Coming Your Way

Flying Isn't Just for Birds

"This just in: another family was found grotesquely murdered in their peaceful suburban home; including a mother, her husband, their seven year old daughter and four year old son. The mother and daughter were found tied to chairs with bruise marks on their faces, and socks and stockings tied extremely tightly around their necks. Suffocation is how the coroner ruled was their main cause of death.

Sadly the father and son were found in much worse condition. Both were stripped naked with severe head and neck injuries; but perhaps the most terrifying discovery of all was the sick smile that the murderer carved on their faces from ear to ear. Sadly, it seems as if our city's very own Joker has struck again....

I shuddered but refused to turn the radio down. Poor Mesa city was under a constant reign of terror ever since the mysterious arrival of a sick murderer. The media has dubbed him The Joker, and it was rightfully named.

"This is the fifth family," I muttered as I continued to drive to meet Ayanna and her mystery college friend. It was criminals like this sicko that made me wish my fictional character Grace Swan was real after all. Not that I could guarantee Grace would be able to bring him to justice... After all, all the villains Grace encounters I make up in my head. True some of them are based off of real mystery and murder cases; but most of them are from my sick and twisted imagination.

Besides I don't how real criminals think. I just get lucky people think my representation of them is accurate. I probably wouldn't know a real serial killer if he flicked me on the nose. I had strongly considered writing a story based on this Joker character that was mercilessly terrorizing my peaceful city, but I would have to wait a few more years for that. I wouldn't dare now.. What if he....or she, (the media doesn't even have so much as a strand of hair to identify The Joker), heard I was writing about him and tried to kill me!?

"I'd just do what Grace would do " I chuckled answering my own question sarcastically. I parked my car, climbed out and locked my door. To say I was stalling wouldn't be too far from the truth. What? Was nervous! Whoever this friend was, her and Ayanna had the whole "college bond" thing going on  which kinda seemed like a type of "Vegas bond". You know instead of "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" it's a "what happens within dorm walls stays within dorm walls."

It's not that I didn't go to college - I just graduated super early and got a job as a published author by the time I was twenty-one. That was three years ago though, and after a year of struggling with the world's worst writers block which nearly cost me my job, I came up with what I thought was the most generic story.

But that's a different story for a different time...

Ayanna had stayed to enjoy the college experience since she hadn't graduated at twenty, and even though we literally called each other every day, she was bound to make new friends. It wasn't the least bit surprising; Ayanna is beautiful, vivacious and lively, the life of every party. Basically, the complete opposite of me. 

She's vibrant and extroverted, I'm a wallflower introvert. Our differences never bothered us, though it baffled nearly everyone we ever met. I was just hoping she warned her college friend that I wouldn't be downing shots with them or grinding up on guys in the club.

I walked into the restaurant where Ayanna had made our reservations and kept an eye out for her. She wasn't hard to spot at all. I heard her way before I saw her. Her voice was loud and clear, and it sounded as if she was flirting. I followed the sound of her voice, and soon enough I found her, right in the middle of doing her signature move of flicking her brown hair over her shoulders.

Her green eyes lit up when she saw me and she got up to race to me excitedly. "Gracie! Oh my gosh you're here! Aww I've missed you so much! I have so much to tell you, and so much to ask you-" she stopped mid-ramble to examine my work outfit, which was just being a white button down and a knee length black pencil shirt, paled vastly in comparison to her tight fitting, cleavage revealing, sensual yet sweet cocktail dress. "Oh Gracie, you haven't changed at all!"