With a sunflower topping their flower crown filled with small leaves and pretty daisies matching the ones filling their dungarees’ pockets, which sometimes were the cause of dirty and water stains on the denim, among the crowd that had gathered around the corpse that night, Cristina looked the least likely to be an actual suspect. Yet again, usually the culprit is the most unsuspected one, or at least that is how Vera tried to reason it as she approached the trembling figure that played with her hair looking through a small hole in the wall of bodies, giving them a clear picture of the mistake they had made.
“Cristina Lupei” Vera got her attention and Cristina suddenly turned, a terrified look in place of their usual brilliant smile, but that quickly changed when they saw the reporters.
“Oh, hey guys,” their trembling voice showing through their stretched smile, “what sad news during such a happy event, don’t you think?”
“A-ah!” shouts the red-haired, scaring Cristina so much they jumped, startled. “Ah, sorry, I thought you’d said something incriminating.”
“Incriminating?” asks the blonde figure, adjusting their flower crown. “Are you guys … am I a suspect?”
“…No”, Vera said, furrowing her brows “Why would you say that, or do you have any reason to believe we would suspect you?”
“I-” Cristina’s voice trembled, than they broke, falling on their knees, crying “It was my fault, I’m sorry!”
Vera watched the scene speechless, until Dàvid elbowed her softly.
“Ah, right” she came to her senses, then proceeded to point her index towards the crying figure, taking a picture with her camera. “A-ah! So it was you who murdered the teacher! Beneath the happy façade lied bloodlust and-”
“Killed the teacher?” the trembling voice manages to utter through the sobs “I-I didn’t mean that…”
“Then what?!” asks Vera, putting her foot down in front of the figure, startling them again “Didn’t you just admit you’re guilty?”
“Yes, but I meant-“ Cristina clears their throat, looking at the confused duo in front of them “I meant the banner … I was in charge of it … and it broke! It’s all my fault!” They started crying again upon the tired glances of the reporters, one of which had to sit beside them and pat their back as their encouraging words were covered by the imprecations the other was screaming, which we would rather not report on official documents.
“So it wasn’t you” she sighed, already feeling like she was needed a second cup of coffee (and she hadn’t had her first one yet, she doesn’t even like coffee). “Then who was it?”
“I don’t get it!” Cristina cries louder, as Dàvid tries to avoid her tears, worried to see such a happy person shedding them with a smile on her face. “I kept looking at the banner all night. I only got- oh.”
Hearing them stop, both reporters turned, holding their breath “I got distracted once, because I saw …” Cristina started, then smiled again. “Francesca! She was putting something in the punch – and I might’ve drunk a bit of that, but I thought it was still good, so maybe she just put some syrup-”
“That’s it!” screams Vera, blocking Cristina “Thanks for being so naïve, Cris, now we have a new lead!” And with that said, the duo moved on to another crucial character at the Boarding School, a mysterious figure that usually hid in the darkness of her room.
ERIS The Prequel, Chapter 4.
Read the first chapter of ERIS’ prologue here!
Read the first chapter of ERIS The Prequel here!
