Getting away with murder 101

Chapter 12: Rosalind's POV

When we finally reached to dining hall, I was becoming extremely annoyed with Rosa.

She was ignoring me, lost in her own little world, nodding and agreeing at random intervals not soaking up any of what I was telling her. I could've said that she was a ninny, and she still would've agreed!

"ROSALIND!" I waved my hand in her face as we sat down, determined to get her attention and angry that I needed to go to such measures to get her attention.

She spooked a little, causing me to smirk. She turned her narrowed eyes to mine, "What?" she said, mildly irritated.

I crossed my arms over my chest, "You didn't listen to anything I just said, did you?"

I waited patiently for the flash of tell-tale guilt across her face, but it didn't come, "I was listening." she protested.

I snorted in disbelief drawing a couple of curious glances from the rest of the people occupying our table. I waited patiently to return to their own conversations before ploughing on, "Then you would know that I said that Alexander managed to get some information from Monsieur Duffy about that night that the teachers went out."

This caught Rosa's attention and her expression changed from one of annoyance to intrigue. I sighed, "He let on that Mrs Cregana, Mr Lemon, Mrs Atkinson and Mr Atkinson disappeared off too somewhere apart from the rest of the group."

Rosa's brow furrowed with confusion, "So... wait... how on earth did Alexander come across this information?"

I knew she would ask this question, "Let's just say that being in a detention gets not only the student bored, but the teacher as well."

"Alexander got a detention?!"

"He may be extremely handsome and smart but he's not a goody goody."

Rosa smirked at my remark, "If you think he's got good looks, I'm sorry but you might need glasses."

I sprung to my defence, "Oh really? Enlighten me then. Who does have good looks?"

Rosa laughed out loud before narrowing her eyes at me, "You do not want to know who I have my eyes on right now."

I contained my laughter, "Oh, but Rosa, I think I would very much like to know," I studied her with my detective eye, "No. Don't tell me. It's got to be Jacob. He's been giving you looks since day 1 and you guys always find something to laugh about."

I flashed my mind back to that PE lesson when Jacob had helped Rosalind up from the floor after she had fallen over during Lacrosse practice. Neither of them had broken their eye contact with each other until Miss Robins had stormed over shouting at Jacob to get his 'scrawny backside' back over to the rugby field and at Rosalind to stop 'waiting for the Christmas holidays' and 'get on with it'.

Rosalind shook her head, in what might have been disbelief, and turned to her lunch in front of her. She mumbled something that I only just picked up with my sharp hearing, "It's not even a boy."

I froze and stared at Rosa before blinking a few times.

She's...

I shrugged.

So what?

She's good, supportive friend. It doesn't matter who she likes.

I decided to let it slip and turned to my own food, shovelling mouthfuls of potatoes into my mouth to hide my initial shock.

I could feel her gaze penetrating through my brain. Then I realised that she hadn't mumbled with the intention of me not hearing but with the intention so the other nosey, gossipy people around us couldn't hear.

"You're Ok with me?"

I nearly choked on my potatoes.

After regaining somewhat of my composure, I replied, "Whoever isn't Ok with you is an idiot and deserves a good rap across the knuckles."

Rosalind flushed beet red and gave me and awkward side hug, "Thanks,"

I just shrugged again and returned to my plate of potatoes and chicken pie.

A little later, the contents of my plate had diminished significantly, leaving me down to two sorry looking excuses of potatoes. Rosalind, who, I noted, hadn't eaten anything, excused herself from the table saying something about desperate and toilet.

I stabbed one of the potatoes and lifted it to my mouth, chewing and swallowing it before repeating the process for the second one, however I was interrupted by someone coming up behind me.

"Hey,"

I am not going to lie, but I had initially jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

I spun round, "Alexander! Hi!"

"Hi," he said again, repetition is a sign of nervousness, he jerked his thumb behind his head in the direction of the courtyard, "Would you care to join me outside?"

I looked around for any sign of Rosalind before turning back to him, "Yes, let's go outside,"

Alexander smiled and I got up from my chair, following him to the courtyard where we turned left and came to a standstill beneath the oak tree.

We were blanketed in silence as neither of us were willing to break it. Crows perched atop the roof of the dining hall were cawing noisily to each other, bickering over something. I began to feel uncomfortable, not necessarily with the silence, but with Alexander's beautiful blue eyes burrowing into mine, eager to know my secrets.

"A group of crows is called a murder. Did you know that?" I started, not able to maintain the silence and my sanity.

Alexander looked up at the squabbling crows and nodded, "Yes, I did. Don't you think it's rather odd that they are here? I mean they're timing couldn't be more-"

"White and yellow, kill a fellow,"

I stopped and so did Alexander. We looked up slowly to the open window from which a sweet but aged voice was singing a peculiar rhyme.

"Purple and blue, good for you,"

Wasn't that the rhyme to identify which berries could kill you?

"Red could be good, could be dead."

We looked back to each other as the singer finished the rhyme. My heart was pounding in my ears. If we could find the singer, maybe, just maybe. We could find the murderer.

We needed to find the singer.