CHAPTER FOUR

The four friends sat in the police station, their hearts pounding. They had never been in a situation like this before. They were all scared and confused. The officer had just left the room, and they were left to sit in silence, trying to process everything that had happened. They had no idea what was going to happen next. All they could do was wait.

The door opened and the Sheriff walked in holding a transparent bag containing a wallet in his hand.

"Dad!" Nora called.

"You're in big trouble girl" he said through gritted teeth.

He set the transparent bag down on the table in front of the four friends. "Your fingerprints were found on this wallet," he said. "We need you to tell us how that happened."

The friends looked at each other, their minds racing. They were all thinking the same thing - what should they say? Could they deny it? Would that make them look guilty? They had no idea what to do.

"Please, just tell us the truth," the Sherrif said, his voice stern.

"We found the wallet in the forest, we were all struggling to check what was inside. That is how our fingerprints got on the wallet in the first place." Nora explained calmly.

Alice looked at her and wondered how she was able to keep a calm demeanor in this tense situation. Her eyes met with Reggie's and he seemed to be wondering about the same thing. They all knew that Nora was in big trouble.

"I'll need you to tell me everything that happened and what you saw," the sheriff said.

The group told the sheriff everything that happened in the woods, including the reason they were there in the first place, everything that led to the discovery of the dead body and how they had run away.

"Why didn't you report to the police? You could have called the attention of the cops on patrol then, and Nora you could have told me as soon as you got home, but instead you kept it to yourself." the officer queried. Nora gulped down nervously.

"We were terrified. We're just teenagers doing a school project." Reggie pointed out.

The sheriff nodded in agreement.

"Well I'm still going to need a written statement from your teacher that she sent you to the forest. You will be let out soon since you're first time offenders." He said.

They all sighed in relief.

The Sheriff stood up and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. He seems to have realized something.

"You said you saw a woman in the gas station?" He asked them.

"Yes!" They answered in chorus.

"Did you tell her anything about the dead body?" He asked. They replied negatively.

"Can any of you decide what she is like? What was she wearing?" He asked.

"I don't really remember, I was too tired from the run to take notes of her physical features," Reggie said.

"Well, I have a photographic memory, I could try." Fred said.

"Great, she could be our new lead. Let me get the artist." The Sheriff said and left the room again.

The sheriff reappeared into the room with a man behind him.

"Now Fred, describe the lady. What did she look like?" The sheriff asked.

Fred closed his eyes as he tried to recollect memories of the woman. He started giving descriptions of her and her dressing.

"...with a stain of blood on the right side of the shirt." He concluded before slowly opening his eyes.

"What?!" They all exclaimed.

"Blood?" The Sheriff asked, confused.

"Yeah, I think, I mean that is exactly what I saw, I am so sure." Fred said.

As the questioning continued, the door to the police station opened and a familiar face walked in. It was Fred's mum. Behind her were the parents of the other three friends, Alice's mum, Nora's mum and Reggie's dad. Their faces were a mixture of worry, concern, and relief.

"Can we take our kids home now?" Fred's mum asked the Sheriff.

The Sheriff looked at the four friends, then at the parents. "I think that's a good idea," he said.

Fred's mum walked over to him and gave him a hug.

As they left the police station, the parents all expressed their relief and gratitude that their kids were okay. They also reminded them that they should have told them what was going on sooner.

"I know you were scared, but you should have told us right away," Alice's mum said.

"We understand that you were in shock, but please don't keep things like this from us in the future," said Nora's mum.

The four friends nodded, feeling guilty and a little ashamed.

"Let's go home,"

.

.

.As soon as they walked through the front door, Alice's mum turned to her. "We need to talk about what happened," she said.

"I don't want to talk about it," Alice said, feeling defensive.

"We have to," her mum insisted. "This is serious. You could have been in real danger."

"I'm fine," Alice said, crossing her arms. "I don't need you to tell me what to do."

Her mum's face tightened.

"I'm not trying to control you," her mum said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I'm just trying to keep you safe. If you had been hurt, we would have been devastated."

"I'm sorry," Alice said, feeling a little guilty. "I didn't mean to worry you. But I'm fine, really."

"I just want you to be more careful," her mum said. "Promise me that you won't take any more risks like that."

"I promise," Alice said, but inside she felt torn.

"That's a promise you would never be able to keep," a voice said in her head.

Alice made a promise to her mother never to hide things from her from her again, but little did she know that their little encounter in the woods will forever change their lives and that they are so deep in it.