Blood Red Hills

Lana leaned back in her seat on the airplane and gazed out at the night scene. Thank God her job as a detective paid her enough to ride first class. Not only could she enjoy the silence, but the uninterrupted view of the lights in the cities she flew over, and she could think. It was Lana's favorite part about flying. She always booked night flights because she could never get enough of the lights. This flight, however, was not as enjoyable as most. She wasn't flying to investigate any old case. This was personal. It started with a phone call from the last person Lana expected to hear from. Lana had just slipped off her Gucci leather heel loafers after a long day at the office. She opened the blinds of her uptown Manhattan apartment to take in the view of the city before the sun went down. She sat down to rub her sore feet and order some Thai food when her phone began buzzing on the arm of her blue tufted Kathy Kuo sofa. Her brows furrowed when she noticed it was from an unfamiliar phone number. With her job, it wasn't uncommon to get random phone calls, but she swore she recognized this area code. She tapped the green phone icon and held the phone to her ear, "Detective Morgan." she said professionally, but she was not greeted with the same courtesy. The sobbing on the other end of the line sent a strange chill through her bones. "Lana...it's Veronica." the voice sobbed. Lana's eyes widened, "Veronica? What's the matter?" "Eric..." Veronica muttered between gasping sobs. Lana felt her heart drop to her pelvis at the sound of the name. Eric Banks was Veronica's twin brother. He was easily the heart throb of Seldan County. Cheerleaders, drill team, even college hotties pined for Eric. He was the team captain of North Seldan High School's Lacrosse team. The boy had colleges practically begging him to take scholarships into their schools. Eric could have had any girl he wanted, but Lana Morgan was the apple of his eye. Their chemistry was evident from the moment they first laid eyes on one another. Eric and Lana began dating in 8th grade. When they were in fourth grade, they shared a secret peck on the lips on the playground at school. It could have been sweet, but Eric's face was sticky with grape jelly from his PBJ at lunch. Lana had chapped lips, and needless to say, they both thought it was gross. Veronica Banks was Lana's first and most consistent life friend when she moved to Red Hills, Utah. Veronica was the first to approach her on the school playground and ask her to play. Being the new kid, Lana was not about to say no. With Lana's jet black hair and baby blue eyes, she easily became popular among the boys. She was that girl all the girls hated, and the one that boys wanted to do. Lana wasn't the kind of girl to do popular girl things. Her interests were more on the side of theater, speech and debate, and volleyball. Her athletic build got her through the police academy, and her ability to interrogate made her one hell of a detective. It took years for the promotion, but she made it. A game of spin the bottle at a birthday party is what forced Lana and Eric to revisit the lip locking. Eric had spun the bottle and Lana's stomach flip flopped when the bottle landed on her and Eric winked. This time, Eric had minty fresh breath, and Lana's strawberry watermelon lip gloss took his breath away. When they were in the circle, the kiss was just a peck, but when Eric was alone with Lana, he pulled her in for a real kiss. Lana would never forget the way he kissed her. Like his lips were meant for hers, and he was a pro at what Lana didn't know she wanted. When he slipped his tongue in her mouth, she was stung with a mix of pleasure and panic. Yet she went along with it, and found she liked it. Their romance was blissful. For years, they were known as Red Hills power couple. They were each other's first of everything. And they didn't need to experience anyone else. They were young and in love. But that would all change come senior year. Their perfect love came to a tragic end, and they went their separate ways.  Lana wanted to leave Red Hills, and Eric wanted to keep his roots in the town he was born in. With neither willing to compromise, the epic love became a thing of the past. Veronica had drifted apart from Lana, and they too became no more than a memory of growing up. Eric eventually found himself a wife and had three boys with her. Lana wasn't even invited to the wedding. She only knew through f*******: stalking. "Veronica, what about Eric?" Lana asked in a shaky voice. "He shot himself..." Veronica cried. "He shot himself?" Lana's voice trembled, "Is he okay?" "Lana...he's dead. He drove to the Red Hill last night and shot himself. He was just found in his truck." Lana's world went blank. Veronica's voice was replaced with ringing, her heart throbbed in her chest and hammered through her ears. This cannot be true. Not her Eric. "Lana!" Veronica yelled. "Lana are you there?!" Lana shook her head, "Sorry, I'm here I'm just..." The time between the phone call, and Lana getting on a plane was a blur. Lana's head ached. She was in complete and utter shock. She might have made the coherent decision to get on a plane and head back to Utah, but she felt like a zombie. Mindlessly traveling in a certain direction. Eric Banks had killed himself, like many other young men who grew up in Red Hills.