Manhunt

Chapter 22

She felt like shit.

Her wet form stood at the front of her house as she replayed the events that took place moments before. Zane ran away, after kissing her, for God's sake! Had she...had she been that bad? It was her first kiss, how was she supposed to know the mechanics of lip locking?

A powerful shiver struck her body and she finally marched herself back into her home, closing the front door behind her. She armed the alarm system for the front half of the house before trudging her back to the back. The back door was still opened, so she went to close it, arming the system before pulling the blinds down. She caught both immediate neighbors staring through their windows as she went to shut the blinds, looking almost embarrassed for her. She gave them a half-hearted wave before ripping the curtains into place.

Knowing the fact that he rejected her in front of her neighbors made her feel a bit better.

Sike. It made her feel worse.

Julia walked back into the kitchen, heading towards the sink to wash the dishes, only to find it empty. Everything was already drying, and she realized that Zane must have cleaned it before he went outside to join her by the pool. Biting her lip, she struggled not to cry before heading up to the bathroom, stripping down her wet clothes and taking a hot shower. Shuffling back into her room, she dug through her drawers for a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. If she was going to be sad and miserable, she'd rather be comfortable while doing so. Julia strapped her usual knife onto her thigh, the routine becoming second nature to her despite being in a safe environment.

Finally, her body relaxed under the heavy comforter of her bed, preferring the warm darkness to envelope her as she clutched onto a pillow tightly. She didn't even want to look at anything that contrasted with her mood, and she hoped that she'd fall asleep without having to think about how confused or stupid she felt.

Her cell phone rang, breaking the dreary, ambient silence that Julia had built for herself. She braced herself in case it was her mother, who probably already had word about the kiss. Pulling the device out from her pocket, she peered down at the screen, having guessed correctly. She took a deep breath to adjust her voice before answering.

"Hey, mom." She greeted her quietly, faking a yawn. "How are things over there?"

"Well, actually." She responded, a smile in her voice. "We have a lead. We used the video footage from the local businesses surrounding the school and the cruise ship to get a visual of the agent who left the roses behind. They're both the same person."

"Matthew." Julia stated his name immediately, hoping it wasn't a false one.

"You have his name?"

"He told me while on the ship, right before he escaped." She explained to her, forcing herself to get out of bed and move to her computer. "I'm not sure if it's his real name, but he didn't hesitate to share it with me."

"He underestimated us." Emma growled, prompting Julia's heartbeat to quicken. It was rare to witness her mother's anger, so it generally left an impression on her. "He's overly confident. That'll be his downfall."

"Exactly what I thought."

"We'll use the name you gave us," she stated with a sigh, seemingly trying to calm herself down. "If it's real, it could help with identifying him in case the visuals aren't enough to work with."

"If it's real." Julia echoed, already assuming it to be a lost cause. She hadn't been feeling terribly optimistic lately. "What's dad doing?"

"He's at the lab with the higherups."

"The higherups?" Julia squeaked, biting her lip. If they were as invested in rose examination as her parents and Red were, then it was proof that the situation was beyond just Julia and her family. She hadn't been able to finish her conversation with Red, who would've provided more information on Mortifer, so she made her conclusions based on what she knew and her intuition. Deep in her bones, Julia knew this threat was beyond what she could handle alone.