Labyrinth: A Jeremiah Valeska Story *COMPLETED*

Chapter 24: The Murder

After a much needed shower, I changed back into my dress and Jeremiah drove me back to St. Ignatius. He walked me to my dorm, our hands intertwined. Ella seemed to be awaiting my arrival and she swung the door open just as I was about to open it. "Lilly! You poor thing!" She said before tackling me with an embrace. "Ecco told me that you were attacked! Thank God Xander was there to help! I guess Gotham is more dangerous then I thought..." She sighed before pulling away and smiling at Jeremiah. "I was beginning to get a bad feeling about you Xander, but after last night I understand now that you are just looking out for her. Like any good boyfriend would!" She winked at him and then she checked her watch. "We gotta go Lilly, we have Biology in five minutes! Good to see you Xander, but we have to go like right now!" She ran back into our room and then returned with my school bag. I thanked her then turned to Jeremiah. I always hated when he had to say goodbye. He smiled and I placed a quick kiss on his lips. "I love you." I said as Ella tugged me away from him. "I love you too!" He called as Ella dragged me away, chuckling before walking the other way. Biology was quite intriguing as always and Ella and I successfully created a self-sustaining ecosystem together. All throughout my classes my mind kept drifting back to this morning and butterflies filled my stomach. Oh man I was head over heels for this man. Ella and I went to Mark's after school, Mark's being the one place off campus that Jeremiah deemed close enough to be safe. Ella spent the majority of dinner filling me in on the rest of last night. "The guy I met last night got my number and he called me this morning and he wants to go on a date! Isn't that amazing?" She exclaimed and I couldn't help but smile warmly. "I'm so happy for you Ella!" I said genuinely, wondering how it had taken so long for this amazing woman to find a man. "He was so dreamy Lilly, I can't wait for you to properly meet him. Do you remember him?" She asked and I thought hard. "Kind of... I was a little drunk so he's more of a blurry shape than a face in my mind." I laughed. Ella proceeded to cheer in victory that she had finally succeeded in getting me intoxicated. She had tried various times before but my tolerance was just too high for her attempts. "At least I don't get drunk after two drinks!" I teased and she scoffed, pretending to be offended. "Not all of us can be heavyweights!" She said placing her hand on her chest and I giggled. After dinner, we walked back our dorm and went to work on the large paper that was due in our Classic Literature class. We only had three days to complete a 10 page paper complete with credibly sourced evidence. It was a little overwhelming considering I was taking the class because I enjoyed English not because I was looking for tons of work. We had been chipping away at our papers for about three hours when suddenly my phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Jeremiah. "Hey babe!" I answered. "Lilly, this is Ecco. We have an urgent situation over here at the house." She said and I could hear the worry in her voice. "Is Jeremiah okay???" I quickly asked, fear filling my chest and making it harder to breathe. "He hasn't come out of his study for the past two hours... He received a phone call and then he locked the door. It sounds like he's throwing things in there. Please come and calm him!" She pleaded and I felt like I was going to throw up. "Okay, I'll be right there." I rushed out before hanging up. I hopped out of bed and Ella looked at me, reading the terror in my face. "Lilly? What the hell just happened on the phone?" She asked as I put together an overnight bag. "It's Xander... He's having some sort of panic attack and he needs me." I informed her and her concern mirrored my own. She helped me finish packing and then she wished me good luck and sent Jeremiah her best. I took a cab to his house and after passing all of his security, Ecco was there to meet me at the front door. As soon as I entered I heard crashing and what sounded like Jeremiah talking to himself. I rushed down the hall as she locked the door behind us. Once I reached the study I knocked on the door. "Jeremiah it's me! Please open the door." I said loud enough so he could hear me over his rampaging. The room fell silent. After a couple minutes the door opened and he stepped out, his hair unruly and his glasses crooked. His face was blotchy and red and I placed my hands on his jaw. "Hey... what happened?" I asked softly, gently stroking his face with my thumbs. He leaned into my touch, and I saw his lip quiver. "Come here." I said before pulling his into a hug and I felt the tears streaming down his cheeks. "He killed her..." Jeremiah sobbed. "Jerome killed my mother."