Untouched

Chapter Four- The Interrogation

It had now been two hours since she first found the cold steel of the binds on her wrists to have initially bit into her skin, and she was becoming more at home with the vapid walls encircling her as a claustrophobic tomb of a two-sided mirror staring into her with guilt. This place made you feel as though you were guilty, even if you had been just an innocent bystander of the victim; or their roommate, in her case.

“If you wanted to see me before Thanksgiving, there are simpler ways, you know.” A voice similar to that of nails on a chalkboard made its way into the space around her as Natalie quickly rolled her eyes. The sight of Kenton Ramsay, a figure she had been cursed to have in her life since middle school, had now occupied the seat across from her. Slipping a manila folder onto the table in front of her, he wore a s**t-eating grin that made her wish she had taken her mother up on those self defense classes just enough to wipe that off of his mouth.

“It’s going to be fine-” His voice continued in that honey timbre he was gifted with since puberty.

“Then take these off of me.” But at the motion of the handcuffs, his eyes ignited with lust.

“I’ve always wanted to see you in handcuffs, Nat-Although when I used to picture it...it wasn’t exactly in my work place-And you weren’t exactly wearing THAT-or anything-”

“I would rather be sentenced to death than let you ever touch me.”

“Again?” Her eyes darted at him. He luxuriated in her discomfort for only a minute before opening the folder and revealing a small section of papers labeled with the precinct embedded into the grain of the letterhead. “Look, I just need your statement, alright? Then you can go back to studying whatever it was that you were…”

“I’m not under arrest?”

“No. It was campus security that took you in...and although they shouldn’t have been able to use the cuffs, given the circumstances, they thought it was best. You could even sue them if you wanted...but please don’t make me do that paperwork on that-”

“Why was I held here then?” She asked, disinterested in his attempt to lighten the mood.

“Because you came upon the body...Which I’m sorry you had to see…”

Her eyes fell away in his endeavor to be kind, as it was a color she was not used to seeing graze over his complexion. He was a perpetual smartass-one of the many traits women found in him to be irresistible; even her at one point. But after they graduated and found their parents in an amorous relationship, Natalie cast all romantic or lustful feelings to the side; but that s****l tension seemed to remain nonetheless, if not more so.

“I just need your statement and then you’re free to go. Any details you can remember; times are important if you can recall-” But as he tried to remain steadfast in his occupational direction to her, her mind flashed back to the images of El. Although she hadn’t known her for an entire forty-eight hours, she still felt a clear loss and a regret of not attending the festivities with her that night. She couldn’t help but feel that if she had been there, perhaps El would be alive.

“I just saw...Why would you want me to relive it?” Her eyes flashed back and forth to and from Kenton as he prepared himself for a deep exhale before meeting with her eyes. For a moment, she was taken back to sitting across from him at the table outside of the school cafeteria as he would torment her on her choice of converse over the heels every other girl seemed to wear; unaware that he actually favored this about her. “Maybe you’re used to the grime of all of this but-”

“Look...I just want to get you out of here...I know it’s hard...But...In order to find out what actually happened to her...I need your statement.” She slowly nodded, understanding that she may have been the only person who would be able to give an outside account for who El was as a person in her final twenty four hours. But as she attempted to write the details of her experience, she began to tremble.

“Do you happen to know what Professor Henderson was doing before he was with you?” Her eyes rose up to her stepbrother as she slowly nodded.

“He was out for a run...We literally bumped into each other-and he offered to walk me to my room after knocking me on my hands and knees…” After hearing the words meet the air around her, she quickly spoke in his defense. “He was a gentleman and really nice and professional and-”

“Calm down...Just make sure you put that in your statement. Anyone you met...anyone you saw...anything out of the ordinary in the room...UP until the point you were-”

“Forced here?” She questioned with a quick flash of her eyes as he slowly nodded while glaring at the direction of the glass at his occupational allies who were rather rough against her.

“You finish this up and I’ll get you a sweet tea from the vending machine- You still like that, right?”

“I guess…” She spoke coyly but couldn’t help but feel slightly touched at the fact he remembered such a mundane detail as opposed to so many they had shared. The specific night in question was one where she was heartbroken by Asher on prom night. At the very moment he was crowned king and allowed the epitome of high school glory, she ran outside to find solace in the moonlight so she was allowed the chance to cry on her own. But she was joined by Kenton almost immediately as he was worried for her; teasing her choice of dress, before offering a sweet tea; one of three in the entire night. It was the only time they had spent together that was not cruel or callous or full of innuendos. He was genuine to her; similar to now…

Finalizing the details of this frightful report, she signed her name and dated the bottom, as instructed, just as Kenton returned; sweet tea in hand as promised. She thanked him politely before twisting off the top, taking a single gulp, and returning it to the table; unaware he watched her every movement with contentment.

“How are you liking it here?”

“It’s cold…”

“I mean in Philadelphia-I know it was a change from Ohio and-”

“I did it for my mom...And the scholarship, which helped her…” His lips curved to a smile, almost one of pride, before he slipped the statement back into the folder, and moved behind her. Pressing his weight into her in order to reach the hole of the cuffs, she couldn’t help but feel her heart flutter at his close proximity. Meanwhile, her mind screamed at her for being attracted to what was apparently always forbidden; her stepbrother and her professor.

“You should call your mom...She thinks you-”

“Is that all? Or do you need a swab or lock of hair?” She interrupted, pushing herself upright, before finding him directly against her. His eyes fell to her lips for a moment, recalling the taste of strawberry lip gloss that was present the last time they stood this close, along with the way her tight little frame felt in his hands as she was eager to meet his hold.

“If you can think of anything that may help...don’t hesitate to call me...Even if you just want to hear my voice...take out some frustration-” She scoffed, taking her fingers to his chest, and gently pushing him away.

“If that were to ever be needed...you would be the last person on this planet. For more reasons than one…”

“And what about Jackson? Would you go to him?”

“Like that is appropriate for you to ask me!?”

“Just be careful, okay? He has a bit of a reputation and he WAS with you and quite a late hour-”

“My spare time has nothing to do with you-it’s not an interest of yours-”

“It is when he was a suspect in a former case...another girl-another scholarship girl, like you. Just be careful if he has a special eye on you-not only would it be breaking every ethics code, but...it would kill your mom if something ever happened to you.”

“Yeah? Maybe you would just be bored of nobody else retaliating against your bullshit-”

“Nat-”

“You don’t care what happens to me or my mother, so stop acting like you do. I filled out your little report and understand your attempt to be a part of this family-but do what you’re best at...and just torment me from afar, okay?”

“Are you ever going to forgive me? We WILL have to see each other-”

“Do you regret it?” She asked in response as he stared at the table just beyond her as she now slipped from his aroma of aftershave and Calvin Klein.

“Not for a second…” Shaking her head, she recalled the details of that night from her memory; each depraved detail and self loathing action she permitted herself to.

“I mean it, if you think of anything about Shelley...let me know.” These would be the final words allowed between them as she flashed a middle finger, before disappearing into the hallway. The handful of steps she was forced to take in order to escape the precinct, left her feeling judged by each pair of eyes falling to her; both those wearing badges and those in cuffs. She did not appear to fit the role of anyone belonging here in any sense as she was not tormented enough to be guilty of anything but also too tainted to be seen as completely innocent…

When she managed to make it back onto the campus grounds, she came back upon the room, to find layers of police tape hanging over the room, forcing her to realize she had nowhere else to go.

Well...almost nowhere…

Her steps moved into the direction of the only ally she had managed to make on campus-even if it had been something she was warned against. She convinced herself it would be safe enough as it would only be a single night; and honestly, only a few hours-as class was due to start in just over four rounds of the clock. But before she was able to knock on the surface of the office door wearing his name within a proud silver plate, she thought of El’s words against him, the police, and even her own stepbrother; but she also thought of how it felt to be at his side-how safe. And even though she felt rather idiotic for ignoring those red flags, she believed she had nowhere else to turn to. And she surely wasn’t going to call her mother...She wouldn’t want to worry her.

“I was hoping to see you…” His accent sounded out against her as he observed the open space behind her to ensure they were without a witness, before he let her move beneath his arm without the need to lift it, due to a difference in height that left her rather petite to him, before he twisted himself to face her without hesitance-locking her in the room along with him.