The Campfire

Emma

‘Two bodies found in the north of Hurricane, appears to be burned.’

‘Police found charred bodies two days ago at the family campsite in the north.’

‘Locals say that it might be connected to the death of a woman 13 years ago.’

The headlines burn into my brain, threatening the bad memories to flood up again. My nails unconsciously dig into my palms. 13 years in the city was meant for me to start over, to put the pain in the past, and be ‘normal’.

Nothing had changed. Well, I had a new friend, that’s all.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn to see James. His brown curls tumble in front of his face and he brushes them away.

“You okay there?” He tentatively asks.

“Fine.” Am I okay? I look down to see my hands shaking, I bury myself into them again. It doesn’t give me any comfort, nor make me feel any better.

James sighs and plops down on the chair next to me. Peeking through my fingers, I observe him. He was my closest friend in Hurricane, knew me better than the others. He was also the only one who stayed in contact with me after we all split.

James had changed a load since I last saw him. Light stubble dots his chin, his neon orange glasses contrast from his hair and his jaw is sharper. Gone is the bubbly chubby boy other Emma played with, but in place, a man who’s innocence died in his childhood.

I glance at the others sitting around me.

Lucy, my old girl-next-door friend. I left her behind when my uncle had brought Dad and I to his place. She looks bothered about being here, I can’t tell. It might be me she hates, or maybe everyone really doesn’t like being in the Police lobby.

Jess, James’ little sister. She’s not little anymore, she couldn’t have possibly remembered much about the incident. She was only three years old. I didn’t know her particularly well, but she and James are much closer than any other pair of siblings I’ve seen.

Directly in front of me, is Tanner. He’s my only friend from the city. The only kid who was brave enough to face the girl from the country, who’s mother was burnt, who’s dad was a drunk, who worked in a food court as a cleaner. He could’ve happily stayed with Justin and Max, being all cool and stuff. But he chose me. I didn’t mind it, it was nice to have someone to talk to.

Tanner looks through my palm, straight into my eyes. He gives me a small smile.

My hands finally stop shaking, slightly calming me down. Before I can fully relax once more, Detective Holmes enters the quiet lobby along with Constable Lawrence.

Holmes

I had left Logan and our kids back at home, knowing that I might never come back out of the investigation. Born as a Hurricane child, I was familiar with this legend. Everyone also knew the child who’d seen her mother’s body.

Emma Crowlex looks different from the pictures in the paper, as if the years away from the countryside had changed her. She has pink tips contrasting her brown hair and adorns a gold nose piercing. Nothing making her look innocent.

Next to me is Lawrence. I don’t like her, she’s over ambitious, and probably hates everyone in this room, including me. It’ll be even more of a pain in the ass to have her as an assistant.

In the meeting before, she was anything but keen on letting the teens help. She thinks she’s capable of completing this situation by herself, I doubt she even knows what a child is. Or even how to handle them.

Mark thought that bringing back the kids who’d seen the incident happen before would be able to help us. The locals were anything but keen about Emma returning, especially those who were close to the two people who were found. They probably blamed the event on her. But she’s seen more than what they’d seen, so they shouldn’t have been saying much.

So here I stand before them, anxious about how they will react to our first briefing. Being loyal and following instructions are important in a case, but it may be hard with them.

Sigh. “Ok, so do you all know why you are here?” Basic questions first.

The blonde one bursts out of her chair. “When can I leave?”

The others look at her poker-faced, as if they were trying to hide their disapproval. She gingerly sits back down, and stares at her nails.

Ignoring the situation earlier, I continue on. They stay quiet throughout.

When I’m done, Lawrence takes over.

“No snogging girls when we are out at the site, take care of yourself, you are NOT my responsibility. If one of the girls get pregnant, well, that’s just your fault. Just get on with the whole case and try to finish it up so you aren’t wasting my time. If you find anything, report to ME.”

Quickly cutting in, I say: “You are our responsibility, if one of you disappear then we have to find you. But you won’t have to worry.”

James

Gee, that Constable Lawrence sure is salty. That Holmes dude is pretty cool though.

Em stares at her feet, ever so slightly shaking. Lucy looks pretty done with life.

It’s different to see Em like this. She was taken away from me, she didn’t have a choice. I wish she could’ve stayed, she should’ve, but not like you could change the minds of adults when you are seen as a small child who had seen too much.

Holmes catches our attention again. “We will be heading out this afternoon, so be prepared. Meet you here at 3.” With that he walks back toward the office, with Lawrence slamming the door behind them.

I look back at Em again, and reach for her hand. Her fingers intertwine with mine, holding on with a firm grip. She leans into my lap and tears leak from her eyes, damping my jeans.

Her friend, Tanner grimaces at the sight of Emma in my lap and continues mindlessly looking around the room.

A quiet few minutes pass, before Jess stands up.

“Well, we better get going, we’ve only got 2 hours.” She gestures me to get up.

Em looks up at me.

I give her a faint smile. “You can come with us if you want.”

Tanner eyes her, and she flinches for a moment.

“Tanner has my stuff, so, I’ll have to go with him.” She mumbles and gets up, walking to him. They head out of the police station, and Jess is already dragging me out of the lobby.

She hands me the car keys, we hop into the car, heading straight home.

We stay silent.

Tanner

Emma sits in the passenger seat as I continue driving along the dusty road towards the inn we’re staying at.

Emma doesn’t bother looking at me when we arrive, she shuts the door of her room in my face.

I knock.

She doesn’t reply. I leave her alone and head to my own room, reluctantly embracing the solitude. I don’t know what’s with her now, I don’t know what I did to piss her off.

I don’t like James, but I’m pretty sure Emma won’t forgive me if I beat him up, or dislike him. He gives me gay vibes, and I’m sure he should know that Emma is straight. He doesn’t even look nice, but I shouldn’t bother.

My phone vibrates, and I pick it up to see my dad calling.

“So, how’s your girlfriend?” He asks in his same old bleak tone.

“She seems pissed.”

“At who?”

“Does it look like I know?”

“Does it look like I care?”

“Then why did you bother asking in the first place?”

“Doesn’t matter, just come back home in time for your State soccer comp.” With that, he hangs up, leaving me not feeling any better than I was before. I’ll admit that having Emma being called my girlfriend has a nice ring.

I slowly dump my belongings into a drawstring bag. When I’m about to head to the bathroom one last time, someone knocks on the door. I look through the peephole and see Emma, all ready to go. Unlocking the door for her, she walks in taking a seat in the low quality plastic chair next to the bed.

She still avoids looking at me.

Emma

I know what is going through Tanner’s head right now. I heard what he said to his dad through the very soundproof walls.

I can say one thing, I am not pissed.

It’s not like I could unsee what little Emma had seen. It plagues me everyday, leaving me looking more fucked up than a normal girl should be.

Tanner comes back out of the bathroom and motions for us to go.

As soon as we head into his car, and being the person he is, he asks: “Did I do something wrong to hurt you?”

Staring out of the passenger seat window I reply.

“No.” It doesn’t convince him.

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologise for.”

He suddenly pulls over. I take a deep breath when he makes me look him in the eye.

“If I’ve been a dick, you can tell me.”

“Well you haven’t.” He doesn’t look convinced.

“Ok, whatever you say.”