The police station was quiet. K sat on a worn leather couch, staring at a small TV in the corner of the room. It was playing some midday talk show, and was muted with subtitles. K stared at the botched translation in yellow, wringing her hands. Pete was sitting beside her, looking pale, and almost ill.

He was worried about her. She knew. He'd never experienced her when she was trapped in one of her flashbacks, and that was one of the most prolonged ones she'd had in a years.

She wanted to reassure him that she was alright, but she would just be lying.

So they were silent as they waited. The package and the dress had been taken. The detectives of the case were talking out the back. Edson, the detective from the hospital, had greeted her with a tired face, and given her a warm smile.

K had explained what had happened, and, thankfully, the officers seemed just as suspicious as she did.

They'd told her they would look into it a little, then come back out and bring her in for a run down on the case.

They didn't say how long they would be. K had told Pete that he could go, and pick her up later, but he had refused. He was shaken up. When she'd resurfaced from the memory of the flashback, she'd been crying hysterically, shaking her head, gasping for breath. He'd had to comfort her, clasp her hands, and bring her back down to the present.

Now he was acting as some sort of protector, a figure of care, looking over her.

Perhaps it should have been comforting, but all she felt was guilty that she was bringing him down.

"Do you need a cup of water?" He asked, almost nervously, gesturing across to the water station. She shook her head mutely.

He looked at her for a moment, his face swirling with emotion, then stood, and started pacing nervously.

She just sat, watching him, her eyes moving with his movements, back and forth. She stared blankly, unthinking. She couldn't think. If she thought, she would feel, and she didn't want to feel. It hurt too much.

After a few minutes, Pete sat back down, and unexpectedly grabbed her hands. She met his eyes, shocked, to see a strange kind of desperation showing upon his face.

"We'll figure it out." He said, his voice shaky. "You'll be okay."

At this bizarre confrontation, K could feel the dam she'd built within her mind, holding back her emotion, slowly cracking. She bit her lip, and drew her hands away from Pete's. Then she just silently nodded, and looked away.

"I'm going to the bathroom." She said quietly, as she stood. Pete didn't do anything, just watched her go.

The restrooms were by the entrance, and when she passed the glass doors, she glanced outside at the grey sky.

Outside, across the road, was a train station, and just for a moment, K paused and watched the people come and go, running through the rain, or walking arrogantly slowly, holding big umbrellas of conceit.

K watched only for a second, then pushed open the girls' room door and looked away.

When she returned, Eddy was standing by the couch, talking to Pete quietly. They went quiet when she came back in. Eddy gave her a comforting smile. "We're ready for you now, K."

She nodded, and followed him. Pete stayed where he was. "I'll be right out here for you if you need me, buttercup." He called, nervously, just as they left the room. She looked back briefly at him, and smiled softly.

Then, the door shut, and he was gone.

Eddy led her down the hallway, to a big room, filled with desks, chairs, cabinets, and couches. There were a number of officers lazing around, or sitting at the desks doing work. On one wall were seperate rooms, with glass windows, seperate offices. Eddy led her to one marked with his name, Detective Chris Edson, and one they were inside, he shut the door behind her, and sat at a large mahogany desk, on a big, black, leather wheelie chair.

On the desk was piles and piles of paper, along with a small succulent, a wonky mug filled with pens and stationary, and a picture of Eddy, a woman, and a little kid wearing blue Pyjamas. Eddy looked younger in the photo, his hair wasn't so grey, and his smile was wide, and lacked the look of tiredness that it held now.

He must have seen her looking, because he turned it slightly, so she could see it from a better angle. "That's my wife, Jenny, and my kid, Dee. It's a couple years old now, Dee's going into year 11 now."

K smiled softly, glancing at him briefly. "It's sweet."

Eddy nodded, and gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite, then ruffled through some papers, searching for something. K sat, staring at the picture still, and trying to imagine what that gap-toothed kid in it looked like grown up, fresh out of year 10. For the life of her, she couldn't picture them. All she could see is Luke's face.

She looks away, feeling unsettled, and looks at Eddy to find he is watching her curiously, stroking his beard softly. She shakes her head and looks at the floor briefly. By the time she had looked up again, he was looking down at the papers he had just pulled out. "Alright, K. There are a lot of things we need to go over. Most of the data from the crime scene has been analysed, and we're starting to get a picture of things, so I just need you to tell us a couple of things."

She frowned. "Okay... Are you going to tell me what's going on, as well?"

He nodded. "Of course. It's just quite big news, and will likely shock you, so I'm going to need to ask some things of you, first. Alright?"

She was still frowning, but bit her lip and nodded. Questions filled her head, speculations at just those few words, but she shut them off, and focused on the detective.

"Alright, K, just like last time. If anything gets too much, just say the safe word, and we'll drop it. But try for me to answer as many questions as possible, alright?"

She nodded mutely, and found herself fixated on the tiny succulent that sat on his desk.

"Okay. First question. Do you recall how many staff members from the venue were at the party?"

K slipped back through her mind, and could picture the scene, the kitchen hands slipping through every so often to offer round finger food and refreshments. The bartender, standing bored, cleaning glasses. Each face flashed through her mind, and she swallowed, pulling herself from the past with as much courage she had.

"I'm uncertain for sure, but I remember there being at least six." She said to Eddy, who nodded and wrote that down in the notebook he had on his desk.

"Okay. If you were to see a picture of any of these staff members, would you recognise them?" He asked.

She nodded mutely, and he scribbled something down.

"Next question, then. Have you ever received suspicious mail from anyone, before the package today?"

K gulped, and shook her head. "No. Nothing that I can remember, but it is usually Pete that collects my mail for me in the morning. You'd be better to ask him."

Eddy nodded at this, and wrote it down, then looked back up at K's face. She had a stern face painted on, but couldn't help wringing her hands. He saw this, and wrote something else down.

"Okay, K. Now, I have some questions about your parents, and their behaviours. Some are quite personal. Is that okay?"

She nodded, and took a deep breath.

"Just let me know if you want to stop." He said, paused for a moment, looking at her, then cleared his throat and read from the paper in front of him. "Did your parents ever fight with each other?"

"Yes." K said quietly. "They did."

"How often?" He asked, his voice almost pitiful.

"Frequently. It was usually my mum who started it. She's been hotheaded ever since..." She trailed off, because it hurt too much to say.

"Ever since the incident with James?" Eddy asked, his voice soft, and careful. She wasn't surprised he knew about that. He was a police officer. He probably knew all there was to know about her family. She nodded numbly.

He scribbled on the notepad for a few moments, then looked back up.

"Did your parents, particularly your mother, ever yell at you?"

K shook her head at this. "She was never one to shout. She wouldn't yell. She would do it quietly, with this voice that she had."

Eddy wrote this down, then in an even voice, asked her, "Did she ever hit you?"

K hesitated at this question, then shook her head. "No. Not really. But she came close once."

Eddy raised his eyebrow at this. "She came close? What do you mean by that?"

K shook her head. "She almost hit me. It was ages ago, just after... the accident. She was yelling at me, and then lifted her hand, as though she were about to slap me, and I squealed, and I think that stopped her. It made her realise what she was about to do, and she stopped, just kind of looking horrified and ashamed. She kept saying sorry to me, like she had actually hit me. I didn't know what to think of it at the time. I was too busy crying. I think I screamed at her. I don't remember. I just remember her hurt and guilt ridden face."

Eddy didn't write this in the notebook. He just watched her, with misty eyes. "You know, Keller, you're a brave kid. You've been through a lot, and I don't just mean New Years Eve."

K didn't know how to reply to that, so she just shrugged, and looked at her feet.

"I'm sorry."

She lifts her gaze, confused. Eddy is looking at her with a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry that life has been so tough for you. I'm sorry that you didn't have caring parents there for you that could help you out. I'm sorry that it had to be so hard."

The dam in her mind was cracking again, as he gave her such a genuine look of care, and sympathy. She shut her eyes, holding it back.

"You don't have to be sorry. You couldn't have helped." She said, keeping her voice even.

"I know." Eddy said, his voice sorrowful. "But I am still sorry. No one should have to go through that. Especially at such a young age."

She was silent, trying desperately to hold in the sobs that threatened to rise through her chest.

The room was silent for a few moments, the only sound the murmur of voices outside, and the ticking of the black and white analogue clock on the wall.

"It wasn't your fault, you know." He said, softly. "She wasn't watching the two of you. You can't blame yourself."

"Stop it." She said, her voice venomous. It then softened, and she sighed. "Please. I don't want to talk about it."

Eddy nodded, and slowly shut the notebook he was holding. "I understand. I'm sorry."

She just shook her head, and took a deep breath.

"I'd like to ask your driver a few questions. Do you mind grabbing him for me?" Eddy asked, sounding guilty.

K nodded, and stood. "While you question him, I'm going to get a drink." She said, in a monotone.

"Alright."

She collected Pete, and told him to go in, like she had been told, then got a drink like she had said. Then, she just stood there, by the door, staring out at the people walking through the rain.

She could join them. Just leave the police station, and the mystery of the black dress.

Go across the road to the train station, and buy a ticket across the city, perhaps back to the beach where she originally wanted to be that afternoon.

Buy a ticket to central, then another to far away, down the coast, or across state.

She could run away. It would be easy.

But what would she be running from? She would be searching for an empty space, alone. Out on the plains, perhaps, where she could look and only see a flat horizon, and peace. She could stand surrounded by nothing, and maybe then, she would feel nothing, and she wouldn't have to try to hold everything in.

It wouldn't matter though. She couldn't run from the loneliness.

"Ms Keller?" A dainty voice behind her said, and she turned to see a blonde female officer in uniform. "Ed's finished questioning now. He's ready for you again."

She nodded, briefly glanced through the glass at the people passing by one last time, then followed the officer back through to Eddy's office.

They were talking in hushed tones when she walked in, but once again, the moment they saw her, they stopped, almost looking guilty.

Then Eddy cleared his throat. "Come, sit again. We can discuss the progress of the case now."

K did as told, and sat in the chair beside Pete, who was looking at her with unreadable eyes. After a moment, Eddy spoke.

"Because this is classified information, I'm afraid it is only for Ms Keller, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Pete." He said. Pete was silent, but nodded, and stood.

"I'll be just outside if you need me, K." He said, patting her hand lightly before exiting.

K watched him walk across the room and head back out to the couches, then she looked to Eddy, who was looking contemplative, stroking his bears and staring at her.

"What?" K asked, tiredly. He just shook his head, and stopped the quizzical look.

"I was just trying to figure out the best way to tell you what we know. The only thing I can come up with is that it is going to be easiest to tell you straight." He sighed, then looked her in the eyes. "This is going to be hard to hear, K, and it is going to be a big shock, but I just need you to know that you'll be alright. We're working as hard as we can here to solve this case, and we are going to work as hard as we can to keep you safe and give you a proper support system through this ordeal."

"What ordeal?" K asked, confused, and worried. "Would you just tell me what's going on?"

He glanced away briefly, then looked back at her, the same sympathy from before resting in his eyes.

"The blast on New Years that killed your parents, and the rest of the people in that building, well-" he broke off, taking a deep breath, unsure of how to say what he was trying to. Then he spoke the sentence that made K's blood run cold.

"The explosion was a deliberate attack." 

Authors Note

Back at it again with the plot twist endings. Jokes aside, I'm pretty proud of this chapter. Hopefully we're starting to get into the stage of the book that things start to pick up. 

What caused the explosion?

Who did it? 

How were her parents involved?

Who is James and what happened with him in the past? 

Let me know what you think, I'll always be watching. In a non creepy way. Please let me know if you are there! I am alone lonely loner! I survive off of attention, so even if you don't feel comfortable commenting, vote!

Anyways I'm gonna stop begging now. 

- Amelia