User: Rdmwrites

Hamilton and Lily hadn't been close friends, but when Lily found the body in the middle of a game of field hockey, Hamilton cut off any ties to the girl. Being accused of murder was not something she wanted on her record. Most people don't hire accused murderers. She hadn't talked to Lily at all after that, even after she was called down to the principal to be questioned about it.

Hamilton had, however, calmed down, relieving herself of some stress and anxiety that was plaguing her. The police weren't making it any better for her. She knew they were supposed to be there to ensure to safety of the students, but they didn't do a very good job. And Hamilton was worried they would discover her dirty little secret.

Rummaging through her drawers, she realized that she was out of socks. The ones she wore the other day were in the wash because of all the dirt on them. Of course, her roommate had left earlier, after the first death of the kid from the tree. Meaning she had no way to get clean socks.

Hamilton shoved a pair of gloves that were sticking out from her top drawer into her laundry bag, wondering how they had slipped out of her sight earlier, being so spoiled. She clicked open the door, slipping out into the hallway barefoot, with her shoes in her hand, and shut the door quietly behind her, so all that could be heard was a teeny click. The girl set off down the corridor, padding along silently, and slid into the stairwell, which echoed worse than anything you'd ever heard before. She could hear the loud footsteps of a police man farther down the stairs, and pressed up against the walled banister, sneaking down the cold metal steps herself. It was around ten thirty, and past the curfew, but Hamilton didn't care. She needed am escape to fresh air and cool, open nights that went on forever. No policeman would stand in her way of that.

The night was cool, so Hamilton hid her boots in the corner of the stairwell, as walked out onto the cold grass which tickled her feet, the Stars blinking endlessly above her. There was no city nearby, meaning more stars visible than Hamilton had ever seen, besides camping with her father in Oregon. It was calming, seeing the vast endlessness of the world above. She ran her thin fingers through her thin dirty blond hair, pulling it out from the neat bun it was in. It felt so nice, that Hamilton was certain there was nothing that could feel better than this. The cool breeze, the grass tickling her bare feet, her hair out by her shoulders. And no one at all around.

Then a bright light interrupted Hamilton's pleasure.

"Hey!" called a loud voice, which she could only assume was from a police officer. Sure enough, a young man in an ill-fitting police uniform came into brow, shakily holding the burning yellow beam at her eyes. "What're you doing here? You're supposed to be in bed."

"I had to clear my head and take a walk," answered Hamilton calmly, turning her back to the officer, so the light wouldn't burn her retinas. "I have insomnia, it makes t hard for me to sleep." That wasn't a complete lie, because Hamilton had a form of insomnia, it just wasn't very severe.

"Well, I can't excuse you. There's a killer on the grounds, and my job-"

"I know there's a killer out here," she interrupted, "and it's not like you're actually making a difference."

"I'm going to let that comment slide because you are obviously sleep deprived. Let's get you back upstairs."

"I'm not going."

"Look, Princess, I know it's nice out here, but rules are rules," persuaded the young police officer, giving Hamilton a gently nudge toward the building. Something inside her snapped, and she whipped around, hitting him in the nose with the heel of her palm.

"No!" Hamilton screamed, as the man stumbled back, looking shocked. His eyes were wide, visible even in the dark night, and the flashlight fell from his hands, so that the yellow beam bounced aimlessly against the grass. His hands techs duo, touching his nose, and pulled away, covered in liquid. Blood. "Oh my-" Hamilton stared at the man, her own eyes growing wide. "Oh my god, are you okay?" She reached toward him, but the officer pulled away.

"My boss is going to hear about this," mumbled the officer, wiping the rapidly flow of blood from his nose. "I think you broke it."

"Look, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it, I'm sleep deprived and stressed and-"

"I'll have to leave the school for surgery," said the young man, not even listening to Hamilton babble apologies.

"Look, I'll pay for it. In fact, I'll pay double the costs and you can make up another story about how it happened."

"Are- are you trying to bribe me?"

"Breaking a police officers nose won't look good in a resume." The officer, surprisingly enough, chuckled, still holding one hand over his nose.

"Sorry, but the boss needs to know the truth. I wouldn't mind having you pay for the damage though. Maybe if you pay for the surgery, we won't press charges."

"Press charges? You've got to be kidding."

"Assault. Attempted murder. Mostly assault." Hamilton was silent, her forefinger and thumb rubbing together rapidly by her side.

"I'll pay for all the damage and hospitalization you need," she answered quietly.

"Good choice." Hamilton couldn't believe how smart and confident the officer had gotten once she's broken his nose. No one ever threatened to press charges on her before for something like that. And she had certainly done worse than that. "I didn't catch your name, young lady."

"Why would you need it?"

"Well, it's pretty important for me to know who assaulted me-"

"Please don't say I assaulted you! It was an accident," Hamilton pleaded.

"Your name?"

"Hamilton. Hamilton Lee."

"That's certainly an interesting name," said the officer, smiling as he bent down to pick up the burning flashlight, which had been laying uselessly in the grass up until now. "Now, why don't you walk with me down to where our makeshift on campus headquarters are set up."

"I should really get some sleep." Hamilton wanted to get away from this whole mistake as fast as possible.

"Isn't it hard for you to sleep, Miss Insomniac?" The officer started off down the hill, and with a sigh, Hamilton trudged after him, dragging her bare feet through the grass, and pushing her loose hair back over her shoulders.

She didn't feel free anymore.