Second Nature by Ae Watson

police station. We’ll meet you there.” Vincent gave Mr. Casey a
look.
    “Be fast.” He and Mr.
Bueller turned and left the deck.
    “I think this is where I
go home.” Jake winced. “Text me when you’re going to Rita’s.” His dark-blue
eyes were focused on mine as he walked into the games room.
    Sage looked like she
might cry but held it together until it was just us .
“What the hell? Why just the two of us?”
    My brain immediately did
a loop of the corkboard in my closet and repeated everything Mr. Casey had
said. At the moment I arrived at the word “scene,” I knew the answer. Vincent
turned and nodded at me. “What can you remember?”
    “The blood. Sierra’s dad
said the scene. The only reason he would have to ask Sage and Linds anything
about the scene is the blood.”
    He looked defeated. “Oh
shit.”
    “Sage and Linds, you both
bled at the scene.” My eyes lowered to the red angry scar on Lindsey’s knee.
“You were the only ones injured. And we left that out of our original statement
to the FBI.”
    Lindsey’s eyes traveled
south to the scar that was still so fresh. “Oh no.”
    “No. They wouldn't be
able to test it against anything. None of us have offered a blood sample to
rule it out against the DNA they would have collected.”
    Vincent gave Lindsey a
look. “What if they got the blood type from the blood at the scene, and you
girls are the only ones who match that type?”
    “I’m an A.” Lindsey
looked at Sage who nodded. “Me too.”
    “I’m an O.”
    “That’s not how it’s
done.” I scowled at Sierra and Vincent. “It doesn't matter. Out
of the hundreds of kids at that party, why you two? That doesn't make
sense. Unless they have our blood samples somehow. Which they don't. They think it’s us for another reason, and
they’re trying to scare us.”
    “What can we do?” Lindsey
asked, looking scared.
    Vince shrugged. “Tell
them that Sage was so drunk she decided to go for a pee in the woods. You tried
to help her, tripped and fell, cutting your knee. Sage, you fell and hit your
face because you were so drunk. We, and the police, know you were drugged.”
    “No.” I shook my head.
“That doesn't work. We told the police we found Sage and Rita together, very
drunk and sick. We took them inside Rachel’s and then to Sierra’s but neither
of their dads were there. So we took them to Lindsey’s house. Her dad drove
them to the hospital.”
    “Lain, we need a plan,”
Vincent snapped.
    “I know.” I contemplated
for a moment, processing it. I took a deep breath and recalled in exact detail
what I had said was our original statement. “We got there late, meeting Rita at
the party. She was there early to help Rachel. Rachel and Ashton broke up as we
arrived. He left the party as Sage and Rach started fighting about it. Rita,
you were with Sage the entire night. Rachel was being a dick as usual. Me, Sierra, and Lindsey ignored it and all partied together.
We noticed later on that Sage and Rita weren’t feeling well. We brought them to
Sierra’s house, but her dad wasn't home so we went to Lindsey’s and her dad
took them to the hospital while the rest of us went in the hot tub. We left the
party around eleven. We saw Ashton leave before us. Vincent was there, still at
the docks around eleven, and he was trashed. We didn't see anyone else we
remember. Sage, you and Rita remember nothing, exactly the way you actually
are.” I looked at them all, gulping my breath. “That's our original statement.”
    Vincent’s lips drew into
a wry grin. “I can’t imagine how busy it is in that head of yours.”
    I pointed at Sage. “Sage
was in the woods falling down drunk and gave herself a head injury. Lindsey,
you went into the woods to pee and found her. Rita was with her, also trashed.
We could say that's how we originally found them.”
    “Wait, so I peed in the
forest?” Lindsey pulled back a bit. “Wouldn't the pee be there with the blood?
Why wouldn't I pee