by Keya Jay
Chapter eleven: Skylar Royce
Skylar went into her mother’s room with her daily’s routine of freshening the air, brushing her mother’s hair, and collecting the remainder of her mother’s teeth.
“Mama sooner or later I won’t have any more hair to brush,” Skylar whispered as clumps of her mother’s hair come out in the brush.
“And your fingers look like that of a witch’s, they’re all brown and rotten, I should paint them for you, would you like that mama?” she asked as she sat down the brush and sat at the end of her bed.
“I had a great time last night mama, I can’t remember the last time I’ve been out,” Skylar said in a broken whisper.
“I know if you were awake you’d be smiling. You used to tell me all the time that I should get out more and stop worrying about you, but I couldn’t stop the guilt of knowing that while I was out having fun you were here alone. But I’m glad I went out I can’t stomach being alone anymore. I need to get out of the house more often and not just at night. If I’m alone lord knows what could have happened to me, I can no longer stop at one mama the monster wants more and more and I can’t stop it.”
“Can you believe I left at the beginning of the date for this ridiculous craving? I can’t,” Skylar said answering herself.
“But I don’t think I should see Ryder anymore after this, he’s just going to get curious, you understand mama don’t you?”
After Skylar didn’t get an answer she picked up the bowl of soup she had sat on her mother’s coffee table two days ago, and she looked down at the mess that surrounded her mother’s body.
“Mama you’re going to need a bath I can’t let you sit in that mess,” Skylar said in disgust.
“Your skin is starting to shrivel,” she whispered, it was like her mother was growing older and older right before her eyes.
“I have to go mama this case isn’t going to solve itself, and I don’t want to let my father down,” Skylar said as she put the untouched bowl of soup down.
Skylar kissed her mother’s ashen forehead before quietly stepping out of the room and locking it behind herself.
Skylar walked into the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of coffee before heading toward the dark room down the hall.
The dismal weather made the late afternoon seem like evening. It was a bit foggy out, the clouds a murky grey but it was fairly light outside so the room wasn’t as dark as Skylar would normally prefer it but she had to get a crack on this case she couldn’t afford to wait until sundown.
The D.E.A.N Inc. had worked on a case similar to this one but the wisp kidnapper and killer could be anyone.
Skylar turned on the IV Lights and reviewed the notes she had taken so far.
•The W.K.K had to be someone in the area; all the bodies that had been found were around this area so it only made sense.
•The wisps that were captured and killed were also drained of power, which is the only way a wisp could truly die besides being beheaded.
•Once a wisp is drained of their power their bodies become vulnerable, their bodies don’t heal as fast as it should and so it’s liable for them to catch any diseases and die a human death because their immune systems are no longer strong enough to ward them off.
•I know for a fact the W.K.K isn’t targeting kids, all of the victims ages ranges from 19 to 42.
•We haven’t found a warehouse but we’re almost positive there is one.
•We have no clue how the wisps are being drained but we’re guessing it’s something scientific, that’s the only explanation that wouldn’t leave a noticeable trace. But we do have evidence that the victims were indeed alive during the draining process.
•We found no drugs or any other foreign substances in the victims’ bodies so whoever is luring them is very well known.
•No traces of struggle, the victims seem to be going willingly.
“What am I missing?” she asked as she took a sip of her coffee and reviewed every note she had ever taken.
“The victims aren’t gender specific,” she added to the list.
•There were equal amounts female and male bodies recovered.
Skylar had a man from the inside, a good friend of her father’s looking into any similarities that she might have missed that links any of their victims.
This used to be Skylar’s dad’s case; he worked nonstop at it until he died a heroic death.
D.E.A.N Inc. which stands for: Damon, Ethan, Ava, and Naveen- solved a similar case just like this one 6 years ago, now they’re dealing with a copycat.
Damon Skylar’s father and his brother Ethan and sisters Ava, and Naveen were the greatest detectives there side of town has ever seen, with Skylar’s father out of the picture the family grieved the loss of their dear brother and dearest companion but they’ve never stopped working but this side of her dad was kept secret his brothers and sisters wanted to live a normal life and Skylar had wanted the same but fate had other plans.
If Skylar told Ethan, Ava and especially Naveen about the case they’d blow up completely and turn her away.
Skylar has only been an investigator for D.E.A.N Inc. for a year and she in no shape or form had the power to tell the rest of the team what it was they were to work on, though everyone respected her because she was the daughter of Damon they would never put their full and complete trust in her and she completely understood that.
But sadly that just meant she had to tip toe around the team in order to solve this but she has always known that this is what her dad would have wanted whether he was proud to be a wisp or not a crime committed is a case unsolved and her dad doesn’t like to leave cases unsolved.
Skylar’s dad’s case was solved 6 years ago and someone is bringing his case out of the grave it was buried in and Skylar’s knows that her dad would like nothing more than for her to solve this case.
She may not be working on it professionally but she does have some inside help.
Skylar pulled out her phone and dialed her dad’s friend’s number.
“Hey Mr. Henderson,” she said the moment he picked up the phone.
“Hey kiddo how’s it going?” he asked.
“It going good, look listen I need your help,” she said as she sipped her coffee and stared at all of the evidence on the walls.
“Alright what do you need?” he asked professionally.
“Do you still have the list of the victims I gave you?”
“Yes I do, it’s here somewhere,” he said. Skylar could hear him riffling through papers through the phone. “Alright what about it?” he asked obviously having found it now.
“I’m going to need you to send someone in to talk to the families. Something has to be connecting these victims I don’t believe they’re just random attacks.”
Skylar looked out at all of the notes plastered on the walls about each individual victim. They all looked as different as could be, she thought confused.
“Alright I’ll have someone on it as soon as possible, would you like anything else?”
“No, but thank you,” she answered glumly.
“No problem kid, take care of yourself.”
“I really appreciate it Hank.”
“You know Hank the Tank always got your back,” he said before hanging up.