In the early hours of the morning the police showed up. A body was discovered in the lake, she was young. This was so out of the ordinary for a place like this nothing ever happens in this part of town.

“What do you think?” Says a handsome investigator who goes by the name of Joseph. “I think I’m going to be sick, I’ve never seen anything like this.” Says another investigator named Pete.

To say the scene is shocking is an understatement. “I don’t think she’s been dead long..” Joseph says “It’s a shame too, she’s still young maybe 23?” He continues. “Yeah.. Looks like it, does she have ID?” Says Pete. “Nope, none that we could find anyway.” Joseph replies.

Her face is peaceful aside from from her blue tinged lips, she’s well dressed. Casual but well dressed like she had a date. Her long dark hair was soaked. From the looks of her injuries whoever did this had planned it.

“It’s kind of weird isn’t it?” Says Pete. “What’s that?” Says Joseph. “It’s just that.. this all looks really fresh like it just happened.” Says Pete. “Yeah?” Says Joseph, not really sure what Pete’s getting at, “we’re usually first ones here after something like this.. part of the job I guess.” “No I know, it’s just that like look at this lake it’s so.. serene, and look at this girl she’s so young and from the looks of it kind of… pretty.” Pete says with a sad look in his eye. “Yeah I guess..” Joseph says waiting for the point. “It’s like.. looking out onto this lake is.. Pleasant. I guess it’s just that something so horrific happened here maybe an hour ago.. It’s just so strange to think that something so bad can happen somewhere so comprehensive.” Says Pete trying his best to articulate the the way he feels. Joseph just nods in agreement but does he agree?

Can he feel it the calm this lake evokes? Sure it’s foggy now but can he feel the laughs that have been shared in a place like this? Kids fishing with their dads for the first time or even small family BBQs out of the back of a pick up truck, young people gathering here to drink cheap beer out of solo cups. First dates, people fall in love in a place like this, people often dream of seeing a place like this while never getting the chance. This is a place where people go in their minds to feel happy or safe from everyday life.

But less than one hour ago this place set the scene for something sinister, something horror movies are made of.

It’s easy in a field like this to become hardened, detached. You have to in order to protect yourself but Pete doesn’t feel detached he feels sick. He feels like there’s a 50 pound weight on his chest it’s getting harder to breathe. “Am I having a panic attack?” He thinks to himself shifting around in an attempt to look natural, “This can’t be happening, cut it out, this is crazy you’ve seen stuff like this before” he thinks again wiping his face with his hands. He’s doing his best to shake it off but is it crazy? Or is it a human response to tragedy?

Some time has past and she’s been bagged and tagged as a Jane doe. All the evidence has been gathered just about ready to pack up and head home when Pete feels a tap on the shoulder he turns to find a woman, “Hey sorry. I’ve been watching from up that hill over there, what happened?” She says. “Oh uhh.. I shouldn’t say but we found a woman’s body here.” Says Pete “That’s awful!!” She says, “I come here with my boyfriend all the time. Nothing ever happens here!” She states visibly shaken. “Well I hope you find who did it.. again sorry to bother you.” She says she turns to walk away when Pete says “Hey, you said you come here often let me give you my info incase you see anything suspicious.” She takes Pete’s information and says “hey thanks I’ll be sure to call.” She turns to leave again when Pete says “wait I didn’t get your name!” “It’s Beth.. Beth Shaw.” She smiles and walks off.

Later that night Pete is watching the news when suddenly he hears “Woman found dead in lake identified as 22 year old Beth Shaw.”

“Toni” she says a little calmer but still frazzled. “Wait so you’re telling me you find a naked girl on the side of the road and instead of calling the cops you throw her in your car and bring her to a hotel room albeit a beautiful hotel room but still isn’t that crazy?” Toni says finding that somewhat comical. “I know it seems weird but I figured you were safer here than in some police station, I don’t know. I thought you’d be safer with me well here, or atleast more comfortable” Scott replied.

He seemed genuine Toni thought and it may be shallow but his good looks were helping his case. “Safer with you huh?” She says taking in his physique and his kind but slightly disheveled features, “Your probably right, I’ll be honest I’ve woken up in worse hotels.” Scott smirks and raises an eyebrow at that “This kinda thing happen often?” He says teasing.

“This kind of thing? No never. This is the first time.” Toni says. “So are you okay? What do you remember. You looked pretty rough lastnight.” Scott says looking at Toni she’s kinda pretty all cleaned up. “Uhh actually my legs are all cut up and I have this bump on my head. I uhh I don’t remember anything…” Toni says fixing her eyes on the floor almost ashamed.

Scott’s eyes fall on the pillow with the small blood stain. “Maybe I should’ve gotten you to a hospital..”He says. “Me? Maybe. I don’t know I didn’t mind the view this morning.. what about you? Your arm?” Toni says gesturing to his still bleeding arm. “Sorry again for shooting you..” she’s a little awkward in her mannerisms. “Oh this it’s fine.. just a graze don’t worry about it.. So what do you remember from lastnight?” Scott says he’s kind with a comforting presence but it’s clear he’s been shot before.

Of course he would say something like that, is he trying to be so hot. Toni thinks to herself. “Well uhh I was at the bar I was supposed to be meeting a friend the last thing I remember was ordering a dry martini and checking my phone.” She pauses “not much after that.”

“Okay what time was that?” Scott says firmly. “Oh maybe around 8:30.. What time did you find me? What time is it now? What day is it? Where are we?” Toni responds she’s spiraling. Scott gets her some water “Sit calm down.. it’s okay we’ll figure this out. You’ve been asleep for 13 hours.. Maybe longer since you were sleeping when I found you it’s 2pm Saturday I found you at 1am lastnight.” Scott says calmly rubbing your shoulder he can tell you’re starting to freak out again. “what do you mean it’s Saturday?” Toni says unsettled, “I went out to meet Beth Thursday night.. I.. I lost a whole day?” Tears are forming in her eyes.

“I’m.. I’m sorry. Okay.. I can help you figure this out..” Scott says “We can go back to where I found you see if it jogs your memory?” Scott suggests, trying his best to be positive he can see how this can be a scary situation for her. Toni straightens up “Sure.. Uhh yeah that’s a start.” She wipes her face with her hands and drys her eyes.

“Wow she’s handling this well.. She hasn’t called the cops? She hasn’t left?” Scott thinks to himself. “Good.. let’s get moving.” Scott says.

And so Scott and Toni leave the hotel in search for answers and all is well until they get to the lobby and Toni sees the busy streets outside.

“Where are we?” She says firmly but there’s a crack in her voice as if she’s stifling tears probably because there’s people everywhere. “New Orleans.” Scott states as of that were obvious. “New Orleans? Oh um okay.. yeah.” Toni says running her hand through her hair casually but Scott can see there’s something up. “You okay?” He whispers Toni nods with her lips in a tight smile “let’s just get to the car.”

As soon as they get to Scott’s truck Toni unleashes more tears, it seemed they just slipped out. “Are you okay. What happened in there?” Scott says getting his seatbelt on. “Yeah well.. No. it’s just that I was in Monroe and I’m.. well.. I’m just not really sure how I got all the way to New Orleans.”

Toni woke up to sun beaming through the window big soft pillows littered the bed and a fluffy white duvet. She couldn’t remember the last time she slept so sound. Waking up and seeing the most beautiful baby blue sky and billows of the whitest clouds, sunbeams making her normally mahogany hair shades of honey. It was something out of a movie.

The only problem was Toni does not recognize this window, or these pillows. “Where am I?” She sat up to survey the room for any sign of familiarity. “There’s my shoes… where are my clothes?” She thinks to herself. She’s pulls the covers off and heads to the bathroom she finds a man’s clothes khaki trouser pants, a black leather belt, and a striped button up short sleeve shirt.

Toni throws on the shirt she takes the pants and decides to put them on too just as she’s doing that she discovers her legs are covered in scrapes and mud. “What the fuck?” She whispers to herself eyes wide with concern she grazed her thumb over a cut on her knee that makes her wince.

She takes the shirt off and decides to hop in the shower. She’s covered in dirt and while she’s washing her hair she feels a large bump on her head with a small cut. She’s starting to get really freaked out but she’s in what can only be described as the most beautiful hotel room she’s seen. Whatever happened she managed to get herself here with some help of course.. “but who’s?”

She hops out of the shower and slips the shirt back on this time getting the pants on. She looks in the mirror she does not recognize these clothes. “Who is this guy?” Toni thinks to herself turning in the mirror to check out her butt in the trousers, she might look like a time traveling Miami drug dealer but they’re the only clothes in the room and she’s just happy to be dressed.

Now that she’s dressed and feeling less exposed she can try to figure out how she got here. She’s rather disoriented she’s not sure if that’s from the bump on her head or something more illegal. The last thing she remembered was ordering a dry martini she’s never had one before but she’s heard people order them that way. “So I was at Finn McGees… waiting for Beth? Yeah. Beth.. I checked my phone. MY PHONE!! Where is my phone?”

Toni starts tearing the room apart looking for her phone. Throwing pillows on the floor and opening drawers, she gets to the drawer in the night stand and what she finds makes her nervous. “A gun?” She picks it up carefully examining it just as she’s doing that the door handle turns and in walks a man, she startles dropping the gun.

BANG!!

Toni yelps and ducks throwing her arms over her head in an effort to protect herself. “Fuck!” The man yells. She sits up… She sees the man he’s bleeding. Toni rushed over to him, “oh my God I’m so sorry!!” says panicked “are you okay? Where did I get you?” He sits up “it’s okay I’m okay it’s just a graze. You’ve got to be more careful you know you were holding a gun right?” He’s good looking a brunette with broad shoulders one of them now bleeding but that didn’t make him any less attractive.

“Yeah, yeah no I know sorry it’s just that I wasn’t expecting..” Toni stumbles before realizing she still does not know this man. “Who the fuck are you!” She picks up the gun again pointing it at him. “Woah! Chill out put the gun down we can talk, my name is Scott.. just put the gun down!” Scott says firmly with a hint of urgency. Toni lowers the gun to hear him out, “how did I get here?”

Scott stands up grabbing a small towel from the pile on the chair pressing it to his shoulder. “I found you on the side of the road unconscious, I thought you were dead but when I saw you were breathing I put you in my truck and brought you here.” He explained. “So where are my clothes?” Toni says a bit hostile but Scott understands. “You didn’t have any, weren’t even wearing your shoes they were in your hand. What’s your name?” Scott says realizing it hasn’t come up. “Toni”.

Todays the 22nd and to most people that means nothing but to two best friends it’s the day they go to zoo and tell each other jokes or story’s or they just vent for a few hours. It’s Mona’s favorite place to go to forget for awhile she thinks it’s important to get out and get away from the business for awhile with work and social media and the hustle and bustle of the world around her. But for Rusty it’s the day he gets to spend with Mona he would do anything for her. She was breath taking she was bright and kind with a wild side. Strong and courageous with a laugh so loud but she was so soft and gentle when he needed it most. To him she was larger than life and he couldn’t take his eyes off her she was a hurricane. He loved Mona and she would never know it.

So how did we get here? Standing in the bathroom of Rusty’s apartment with the girl that he loves trying to scrub blood off her hands.

“Rusty I didn’t know what else to do” says Mona. “I know I know try to relax while I come up with an idea” The man Mona killed was Ricardo Ricci and from the sounds of it he deserved it and if Mona didn’t do it Rusty would have.

Rusty couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of Mona getting tied up with a guy like that. He knows he should probably go to the cops but Ricardo was the son of the most feared man in the city Damon Ricci and he’s probably got the entire police department on his payroll.

“Rusty what am I going to do?” There was a certain emptiness behind Mona’s eyes until this point the shock of the night is wearing off and panic is starting to set in.

“What did I do what the fuck did I do!” She breathes. “He’s going to kill my family, he’s going to kill everyone I love best case scenario he has me killed and maybe I deserve that but what about… what about you OH MY GOD!! He’ll have you killed I can’t.. I can’t…” Mona’s rambling and she’s starting to hyperventilate little does Rusty know he’s the most important person in Mona’s world.

“Mona.. Mona listen to me, calm down you need to stay calm so we can figure this out..” Rusty puts his hand on her shoulders gently but firm enough to ground her. “You’re going to get in the shower and try to relax I’m going to get rid of your clothes and we are going to..”

“We! Wait you had nothing to do with this.. oh God I’m so sorry I came I shouldn’t have gotten you involved, I.. I have to go I have to get out of here.. I’m sorry.” Mona cut him off. “Mona slow down! I’m glad you came to me just stay get a shower get I’ll get you some clothes. Even if you don’t stay the night you need to change your clothes you can’t walk the city like that.” Rusty wrapped her hand in his.

“Okay” she says. “Okay?” Rusty says eyebrow raised. “Yeah I’ll take a shower” she says flat but calmer the shakiness has left her voice. “Cool thanks.. Uhh… I’ll go find you something to wear.”

While Rusty gets out sweats and a t shirt the reality is setting in. He knows he has to stay calm for her but this is really bad. He knows what he has to but he’s not sure she’ll go for it. The water turns off and he steadies his nerves.

Before he can think the words are coming out of his mouth. “Mona you can’t stay here, we have to leave.” Mona looks at him perplexed did he say “we”? “I can’t ask you to leave everything behind for me it’s just that I…” “Mona I would leave it all behind for you I have loved you for as long as I’ve known you and I..” “You..” “Let me finish, I can’t imagine my life without you in it so I’m going to make sure I get you as far away from here as..” “You love me?” Mona says “Uhh yeah.. I always have. Now if you don’t that’s uh that’s okay but… Rusty stutters. “I love you Rusty.” “You do?” He can’t believe it. “Always have” she says.