Paper Planes

Blood is Thicker Than Water

Don't make eye contact and keep moving.

That was my mantra as I stepped off the bus and threaded through the sea of commuters. Many hurried past me, heads hung low and hands buried in their pockets, mumbling dry apologies when they bumped into someone.

The bus stop was a short walk from my apartment complex. On colder days, the walk felt longer. It didn't help that the sky was gloomy and overcast. Hiking my purse up over my shoulder, I rubbed my hands together in an attempt to bring the warmth back to them. The bus might have been grimy and packed to the brim but at least it was warm.

Betty, my blunt but kind-hearted boss, had asked me to stay back after work to do some inventory. It was difficult to say no to this lady. There was a rumour going around the grocery store about her giving out promotions to anyone who was willing to put in the effort.

I needed the money and I was willing to put in the effort.

As I pulled open the door to my complex, the smell of weed and sweat hit me like a truck. Holding my breath, I ran up the stairs, not bothering to try the elevators. They were usually out of service. It wasn't a big deal since my brother and I lived on the second floor.

My brother sat at the kitchen table, books spread out in front of him and an irritated expression gracing his sharp features.

"Hey," I mumbled. "Did you eat?" He didn't respond right away, still distracted by whatever was bothering him. Lucas Murdoch was a smart kid and good with numbers. According to him, numbers were "absolutely beautiful", which was one thing that we didn't agree upon.

"No. Not yet," he said, massaging his head slightly. Lucas was in his senior year at high school and would be applying to universities soon. His grades were good enough to get into any school across the province but he didn't think so.

"You need some help?" I asked, pointing at the textbook. We both knew I wouldn't be much help to him. Both of us had been surprised when I graduated high school three years ago.

"I think I'm good." He smiled at me. "How was work?"

And just like that, we had moved on. The two of us were good at doing that, picking up and starting over, acting like nothing had happened. It became easier after mom fled the day after I turned eighteen.

Lucas opened the microwave and took out the leftovers from last night. Then we sat at our ratty old table and ate. Chewing thoughtfully, Lucas snuck a creep at his textbook, something he knew I hated. "Eat first and numbers later." I pointed at him with my fork.

"Sorry."

"Anything interesting happen at school today?" I said through a mouth full of food.

There was one thing in particular I wanted to know more about. That thing was a person actually, a girl Lucas had the biggest crush on since freshman year of high school.

"Nothing much." Lucas stabbed his lasagna and shrugged. He was trying to play it cool but something major had happened today.

"Oh my god. Can I meet her?" I gushed, leaning over as a wave of giddiness passed over me.

Relationships were rare for the two of us. We both didn't have the time for that kind of stuff. So, when something did happen it was an exciting feeling.

"Seriously,  Laurie. You're so weird." He rolled his eyes but still cracked a smile.

"Did you ask her out?"

"I wanted to." His eyes took on a far away look as I started imagining what the wedding might look like. There would be a lot of blue since that was Lucas' favourite colour.

"Hello, Lukey. You there?" Snapping my fingers in front of his face, I reached over to pick up his empty plate. He wrinkled his nose at the sound of his childhood nickname.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm here, Larry." A grin replaced his grimace. "We just talked about random stuff during lunch."

"What kind of stuff?"

"She likes animals a lot." He paused. "Like a lot."

I gasped.

"You should take her to the zoo."

He considered my words and then nodded. "That's actually a good idea."

A knock at the door startled me. "Who could it be at this time?" I glanced at my watch.

It was almost seven in the evening. People never came knocking at our door in the mornings, let alone at night time. Lucas never invited kids over and I had a grand total of 2.5 friends.

Outside stood a pudgy man dressed in a blue uniform. Despite his poor athletic build, his glare was stern and unwavering.

This guy wasn't messing around.

"Laurie Payne?" I nodded, crossing my arms across my chest.

Every day since mom left, I was afraid that a cop would show up at my door accompanied by child services. At 18, I was barely making enough money to feed myself. But Lucas was a quiet kid and never let it slip that his sister was raising him.

Now, at the age of 21 and working two decent-paying jobs, things were a little better for us. There was no fear of Lucas being taken away from me.

"Who wants to know?"

"I was hoping to ask your brother some questions."

The officer pulled out a small notepad and looked up at me expectantly, waiting to be invited inside. There was an odd solemness in his features which made me a little uneasy.

"Regarding what?" I was being a bitch but that was because I was scared. Cops don't just come knocking at your door for no reason.

"It's regarding the murder of Priya Chopra." Suddenly, my throat went dry while my palms started to sweat.

Priya Chopra was Lucas' long-time crush. It was the girl who loved animals and was supposed to go on a date with my brother.

"Who is it?" When my brother saw the officer come into the apartment, his face went white as a sheet and his eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Good evening, son. My name is Officer Clark. I just wanted to ask you some questions about Priya."

I motioned the officer to sit down. Then I gripped my brother's hand and guided him to a seat.

Just as the officer flipped open his notebook, his phone buzzed. His face darkened when as he listened to the person on the other end.

My brother was shaking beside me. A tear rolled down his red cheek. It didn't make any sense to me because Lucas still had no idea what this was about.

Officer Clark ended his call and reached for the cuffs at his belt. "I'm sorry, Miss. Payne. Your brother is under arrest for the murder of Priya."

It felt as if someone was clenching my heart. I watched helplessly as the officer read my brother his rights and turned him around.

Lucas didn't meet my eyes as the officer led him outside.

||Author's Note||

This is just something random I wrote to practice my writing. Would love to hear your thoughts on it.

~PurplePizza