Disclaimers
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Welcome to the journey of 'Beneath The Surface' which is scheduled to be published in 2023.
Beneath the surface will remain on Wattpad as a sample until it is published. Once it has been released, I will be sure to leave a link to where it is available!
There will be graphic and violent topics mentioned within this book, so please note that some topics could be triggering. There will be graphic sexual content that I have a feeling you'll all love, but I do not condone anyone under the age of 18 continuing. I will not hunt you down if you are under the age of 18, but please do not blame me for your potential nightmares✨
An (R) will be in every chapter title that contains sexual content!!
I would also like to state that romanticizing mental health issues and murderers is not what I am trying to do here. Bringing awareness to certain illnesses is extremely important, I hope that alongside falling in love with the storyline, I can provide some sort of education. You will love and hate my characters at times, but the decision on how you view them is ultimately yours.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are completely made up.
This story is my own original work and I do not permit republishing, redistributing or transcribing.
If any readers notice that another author is using/republishing my work, please feel free to message me.
She was always so sweet.
Her eyes were like pools of honey that he mercilessly fell into, because he himself had a sweet tooth. Those honey-brown eyes of hers were captivating but they were also deceiving. When he looked into her eyes, it felt as if he wouldn't ever have to worry every again— except he did. Just her eyes alone were comforting, but they made him want to search for a deeper purpose, search for what else she could be hiding inside of those beautiful insightful orbs.
Moving on to her skin, the same skin that he wished he could bruise and batter with his own fingertips. The thought of leaving beautiful bruises on her skin was what kept his mind racing, he found himself thinking of it more than he thought about eating dinner. Her skin was perfect, completely flawless even, the perfect shade of ivory with a softness that drove him mad. It was quite obvious for anyone with a set of eyes to see how well she took care of herself on a daily basis.
Her caramel colored hair that flowed effortlessly down past her shoulders, it was another weakness of his. As previously mentioned, she was a goddamn treat. Caramel and honey were two of the sweetest and most indulging flavors in the world, what else did this woman have behind her beautiful appearance that he didn't know about? He yearned to find out how she tasted, would her lips be as sweet as her appearance was?
It is hard to describe a woman who holds such beauty beyond those eyes, but it is easy to explain the layer of evil that could be seen behind those same eyes once it was found. Beauty was often a layer that god placed over us to hide our deepest and darkest insecurities. When you see someone with true beauty, you never seem to wonder what else could that person could be hiding, because their beauty makes them seem like a goddamn saint.
Beauty was the killer of all mankind.
Dropping to your knees at the sight of someone beautiful was easy, but reaching into the soul of someone with such beauty was something that nobody often did. Beauty is categorized by the outward appearance and not by the brain itself, which explains why our eyes gravitate towards outward appearances, because we exempt beautiful people from being anything but perfect.
Looking into the eyes of a beautiful man or woman, you never stop and think about the way that they their eyes stare back. Is their gaze providing comfort or is their gaze something more sinister than that?
Of course our first instinct as humans is to believe that the beautiful person who is staring us in the face is admiring our features, but what if they weren't? What if their intentions were not as innocent as we perceived them to be?
What if the one who holds all of the beauty is using that beauty to their advantage? Their eyes may linger on us as prey, or maybe they really are just admiring us back. The truth of the matter is that the most beautiful people can have the darkest and most broken mindsets. For instance, Ted Bundy lured women in with his charisma and undeniable good looks, but his intentions were never as pure as his charm put him out to be. We as a society have been blatantly blinded by the outward appearance of those with perfect features.
Sanity doesn't only choose those who look to be the part, Insanity chooses those who can hide it the best.
Arabella Thomas sat at her desk with her fingers clacking into the keyboard. Her boredom was obvious to anyone that stared in her general direction. She stared off into space as she attempted to respond politely to the man on the other end of the phone. Her responses remained polite, when really she was trying not to yawn on the receiving end of the line. She was an average woman with average responses, just trying to get through a typical nine-to-five workday.
She awaited the work day to be over from the moment that she had arrived. She sorted through files, answered phone calls, and even sat in on an interrogation to pass the time. Being fresh out of college, it is a miracle that she had been able to obtain a job in such quick fashion. Currently, Arabella was just the intern at her relatively new job.
Her job was to fetch coffee for the officers and chief of command while everyone else got the privilege of getting their hands dirty in an investigation.
She ached to feel as if she was doing something of importance rather than being the person that officers went to when they needed a caffeine fix.
At the ripe age of twenty three, she had never expected for her big dreams to be torn down by hungry police officers. Arabella had graduated with a degree in criminal psychology, wanting to change to the way that the police force prayed on the mentally ill. She didn't believe that all murderers were bad people, she truly believed that some had just fallen victim to their own mind. It was easy to create a stigma on the mentally ill, and she was determined to change that if she was given the proper chance.
"Arabella?" She heard her name being called from another room. She popped her head up from the desk and looked over her shoulder to see who was calling her name.
Officer Maxwell, the good looking police officer of the bunch. She loved the way that her name rolled off of the tip of his tongue, she had to take a deep breath to control herself around the man. She brought her eyes up to meet his, providing him with a kind smile as she forced herself to gain composure.
This was the only man that she didn't mind tending to when he was in need because unlike other officers, he was kind, and extremely good to look at.
"Dean, Can I get you a coffee?" She responds as their eyes meet, it was her new instinct to offer coffee anytime an officer entered the room. She was trying to remain on task, her job was to help the officers, not gawk at them.
Dean smiled and let out a small chuckle, making it clear that he was not calling her name just to get in on some fresh coffee. He walked over towards the desk, motioning with his fingers for her to come closer. The secretiveness of his gesture made Arabella's panties dampen, as she wondered what he may be insinuating. Arabella's mind tended to over-sexualize innocent situations, it had been unintentional but happened regularly. Her mind craved affection, but often in the ways that could get her mixed up into trouble. She craved the attention of a man, she didn't necessarily need it, but she sure as hell wanted it.
"Chief wants you in his office" Dean finally managed to scramble up the correct words as their faces were inches away.
Arabella's stomach dropped down to the floor.
Of course it wasn't sexual! She cursed herself internally. She smiled lightly at him, while responding with a small 'Thank you' before scurrying off to the chief's office. She prayed that Dean hadn't noticed the glimmer in her eyes when he had called her name, because she needed to shove her urges away and remain professional. She found herself wondering if she had done something wrong, so she made sure to button the top of her blouse and pull down the hem of her skirt before coming face to face with her chief of command.
Once she had approached the door that was slightly ajar, she placed a small knock at the corner of the door as she watched as Chief Marco Hernandez lifted his head and urged for her to enter the office. She hesitantly obliged, remaining insecure about the length of her skirt that she had bought strictly for work purposes. She pushed her self doubt out of her mind as she sat down in the chair across from his desk while she watched him gather some papers.
"You wanted to see me, Sir?" She asks, attempting to allow a form of confidence to shine through her tone of voice. She couldn't help but wonder if this meeting was for unfortunate purposes, she only hoped that they wouldn't let her go.
"I did, I just wanted to evaluate how you are doing, your ninety days in office are nearly up" Chief Hernandez nods his head while looking her in the eyes.
Arabella was a bit stunned to say the least, she had anticipated for him to scold her for her outfit, or at least for spending more time admiring the officers than sorting files. The doubt continued to creep into her mind as she wondered if he was still debating on keeping her here, or throwing her to the wolves. She crossed her legs from underneath the edge of the desk, remaining proper as she thought of the correct response to his statement. She didn't necessarily want to come off as if this opportunity wasn't enough, but she did want to finally put her skill into action.
"Yes, I was wondering what the next step may be—" She begins, before Marco Hernandez cuts her off within seconds. She wasn't offended by any means, she just wanted to hear what he could offer her.
"Slinging coffee isn't why you received a degree in criminal psychology, I understand" He chuckles, while taking a sip of his very own hot cup of coffee, handmade by Arabella.
"Although I am grateful for the opportunity, I believe that my knowledge can be beneficial in other areas, Sir" She nods her head, chuckling alongside him as he took the words right out of her mouth.
Marco smiles towards her, it helped ease her mind of the doubtful thoughts that rummaged through her brain. She hoped that Marco would give her a starting point, something that she could focus her time on, and most importantly succeed. This industry was cutthroat, dealing with killers or thieves was quite the risk, but Arabella was willing to go through hell in order to make a name for herself. She awaited patiently as Marco himself remained silent, thinking of the best way to respond to her polite statement.
"I completely agree, and with that being said.. I am still hesitant to throw you into a case right off the bat" He expresses, completely understandable to Arabella because she was fresh into this unexplainable world of criminology.
"What can I do to ease your mind?" She asks quickly, trying to persuade him into giving her what she had been waiting for, anything to make her feel useful in this new career field.
Arabella has always been persuasive, she knew exactly how to urge someone into giving her what she wanted. With such intelligence, she believes that anything is possible even if the odds are extremely low. She wanted a chance to prove her knowledge, while also helping mentally unstable patients in the process. This job meant more to her than money, the outcome of helping helpless people was the best reward in her eyes. She cared so deeply, and she needed for Marco Hernandez to understand that.
Chief Hernandez sighs but then laughs in acceptance, he envied the go-getter personality that she had. He knew that she would be destined for great things with proper training, but being fresh out of college was a risk for his operation. He knew that the only way to improve a skill set is through experience, which is what he had to give her. He couldn't continue to stick her out on a dock in hopes to catch fish in an empty river, she needed to be placed where her intelligence would thrive.
"I don't do this often, so you should be extremely flattered that I am offering" He sighs, swiveling his chair towards a file cabinet and pulling out a fresh file with an X drawn through the middle. He slides it over to her slowly, watching as her face lights up with excitement.
"I have been informed of a new inmate at the Chicago department of corrections, He has been incarcerated for over a year but recently moved to this side of town. I've been told that he is quiet, hasn't provided much information to our case against him. The bastard was thrown into the psych unit of our corrections facility before he could be prosecuted. If you feel up for a challenge, This is your challenge right here" Hernandez taps the folder that was placed in front of her with his pointer finger.
The tan folder brought excitement into Arabella's eyes, this wasn't a mock case or just any random interrogation, this was real. She felt the silky smooth texture of the folder against her fingers, what resided inside of this folder was disturbing and graphic, but she couldn't wait to find out more. "May I ask what his diagnosis is?" She asks out loud as she opens the file. The file contained graphic photos of brutal murders, it was the first thing that caught her attention.
The unknown man's name was listed in big, bold letters towards the right side of the file.
Lucas Owens, Age Twenty-Five, PLEADS INSANITY to four accounts of first degree murder. At twenty five years old, this mystery man had commuted heinous acts, murdering four people within the span of three hundred and sixty five days.
"Bat shit crazy, That's his goddamn diagnosis" Hernandez stifles a laugh, he was clearly enraged as to why this man hadn't been sentenced to death as soon as he was taken into custody.
"Sir I don't mean to overstep, but I would appreciate a non-derogatory response" She catches herself speaking freely, trying to contain a cold scoff from leaving her mouth. "I don't refer to patients as 'bat shit crazy' I refer to them as their written diagnosis" She reiterates, not wanting to overstep but wanting to educate him.
"My apologies Arabella, I wasn't aware that you could possibly sympathize with monsters like this, No wonder you picked Criminal Psychology" He chuckles again, making his apology meaningless in her eyes.
"It isn't sympathetic, It is humane" She retorted.
She wasn't attempting to fight with her boss, but she needed for him to understand that an illness is truly nothing to joke about, no matter the evil circumstances.
"The diagnosis remains unknown, The old psychologist at the corrections facility believed that it may be psychosis— but I think he plead insanity to save his ass" He responds, with a better terminology than previously stated.
Arabella ignored his response to her question, as she flipped through the file. Almost every single brutal photo was the exact same, but clearly to a different victim. Bodies were strung up to trees, fingers were cut off and then the bodies were burned. It was sinister really, each murder was the exact same.
There wasn't any correlation in gender, men and women could both be at risk when it came to Lucas Owens and that was terrifying in itself.
She continued to examine the file as Chief Hernandez stayed silent as he watched her evaluate what he had given her. As she pushed the graphic photos to the side of the file, she uncovered a short description of Lucas Owens that was most likely written by a former psychologist. She was intrigued, this was something real and dark but she found it fascinating. She couldn't help but wonder why this man had chosen to murder people like an extreme sport, rather than attend college and focus on a career.
June 17th, 2019 1:03pm
Lucas is feeling angry today, He told me to go fuck myself because I asked him why he hadn't slept for three days. The trauma seems to be creeping in on him, but he has no sense of remorse for himself or what he went through. He still refuses to speak about his favorite day, April 3rd, and refuses to explain why that day has such a good impact on him. His attempt to outrun his trauma is only going to make him fail.
"His therapist's name was Dennis Freeman, Lucas murdered him four days after that entry was
written—This was the murder that he didn't care to hide" Hernandez speaks, breaking Arabella's infatuation within the entry.
"He has trauma" She states, out loud without expecting a response from Chief Hernandez. She shakes her head, wondering what type of trauma would permit a man to murder innocent people, especially those trying to help him.
"They all do, Lucas Owens has been incarcerated for nearly a year but the only thing that stands between him and a death sentence is his mental illness; which is where you come in, He needs to be mentally fit for trial Arabella" Marco Hernandez speaks up again, making her eyes widen.
She studies his statement in her head, realizing that he wasn't just giving her this case to study this patient. He was giving her this case so that she could lie on a document, claiming that Lucas Owens was stable enough to stand trial and take the death sentence that he had earned. She couldn't believe that her chief of command had actually vocalized those words aloud, nearly as much as she couldn't believe that he thought that she wouldn't question him on it. She pursed her lips as she tried to remain cordial, trying to understand that perhaps this case was sensitive to the man sitting across from her.
"If I am assigned to this case then it will be up to me to decided if he is fit for trial Sir, I will not send a mentally ill patient to his death if there is a chance that he can be helped" She argues, rightfully so, she wouldn't cower down.
Marco sighs gently, trying to force her to understand his side of things. "Arabella, I have heard about this case for a long time now. You can't help a murderer, but you can help his victims by providing justice" He nods his head towards her.
"I will give you updates on his progress, If I feel that there is no soul left inside of this man then I will happily hand him over for the punishment that he rightfully deserves, otherwise I plan on helping him" She retorted, asserting herself in ways that Marco didn't know existed.
Arabella didn't plan on being the game piece in this investigation, she wanted to be the victor. She wanted to do her job, help a man who suffers from extreme disturbia. She was beginning to see how corrupt the police force was, forging that a man is sane when he is far from it, she only hopes that Lucas Owens is as mentally ill as he seems to be, for his own sake. She wouldn't roll over and submit to the police force, she planned on making this as fair as she possibly could.
"You can do what you need to do, I just want justification for these murders. If sending him to his death is nonnegotiable, letting him rot in a jail cell forever is a good compromise" Hernandez coughs, as the vein in his forehead pops out.
"When can I start?" She asks, wanting to get going on this case immediately. She was rearing to go and learn about the wickedness that lurked into this man's mind.
"I'll call up corrections facility, I'll email you the details later tonight, so stand by your computer" He answers her question quickly and adequately.
She nods in response, taking the file from her hands as she stands up, getting ready to leave the room. Considering she was just placed on a case to evaluate a murderer, she was somewhat excited. She wanted to understand the inner workings of a corrupt mind, hoping to help many future patients with her knowledge. This was the beginning of her career, and she would do absolutely anything to help those who couldn't help themselves.
Tick, tock, tick, tock...
The clock was moving awfully slow as Arabella waited by her computer for an email later that night.
She had gone back to her apartment with excitement lurking in her bones. Everyone around her thought that the idea was sickening, speaking to a murderer in attempt to salvage the little humanity that remained in the deep parts of their brain. It was frightening to most people, but she was thrilled by the entire aspect of it all. She tapped her fingers onto her computer desk, waiting impatiently for an email notification to pop up on the screen.
"You've been staring at the computer for two hours, Are you sure that you aren't the one who should be labeled as mentally ill?" Elizabeth chirps, in attempt to bring humor to the situation.
Elizabeth was one of Arabella's college roommates, they had grown quite fond of one another during their four years together. While Elizabeth lived in another apartment building close by, she always seemed to be keeping Arabella company. Their friendship was extremely witty and lighthearted, but these two wouldn't hesitate to be there for one another in a time of need. Elizabeth was Arabella's main supporter, besides her mother who couldn't be bothered with her career choice.
"I have to keep refreshing Liza, This is important" Arabella scolds her friend as she continues to plop popcorn into her mouth while not removing her eyes from the screen.
"You're seriously going to get a headache if you keep it up" Liza shakes her head as she sits herself down onto the couch, right next to the concentrated Arabella.
"I will gladly take the headache over missing this opportunity, This could be a jumpstart to my career" Arabella points out, wanting to remind her friend that this was severely important.
Liza sits herself up, looking at the file that Arabella kept extremely close to her from the moment that she got home. Thankfully for Liza, the brutal photos were underneath the description of Lucas Owens, so she didn't subject herself to the horrors of real life murder. Liza couldn't help herself, as she reaches for the file and takes a peek inside the gut-wrenching description of a criminal. It didn't take her more than three seconds to make a derogatory comment regarding the criminal inside of the file.
"Lucas Owens, Sounds attractive" Liza shrugs her shoulders as she reads into the diabolical man.
She continued to take a handful of popcorn while reading about the gruesome events that took place.
Ping!
Arabella's heart stopped when she heard a notification sound pop into her eardrums, she stopped in her tracks, throwing a handful of popcorn back into the bag. She was so warped into reading this email that she didn't have time to scold Liza for snooping into the file. Pressing both of her fingers onto the laptop, she clicks on the newest email that was at the top of her chain.
'Miss Thomas,
Please sign our release form, waiver, and confidentiality form that is attached to the bottom of this email, you are more than welcome to electronically sign. Our officers intend to make sure that your meetings with Mr.Owens remain safe and efficient. Listed below are lists of possible start dates, pick according to the discussion with your chief in command. Once you have chosen a date, we will send over more information on our location and protocols. Please respond back whenever you have the chance, best regards.'
She read the email intently, there wasn't much detail to the fact that she would be visiting a mentally ill murderer, but she supposed that was where the confidentiality came into the spectrum. Her eyes lit up as she re-read the email nearly ten times to allow herself to take this in, she was finally doing what she had wanted to do.
"I am meeting a murderer"