CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
[24]

song: mortal projections by djo

A WEEK PASSED. Each night for the past four days there would be a search party for Tommy. Every family in Wayward would put on their coats and grab their flashlights to follow the Police department around different parts of the town. Daisy had gone to every single one. Kai said to play the terrified girlfriend, and so she did.

It was easier than it should've been, honestly. She'd 'cry' every night. She looked 'miserable' at school. She wanted to find him more more than anyone else— that's what she told everyone. People were kinder to her than usual, people she'd never even spoken to would come up to her at lunch and tell her that they hope she was doing okay. She nodded and smiled faintly, telling them that she knew Tommy was probably just upset from the break up, and that he was just taking a break from all this, and that he'd be home soon.

"Now if any of you know anything about Tommy Joseph's whereabouts, please contact the Wayward Police Department immediately." The principal spoke over the intercom. "And now for your daily announcements."

As the principal was replaced with overly chirpy student ambassadors to talk about the new lunch menu, Kai turned to Daisy and spoke in a whisper. "Want to go downtown tonight?" He asked.

Daisy frowned. "I should probably not be sneaking downtown when my boyfriend's search party is going on. Maybe Saturday though?"

He sighed and turned away. "We haven't gone on an actual date."

She glanced at him and then back to her paper. "We've been a little busy." She said in a hush tone.

Kai turned back to her. "I'll get my family to go to the search party tonight." He shrugs. "There. That can be a date."

"How romantic." She twiddled with her pencil.

"I know." Kai says, turning back to face the front of the classroom. Daisy glances up at him, and realized he didn't understand she was being sarcastic. She stifled a laugh and waited for class to start.

As lunch rolled around, she'd earned a few more stares than she had before this whole mess. She wandered over to her seat with Josette and Jen and sat down with her tray of food.

"Hi, Daze." Jen spoke, in a comforting tone.

Daisy could squirm. She didn't like it when people tried to comfort her in the first place, but especially coming from Jen. "Hi." Daisy responded softly.

Josette tried to lift the mood. "There's pumpkin pie today." She says, gesturing to the slice on her tray. "I think for all of November they're serving it—"

Jen shook her head subtly at Josette to shut her up, before turning back to Daisy. "How are you doing?" She asked.

Daisy was sick of answering the question, and it wasn't even the final round yet. "Fine." She mumbled back, staring emptily at her food.

Jen inhaled and thought of her next words. "Maybe this weekend we can have another sleepover at my lake house." She suggests. "Take your mind off of it."

Daisy shrugs. "I don't know if I'm feeling up for it." She lied, knowing she had plans with Kai.

Jen nodded and relaxed back into her seat. "I understand."

The rest of lunch was awkward, just like it was for the past week. No one really knew what to say. No one knew what would cheer Daisy up or just make it all worse. So no one talked at all.

When she got home, she went straight to her bedroom and smoked a blunt out her window with Kai in his. She leaned against the frame and blew smoke out of her mouth.

"Are you excited for our date tonight?" Kai asks, from his window.

"For sure." She scoffs. "I love walking around in the woods with our families in the blistering cold and pretending I'm depressed."

"We'll do something better on Saturday. Promise." Kai says, putting the blunt to his lips. He leans back in his room and glances at the clock. "We should probably go, it starts in ten minutes." He says.

Daisy took one last drag from the blunt. "Yeah, you're probably right." She says, the blunt had turned more into a roach, and she threw it out in the trashcan beside her desk. "I'll see you there." She nodded, standing up and shutting her window behind her.

"Daisy, we're about to leave." Susan yelled from downstairs.

"I'm coming." She responded, grabbing her coat and gloves and quickly shoving them on before heading out of her bedroom.

Susan upturned her nose at the smell of weed, but didn't say anything as Daisy moped down the stairs. "Where is it tonight?" Daisy asks.

Allison joins the two in the front entry. "Richard says they're gonna search the woods down by Anglewood."

The words didn't process at first, as Daisy opened the front door to go outside, but as soon as they settled, her heart skipped a beat. Anglewood, the road Kai and Daisy chased Tommy off of and into the woods before killing him. "Fuck." Daisy mumbled.

"Did you say something?" Susan asked, as they gathered out into the driveway towards the car.

Daisy looked up at her mother and shook her head. "No, never mind." She forced a faint smile that looked like more of a frown.

Susan returned the frowned. "You know you don't have to come if you don't feel up for it." She said, putting a comforting hand on Daisy's shoulder.

"I'm fine." Daisy nods. "I want to be there."

The bare branches spiked into the sky. It was so dark she was barely able to see where she was going. The only sounds were people walking around throughout the forest, yelling Tommy's name. Police dogs barked and tugged on their leashes. The officers didn't seem to realize why they were so active tonight, but Daisy knew, they had already smelt the body.

"Allison, is Daisy here?" A familiar female voice says.

Daisy turns around to see who said her name, to see Josette talking to Allison, Kai beside her. "Yeah, she's up ahead." Allison responds.

Josette and Kai wander over to Daisy. Their whole family seemed to be here, even the little ones. "Hi." Daisy says, awkwardly.

"My parents wanted me to tell you that they're thinking of you." Josette smiled softly.

Daisy returned the soft smile. "Thanks."

Josette inhaled sharply and looked around at the woods, at the numerous flashlights bouncing on and off trees. She opened her mouth to speak again, but seemed to have changed her mind. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." She nodded, before turning back to meet up with her family.

Kai lingered behind, and once Josette was a ways away, she turned to him. "Why are your little siblings here?!" Daisy says.

Kai shrugs and began walking. "I wanted them to see a show."

She shook her head as she caught up with him. "You're gonna traumatize them."

He shrugged again. "Better now than later."

"I don't even know where it is." Daisy sighs, as she shined her flashlight around the trees.

"What?" Kai says.

She turned to him with a blank look. "Really?" She says.

He smiles and continues walking. "It won't be much longer." He says as he looks around. "I expect a good performance."

Daisy scoffs. "I'm thinking either a good scream cry, or a frozen in fear kind of thing?"

"Not the scream cry." Kai shakes his head. "His mom'll be doing that, and you don't want to steal the spotlight."

"Very true." Daisy responds. "There's a—"

"Hey, I found something!" Someone shouts, Daisy's heart sank.

In unison, everyones flashlights turned toward the sound as they begin their run towards whoever yelled. Kai gave Daisy a knowing glance, to which she returned with a pleased smirk.

She left Kai, and quickly ran towards all the commotion, pushing people out of the way as they rushed over. "Back up! Everyone back up!" The police yelled. She heard gasps, a few cries.

As she pushed past the final person blocking her view, she caught sight of the body.

He lay on his side, ghastly eyes open but unseeing, his mouth slightly open. Flies buzzed around his corpse, a swarming mass of insects nearly covered his whole body. Blood pooled around him, tinting his now pale, almost yellow skin, a dull red as it seeped from the neck wound. Maggots ate at the wound, slowly turning him into nothing more than the dirt below him.

It was a terrifying sight. She felt the urge to throw up again, but remembered her feelings, remembered the front she was to put on. Daisy brought a hand to her mouth, as she widened her eyes. Police spoke into their intercom systems to call for more trucks, and an ambulance.

She let out a cry, and the people around her turned to face her, stepping in front of the view so she didn't have to look at it. Her hands trembled, and she felt her mother grasp her arm and pull her into a hug. Daisy started sobbing into her mother's embrace, and it wasn't too long until the shriek of Tommy's mother echoed throughout the woods.

Daisy continued her front, crying into Susan's shoulder as she held her. She opened her eyes, seeing Kai and his family linger out of the way.

They all looked petrified, and disgusted, Joshua turned the little ones away from the sight of Tommy's body. But Kai grabbed onto one of them and pulled him closer, leaning down and talking to him about the decaying body that lay only a few feet away.

Joshua quickly yanked the kid away from Kai, shielding his eyes and whispering something at Kai angrily. Kai scoffed, a smirk growing on his lips as he met eyes with Daisy who continued her embrace with her mom.

He gave her a subtle nod, an ode to her performance. She gave him a pleased look in response, before continuing to cry.