Sunshine

Evelyn had visited crime scenes only a handful of times. It was never a pretty sight, and there was no reason for it to be. As Evelyn neared the yellow police tape, she couldn’t help but let out an involuntary sob followed by a shiver. She was still only wearing a night shirt and sweatshirt and the early morning air was crisp, chilling her to the bone.

Pete, as he insisted on Evelyn calling him, turned to her, his pained expression still evident. She was right in assuming he was a rookie; he hadn’t hardened up his exterior yet.

“I’m sorry you couldn’t change first, Miss Kuper.”

She shook her head, trying to hold back her tears. She needed to stay strong right now.

“It’s okay. That’s the least of my problems right now.”

Pete nodded and held up the yellow tape for her as she slipped under. He ran a hand through his short blonde hair before replacing his hat and leading Evelyn to the bodies.

It took place only a few blocks from the Kuper shack, which was located amongst old apartment buildings and shops. Crime wasn’t too huge in the area, but every once in a while something would break out and almost every time someone was killed.

This time was no exception.

It was a gruesome sight, not one that a young girl like Evelyn should be exposed to.

Three male bodies lay on the concrete, a couple of detectives observing them. Evelyn tried to distinguish what race the three were, but with the blood and bruises covering them it was too hard to tell. Clothes were torn and ripped off of all three, the remains scattered across the sidewalk. Bloody handprints were smeared across the brick wall of the old, trashed hardware store and sidewalk. Bullet holes were in all three bodies, though one was far worse than the others. His face couldn’t be seen, but judging by the area around him, he had been shot in the face, neck and chest multiple times. There were also two guns on the sidewalk, one of which had a silver colored trigger.

Like her father’s.

Resisting the waterworks and the urge to make her late night snack reappear all over the ground in front of her, Evelyn took small steps until she was right next to the bodies. Pete started talking to her about how they thought they knew who the body was yet needed to be sure, but she wasn’t really listening, just staring down at the unrecognizable, nearly destroyed body. She felt a sudden cool breeze and a sense of familiarity washed over her.

Pete put a tender hand on her shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes when she turned to him.

“Miss Kuper, is this--”

“Evelyn!”

Evelyn’s body jolted off the ground as she pulled herself into a sitting position, her brown hair as well as the sleeves of the sweatshirt tied around her waist whipping her in the face. Looking at the ground, she realized she must have dozed off.

“You’re crying again. Why?”

Evelyn swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand before wiping the wetness on her dingy wifebeater, trying to shake the still painfully vivid memory from her mind. She opened her still blurry eyes and saw the tall lanky guy whose company she’d come to enjoy over the past few weeks.

When she didn’t reply, he sighed and sat down beside her, not an unusual thing for him to do. Ever since the first day, he had come to join her under her tree, each visit longer than the last. As it turned out, he and Evelyn had the same free period. Instead of wrecking havoc during his off time, he had taken to sitting under the oak tree with Evelyn, not that she minded. He was one of the few people who actually spoke to her like a human being.

“Will you ever tell me?” he asked.

Evelyn couldn’t help but to give him a tiny smile. His curiosity was harmless, she had discovered.

“Maybe someday, Jimmy.”

He smiled cheekily and put his hands behind his head as he rested against the tree trunk, staring up into the open air abyss like he did the first time they met. He was wearing his infamous orange…bathrobe? Evelyn still didn’t know what it was for sure.

“My birthday is today.”

Evelyn raised her eyebrows in shock, “It is?”

He nodded, “Just turned seventeen.”

She broke out into a smile, “Happy birthday!”

“Thank ya, Miss Evelyn.”

She chuckled slightly at his attempt at a southern accent as he tipped an imaginary hat at her.

“Doing anything fun?” she asked casually, rearranging her notebooks and papers in her bag and getting ready for her next class, English.

Jimmy laughed crazily, earning a confused look from Evelyn.

“Nope, not really,” he replied coolly after he regained his composure.

Evelyn raised a brow at him, but didn’t respond to his evil giggle fit, “Don’t get into too much trouble.”

The two of them got up at the loud, obnoxious whine of the bell and departed their separate ways.

“I won’t!” Jimmy yelled, followed by a burp and sheepish grin at the teacher who gave him a reprimanding look as she walked by.

Evelyn laughed, completely unconvinced.

“If you say so.”

She carefully navigated the halls which were bustling with students who had the latest gossip and were more than eager to share it with their fellow classmates.

“Did you hear--”

“—said that--”

“—broke up—“

“Get out of the way, freak!”

Evelyn was harshly shoved to the side of the hall, falling into an open locker door and slamming it shut. She was thankful she put her notes in her bag, or she’d have had one big mess to clean up.

She turned around, coming face to face with a kid she recognized from her English class, looking at her with surprise. It must’ve been his locker she ran into and shut. Her face flushed with embarrassment.

“Sorry,” she apologized quickly.

“It’s fine.”

He was one of those punk kids, Evelyn noted. He wasn’t too tall, but compared to Evelyn’s thin, small, and slouchy five-foot-four frame, he was average sized. His attire was all black and he had black hair and fingernails. His eyes were a piercing green, surrounded by black makeup. He probably took more time to get ready than she did.

Unsure of what to say to the kid and figuring she’d see him in English in a couple minutes anyway, she turned to walk away, but his voice stopped her. It had the tiniest hint of a lisp, though not nearly as noticeable as Jimmy or even Evelyn herself.

“Watch yourself. They’re out for everyone.”

She gave him a confused look, but nodded thankfully for the advice before walking off to her class, watching him as she did so. She caught him glaring at the guy who had shoved her before shaking his head and opening his locker again, checking the paint on his fingernails as he did so.

Only the strange ones would talk to her.

Of course.