Suspects

Cqndy wanted to leave, but the man grabbed her hand. A lustful smile froze on his face that made me shudder in disgust. Luke wouldn't stand for it, approaching them and pulling at Candy's hand. "What do you want from her old man?"

The man hissed. "Don't talk to me like that kid...she knows why i'm here. Alright?" He looked meaningfully at Candy. She turned away and shrugged her shoulders, showing absolute disgust with her entire appearance.

I turned to her and whispered against her ear. "Is everything alright?" She didn't say anything and just continued to look ahead. It was at that moment that Mr. Nixon arrived at school, he walked past me and nodded his head as a sign of greeting.

I wonder what he's doing here. Luke glanced at the box in the hands of Sam's stepfather. "That's all Sam's stuff from his locker. Where are you taking it?" He asked.

The man took a long sip of his drink and looked annoyed at Luke's question. "Do I report to you now?"

Luke ignored his look. "Why didn't his mother take it?"

The man looked around and tried to make a sad face which failed miserably. "She's not feeling well."

"Did you do something to her too?" Sam stepfather was started at this question, he looked at Luke and sharply pressed him against the wall.

"I'll not take your nonsense, boy!" He hissed into Luke's face.

Candy screamed at him: "let him go!"

I wanted to go and pull that disgusting man away from my Luke but looking at how big he his, I decided against it and can only hope a threat would work. "I'll advise you don't want to cause a scene here. Or should we call the sheriff over? he's right there.

"I'm not holding him, right?" He let go of Luke, straightening his clothes like nothing had happened, and patted his shoulder.

This definitely angered Luke. "Take your mitts of me..." Seeing that Luke was on the verge, Sam's stepfather laughed, and raised his hands up in the air, as if surrendering.

"Okay, okay. Better that you return to class than be out here pestering people." He said as he looked at me too this time around.

Luke looked like he will gurge out the man's eyes any second. "Yeah maybe we'll get a chance to discuss this again..." Sam's stepfather grinned, and headed towards the exit. When he'd gone, Luke immediately relaxed, and then turned to Candy. "You ok?"

Candy nooded. "I'm fine. Thanks for coming though. I didn't know how to get rid of him."

WOOOSH!!

A familiar sound made me freeze. My heart pounded in my chest.

WOOOSH!!

I screamed. "Ahhh! That's it!"

Luke looked at me concerned. "What's wrong with you?" Without answering, I ran out into the street. Candy and Luke exchanged looks before chasing after me.

WOOOSH!!

We went out to the school entrance and we saw Sam's stepfather starting his rusty car, throwing the box with Sam's things onto the seat next to him as if it was rubbish.

Candy looked around not seeing the thing that made me scared. "Did you see a ghost."

I looked at her and back at Sam's stepfather car. "Worse." I paused before continuing. " I think it was Sam's stepfather who chased me this morning."

Candy didn't seem convinced. "What made you think so?" Candy followed my gaze and grasped, guessing at the answer. "Wait! Was his car the car that chased you earlier?"

"Yes..I think it was." I watched as Sam's stepfather drove out onto the road, and I didn't leave until the car had disappeared around the corner. I started to shake.

Candy touched my hands. "We have to tell Mr. Nixon before he leaves. You have Proof!" She infolded my hands, revealing my scratches."

Luke looked confused. "What happened?" He asked curiously and worriedly.

I know now is not the best time to tell him. "I'll tell you later, OK?" He nodded and we went back inside.

There was a notebook lying on the spot where we had met Sam's stepfather, I had noticed it from afar and went to pick it up.

Candy saw the notebook in my hands. "What is that."

I shrugged. "Apparently, it fell out of the box with all Sam's things." I flipped through it. There were drawings on every page.

Luke came closer to looka the drawings. "I didn't know Sam knows how to draw."

Sam drew long, skinny, weird people, obviously not respecting the proportions of the human body. It seems he was a bit out of his elements painting thisse guys.

Maybe he was dealing with rage like this, through his art? There's always the throwing stones at his own house.. in any case, what I saw drummed up anxiety within me. They were the drawings of an unhealthy mind.

"Why are you here." The teacher stood behind me, and I was startled in surprise at her approach. "The class had begun, by the way! Or do you have more important things on your schedule?" Her eyes glanced at the pictures in my hands. She grabbed the notebook and flipped through it, carefully examining each page. "What hideous drawings..."

Swoosh!!

Mrs. Baker tore the notebook in half.

Swoosh!!

Then again. And again. Until there were only shreds left in her hands. Luke looked annoyed, how can she just destroy a dead person's belongings just because it looks hideous, this might even be a clue to his death. "What the hell are you doing?! Those are Sam's drawings!"

Mrs. Baker laughed wickedly. "Yes, I knew that. Didn't I tell you to return to class?"

Luke and Candy followed instructions, but I couldn't return to studies in my current state. The sound of the car engine that almost killed me this morning was still ringing in my head.

I walked around the school searching for Mr. Nixon., and finally I head him in one of the distant room.

"Stop making excuses, it's starting to piss me off..." The voice I heard the very next second made me freeze and hold my breath. That was Michael's voice.