The following Monday was the time everything started flowing to Keenan’s tune. It was the type of song that caught you in its chords and featured all the displeasures humanity had to offer, but you couldn’t stop yourself from listening to it. It was the kind of melody that got stuck in your head but no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t seem to harmonise with it. So all you could ever do was chase after the notes floating above your head. They seemed easy, but you always managed to play them wrong.

I was that kind of person. I wanted to be part of the song that swelled and broke your heart, softly singing the truths of men and sex and wanting. So I came to a conclusion that Monday morning. I was going to try to keep up with his beat and continue humming his tune. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I knew it was wrong, but I was okay with that.

I got tired of trying to change into something better when I really wasn’t. It was like making Hitler do community service; it just didn’t fit. Those times when I was fretting over the right thing weren’t fake, though. I mean, I did think about it. It’s just that once things finish processing in my brain, they end up different when I try to take action. That kind of thing got me into a lot of trouble, let me tell you, but I never quit doing it. I don’t think I ever tried.

Anyway, back to that Monday. My days of lounging in a nearby coffee shop while the rest sat in class were over; it was time to put my sleuthing skills to practice. Now, I was no Holmes, so this part of the story may be more humorous to you than it was for me.

The morning was the same as usual; breakfast, the hustle of getting ready for classes, and then the eerie hush of the house when the kids were trapped in different rooms. But by afternoon I found myself in Lorna’s car, breathing in the scent of her expensive perfume as we drove past street signs.

Lorna was quick and diligent with her work. As soon as Keenan let her in on our little plan to meet James, she had his address and usual schedule researched and printed. I was a bit surprised by how fast things had moved even though I shouldn’t have. By that time, I should’ve grown accustomed to things that couldn’t be explained.

“You shouldn’t prod him with questions off the bat, or else he’ll grow suspicious and will avoid them. You can jeopardise this whole thing if you don’t play your cards right,” Lorna told me as she sharply turned a corner. “One word or action out of place can bring everything down, Jack. Keep that in mind.”

I couldn’t help but get a little pissed off at her. I didn’t show it to her, of course. I’m not that stupid. I just didn’t know why the hell she was running through things like I didn’t know what we were up against. She took me as something insignificant and irrelevant, as if I didn’t have a brain of my own to get me through it.

Well, I suppose I couldn’t blame her. I mean, if I had to analyse everything I had done since waking up in Cillian’s yard, I would’ve had doubts trusting me as well. But she didn’t have to be a goddamn bitch about it. It seems like everybody—even the fae—had an asshole in them, especially when they know they’re right about something. It pisses me off.

Anyway, I didn’t say anything else to her after she said that. I figured it was best not to. After a while of driving through the city, Lorna finally stopped the car. We were in front of a campus with several buildings, each one tall and beautiful with elegant schemes and Victorian fixtures. I saw students litter the campus from where we stood, wearing an orderly navy uniform.

“Isaac used to go to a prep school?” I asked Lorna, glancing away from the window.

Reaching for her brief case at the back seat, she nodded to some extent. She flipped through files and pulled out a sheet of loose paper. “He was in the same house with the guys who bullied him. He had a different roommate, however. It’s a little unclear how they got into a tussle.”

I tried not to laugh at the way she said ‘tussle’. I looked back out to the school, noticing a group of three guys lingering a few feet away from campus grounds. They were smoking.

“They’re allowed to do that? But they’re barely away from the school—”

“The staff doesn’t care as long as they don’t find any butts on the grass,” Lorna muttered, a tinge of irritation in her voice. “It’s a good thing, anyway, because that’s where you’re going.”

“What?”

She pulled out a new stack of cigarettes from her case with an imperturbable attitude, motioning towards the window with the smokes in her hand. I followed her signal; two of the boys had left, leaving one of them alone at the side of the road.

“I-I don’t smoke,” I stuttered effortlessly. “I can’t possibly approach him that way. You guys must’ve thought of a backup plan, didn’t you?”

Lorna shoved the pack in my hands with a roll of her eyes. “It isn’t that bad. Would you rather go back to the home and explain to Keenan why we’re one day behind?” When I didn’t answer, she sighed. “One puff is all you’ll have to go through. If you cough, tell him that you hadn’t done it in a while. That’s it. Now get out there before he’s finished.”

She unlocked the door, but she didn’t bother throwing me out. The decision was mine. This is the part where you’re supposed to be laughing, but I guess you don’t find it so funny. I mean, any sane person would’ve handed her back those smokes and found a way home, but I wasn’t sane. I was stupid. Still am, to be honest.

So I removed the plastic from the package and gripped it in my hand before opening the door. I pretended like I didn’t see Lorna’s amused smile as I shut the door and tautly made my way towards the smoking teen.

The campus had become quieter by the time I reached him. It seemed like it was time for classes, but James didn’t look like he was in a hurry to go. He gave off the impression like he wasn’t going to go at all.

“Can I borrow your lighter?” I asked him as soon as I approached. James took a moment to realise that I was there, glimpsing at me through a mop of messy blonde hair. He had his cigarette resting on his lips in an untroubled manner as he dug around his uniform pockets, soon pulling out a red lighter with a skull on it.

I tried my best to look like I knew what I was doing as I dragged a long white stick from the pack, settling it nervously against my lips. As soon as I lit it, I made sure not to drag the poison in.

James wasn’t looking at me anyway, so I didn’t have to worry too much about it. His eyes found his feet as soon as the lighter went back into his pocket, his mind already wandering off.

We stood there like that for a while, him sucking smoke in and out of his system while I allowed the ash to fall at my feet. My mind kept going through different scenarios of how to approach him with the subject, but each of them would’ve ended badly.

Soon enough, James said, “I saw you in that black car, you know. The one that’s still standing there. You guys aren’t doing much of a good job being inconspicuous.”

I coughed awkwardly, a small smile still managing to creep onto my lips. “Truthfully, we were waiting for you. We are in need of a chat.”

“Everybody always wants something,” James said as he flicked the butt of his cigarette away. He reached into his pocket, grabbing another. “What do you want? Drugs?”

“A kid named Isaac...do you remember him?”

James’ body seemed to grow stiff as soon as the name left my lips. He turned over to me, the cigarette dropping from his hand. “H-how do you know him?” he asked, his eyes nearly dropping out of their sockets. “No, I mean, why are you bringing him up? W-what I’m trying to get at is...where did you meet him?”

Bingo. All I really needed was a reaction, and that one was perfect. I let my smile deepen and released the white thing from my fingers, allowing it to burn on the ground instead.

“Relax, I’m not here to rat you out or anything,” I told him. “I’m not a fan of the kid and I found out what you had done to him back then, so I thought I’d meet you.”

It wasn’t the best lie, but James ate it anyway. He began to laugh like a fool; all conceited and nervous like. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, exposing his forehead just enough for me to notice the acne scattered on it.

“Y-you did? I guess it was pretty awesome, wasn’t it? I didn’t like going with the basic pranks. Most of my stuff was fresh in the books.”

I didn’t even know what he did, but I laughed along with him like I did. He was a bit stupid, but at least it was working in my favour. “You couldn’t have possibly done all that alone, right?”

James’ laughter died down, but he kept his smile as he shook his head. “Nah. I didn’t even have anything against him, to be honest with you. It was my best friend Aaron who had trouble with him. But see, Aaron likes to have a clean record. He wants to be seen as a good kid, so he couldn’t have blood—I mean, he couldn’t get in trouble, so I did the pranks for him.”

“What did Isaac do to Aaron that pissed him off so much, then?”

“Well, I know that I just did all that crap because it was sort of annoying how weak the guy was, you know? It was just that kind of thing where you had to push him around. Aaron, however, hated him long before that point. It came randomly, now that I think about. Why are you bringing stuff up from two years ago, anyway? It’s over.”

My smile faded slightly as I let out another awkward cough, shoving my hands in my pockets. “Just curious, I guess. Aaron seems like a cool kid, though. Know where I can meet him?”

“Aaron? I can’t tell you that, man. I don’t even know you. Look, I’ve got to go, alright? I’ve missed like two periods already.”

He let out a cheeky grin before I could say anything else, waving with one hand before disappearing into the campus grounds. I ended up alone with my hands shoved in my pockets, watching until I lost sight of his back.

The walk back to the car was a slow one. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t basking in the glory of my sleuthing skills. I mean, for a guy who didn’t know what the hell he was doing, I’d say I earned myself a gold star.

Lorna didn’t think so, if I remember correctly.

“So?” she asked as soon as I got in. She didn’t hesitate to shift the car into drive, kicking up dust with her tires.

“We can scratch him off our list. He isn’t smart enough to commit murder and frame it as a suicide.”

Lorna frowned at me. “How do you know for sure?”

“He had nothing big against Isaac in the first place. It was his friend Aaron who had a problem with him; long before the bullying ever started. He was the one we needed to talk to.”

“So the time we spent here was entirely useless? Did you find out anything connecting to her death?”

“Well, no, but it isn’t as if I could’ve asked that out of the blue. Like you said, one wrong word could spoil everything.”

Lorna didn’t say anything else about it, but I knew that she was still sour at me. I wouldn’t have admitted this to anyone before, but gaining trust from Lorna was also another priority of mine. Not because I wanted her to like me or anything; I just hated the fact that I was being named as something utterly useless.

So I sat back in my seat and ran through my conversation with James, down to the very last syllable. I kept doing that over and over, nearly giving up until something within me snapped.

“He said blood,” I spoke up, earning a confused look from Lorna.

“What do you mean?”

“When I asked him about Aaron, he said that he performed all the pranks since Aaron didn’t want blood on his hands. But he quickly changed his sentence before he could finish it.”

Lorna rolled her eyes at me, scowling at the road. “That means nothing, Jack. Quit trying to waste my time.”

But even I could see that she was considering it. It showed in the uncertain way her eyebrows furrowed, but I knew Lorna would rather die than to admit that I was right. I remember faintly smiling as I settled back onto my seat, feeling like a natural born Sherlock.

We were a small step closer, but it was a step nonetheless.

A/N: Another song introduction! (I kind of lost track). This is A Broken Jar by La Dispute, a band that I have grown obsessed over (not to mention I have an embarassing crush on the lead, but don't tell him that). Their music helped a great deal when trying to reach into Jack's mind.

Dedicated to TruePuppeteer for their heart warming comments. They talk to Jack in a way that gets me grinning for days :P Thanks for that, and Jack loves you too.

P.S. Don't smoke, guys. It's bad for your poor lungs.

P.P.S. 10K reads! Whoa!