righteousindignation | time for giving up the ghost

sneaking out was easy. it's been easy since she learned to leave something so the window doesn't slam behind her, to walk lightly across the roof and leap once she reaches the edge. the porch railing helps her reach to get back up, but for now, there's no reason to go back up. the night had only just started, after all, and grell sutcliffe was determined to see if she could find any clues to who or what might be out there.

it had really all started a while after the new boy came into town. from the big city, sent because he had to move or something. of course there was a buzz around him -- pale, dark haired, with a smile that won him the majority of hearts from the younger population by the time three days passed. sure, he practically oozed bad boy, but that was part of his charm. not that she was immune to it, but he seemed utterly unattainable, and that made things perfect. a safe boy to crush on, whose idea of "freaky" might be a sight tamer than her last boyfriend. helpful hint: girls don't like to be told "i'm sure you have a pair of gorgeous kidneys." ugh. even if she was...herself, he couldn't keep it to private life, and so she had called it off with the excuse of her feelings diminishing to friendship. at least he could take "no" for an answer.

but, back to cyril. he of the leather jacket and large icee who'd been much more suspicious than her when she had first gone looking. he was out in public. at least she made an attempt to keep herself out of sight so the killer couldn't find her. and then he had to act as though she was the stupid one? geez. his pretty face saved him from so much, as well as the fact that his staring had gotten her questions about "do you think he likes you?"

and then, him being gone after...well. only the dirt on her hands had been proof it wasn't a dream, and that had washed away down the drain, gone by the time she opened her eyes in the morning. but even in her dreams, she had never felt the absolute conviction that she would die. that wolf...it seemed to know too much for a mere animal.

so yes, maybe she had jumped to an illogical conclusion, maybe she had quietly followed him around until he noticed and mentioned that she should ask for a date instead of just tailing him. maybe she had endured his "well, i don't know, i might be busy" and given him her number to call when he wasn't busy. and maybe, close to another full moon, she was sneaking out to go to where the last body had been found. there had to be a clue left behind, and if her investigation of cyril was so far fruitless, why not focus on something else?

it had been a better idea when she had been in her room, warm and with something other than moonlight and a small flashlight to show her the way. it was cold and everything looked far more threatening at night, when you were armed with only a pocket knife. still, she picked her way through the underbrush, thankful the police were kind enough to leave some of their crime scene tape still tied to a few trees to indicate exactly where she should go.

no body, they had taken that away. no blood, it had already been absorbed into the earth. not much left of the crime, but that was alright. definitely signs of a struggle, but with what? not another person, the ground didn't look like that sort of deal, and she still doesn't buy cyril's idea of a rabid dog. dogs don't eat people, not in her memory. but wolves just might...

"what the hell are you doing?"

speak of the devil, and he should appear. or think of, in this case, and she stood up from where she had been examining the ground and shone the flashlight on him. "what does it look like?"

"it looks to me like you're being a complete idiot, since you're out past curfew and looking for whatever's offing people even though common sense would dictate, you know, not fucking doing that." it irritated him for some reason, even though he claimed he was unconcerned. what was his problem, really?

grell crossed her arms, as much to shield off some cold as to stand confident. "you can't let me be an idiot in peace. you tracked me all the way out here. tell me, why do you care so much? you already denied caring about me, so i'm beginning to think you care about the killer..."

"look." the word was almost a snarl. "go home, grell. even if you don't care about your death, someone's going to. your parents, your friends. i'm trying to be nice and tell you that you don't want to know what's going on. let the damn police do their jobs and stop trying to nancy drew this shit." he ran a hand through his hair, sighing hard.

but grell didn't budge an inch, her eyes narrowing on him. "now i really think you care. or..." and before she could lose her nerve, she said it. "or maybe you're hiding something worse than that?"

his expression darkened, and he took several long strides towards her, until they were only a matter of inches apart. this close, the difference in their heights was obvious, and she had to look up to see cyril's face. a mixture of irritation, seriousness, and something else she couldn't name was there, all focused into a hard stare.

it struck grell that potentially, she was alone in the forest with a murderer. a murderer she had aggravated more than once. maybe the wolf had only been a dream, a warning instead of the possibility of a werewolf. for the first time, she wasn't thrilled to be so near him, but afraid.

i could die right now. the thought rung in her head, and without considering the consequences of sudden movement around a killer, she yanked the knife out of her pocket, flipping it open and aiming for his shoulder in the same motion.

he was faster, and then his hand was tight around her wrist.

"leave this place."

the way he said it, she could imagine the low growl of the wolf from back then, the one that had practically dragged her into hiding. wrenching her arm away, she gave him one last glare before turning and running to the path she'd used to come here. even she wasn't going to press her luck with that.

but now she knew. cyril had some undeniable connection to the murders. and, she was convinced, what happened a month ago.