Chapter 13

I stared helplessly. I knew I had to call the police, that was what I thought of, first. But then I had no idea what I had to tell them. Fighting to maintain logic, I chewed my lip thoughtfully and began to pace the tiny room in circles. I had to do something so quickly. I couldn't just ignore all the shit, or could I? I reasoned it out logically. What if I just could get dressed and leave? Could anyone find me out? Would anyone believe that I didn't know what had happened to D, or that I didn't even know him that well?

Would anyone say I had done something to him? Would anyone find out to blame me for the old temple burning down? And there would be bodies in the ruins, wouldn't there be? After all, with the stress of Jack's murder investigations, the police in charge didn't like me very much. They would be for real happy, I was certain, to get me for something.

The question ceased and I came to a single conclusion: that looked like a very, very bad situation. I made two more circuits in the room, then knelt by the bathtub and studied D for the second time. As I stared at him, a strange thought filtered through the chaos in my mind. He was very good-looking, maybe even a beautiful corpse in a chipped bathtub. It was just but my luck.

I leaned over him and tentatively and tentatively reached a trembling hand towards him. I had never before touched a dead body. Reluctantly, I pressed my fingertips to his neck, imitating what I had seen on the TV.

His skin was ice cold and I winced as I searched for the faintest hint of a pulse. My brows furrowed in concentration and I was forced to admit that I didn't even know what I was feeling for, but I decided, it hardly mattered. One look was enough the man behind the aid of medical attention.

I took my hand back and studied him, wondering what could have killed him. I didn't think that people just died sporadically unless there was something seriously wrong with them, to begin with. Maybe he had a heart attack or died of a drug overdose. That sounded like something that would happen to one of Jack's friends.

I poked him again. If I had drugs on him would they arrest me too? I had just decided to search his pockets when the string alarm sound came in from the door. Someone else was there, standing and waiting for my response. Was I to go there? What if it could be the police? Anyway, it could be better than my father.

My father was so sensitive, and he could just take a second moving around my new home, and what if it was him? Could he realize that I was right there with a person in the bathtub and he was dead? What would he think of? That I murdered a strange person? My heart pounded and I had a jump in my beats. I fidgeted as I thoughtfully engaged in a struggle between my own mind and the heart, the two held different opinions.

My mind never wanted me to go to the door, and on the other, my heart was thoughtful that it could be the police and I could quickly get help from them.

But how would they even think at first, that I murdered him? No; I didn't want to go to the door. However, the more I hesitated to carry my heavy legs, the more the alarm from the door kept on ringing from one second to the other.

I was tensed and sweat ran down from my hair, I poked at D once again, this time I decided to search his pockets to ensure he had no kind of drugs, so I could walk and invite whoever was at the door to come in. When I had just decided to search him did his eyes open; dark orbs stared straight through me.

With a horrifying scream, I fell over backward and sprawled across the floor on my butt. I propped myself up with my elbows and started to stare in disbelief at the bathtub.

I halfway lay on the bathroom floor, staring at the bathtub. Though I could not clearly see inside, I knew what was in there and eventually who was in there.

It was D, he looked half dead, and he had then eventually opened his eyes and suddenly drew a noisy, shuddering gasp like he had been drawing and had only just escaped that.

Then slowly, he sat up and turned to face me. He stared at me, a lack of comprehension on his face. We gazed at each other our eyes locked, he looked confused, his eyes locked with mine, which were wide from fear.

The silence stretched. His dark eyes pulled me in until I was drawing. I couldn't move, couldn't speak either. Time ceased to exist as the silky depths captured my attention, warm and whispering about things that my primitive subconscious seemed to understand. I started to feel lightheaded but, before I could actually humiliate myself, he broke the spell by murmuring, "Hello Jessica?."

I fought to regain control of my faculties and banished the strange feeling to the back of my mind where it belonged. "Hello D" I repeated his words sarcastically, glaring at him.

"You scared me, half dead and the only thing you oughted to say was Hello? I thought and I was convinced you were dead!"

As I stood, I scooped up my ruined sweater and pressed it to my chest like the only shield I had.

As if just realizing I wasn't fully dressed, D looked away politely, with a hint of a smile on his lips. "Did I hear someone at the door?" He whispered. "But no! Just wait, I am not dead as you can confirm?" He glanced back at me, "I just feel like I could be."