Paper Masks | ᴊᴜɴɢᴋᴏᴏᴋ

10 :: raspberry red

A few hours later, you stand on the beach, waiting for the Crime Unit. You look down at the purple line across the sneakers you are wearing and wonder when he bought it. It is definitely brand new and it is definitely not his size. You lick your tongue over your dry lips as your heart beats furiously at the thought.

Not again. Never again. 

You are snapped away from your thoughts when the Crime Unit comes in big black SUVs. Lisa and Taehyung step out from one of those cars. Taehyung acknowledges your presence with a nod while Lisa waves furiously, running towards you and hugging you. 

"Hey," your voice is light and airy. Lisa makes you feel alive in this dreary job, you realise, like a sister you've never had. 

"Hi, hi, hi," she jumps slightly in your hold. She pulls back and looks around, telling you, "This is my second off site visit."

"Congratulations," you throw a thumbs up at her. "Let's do a good job."

You, Taehyung and Lisa are standing over the charred remains of a bonfire on a deserted northern stretch of the East Beach. Litter is strewn all around. Red plastic cups, butts of cigarettes and plastic papers scattered around. The group divides to cover more areas.

You look at the rock you and Jungkook had found Brittany by. Taehyung yells over at you, "I've covered that area, Special Agent." However, it's the small paper mask by its side that catches your eyes. You rush towards it, thanking Jungkook mentally for offering you the sneakers.

You lift it up after wearing your gloves, finding it to be so thin that you worry of damage to the evidence. Beyond everything, it is the fact that Jungkook and you didn't notice it the first time that surprises you. It's a rookie mistake and you expected better from yourself. 

You look behind and below the holes for eyes is a text typed in what seems like a typewriter font —

[beautiful people are stains. / disgusting stains. / i just wanted to show you who you truly are.]

"Holy fuck," you mutter, calling out for one of the members from the forensic department. Lisa rushes towards you and so does Taehyung. "Uh, evidence?"

"We'll run it for fingerprints," Lisa says, bagging the plastic mask, her expressions turning more worried with every passing second as she reads the words.

Taehyung has a flicker of a smile on his face and you raise an eyebrow. He quickly goes back to his poker face and says, "Did he really slip? Or is this all planned?"

"I don't know, Taehyung," you mumble. "All I know is that I'll stop at nothing till I can catch this bastard." He raises both his eyebrows and walks away.

You walk back to the bonfire site and Taehyung who stands by your side with Lisa, mumbles, "Empty plastic cups, beer bottles, and," his face morphs into one of disgust, "Is that a stray bikini top?"

"A bunch of drunken, half clothed idiots, staggering around a giant fire," his voice is harsh. "I'm surprised any of them made it out alive." 

Lisa chuckles, "You didn't go to a lot of parties in high school, did you?" You observed how her eyes glisten as she looks at Taehyung and you can't help but smile.

"Absolutely not," he scoffs. "I cared more about getting into a top-tier university than getting it on with some guy or girl or being a Housewarming King."

"Pretty sure it's Homecoming King, Taehyung," you laugh.

"Semantics, Special Agent," he smiles. "Semantics."

Taehyung circles the bonfire like some rite and stops in front of you, "So you and Jungkook think that she was taken from the bonfire?"

"Well, this is the area for sure."