meet up with them. The locations were very isolated and not places the victims would usually visit except for the last victim. None of them are connected except for two of them having ¡®supernatural powers¡¯. What is a reason that people meet up with a stranger in weird places. Were those places the original meeting places or were the victims brought there after meeting in a more well know place? What if-


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave.¡± Kai says grabbing my arm and dragging me away. His face is a mess and Ava is almost on the floor laughing very hard. What did I miss? A second later Kai lets my arm go and buries his face in his hands. I think he is crying.


    ¡°There you are!¡± Oh no. What did I do to deserve this?


    ¡°Don¡¯t run so far ahead, Ethan.¡± Ethan and Myra found me. If powers are real then I would check if one of them has a tracking one. Or I should check for bugs on my clothes and phone.


    ¡°You just suddenly ran away. It¡¯s really lucky that we found you.¡± Ethan beams. Kai has now fully recovered. No rather he is still a mess but his eyes have a different kind of panic in them. Ethan is oblivious to this and keeps talking.


    ¡°We were just ab out to buy ingredients so that I can cook since we ran out of a lot of stuff at home. That¡¯s actually why that girl yelled at us. She goes to our school. Anyways would you like to join us? You all can also come over and eat with us¡± Sometimes I think Ethan looks like a puppy.


    ¡°No.¡± Kai immediately refuses.


    ¡°Thank you but no thank you.¡± I tell them.


    ¡°Yeah, you are strangers after all.¡± Liam agrees. Ava nods her head in agreement. She looks like a dog trying to get the water out of their fur.


    ¡°Why not you can continue your investigation, right? I¡¯m kind of intre-¡± Ethan, apparently unfamiliar with the concept of stranger danger, is perplexed by our refusal.


    ¡°Sorry but we can¡¯t just tell people details of a murder case.¡± Why did I go outside again? Myra is looking at me weirdly.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know that we are harmless?¡± Ethan asks while looking at me.


    ¡°I met you two yesterday.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit quick to decide whether someone is harmless or not.¡± Liam says calmly.


    ¡°Especially with a killer on the loose.¡± Kai snarls.


    They are harmless though! But you should probably stay a bit away from Myra the voices inform me. Not helpful coming from you.


    ¡°Well can you tell us about some of your previous cases?¡± Ethan asks getting in my personal space. I knew today was going to go bad.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡± After I said that Ava gains a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t think you ever mentioned any of your previous cases.¡± Because it doesn¡¯t matter. Liam shoots us confused gazes. ¡°I want to hear about your first ever case!¡± Ava is now also in my personal space.


    ¡°We can buy ingredients while you tell us the story.¡± Myra proposes. In the end we agreed to do that.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to hear that story?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Yes, now get on with it, mystery boy.¡± Kai playfully rolls his eyes. I sigh.


    ¡°I was at a caf¨¦ and sitting next to this guy named Leon.¡± He was a known asshole who if I was on fire and he had the last cup of water in the world I still wouldn¡¯t talk to him. He was a creep.


    ¡°He drank some of his coffee and then suddenly he was dead. Turns out there was cyanide in it. The police were called and I ended up being one of the suspects. The other main suspects were the people working in the caf¨¦ including Ryan. I managed to get close enough to the scene to find evidence. The killer was his fianc¨¦ who worked at the caf¨¦. Leon cheated on her with her sister which was her motive.¡± I was really annoyed on that day and pissed off that I was a suspect, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. After that I tried to avoid staying up for an entire week.


    The first time I did that I ended up punching some kid who wanted to steal my favourite pencil. The second time I climbed a tree and slept there because ¡®The floor is a bitch¡¯. The last straw was me getting involved in police work and becoming an unofficial detective. After getting scolded by a lot of people of course.


    ¡°You suck as storyteller.¡± Ava complains. It¡¯s not like I ever claimed to be any good at it.


    ¡°Come on. I want more details!¡± Ethan whines. Do I look like I remember the specifics.


    He doesn¡¯t even remember half his life the voices laugh. Anyways! This doesn¡¯t feel like normal conversation topic.


    How would you know?


    ¡°Do you know how to get rid of my bullies?¡± Without any warning Ethan asks me. Do I look like I know how to? And why is he asking me so suddenly?


    You could always kill them the voices say. I couldn¡¯t even get rid of my own so how should I help someone else. I get ready to reject Ethan.


    Wait! We know how to. the voices gloat. I¡¯m not going to kill them.


    It¡¯s not like that! We have a really real and legit way to get rid of them maybe the voices pout. That wasn¡¯t very reassuring, you self-proclaimed all-knowing assholes.


    No! Really just proof that he didn¡¯t steal all those things. the voices say. That won¡¯t work 100% but enough for the beginning. I also just got an idea.


    I realize that I still didn¡¯t answer. I¡¯m tired.


    ¡°Sure I know a way.¡± I tell them. It¡¯s worth a shot. Ethan mainly gets bullied by students because he-


    ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Ethan suddenly embraces me. Why didn¡¯t I just say no. I pry him off me.


    ¡°You are getting bullied because you were accused of stealing. We need to proof that you are innocent and find the real culprits. Then we need to do some other things as well but let¡¯s take it one step at a time.¡± Myra and Ethan nod.


    ¡°Do you know who is actually behind the thefts or what?¡± Myra raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°Do you?¡± I shoot back.


    We do :D.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± I tell her.


    ¡°So are you gonna run off to investigate?¡± Ava turns to me. Well even if I know who did it I need evidence. Otherwise it¡¯s going to be hard to explain my knowledge.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Kai looks uneasy. ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°We can help.¡± Liam suggests.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you but I need you to do something else, if it¡¯s okay.¡± Kai looks ready to protest but gets shoved aside by Ava.


    ¡°Of course but you will need to pay us.¡± I sigh. My poor money.


    ¡°We will see.¡± I take out Lucas phone with a handkerchief. It¡¯s good that I took it with me today. ¡°Could you look through this phone for anything that could help with the case.¡± I hand it to Liam.


    ¡°Is that¡­¡± Kai trails off looking at the phone.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lucas.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡± Liam holds it really tight but far away from his body. ¡°Did you steal this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I admit. Kai looks to me and then the phone.


    ¡°Why?¡± ends up being Kais question.


    ¡°Why not.¡±


    ¡°Valid.¡± Ava nods.


    ¡°How am I the only sane person here.¡± Liam looks faint.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know to be honest I thought you would have cracked by now.¡±


    ¡°Ava, what is that supposed to mean.¡± She simply shrugs at Liam and takes the phone putting it in her pocket. Liam seems to realize something.


    ¡°Wait! Our fingerprints are on it now.¡± Jup.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you won¡¯t get arrested.¡± I reassure him.


    I notice Kai looking torn.


    ¡°See you later.¡± He distractedly mumbles. After a bit they all leave. Is Kai okay? Did I do something wrong?


    Don¡¯t worry about it! Moving on to proving innocence and breaking laws. The voices cheer. Why should I break laws trying to prove that someone else didn¡¯t? That aside I need to know who actually committed these crimes and where they have the stolen-


    It¡¯s these assholes called Maximilan and Till and they keep them in Tills house. What morons.


    You know what I might actually break some laws.


    ¡°How okay are you with breaking and entering?¡± I ask them.


    Myra raises an eyebrow before shrugging.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°A-Okay if you decide to do it.¡± Ethan eagerly informs me.


    That¡¯s convenient.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a detective though? And like a model citizen?¡± Myra asks.


    Imagine following the law. Why do people always ask me these things when I get a plan?


    ¡°Who said I was a model citizen?¡±


    ¡°I assumed since you seem to go around helping strays and the fact that you work with the police.¡± What is she talking about?


    ¡°What exactly are you being accused of?¡± Ethan looks a little thoughtful.


    ¡°Well people don¡¯t usually tell you what exactly you did wrong. So as far as I am aware I¡¯m being accused of breaking into the school and random student¡¯s homes and stealing from them.¡±


    What the fuck?


    ¡°If you are being accused of breaking into students homes and the school as well as theft why hasn¡¯t anyone called the police?¡±


    ¡°They tried but since there was no evidence and I even had an alibi for some cases they dropped the charges but now people act like I¡¯m one of those creatures who steal your sock.¡±


    ¡°Let me know if I¡¯m wrong but do you want to prove that Ethan is not a thief and breaking into places by breaking into places?¡± I don¡¯t know if Myra is judging me or finds it hilarious.


    ¡°We will see if they have the stolen items and if they do we can inform the police.¡± It would be way to bothersome if I send the police on the wrong person.


    ¡°So you do know who did it!¡± Ethan has once again become a puppy almost jumping up and down with excitement.


    ¡°Well¡­ I have an idea but I don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°You are omniscient how else would you-¡±


    ¡°No, if I were I wouldn¡¯t be-¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t deny it! Or can you give me a detailed explanation on why you are so sure on who actually did those things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure though.¡± This is too much. I wonder if Till and his family are home right now?


    They aren¡¯t. Do I trust them¡­


    If I do I might as well trust their earlier claim and skip the breaking part. Though I guess better safe than sorry.


    Second question do I really take them with me.


    YES! It¡¯s more fun that way trust us no one wants to see you break into some house alone! It¡¯s more entertaining if you- Stop fun for who?