Controlled

Chapter 6 - Sophie

Chapter 6: Sophie

I woke up to the sun shining thought the window. I sat up and yawned. Naomi was still fast asleep beside me. I stroked her fur a few times then got out of bed. On my way to the bathroom, I remembered I was supposed to meet Justin at the basketball courts at noon. I glanced at my clock.

"I have time," I said to myself as I began to take my clothes off. I turned my shower on and stepped inside. The hot, steaming water ran down my back. It was calming, and I felt relaxed. My mind wandered to the night before; to the news story on Kimberly. How was her dad taking all of this? What if that had happened to me? Or Zoey? I thought the chances of it happening to me were slim to none. The detectives said he probably left the area by now since he hops around a lot. Part of me wondered what it was like to think like a criminal. Did he think his actions were okay? And what really happened inside that house?

I shut the shower off, clearing my mind. Those kinds of questions were the ones I shouldn't be thinking about. I knew everyone was though. Those questions raced through everyone's mind. A murder that brutal really rocked this town. We didn't get many murders- those usually happened more up towards Tampa. Not here in Bradenton. I can't remember the last time I saw a murder, let alone a rape and murder, on the news. It was unimaginable to me and made me feel on-edge.

I got dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie then brushed my hair and put it up in a messy bun. Makeup definitely wasn't necessary- I would sweat it all of anyway. I slipped on my old sneakers and grabbed my keys.

"Be good," I told Naomi, rubbing her head. She licked my hand and I walked out the door, locking it behind me.

The drive to the basketball courts wasn't too far away, but I turned on the radio anyway. I listened to the weather, traffic, and finally the breaking news.

"Police and FBI are still looking into the horrifying murder that shook the small town of Bradenton. All officers are advising any females from the ages of seventeen to twenty-five to keep to the nine o'clock curfew that has been set. They want everyone in the area to make sure all security measures are being taken when it comes to keeping homes secure. There have been no leads on the criminal who has committed this awful crime, but investigators will stop at nothing until this man is put to a stop. They say he..."

I pulled into the parking lot of the basketball courts and shut off the radio. Justin's car was nowhere in sight, so I sat in my car and waited. My mind drifted to the news story on the radio. I wondered if he had left town and was already looking for his next victim. Or was he still here? In hiding? Maybe he found his next victim here? It sent shivers down my spine to think that, but part of me really wishes he got away and left town. It would mean the rest of us are safe- I didn't know if Bradenton could handle another murder, let alone a serial killer stalking the town.

A shadow loomed over me from my window. I jumped and looked up. Justin stood there smiling at me with a basketball under his arm. I grabbed my bottle of water and opened the car door.

"I didn't see you pull up," I said, slightly apologetic. "You scared me."

"You seemed to be on cloud nine," he laughed.

I sighed. "Just thinking." I closed my car door and followed him to the courts. We opened the gate and saw there was no one else there. It was quiet, and the air was chilly and brisk. It was still wet from the previous night's rainstorm. Our sneakers echoed as we stepped on the black pavement. The sun beat down on us, keeping it warm despite the cold weather.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?"

"I've been mentally preparing for it, but I'm still gonna try," I said, smirking. Justin being a basketball star at school didn't help in my favor. He was good- anyone could see that. It didn't hurt my pride to admit it, it was just the truth. It would still hurt to lose though. "Don't go easy on me."