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July 1st, Saturday. 2017. 10AM

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As the local 10 o'clock morning news came on, most television sets were tuned into the older brunette male who had become their local celebrity for being a news anchor for more than ten years. "This is Kevin Garish and you're watching the Dixie Daily." his southern hospitality tone not very predominant for anyone that had lived down here for years, but strong and thick to anyone else from the rest of the country. The intro for the news station played, showing the few good views from town and some of the local favorite spots. The camera panned back to Kevin as he smiled. "Today is July 1st, we have a hot weekend ahead of us. Perfect for any Independence Day activities that are happening. Most people would be attending the big fireworks show by the police station that Tuesday. The older generations would complain that all the money earned from writing tickets all year were blown up in our face within fifteen minutes instead of used to repair roads. However, any research into it would reveal that all fireworks were donated from the more blessed residents of Dixie Inn. "This year we will be holding a public memorial for our local resident Olivia Ramirez who we lost to an accident down at Lafayette earlier this week." Many people shook their heads and grumbled under their breaths by his choice of words. They felt this wasn't just an "accident" but more foul play was at work.

Kevin Garish cleared his throat, "We have a clip from Chief Craig Hamming with more information here, if you would play the clip.." The very familiar mustached face of Chief Hamming came across the screen, the background of the bayou beautiful but dangerous. His mouth moved before the audio kicked in. "Wa- gem of the community. We won't let all of this be put aside. The Ramirez family will rest easy knowing that whatever happened to their daughter will be found out. We know tha-" the video clip started to skip and end transmission as they switched back to Kevin at the main station. "It looks like we lost the signal, speaking of losses- the Saints lost one of their star -"

Some homes would change the channel as they went into sports talk and local filler stories. This murder was the biggest thing in Dixie Inn since the hurricane several years ago. Nicky's restaurant had been closed all week as the family prepared funeral services and regathered their lives a bit. Families sent their prayers and small donations to help out as they could, but nothing really could fill the hole that was in their heart from losing their daughter. Despite the darkness that fell over the town, it was a typical hot and muggy morning in Louisiana. Everyone was out of school for summer break and most had the day off and was spending it doing something family related for the upcoming holiday.

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W H A C K

A smack came across the head of the younger Sinclaire sibling as Bailey put her hand strongly down on the forehead of her brother. A shit eating grin came across her face as she made contact. "Mama said get up. She even picked me to do the honors." the feisty young girl said before she quickly made her way out of his room so she didn't get the backlash of her brother once he came to. "He's awaaaaaaake!" she called to their kitchen as she made her way there herself. Bailey was adorned in typical summer attire; short shorts and a tank top. Her brown loose curls wild down her back but her bangs pushed back with a red headband. "Thank you sweetheart." Mrs. Sinclaire said from the stove top. The family always tried to have breakfast together on Saturdays before they all separated to go about their weekend errands and plans.

Bailey was extra excited for this weekend as it was one of the first she would not be grounded. Granted, they hadn't found out what she had done to wake up her brother and she hadn't thought about it before she had done it. With one of her legs pulled up to her chest, she looked down at her phone in her lap, she hadn't received any texts or calls yet from her friends to see what they were doing that day or what the plans were. Things were kind of iffy since Olivia had been killed. Parents didn't want their kids being out by the bayou or being out too late. Things that hadn't been even blinked twice at before. She flipped through her phone, sliding her thumb around the screen playfully before her father's strong hands fell on her shoulders. "No plans yet today?" he said as he moved around her and sat at the table. "Nope, nothing yet." she smiled putting her phone on the table top. The smell of bacon, eggs, and grits filled the Sinclaire home and made Bailey's stomach grumble. She hoped that someone had some plans for the day, or it would be a waste.

Mrs. Sinclaire placed the plates on the table and gave a small prayer before they started dishing themselves food.

"Wa- gem of the community. We won't let all of this be put aside. The Ramirez family will rest easy knowing that whatever happened to their daughter wi-." The sound of Kevin Garish was suddenly drowned out by the sound of a grand piano beginning a complex and quite gorgeous rendition of How Great Thou Art/Amazing Grace, and while some households would be a bit perturbed to hear a grand piano being played at such an early time, in the Caverly home such a sound was a normal occurrence. Unfortunately for Caleb, the piano player this morning was a bit different as his father, Roger Caverly was trying to get prepared for a funeral service.

"Caleb!! CAN YOU STOP PLAYING FOR EVEN A FEW SECONDS!?" Having jumped at the words, Caleb's music stopped abruptly and he slowly looked up to see his fathers condescending head shaking and a disgusted look on his face. With his face burning Caleb left the piano and sulking, walked to the kitchen. He rolled his eyes when he saw that everyone had already eaten and of course nothing was left for him. He took out a box of cereal and poured it into a bowl before sighing to himself and rested his forehead into his palms. It was things like this that had made him depressed, sure he had his music and photography but he would be lying to himself and anyone else if he said that he enjoyed the treatment he was receiving at home. Luckily, around this town he had plenty of friends. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Shawn.

"Hey man, you awake? Got anything planned for today?"

He then placed his phone on the table beside him and munched on his cereal, hoping that anything could distract him from his mind.

Sawyer's deep sleep was interrupted only by an incessant knocking on his bedroom door. "Sawyer, c'mon, it's 10:00, get out of your bed!" The voice of Aunt Rachel, or "Ray" as Sawyer called her, was becoming akin to a bell in the school hallway - it was necessary, but dear God, did it irritate him. He groaned and rolled over, tossing his covers to the floor. He swung his legs from his bed and placed his feet on the carpet floor. He blinked the groggy haze from his eyes and stood up. As his fan cast a cold draft across his bare chest, he instantly regretted getting out of bed. He grabbed his phone from its charger on the floor and checked his messages - none. He spent a minute absently scrolling through his snapchat, then tossed his phone onto his pillow. He stood back up to his full six-foot-two height and trudged over to his dresser, rummaging through until he found a clean pair of fitting jeans. He slid into them and then put on a low-hanging tank top with the Twenty One Pilots logo plastered across the front.

Sawyer groaned to himself as he looked into his tall mirror. Grabbing a hairband from his dresser, he tied his long, blonde-highlighted hair into a loose bun. He grabbed his shoes, his phone, and a pair of earbuds, and walked out of his room into the dimly lit living room where his aunt sat watching another news report about Olivia Ramirez. She looked up and smiled. "I didn't know my nephew was a girl." She said, noting his hair.

"Ray, it's 2017." He said in a tired, but humorous tone as he walked into the kitchen. "I can be whatever the hell I want." He walked to the fridge and and opened it. He felt the the urge to grab one of Ray's bottles of wine and down it like there was no tomorrow. Instead he reached past the wine and grabbed a can of red bull. He shut the fridge, dropping his shoes on the ground in sliding his feet into the checkered vans. He played his preferred playlist and stuck his earbuds in. Picking up his skateboard as he walked past the couch, he made a b-line for the door. He opened his redbull and took a swig.

"Saw, where you goin'?" Ray asked.

"To smoke weed and have lots of sex. Young people stuff, you wouldn't understand." He said, in a tone that sounded 100 percent serious, but Ray knew it was sarcasm. Ray, on the contrary, still had some understanding of "young people stuff." She was only 28, about 20 years younger than Sawyer's biological father. Because of this, Sawyer called his his "cool aunt Ray."

"Well just don't get arrested."

Sawyer, mid-drink in his Red Bull, gave an grunt of assurance and walked out of the door, letting the door shut. A moment later, he burst back through the door and reached into drawer of the end table beside the couch, grabbing his vape pen. He ran back out the door, dropping his board on the ground and stepping on it. He rolled down the side walk, dropping off the curb and onto the street. He propelled himself with his left foot until he reached Murphy Lane, which was fortunately a decently-sloped hill. He pushed off and let gravity do its thing, speeding forward at an increasing pace.

He reached the bottom of the hill, just as a car was pulling out onto the street. He tilted himself to the left just enough to not run into it, but he still caused the driver to slam on his brakes and curse at the top of his lungs. As sawyer rolled past, he stared the driver down and held up both hands, flipping both middle fingers into the air. The driver gave him a death glare but Sawyer just ignored him and took another swig from his Red Bull. As his board got him into what qualified as Dixie Inn's town square, he sighed and rolled to a stop in the middle of the intersection, forcing an SUV to drive around him, blaring his horn. He pocketed his vape pen and stomped on the tail of his board, catching it in his hand. He walked off of the street and into an empty parking lot in front of a store called "Dixie Thrift," which Sawyer thought was hugely ironic, since most of the town looked like it belonged in a thrift shop... a thrift town, if you will.

He sat on a parking bump and laid his board down. He set his Red Bull on the concrete and pulled his vape pen from his pocket. He flipped it on a took a puff, blowing the mango scented vapor into the air. He laid himself across his skateboard, blowing clouds into the air. He blew a large ring, then puffed a second, smaller ringer through the larger. He sighed and looked up at the blue sky and sighed, having no idea what he was going to do today.

The cold kitchen floor against her bare feet made Reyna's body shiver. Morning sun streamed through the broken blinds and shone onto piles of takeout boxes from Nicky's restaurant. She had been giving them leftovers for the past couple months, but ever since Olivia died, Reyna felt it was too selfish to go and beg for food when they needed time alone. Reyna's mother might've thought otherwise, if she wasn't so doped up. That was the best and worst thing about Katelyn. Reyna didn't have to spare her much food, but she was strikingly thin, enough so to turn heads. The girl ate what little was left and dressed, tiptoeing past her mother's room. She was always cranky after a night of shooting up.

Reyna locked the door to the apartment, taking the creaking elevator down to the first floor and stepping into the summer sun. Good day to cause trouble, she thought to herself. As she walked downtown, she passed the TV store with the news on blast, talking about Olivia. Part of her ached, knowing she's done next to nothing to help Nicky with her daughter's death. How the fuck could a 14 year old help solve a murder? It was a bad idea to be out anyway, even in broad daylight. Maybe if her mother cared, she would be confined to her room, under house arrest. So little people were out, only one guy seemed to be really lingering. He laid across a skateboard, hair tucked into a bun and vape in one hand. Trouble maker, she thought to herself. "Ain't it a bit dangerous to be out here with the Alligator lurkin' about?" She teased the young man as she drifted by him. She stopped to stand above him, blocking his view of the sun.



Mags strolled through the woods, letting the sounds of the birds and the insects chirping soak into her heart. She enjoyed the peace, letting herself forget everything wrong with life: her mamaw, the Alligator, her controlling father. The moment was ruined when her phone began vibrating in her pocket. She frowned, pulling it out and staring at the screen, contemplating ignoring it.

Papa, it read with a picture of her father and her when she was a kid. She sighed, knowing he would freak if she didn't answer.

"Hey," she murmured as she answered the call.

"Magdalena, wo bist du?" Erik's voice came from the other side. She rolled her eyes. He always slipped into German when he was worried.

"Ich bin okay, Papa. Just strollin' through the woods like I always do," she reassured him.

"You know that's a bad idea with that murderer still in town," he switched to English.

"He totally could've left town already, Papa, and he would've been smart to do so. I promise I'm perfectly safe out here."

Her dad sighed at the other end of the line, meaning he was juggling her fate in his head right now. "Fine. But, I would rather you stayed where other people can see you, or at least be with a friend."

"Alright, Papa. I'll go downtown or hangout with somebody," Mags concluded. "Ich liebe dich," she said before hanging up. She pulled up the contact of Bailey in her phone.

Hey, you doing anything today? she pressed send and started trekking outside the woods.

---

"OOF!"

What was once a pleasant dreamscape was replaced by the sudden shock and pain of his sister's slap, his eyes widening before wincing from both the pain and sunlight. He could just barely make out her devious smile before she gave her explanation as to why she decided to start his morning off with a slap. He his brain scrambled for something to say after she finished, trying to come up with some sort of backlash to give, but ultimately she ran out of the room in such a haste that all he could shout was "S-Sis!" Feeling slightly scathed, he fell back into his bed for a moment, giving off a disgruntled sigh as his body hit the mattress. He'd be lying to himself if he said this was the first time she woke him up in such a way, and in hindsight, it was bound to happen again eventually, but can't a guy get some sleep around here? Glancing over at his clock, he was disheartened to see it was only 10AM. Once more his sleep had been captured by his family...

But, he supposed if momma wanted him up and goin', he'd have to comply. As he was getting ready, his phone gave a ding as a text message appeared. It was his friend Caleb, asking if he had anything planned today. After rolling up his sleeves up to his elbows, he grabbed his phone and sent him an honest message. "Nothing at all. I'll probably just stay home, practice my singing or maybe read a book." He replied, nodding as the text message was sent before going downstairs.

"Mornin' Ma, Pa... Bailey." He greeted them rather eagerly, well, excluding his pause as he stared at his sister. He was among the last to sit down as his mom was placing plates at the table, and she patted his head gently. "Aw, looks like our lil sugar buns finally come down." She said, to which he laughed to himself.
"Aw, come on Ma, you're embarrassing me." He replied to his mother's comment, to which his father chuckled before asking the same question that he asked Bailey. "Any plans today, Shawn?"
"None that I can think of, Pa. 'Less ya need help with somethin'."
"Ah, Naw, you're fine, son."

It was then that the plates were finished being placed and their conversation was cut short due to the hunger that settled in. Shawn was especially happy, though a bit sad now that he hadn't woken up a bit sooner to help his mom out. He zoned off during the prayer, eager to eat and somewhat null to it as he's grown accustomed to hearing it so often before meals.

Any other day, any other occasion, Leith would be up and gone before Jessica was even up ... The boy was an early riser and a hard worker. He loved his work and he never missed a day, rain, hail or shine. When she came down the stairs, donning a posh gown knotted at the waist, she was surprised to find him sitting at the breakfast table staring abysmally at the fresh summer flowers in the vase centre piece.

Any other day, she'd have come down and started making breakfast for the rest of the family, her lovely daughter and wonderful husband, smiling at the message Leith left spelled out on the fridge in magnets or a sticky note by the tea-kettle, before he went to work. She'd pop by the garage on her way to Nicky's, with a lunch made for Leith, maybe a pie or some cake for him and the lads at the garage, hubby and daughter on their way to work or school everything blissful and pleasant in their sleepy little town...

They hadn't had a regular day since Olivia died.

Leith had been on auto-pilot, like an automaton, he really hadn't been himself. Jess was in pieces too, although, for Leith and Nicky's sake, she put on a brave face. Leith was still her baby and she needed to be brave for him, and Nicky ... Poor Nicky ... she'd been such a wonderful friend, a good mother to a good kid. The Ramirez family were the last people on Earth that deserved this.

The night they got the news, Jess "done the rounds" before bed, peeking in to see that everyone was tucked up nice and cozy and sleeping well. Leith was curled up and shaking, she climbed onto the bed and wrapped her arms around him close to try quell the muffled sobbing and offer some kind of comfort. Her own heart bled. He was still her baby ... even though he was taller than her now, with broad shoulders, facial hair even, a man, not a boy ... but her baby still. She felt selfish in a way, hugging her boy close and thanking the stars it wasn't him that had washed up on the banks of the bayou ... She wouldn't wish that on anyone, and it had happened and instead of thinking immediately about poor Nicky, she indulged in herself, in holding her son and daughter and husband and reminding herself "It didn't happen to us ... my family is safe". What a horrible friend she was, what sort of friend thought of her own family first after something like that knowing full well they were safe and sound anyway?! But she couldn't help herself. That night she needed her family and her family needed her. The next morning she was up bright and early preparing food for Nicky and her family and even the police while they were investigating and conducting interviews with local residents. When Jess lost her father, well, cooking and cleaning was the last thing on her mind, she couldn't even imagine how painful it was to lose a daughter, so she done what she could to help Nicky.

It had been a week already, now came the funeral. Jess had a bouquet from her garden, nothing too big and flashy, just a small thing, sitting on the windowsil so they soaked up a little more sun and blossomed extra nicely.
Leith was dressed in funeral black ... it was so out of place in the blistering hot southern sun. Leith felt out of place. He never wore suits and it felt wrong to wear black. Olivia was always so bright and bubbly. She wouldn't have wanted this- She ...

"Lei ... are you alright baby?" Jess asked, stroking a hand through his all-too familiar dark curls, so unlike her own hair ... so like his father though she couldn't resent Leith.
He shrugged. "This just feels so wrong."
Jess nodded. She'd have admired how smart Leith looked, wearing something other than worn out t-shirts or dirty overalls, but funeral-wear was hardly cheery and no matter how tidy he looked, she couldn't enjoy his misery. Olivia had been a great role model for him, six years older, they weren't exactly best friends, but she'd been like a big sister to him sometimes and they had been close.
"Are Robert and Aps comin'?" he asked.
Jess shook her head and switched on the kettle. "I thought it best if it's just us, if thats alright."
Leith nodded. "You're right ... Robert didn't really know her ... neither did Aps, no use dragging them along" he sighed.
"Have you eaten?" Jess asked, getting up as the kettle finished boiling.
"One of the croissants in the fridge" he shrugged, twiddling his thumbs, gaze downcast. "Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"Would ... Would Nicky mind if I- ..." he clammed up again, routing in his pockets to find a folded up letter, the folds of the paper worn thin from him opening and folding it back up several times.
"You want to say something at the funeral?"
He shook his head. "No ... I ... I want to give it to Liv ... I never got to thank her for all she did, yknow when I was growin' up 'n' stuff ... If Nicky doesn't mind I mean."
"I'll ask, I'm sure she won't mind you leaving a small letter with the coffin. I better get dressed. Can't go to the service in a dressing gown and slippers."
Leith offered her a small smile, faltering slightly, but it was hard to smile and pull each other up when someone so young died so horribly in their small town.

Jess quietly got changed, put on a light layer of make-up and smoothed her hair in place. Robert was having a lie-in, he'd finally gotten a day off, Jess didn't want to wake him up. Apsen would likely lie in bed for a while too, but he'd be there to get her breakfast and see what she was up to when she woke up. Finally, Jess crept back downstairs, dressed in black, shiny patent black shoes neatly shined. She grabbed her purse and Leith picked up the small, neatly arranged flowers from the window and they made their way to where the funeral be taking place shortly.

---

It was funny, the way cereal can taste so good and yet be so simple. Sure it wasn't eggs, and bacon with orange juice but to be honest cereal was just as good if not better of a breakfast than those other items. This was the thought process of Caleb Caverly as he finished drinking the left over milk in his bowl and tossing it into the sink. He knew he'd have to wash it and whatever other dishes pile dup during day later on so why bother wasting time now. Then again, the possibility to escape the House of Depression (as he called it) for the night was a possibility if he played his cards right.

With a yawn he picked up his camera from beside the door, along with a few different lenses. He wanted to try and get some good shots around town since the paper would be running out of his last batch and he skipped it the day before. As he exited his house he felt his phone buzz and the all to familiar ping notification sounded. He swiped his wallpaper back and nodded when he saw Shawn's reply. Typical really and it was one of the reasons he and Shawn were able to be such good friends, neither of them really enjoyed large crowds and preferred to be alone, yet the two seemed to just click. It helped that Caleb really enjoyed spending time over at the Sinclaire home and honestly if he had it his way, he would live there.

Smiling at the thought of Shawn, Bailey, and their parents all sitting down and eating as a family made a familiar pang of sadness hit his thoughts and he almost missed a perfect shot of a spider web still barely trickling with morning dew caught in the sunlight. He snapped a lens on and smiled as he took the picture. After he clicked Shawn's name once again and shot a message back to him. "I could come over around noon, we could work on a few songs and then play some video games? I forgot to get my books from the House of the Dead (his home). But that one movie is supposed to be out in the rental place today, and everyone said it looked pretty good?"

Placing the phone back in his pocket he continued walking around the town getting different pictures of nature, and a town becoming alive for a Saturday. He had to admit that he was a little tense when doing his usual walk around, with the death of Olivia the idea of being around the outskirts of town alone gave him chills down his spine and caused him to cut his safari hunt for the best pic short. He was confident this would get the paper through next week and that was good enough for him. He placed the camera and lenses into a shoulder bag and then headed into the town itself to grab a lemonade and get some more practice time in on the church's piano. Caleb had long ago snatched a key from his father and as forgetful as the minister was it was easy for the man to just think he misplaced it.

Just as he was getting closer to downtown he saw a form in the trees near him and he froze. All the blood in his body seemed to just stop flowing and an icy feeling of dread started from his extremities and worked itself all over the rest of his body. His breathing hitched and he found that he was taking large and deep breaths to compensate when his brain finally told him to find cover! Luckily for him it was only a girl. Caleb had seen her around town before so knew he had just given himself a heart attack for no reason. He slid down the tree he was using for cover and wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and shook his head, 'no more early morning strolls for me for awhile at least.' After about ten minutes of sitting there recovering he finally stood once again and continued on towards town. It was then he remembered the funeral was that day, his father hadn't asked him to play which was weird, maybe they decided not to have a pianist.

He thought about Olivia, he had of course known her. It was hard not to know her as she was a bright light around the town, he fought with the idea of showing up anyway, but the idea of going back to his house, and changing was getting the better of him. He figured if his father didn't ask then it probably meant that it didn't matter and Caleb felt he would just be intruding awkwardly if he showed up so he stuck with his original plan.

As he walked through town he waved at a few of the others out and about and made a beeline for the Church. He unlocked the back and then relocked it behind him and let himself smile widely. A whole space all for himself, his refuge from the world itself. The choir room. He headed over to the piano and just sat at the keys staring down at the ivory and then closed his eyes, just taking in the moment itself before placing his fingers on the keys and playing. He played for about ten minutes before realizing something was wrong, the song he was playing was one he had been working with Shawn on and he frowned, maybe Shawn wouldn't mind if he headed over early? He shrugged, and replaced the key cover over the piano and stretched himself out. He sent another quick message to his friend and messed with his beanie he was wearing, trying to get it into a better position while he waited for a reply. "Finished pictures early, at the church. Thinking about just heading over to your place now, that ok? Also, Olivia's funeral is today, were you and Bailey going?"

(Mainly Courtney)

A only recently awoken Courtney Nightingale rested her elbows on the table as she leaned into it, sipping coffee from the blue mug in her hands. She gave a silent yawn, watching her son play with his toy cars through weary eyes. Tyson was up at the crack of dawn. Tyson was always up at the crack of dawn. Courtney was starting to think it was time to lock the doors at night but, she know, she would then spend the night freaking out about what she would happen if her son was having nightmares or was in danger and banging at the door wasn't enough. Unfortunately this lead to every morning starting the same, an energized toddler running into the room and jumping on the bed announcing the morning's arrival at the first signs of the sun. Luckily David had been on top of ushering the boy out of the room to allow his wife more sleep.

"Oi, that's not good for the babies!" comes the half-joking voice of her husband as Courtney raises the mug to her lips. Where had he come from? The study perhaps? A glance at his arms revealed him holding a small cardboard box. More likely the garage, then. Paying more attention to his previous statement Courtney points the mug at him.

"Actually," She retorts, "I can have up to 200mgs of caffeine a day without a problem. that entitles me to 2 cups of coffee everyday, thank you very much. I do my research," David shook his head, of course she did. If there was a way around something Courtney would find it. She takes another sip of coffee before asking; "What's in the box?"

"My parents found some of the toy cars my brothers and I used to play with when we were young, they brought them over for Tyson while you were at work yesterday." David looks up at his wife's pale green eyes, placing the box on the table and moving himself to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "How are you holding up?" he asks gently.

"With the pregnancy or..."

"Either one... or both," Courtney places the mug on the table before taking a shaky breath.

"I'm fine... I'm fine," she replies gently

"You don't always have to be strong, y'know. I can take Tyson for the day if you wish, give you the day to yourself..." Unbeknownst to the parents Tyson heard his name among the mutterings and bounded over to his parents. If they were saying something about him he should know, right?

"No, no. Just during the funeral, I want to spend the rest of the day with my boys," She turns her head, giving her husband a quick kiss. Tyson, whom had been watching his parents, scrunched up his nose in disgust, "Yuck!" He proclaims. The couple both turn to their son, giggling slightly. Courtney slips out of her husband's embrace and scoops up her son. "Well, if that's what you think I guess you'd want some too!" she proclaims before proceeding to cover her son's cheeks in kisses.
"No mummy! Yuck!" He complains, yet he does nothing to stop her. Eventually she pulls her son into a hug.
"I'm going to go out for a couple of hours, but you be good for daddy okay?"
"O-tay mummy," he grins. Courtney lowers him to the ground before turning to her husband and kissing him on the cheek. "You be good too,"

"I'm always good!"

"You and I both know that's not true," she says, leaving him to grab her keys, phone and simple arrangement of flowers that lay across the table before starting to leave the house, turning to blow a kiss for her son with a chuckle and reminding the pair to be good before closing the door and slipping into her silver car.

From there she leave to head to where the funeral was to be held, soon finding herself following Jessica's car. Makes sense she figured to herself. Olivia meant a lot the Leith. She knew that, most people did. The problem of a small town is everyone knows everyone's business.

He lay on his board, rolling himself back and forth as he nodded his head to the song that played. Sawyer sighed as his peace was interrupted by a certain kid. He squinted as his eyes adjusted so that Reyna's features could be soon. He looked up at her with a scrunched face. He raised his vape to his lips, taking a puff. He exhaled, blowing a large cloud of mango-scented vapor directly up into her face. He inhaled and closed his eyes. "Screw 'em." He mused as he lay against his board.

He reached over and grabbed his Red Bull, taking another swig. He set his can down and put his hand against her shin, pushing off and rolling himself away from her. He leaned up and stood, kicked his board into his hand, holding it by the trucks. He slid his vape into his back pocket and picked up his Red Bull. He sighed and looked back at Reyna. "Shouldn't you be in daycare or prison or somethin'?" He began walking towards the Dixie Thrift Shop, letting Reyna decide if she would follow him or not.

Reyna Smith

Reyna nearly fell straight on her ass when the boy kickd at her shins, but she kept what little composure she had. She liked his attitude but felt like his nonchalant act was a little bullshit. Nobody in this town has been so relaxed since Olivia was murdered.

"Shouldn't you be in daycare or prison or somethin'?"

Reyna scuffed and began following him inside. "I got community service for my last offense, thanks." 24 whole hours of it. She was considering forging a document or bribing somebody, but she couldn't risk giving out the money. "Aren't you supposed to be at uh--a Yu-Gi-Oh convention or something?" She really knew nothing about vape culture, but she just assumed they were all grown up hipsters that were secretly weaboos. She pushed past Sawyer and started down an aisle, the clerk glaring at her. She hadn't hit Dixie Thrift yet, and no initial plan to, but the way the employee was looking at her made her feel like she had to prove her delinquency. Reyna looked back at Sawyer. "Feel like doing something fun today or nah?" She asked with a suggestive wink.

Arthur Collins

---

---

Arthur put down his cup of coffee as he listened to the news. Today he was at his main office doing some paperwork before leaving for the funeral, but his mind wasn't very focused right now. He pushed himself away from his desk and picked up the phone on his desk. He sat there thinking for a while contemplating what to do.

After a moment he finally decided what his course of action would be. He called his secretary and when she answered he said, "Mrs. Garrison, after the funeral could you get me a list of all the PI's within 100 miles of Dixie Inn."

"Yes sir. I will do just that, but don't you think that is a little far?"

"Maybe, but if they are good enough I will compensate them."

"Alright then. Are you going to the funeral, sir?"

Arthur looked at his watch then answered, "Yes, I feel I should pay my respects. Losing someone is a horrible thing. Especially this way." After that Arthur soon finished the conversation with his secretary. He collected his things then finished his coffee placing the mug back over at the coffee machine in his office. Mrs. Garrison would clean that when she arrived, and he needed to go. Walking out of the office he made his way towards the exit. Once outside he looked around and breathed in the very familiar air. However, with recent events it didn't quite smell as familiar as it use to. Within this town was something dark. Festering into a kind of danger that no one should ever deal with. Just the probability that it would happen in a place like this was highly unlikely.

It was unfortunate, but the town needed to get through with this funeral soon so that focus could be set to resolving this issue. Arthur walked to his car and then began driving in the direction of where the funeral would be held.

---

July 1st, Saturday. 2017.

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"What do you mean the feed was cut? For fucks sake."

Chief Craig Hamming stepped down as several people apologized. He smoothed down his mustache, as his worn hands swept his lower half of his face. This had been one of his biggest cases yet, and so close to his retirement. Hamming had no doubt in his mind that this was an act of foul play. The chunk out of the girl's skin was too small to be that of any bayou living creature. The teeth marks were clearly human, but no one wanted to mention it. Why? "Did we get any DNA off that broad yet?" Hamming spoke over to one of his colleagues, as he reached into his car and lit a cigar. He huffed and puffed on it a bit as he spoke to him, shaking his head not hearing exactly what he wanted to hear. "Oh well, we'll find the bastard! Won't we boys? Soggy pussy ain't new around here." a cackle escaped from the men before it was dead silent.

"Excuse me."

The faint voice of Nicole Ramirez holding back tears as she looked up at Hamming, "O-our family would like to invite the force over to the restaurant before we proceed with my daughter's funeral today. To say our thank you for your work." She could barely finish her sentence before she broke out into tears. She walked back to her car as quickly as she could, her younger daughter quickly following suit. Mortified, Hamming cleared his throat, and nodded to everyone as they silently made their trek to the restaurant.

After a very awkward late breakfast, the family, the police force, many Dixie Inn residents, and even the Mayor attended the funeral of Olivia Ramirez. Despite every thing... the service was beautiful. Nicole was in awe of how many people came to the funeral, exchanging encouraging words and embraces. Times were hard but with the right support system, mountains could be conquered.

---

With her lips painted red, a small smile formed as her younger brother gave his morning greeting. "Morning' baby brotherrrr." she called back, cheerfully. She hadn't any reason to really have smacked her brother the way she did this morning. Sometimes with siblings you just have the urge to smack them, and this was one of those mornings. It was out of love- if anything.

Digging into her food, an alert went off on her phone signaling a text message. Mr. Sinclaire glared at Bailey. "No phones while we're breakfast kiddo, you know the rules." Bailey nodded, "Sorry pa. I'll turn it off." She pretended to turn it off as she slid it into her lap, and peeked at the message.

Hey, you doing anything today?

Mags.

Bailey grinned, her eyes glancing up quickly to make sure both her parents were not looking so she could effectively reply to her friend. She made eye contact with Shawn briefly, sticking her tongue out. The coast was clear. Quickly she swiped her fingers across her phone to reply.

I ain't doing shiiiiit. Let's do something fun? (:

She sent it back, giving another look up to see her father's eyes looking into hers. "Bailey Renee.." he started before his own phone started to go off. Mrs. Sinclaire gave a chuckle, as the rules were slightly bent. "Excuse me, I have to take this..." he said as he got up from the table and went into their family room to answer the phone. Mrs. Sinclaire, turned to Bailey and Shawn giving a gentle smile as she begin to clear some of the empty plates and bringing them to the sink to be washed. "I hope every thing was good, and that you both have a fun day planned ahead of you. Please make safe and wise choices today. Your father and I didn't have plans to go to the funeral as we don't know the Ramirez family all that well, but we sent our condolences."

Bailey had forgotten about the funeral completely.

She hadn't known Olivia very well, her being a bit older than she was, but she had gone to the restaurant a few times with her friends and knew of the girl. Even if you hadn't known Olivia before the incident her name was plastered everywhere and in the conversation of every person you spoke to in town. It was kind of discouraging that someone that supposedly was so great, was only being talked about after she died rather than before. "Mags and I are going to go do something, I'm not sure what. Not sure if we're going to go to the funeral." she shrugged her shoulders. She didn't think too much about it admittedly.

Sending another text to Mags:

We gonna go to the funeral? Not how I want to spend my free weekend but... idk

She pressed send, before clearing her own plate. Knowing it would make her mom happy she began to do the dishes, soaping them up with scalding hot water and rinsing them. "Thanks hun" Mrs. Sinclaire said, giving her a daughter a kiss on the cheek before she left the kitchen and joined her husband in the den to see what his phone call was pertaining to. Looking at Shawn, Bailey raised her eyebrows, "Were your friends gonna go? I'm kind of scared. I ain't been to a funeral since grandpa died, and that was when you were like still shitting your boots." Bailey teased. Her memories flooded back, remembering her dad lifting her up to see her grandpa's face in the casket. She shook her head, instantly wanting a cigarette. She reminded herself she would need to grab her pack before she left to meet up with Mags.

---

After the prayer and once everyone began to eat, Shawn turned his phone to silent, which was generally the norm for him. It made him smirk when just seconds later his sister's phone went off, to which she recieved the same small lecture of no phones during breakfast. It made Shawn giggle under his breath at his sister, though this was hardly the first time she didn't pay the rules mind. As he took another bite of food, he glanced up to make eye contact with her, to which she stuck her tongue out at him before starting her 'secret' texting. He just rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head slightly in disapproval at her.

It was almost an awesome moment for Shawn when he saw dad staring at Bailey, and the anticipation of a bust was almost too good to be true, which it ultimately proved to be just that... Too good to be true. It was almost a role reversal, where this time dad was the one busted because his phone rang. It even seemed mom had taken notice and giggled, but it made Shawn slightly sad that the bust didn't go through. He'd get his revenge from the slap earlier, or at least see her get in trouble. It wasn't a matter of if she would, it was just a matter of when, and he'd be there when it would happen to watch the bust unfold.

When breakfast finally ended and he washed his own plate after Bailey, she looked at him once the parents were in the other room to ask him what he was doing with his friends.

"I ain't sure yet, sis. I still gotta check what Caleb texted and see if he had something in mind, ya know?"

The texts!! His phone had vibrated on several occasions during breakfast, and as soon as he answered Bailey he pulled his phone out to reveal the two longer texts from his friend. He winced slightly, unsure of what to say or do. He hadn't planned on anyone coming over... But it was Caleb, and he's come over a lot... Usually whenever Shawn said he'd just stay home too. Odd that works. Regardless, he began to text his friend.

Oh, uh, okay? I wasn't really planning on having someone over... But... I'll need to ask my parents. I don't think they'd mind since you come over a lot, but it'd be best if I do just because I don't want to get in trouble.

I'm sorry this was a bit late btw, I can't txt at breakfast and just finished. Movie is alright so long as it isn't some horror movie... Not with what happened. Our family isn't going, we didn't really know them that well and my sis is scared to go lol. I'll txt back when I know if you can come in or not.

With that, he made his way to the den, waiting patiently for his parents to finish their conversation so that he could ask them if Caleb could come over.

---

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Shauna woke up with a tear stained pillow, a sense of dread and "impending doom" weighing on her chest. Not only did today mark one week since her cousin Olivia's untimely death, but it also marked the day of her funeral. Ever since the young woman's remains had been found in the muck of Lafayette Bayou, it was as if the world as Shauna knew it came crashing down. Before Olivia passed, Shauna had not yet known the pain of losing a loved one, and hadn't been expecting to any time soon. The two young women were never as close as they could have been, Olivia having always been a bit critical of Shauna's "wild" and reckless demeanor, but they were still blood relatives and loved each other regardless. Naturally, the news came as a great shock to the entire family, but as the days went on, Shauna just couldn't shake the heart-breaking feeling of regret and guilt.

"I should've talked to her more," Shauna said through sobs as she buried her head into her mother's bosom, "I should've called more often and asked her about her day. I should have been a better cousin." She repeated these words over and over the night her mother broke the news, and even as she sat at the edge of her bed on this early, grim Saturday morning, she couldn't help but recite them again in her head.

The rising sun shot rays of light through Shauna's bedroom window, warming her body as she slowly made her way around the room, throwing articles of clothing onto her bedspread: a black dress, black heels, a black purse, and black stockings. Shauna's mother had brought the ensemble home the day before the funeral along with a black suit for her father, knowing that neither one of them had even owned a pair of black socks, let alone an entire outfit. Shauna got dressed and "fixed up" in less than twenty minutes, not bothering to put on any makeup in fear of what her face would have looked like after all the tears. After taking one last look in the mirror, Shauna made her way downstairs to the kitchen, spotting a note left by her parents pinned to the fridge. Both of her parents had left before Shauna woke up, wanting to go eat Breakfast with the rest of the family at Nicky's before the funeral. The two must have known that Shauna would not have been able to eat a bite of food that morning, which she didn't.

Shauna drove to the funeral in her BMW, going just a bit over the speed limit as usual. By the time she arrived, both of her parents were outside waiting for her. "Just go on inside," she said as she approached them, "I need a few minutes." Her parents just nodded their heads and silently went inside, leaving Shauna standing not too far from the entrance. She stood still for a few moments, her eyes staring down at her shiny black heels. Shauna had always been more spiritual than religious. Hell, she wasn't even sure if she believed that there was a God, but she simply couldn't help herself from wondering if Olivia was up in "heaven" somewhere, looking down at all of them. But then she entered the church and she saw her big cousin's body laying still in the casket, and the only thought that remained in Shauna's mind was, "We're going to find the motherfucker who did this to you. I promise."

Interacting with @mskennedy615

Jess wasn't a stranger to funerals, she didn't try make herself too familiar with them either all the same. As far as funerals went, the service was beautiful, the weather was forgiving for this far south when everyone was dressed in black and it was the middle of the summer.

Leith didn't shed tears, but she knew he held them back tightly, the tense set of his jaw, she couldn't but notice. When had her boy become a man? It had happened before her eyes and she'd never really seen it, even when his voice broke, when he shot up in a particularly rapid growth spurt, not even when he grew out some facial hair ... Those had all been physical changes but he was still the same placid child at heart. That child had been pleasant, but empathetic, easily moved to tears when any person or animal was in pain, a sensitive soul, hardened now, putting on a brave face as society told him men ought to. He'd had his silent sob in the quiet privacy of his bedroom, and perhaps he'd shed another tear or two again when he was away somewhere quiet with his thoughts.

The church was largely empty as they'd arrived a little early. Jess sought out Nicky, offering a supportive shoulder to cry on, volunteering to take care of the restaurant in Nicky's absence if she ever needed to take a day or even a whole weekend off.
"You helped me and my family out, and you're a dear friend. Anything you need, any time, you know where my house is and you're always welcome"
Comforting Nicky gave Leith a chance to have his own quiet parting with Olivia ... a chance to say some goodbyes to the girl who had practically been a big sister to him when he was starting school.

Leith wasn't exactly one to pray ... or be religious ... God hates fags was the message he'd heard from those hardcore folks. It seemed a bit hypocritical to pray to a God that hated him, especially if he was praying for his friends sake ... He didn't know what happened after death, but he didn't want to screw it up for Olivia if there was a better place to go to.

"We're going to find the motherfucker who did this to you. I promise."

"Damn right we will." Leith bristled a little ... just thinking about what happened, how those kids had found her- It was enough to make his skin crawl. No one deserved this, much less Olivia.

He took a minute to gather himself, taking in a deep breath and exhaling, before turning to Shauna.
"Sorry for your loss" Leith shuffled a little awkwardly. "Sorry for your loss" was just a basic funeral courtesy ... but it felt so hollow, repeating the same words everyone said at every funeral ever, even though they had good intentions and offered sympathy. Leith just wished there was some way to show just how much he meant it. Just how much he was saddened to lose her.
"She musta meant a lot to ya' ... She was good at that ... Lovin' people and bein' loved by people." he sighed.

Shauna's dad owned the garage Leith worked in ... really, his family owed Shauna and Olivia's parents a bunch. Leith's mom worked in Nicky's restaurant for ages, Nicky had been the most understanding boss anyone could ever ask for, certainly cut her a lot more slack than she deserved sometimes, others would have fired a moody young single mother who stressed and snapped. Nicky wasn't like that. She'd been sweet to Leith and encouraged Olivia to play with him and help him with his homework. And Shauna's family ... well, when Leith was a rebellious teen, full of frustrations and anger, well, he put Leith to work in the garage. He learned a trade, worked out his frustrations, and when he finally came out and calmed down, he had a nice little job going.

Leith felt he sort of owed it to Olivia and Shauna in a way, his mom was kind to their parents, he wasn't exactly sure what to do, but he could be good and helpful to Shauna at least.
"How you holdin'up?" he asked, wondering if it was a totally dumb question or if he was being helpful or just annoying...

Sawyer pushed his skateboard through the thrift store, but slow enough to stay on pace with Reyna. He looked around the store as he blew another puff of smoke into the air. He held his hand out a brushed the rack of coats as he rode down the aisle. "Yeah, you know who was the token troublemaker before you came along? He muttered. His jabbed his thumb to his chest. "If it's fun you're looking for, then I have some ideas. I've always wanted to spray paint a massive sack on the gym floor at the high school... cause that's what the whole place smells like, not that you go to school enough to know that..." He muttered, then stepped off his board.

In the next aisle was a small rusty bike. He puffed some more mango into the air then pocketed his vape pen. He grabbed the bike by the handle bars and sat down, though it was far too small. "Just for the record, watch yourself with the vape-hate. You don't wanna end up like Jack Grayson. I duct taped him to the flag pole at school at the beginning of the year.

He stood from the bike as he saw a police cruiser pull into the lot outside and park in a spot. He grinned to himself and walked back to his board. "I'll bet you ten bucks you won't try and ollie onto the hood of that cop's car."

---

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---

"Sorry for your loss," a voice said from behind, causing Shauna to tear her eyes away from her cousin's lifeless body and settle upon the deep brown eyes of Leith Meyer. If Shauna had a dollar for every person who'd told her those exact same words over the past week, she'd be stinking rich. On one hand, Shauna knew that humans, being the emphatic creatures that we were, more or less understood loss, and that the phrase "sorry for your loss" is simply something respectful and understanding to say to someone who was mourning the death a loved one. On the other hand, however, Shauna was angry. She was angry that after everything that had been uncovered in the past week, after what this "Alligator" fucker did to Olivia Ramirez, all anyone ever had to say to her was that they were sorry. The truth was that, given the circumstances, they were all sorry that there were no good words to say, and everyone seemed to be uncomfortable with the silence of deep loss.

"She musta meant a lot to ya'. She was good at that, lovin' people and being loved by people." Shauna nodded her head absently, chewing her bottom lip to keep from crying. That was the thing about Olivia, she was always nice to everyone; there couldn't possibly be someone in the town who genuinely disliked her. Even growing up, Olivia was a very sweet girl, a stark contrast to Shauna's own behavior. "How you holdin' up?"

Shaun let out a short, dry laugh, "How am I holding up?" Letting her eyes drop to her shoes once more, Shaun shrugged her shoulders and sighed. She stayed that way for a few moments before speaking again, careful to maintain her composure. "I'm angry," she said evenly, "And when I'm not angry, I'm sad. One day I'll get the strong urge to fight someone; anyone. The next, I'll cry nonstop for hours. One minute I'm crying to pictures from when we were kids, and the next I'm plotting revenge on God knows who." Shaun's left foot exasperatingly tapped the floor as a mix of emotions ran through her: anger, sadness, guilt. "I just don't get it. Out of all the shitty people in this world, why her? She didn't deserve this." Hell, with all of the crazy shit Shauna did on a regular basis, she would've thought that she'd be the first one to go, instead.

Once she'd finished her spew, Shauna looked back up at the young man that stood in front of her. Although the two of them weren't extremely close, Shauna knew him pretty well. She knew that he and Olivia were good friends, as well, and was thankful that he asked how she was doing. "How about you, Leith? How are you holding up?" She asked with a slight nod of her head. "I know how close you two were."

Interacting with @mskennedy615

(Hope this is okay I'm on mobile)

"I'm angry," she said evenly, "And when I'm not angry, I'm sad. One day I'll get the strong urge to fight someone; anyone. The next, I'll cry nonstop for hours. One minute I'm crying to pictures from when we were kids, and the next I'm plotting revenge on God knows who".

Leith nodded. He understood exactly where she was coming from because he felt that way too. If it wasnt for his mom and little sister,who he needed to stay strong and brave for, he was certain he'd have lashed out at someone ... Probably his stepfather since he was always there and the relationship was already under strain. He kept composed however,even when he came close to screaming the house down.
" I feel the same Shaun "he agreed. "Mom insisted I stay at home after she told me the news .. Good thing she did or I'd have put a wrench through a windshield at work and that's just for starters" Leith knew Shaun's dad was a good guy,he took Leith under his wing for a little while, letting him have his moment to bond with a guy, a dad figure, who wasn't his stepfather. But even Mr Jenkins had his limits and Leith was certain he'd be fired if he went and trashed customers cars even given the extraordinary circumstances.

"How about you, Leith? How are you holding up?" She asked with a slight nod of her head. "I know how close you two were."

He shrugged .. A moment passed where he just thought ... Somewhat miserably.
"There's so much I had to tell her ... I ... I didn't even realise and now ... It just sucks yknow, I can't even tell her thank you ... Or say I'm sorry for all those times I musta annoyed the heck ouuta her. I also feel kinda guilty too yknow?" the question was on everyone's lips... Why her?
"It shouldn't have been her... I was a tyrant in highschool but she was always sweet as pie, she didn't do anything to deserve this and I did a whole buncha stuff ... Not enough for someone to go killin me but ... She deserved this so much less than everyone else in this dang village."

He'd have loved to say they would catch the killer but ... Would they?/so many murders were left unsolved and Olivia's was such a mystery. He didn't want to get his hopes up or lie to Shauna when they really couldn't tell ...
" I hope the police catch em, whoever did this ..."