Free Beautiful Sins: Leigha Lowery by Jennifer Hampton

would break my fall. Well, that's what I kept telling myself.
    I drew in a deep breath and climbed over the balcony. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the jump. It was tougher than I thought. The fall was hard and rough. I would pay for this later. I pulled myself up, dusting the snow off my aching butt. I crouched beneath the bushes as the drapes began to flutter open.
    The curious eyes of Randy skimmed the area for a long moment, and then he let them fall back into place. I ran through the snow as quickly as I could to the open road. Maria was already there waiting for me.
    As I climbed into the car, she tossed me a brown skull cap.
    "I figured you'd need a hat." She joked. I rolled my eyes.
    "Let's just get there so we can hurry back. My mother is going to want to check on me in a few hours." I warned.
    "Alright, let's get on with it then." She said, pulling her small silver Chevy Camaro swiftly into drive.
    We arrived at the park within twenty minutes. Her erratic driving nearly had given me a heart attack, and I had to restart my heart as she parked the car in a secluded space. Yellow tape surrounded the area, leaving a trail to our destination.
    "Do you have the recorder?" I asked. She nodded.
    "Do you have the camera?" She asked. I nodded.
    "Let's go then." We said in unison. We chuckled and climbed out of her Camaro. Maria pulled off her coat and slid a can of pepper spray in her pocket.
    "What's that for?" I asked curiously. Maria rolled her eyes as she pulled her hat over her head.
    "Er…duh Leigha. Do you realize that we are two extremely hot women, and we are about to travel alone into a forest, where a serial killer harbors his victims?"
    "Oh yeah. Now, I remember." I joked.
    "Can we just get this over with?" I said, holding up my hand to remind her of the time clock I was running on.
    "Sure Leigha, just follow the yellow tape." She said, gesturing towards the open path. We both drew in the cold crisp air and began down the path.
    We walked in silence for a long moment. I remembered hearing Maria mumble something about King Royce a few days ago back in class. So, to spark a conversation and to block our minds from the blistering cold air, I decided to bring it up.
    "Do you remember the debate you had that boy in class the other day?" I asked.
    "Yeah, what about it?"
    "Well, I was wondering about what you said about King Royce. You know, my stepfather is his personal physician." I said as we headed down a small hill. Maria froze, meeting my gaze.
    "What?" I stared at her blankly.
    "Are you telling me that your stepfather is Dr. Randy Murphy?" I nodded.
    She grabbed me roughly by the arm and tugged me back up the hill.
    "Maria ow! You're hurting me." I yelled, snatching my arm back.
    "Why didn't you say anything? We have to get you back home, now!" She yelled.
    "I don't see what the big deal is. Let's just get the footage, and then you can take me back home. We're already half way there." I argued. She shook her head.
    "Leigha, you don't understand your social standing. Let's just get you back home, and I'll get the footage." She suggested. I glared at her for a long moment, then I began to head down the trail.
    "Leigha!" Maria yelled. She groaned and began to stomp behind me, mumbling something to herself.
    I climbed under the tape, stomping through the snow to the crime scene. There were markers, traces where the bodies were left, the snow stained with blood and mud. The area reeked of death, causing me to put my hand to my mouth.
    "This is wrong Leigha. You hold a very high standing with the court. You could get into a lot of trouble for this." She warned.
    "I'm pretty sure the Prince would have a few words for me." I laughed. She stared at me.
    "Yes, you're knight and shining armor. You know, he's never showed interest for any female until you." She reminded. I rolled my eyes, and began inspecting the deep blemishes in the trees.
    "Wow! Maria, come look at this." I said, grazing my hand through the deep