Manhunt

Chapter 6

"We have a problem." Julia called out to her parents as soon as she strode inside the house, slamming the door behind her. The pair were sitting in the living room, drinking a cup of coffee that sat in between their palms. The sweet smell of French vanilla traveled around the room, nearly halting Julia with its decadent scent. She shook herself from the brief trance before she walked over to them and sat down, fighting back the urge to steal her father's cup. She was wired now from the earlier events, and the contrast between her day and the seemingly innocent coffee break they were enjoying made her feel strangely off kilter.

"What is it?" Her mother asked, immediately switching to her more serious persona when she heard the seriousness in her daughter's voice. Her father leaned in, staring with brooding eyes as he waited for Julia to continue. Not wasting any time, she explained to them what had happened back at school, trying to recall every detail that she observed.

The moment she had mentioned the assault, her mother sprang into action, walking straight towards the landline. She played through the voicemail messages, growing irritated when she hadn't found one from the school. It was rare for Julia to see her mother lose her cool, but with Emma's decision in sending her to a public education, she had imagined it to be safe and free from suspicious activity. To not be notified of an event like this one was something inexcusable for her. Sighing angrily, she returned to her spot on the sofa, muttering how she'd visit tomorrow morning before prompting her daughter to continue.

When Julia mentioned the rose, she threw her school bag off her shoulders and pulled out the box that contained the flower, carefully slipping it out from its container. Its form was somehow still in perfect condition, despite it having been shoved in a cardboard box and dumped into her bag. One glance at the card made her stomach churn, but she held out the rose for her mother to pluck from her hand, shock spreading across their faces. There was another emotion tempting to appear, but they hid it well.

And that was all Julia needed to witness. Her eyes narrowed in on her parents.

"Aiden..." Emma murmured quietly, earning a minuscule nod from him. Julia had caught it, confirming her suspicions.

"What is it?" She whispered hoarsely, already disliking their reactions. She was sure they knew something, and it was starting to freak her out.

"We can't be sure." Aiden replied to his wife, completing ignoring his daughter. Julia's mouth twitched, already sensing that she'd excluded from the conversation.

"Read the card," she dared them calmly, her jaw clenching tightly as she waited. Their gazes landed on the tag, reading its contents before their expressions shifted into something almost indescribable. Was that anger—anxiety, that she saw? Her parents typically never suffered from that. "Care to share what you're thinking?" She requested, bringing her fingers to tap at her temples. "Or what you know?"  Julia resisted a harrowing sigh when her parents remained unresponsive, seemingly communicating amongst themselves telepathically. It took everything in her power not to lose composure.

"We have to take this to the lab." Her mother finally decided, prompting Julia to nod in agreement after having received a more concrete reaction from them. "Did you notice anything else?"

"No. But a new student transferred in. He was with me when we found her."

"Name?" Her father inquired, narrowing his eyes at the piece of information.

"Zane Martin."

"Noted."

After a few moments of silence, Julia concluded that she wasn't going to learn anything else from her parents. Her mother took the box and put the rose back inside, sliding it back onto the table in front of her. Accepting defeat, Julia grabbed her bag, kissed her parents' cheeks, and walked upstairs to her room. But not before smuggling her father's cup of coffee, its warmth traveling through her palms. She felt it was well deserved after the day she had.