a cold summer

Chapter Three ~ Winter to Summer

I merely stared at them, unable to comprehend what had just happened. I wanted to scream, to cry. What was I supposed to do? The shock of it all was clouding my judgement and my emotions.

How was it even winter? Had I just spent 6 months under the water? The air was definitely cold. And there was snow. Snow! Why was there snow? The thoughts circulated my brain like a withered leaf blown from a dead tree.

I tried to avoid looking into their faces as I passed them. But I couldn't help myself. I gasped as I caught sight of them.

They were both smiling.

They were definitely dead. Their eyes were wide open and they weren't moving, or breathing. I couldn't touch them as that would probably contaminate the bodies and hinder the murder inquiry. But why were they smiling? That seemed really odd to me. And scary.

I couldn't imagine what I was going to do without them. My best friends, gone. Just like that. Tears began to roll down my face as the bitter truth finally set in.

I figured the best thing I could do was call the police and see what they thought.

I ran back into the kitchen to grab my phone. It was lying on the couch where I had left it. I turned it on. The battery was dead.

That was weird. I charged it last night which means it should have a full battery. I haven't used it at all today, so there's no reason for it to be dead.

If I couldn't call the police, I would have to go find them myself.

***

The police station looked rather dark and dingy. I figured crime rates on a tiny, remote island would be relatively low meaning that there was little use for the police.

A very large woman was sitting at the reception desk, making her way through a large box of doughnuts. She looked up at me, wearing an annoyed expression on her face.

"What is it now?" she muttered.

"Um," I began. The woman raised a hairy eyebrow and devoured another doughnut.

"My friends have been killed." Saying it out loud officially sealed what had happened. A sob caught in my throat and I tried my best to not break down into a shower of tears.

"Mhm," the woman answered, still chewing on a doughnut. "You want detective Xara Wilde then. She specialises in murder."

She pointed to a door on the right. "You'll find her in there."

I was appalled at the lack of sympathy in her voice. I merely rolled my eyes and continued to the left.

The door had a rather large hole in the middle of it, covered up by four pieces of yellow duct tape which was peeling away sneakily from the hole.

I pulled at the door cautiously, nervous that it was about to fall off its hinges. Inside, a single window lit the dusty room. A broken chair lay in three splintered pieces underneath the desk which was slowly sinking into the floor under the weight of the many files and memos strewn across it. An ancient computer was dangling precariously over the edge of the desk. The floor had a clear inch of dust with one area cleared by door which I had just swung open.

The woman sat at the desk clearly wasn't expecting any visitors as she jumped up in surprise. Her dark hair had a slight purple tinge to it and was tied back in a low bun with a significant number of stray hairs loose which floated around her face like little snakes. She had icy blue eyes with dark shadows underneath, making her look slightly creepy. There was just something about her that seemed off. But this whole police station seemed a bit backwards to me so it didn't seem like that big of a deal.

She smiled as I walked in. "What can I do for you today?" she asked calmly.

"My friends have been killed," I said. "I was told that you could help me figure out what happened."
"Tell me what happened." There was a hint of authority in her voice which made me feel slightly more confident as she at least seemed to know what she was doing.
"We were swimming in the lake," I began. "I dived in first but when I came up to breathe it had suddenly turned to winter and I saw my friends bodies floating in the distance." I knew how ridiculous it sounded and expected her to question me.
Xara frowned. "Why did you leave the scene?"
She seemed so calm. I was surprised that she seemed to believe me. "My phone ran out of battery."
Xara shook her head. "That reduces our chances of finding out who did this as they could have tampered with evidence whilst you were gone. This will be a challenge."
This time I frowned.
She smiled. "But luckily, I like challenges."

***

I led Xara and her team of forensics back to my house and through the garden. I suddenly realised that the forensics team made me think of Isa, who wanted to be one. I missed them both so much.

But something was wrong.

It was sunny. And warm. The winter spell had disappeared. Did that mean I imagined it? No. No, it had definitely been there.

"It's not very cold." Xara announced. "Are you sure it turned to winter?"
"Absolutely positive," I replied.
"Show us the bodies."

I led them over to the lake where Jesse and Isa were still floating in the water. Xara's team instantly began to examine them, before zipping them up in body bags and carrying them back to the lab.

Xara however started looking in the bushes over by the dark forest. As I walked over to her, she left the bushes and walked towards the pier. I followed her.

"There's something very sinister about this place," she said ominously.

I looked around. The sun was shining on the lake which sparkled in the light. A warm breeze blew across the loch, creating little ripples in the water. The summer was so perfect - there was literally nothing ominous about it.

I was about to contradict her when a cold wind blew past me. It sent shivers through me, and it felt like it did when I first discovered Jesse and Isa's bodies. The wind blew the clouds across the sky, blocking out the sun to leave a grey, overcast weather.

It felt like November. Cold, dark and creepy. I turned to Xara who was staring at something behind me. Her eyes were wide in fear and she swallowed nervously.

I looked behind me and saw something I wish I hadn't.

Two children were watching us, smiling the same creepy smiles that were etched upon Jesse and Isa's lifeless faces. A girl and a boy. They were both dressed in sunday best outfits, immaculately clean. But their faces were grey and sullen. They didn't look real.

They ran off into the dark forest, laughing.

Xara looked extremely shaken. "Well, um. I think this is a bit beyond me. But I can put you in touch with a team of paranormal investigators who would be up to the task."

I just laughed. "Really? You think ghosts did this?"

Xara's face was still deadly serious. "You said the weather changed when you came up for air, right? That it started snowing."
"Well, yeah but the weather changes all the time..."
"Not from summer to winter," Xara argued. "And definitely not back again in the space of 20 minutes."

I suddenly felt uneasy. What Xara said did almost make sense, but I desperately didn't want to believe her.

"Come back to the station with me," Xara announced. "I'll introduce you to the team."