Innocent Scheme of Murder

A Story by James

A little story I'm working on, It's NO WHERE done. Just posting what I have so far, please tell me what you think and if it's worth writing more.

Book 1 Jacob

Chapter 1 Leaders and Dreamers

It was a little cloudy but a calm day, chatter was rising through the streets. School had let out and the taste of relief was around. Mist fell from the sky a lot of the time, not enough to be rain. Cold nights would bring the mist to a pour.

I was walking through the streets on way back home with a close friend. He was talking; it was the kind of day where I was content just to listen. I was often just happy to listen, I loved hearing the talks of adventure or things he planned to do and achieve. This time he was jabbering about his latest plan. He was after a girl.

“Alright look, tomorrow I’ll tell everybody about that picnic at the mountain site I’ve been thinking about. I’ll ask Ren if she wants to come, and if she does I’ll try and get us alone and ask her there. But if she says no that would suck! The rest of the trip would be awkward…” Seth was going over the plan, half talking to me half thinking it over to himself in his head. I gave my input from time to time.

His name was Seth; he was probably my best friend. Well, definitely my best friend. I think his mind was always spinning, he always had some plan. Some adventure or something grand he was going to do. It was almost childish, but he was very mature. He liked to let his ideas out around me and I never minded hearing them. It was probably one of the things I looked forward to most, hearing his plans and that sense of adventure and thrill made me giddy.

The girl he was after was Ren. I could see them working really well as a couple. We all lived in Crescent City, California. It was in northern California, and being on the border of Oregon it was green as can be. We had our group at our school, this was the start of a new year and Ren had joined our group recently. I could tell she already liked Seth, he had all sorts of plans to win her over but he really wouldn’t have to work that hard it seemed to me.

We reached my house first; his house was on the opposite side of the street and five houses down. I was happy we lived that close.

“Alright, I think it’ll work. Well here we are, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He waved and I waved back and walked up the driveway to my house.

I looked back to see him going up his driveway as I reached my door. I turned my key and went in, thankful to see the empty house. I lived with my dad, and I preferred to come home and be alone in the house. Not that I didn’t like my dad, I just liked it better this way.

It was a two story house with just me and him. My mom had left years ago, I’d get the occasional phone call but other than that we didn’t have much contact. I liked my time alone, I got it a lot. As long as I got good grades, which I did, he didn’t bug me. We hung out every now and again, like on the weekends and on fishing trips and such but I think the enjoyment of alone time was mutual.

I went upstairs to my room to finish homework then find something to occupy me. I turned on music before setting to work, and sat at my desk to finish it. I had to keep my perfect grades. I lay on my bed after and listened to the music, relaxing so much that I eventually fell asleep.

Chapter 2 Planning

The next day started out bland, and continued to be uneventful till computer class. I had Seth, which was what made it eventful. Once again he was on about his plans with Ren.

“Well I don’t wanna completely surprise her, so I’ll try and lead her into it. You know what I mean?... Well yeah, I’ll just try and not be an idiot about it and spring it on her…” He continued on with his plan.

Ok, so it wasn’t eventful in a big way, but it was interesting to me. His plans were always exciting. He was an active guy; I was the laid back one. Hearing his adventurous ideas was like listening to a good story that involved me. He was always giddy and telling me about one thing or making me laugh about another.

We talked a little more and when computer class finished we went to lunch. Lunch was buzzing with Seth’s plan to go camping in the mountains. He had decided to invite her camping with the group and select friends this weekend, and ask her out at the mountains. It was bound to be a good time. Seth had turned 16 8 months ago, and was going to drive the majority of us. I had just turned 16, and no driving for me. As much as that annoyed me, I was glad at least Seth could drive. There would be 2 other drivers to the mountain; Charlie and Stetson.

Our group was 7 solid people and the few that came and went. Me, Seth, Charlie, and Stetson made up the guys. The girls were Katie, Cheyenne, and the new girl Ren. Charlie was a bigger guy, about 240 and pretty tall. They would all come to the mountains; we had planned a little beforehand. Now it was just about getting other people.

Chapter 3 the way things are

Rain pounded on the windowsill. Dad was home but downstairs, out of sight and out of mind. It was quiet and I was happy, music was playing in the background going with the sound of the rain. I thought about what I had and what I wanted, and I think I know the way things are. I’m not Seth, but that’s alright. I’m happy with being just me. I’m happy with being smart and there with him doing these things, even if I don’t have what he does. I’m happy with what I have. I was now dating Katie, I was really happy about that.

I lay on that bed for a long time, I was happy just to listen to the music and think. Everyone had something they were good at. Seth was the adventurer, the leader. He had a pull around him. I guess I was the smart one, which was something I had. I often wished I had something else but what I did have was enough for me. I liked writing; I would probably do something like that in the future. Be a teacher or a counselor. Seth changed a lot, but it was generally always something exciting. SWAT member, fighter, detective, and president were his big ones. I was happy with a calmer life, watching him and participating in the fun was great but I didn’t like to lead much.

The rain poured on harder and all I could think about was Katie then. It kept coming, and eventually I fell asleep.

Chapter 4 Here we go

We were going on the trip, it was set. It was Friday night, Seth had talked to everyone and they were ready for tomorrow. We would leave around noon and probably get there just before sundown. We’d stay a day or two and then head back home, with Seth and Ren finally together.

That night it was hard to go to sleep. Seth called once and made sure I was ready, of course I was. I was more excited than ever. Somehow I managed to force myself to sleep that night.

Chapter 5 Mountain dreaming

In the morning we set out early. Seth was driving part of the group and Charlie the other. Stetson, Ren, and I were with Seth. Stetson wouldn’t have to drive this time. The drive took about 5 hours, but I didn’t mind. I listened to Seth talk and joke the whole time.

Chapter 6 Easy days

Everything went good from the days after the camp out. Seth and Ren were perfect together, and I was happy too. Things stayed that way for a long time, and the group was good. I started doing even better since I and Katie started dating.

We went on for a year, Seth and Ren were perfect and so were me and Katie. There were the occasional little problems, but nothing we couldn’t work out. I was crazy in love with her. We spent a lot of time together, and I was truly happy. Seth always had plans for something, anything from a trip to the lake to a big sleepover with a horror flick.

Seth was just as happy with Ren as I was with Katie.

Chapter 7 Birthday surprise

It was two days after my birthday. It had been good, but Katie had been distant. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t think much of it. Seth and Ren were having ups and downs but not too bad. They had all come to a little party we had in the park a little while ago and it was good then.

Later that day I and Katie were talking over phone, and she had bad news. She didn’t feel the same. I had expected this in the back of my mind, but it never hit. I didn’t know what to do. I did all I could think of and called Seth, he talked to me and helped me a little. I still knew that he was happy with Ren though.

Chapter 8 Broken

I was getting better and it was getting easier. She wasn’t going to go out with anyone yet, and that helped me. I know it would be a lot harder seeing her with someone else.

Seth helped me through it all; he talked with me all the time. It helped, but I knew he was happy and I wasn’t, he still had Ren.

I didn’t expect it at all the day he told me they broke up. They seemed perfect. He wasn’t taking it well, but he didn’t show it. I knew because he talked to me about, I was glad I was someone he could talk to. Maybe I could help him like he helped me.

Chapter 9 it’ll be fun

Ren and Stetson were going out, and it didn’t seem right to me. No one else minded, they even crowded around them, surprised and entertained at the new way things were going. But to me, and I’m sure even more so to Seth, it wasn’t quite right. Seth and Ren were meant to be in my mind, and after all they had I didn’t see how Stet could do it. Maybe the word ‘love’ really didn’t mean anything after all.

Chapter 10 Blood on the mountainside

The second trip camping sounded like a lot of fun. It would probably be awkward for Seth, but I was pretty sure it would be ok.

It was night and we were roasting marsh mellows, Katie was close to me. Later that night she asked me back out, and I was so happy. I was worried about Seth, though. He was alone, slumped on the log opposite me and he looked blank. I couldn’t tell at all what he was thinking. Then I heard Stetson talking.

He was a little ways away from Seth, and he was talking about Ren. She had gone away to the car for a blanket. He was going on about how happy he was, and how great they were. As he went on I could see Seth’s face getting darker. I really hated Stet right about now. Then Seth started to straighten up, and he looked mad to me. He was sort of calm, but I could see he looked furious. Jake went on talking and talking. He started talking about how far he and Ren were, and then he said something along the lines of he could get some.

That was it. Seth slid out of his seat so fast I barely caught it. In the second he got up he was already behind Stet. He grabbed him around the neck and chest, pulled him up quick, and slung him into a wooden ledge behind him. Stetson was breathing hard and hadn’t expected it. He was terrified.

I had never seen Seth so angry. He didn’t look like the one I knew. He was absent, something was missing. His face was blank of anything except anger. Seth started punching him, and Ren came running. She was crying hard and yelling, and Seth turned. Stetson got up and ran toward the woods at the opportunity, and Seth ran after him. Seth would catch him, I knew it.

I got up out of my seat and ran as fast as I could, trying to follow them. A ways in I lost them, but I could hear them. Stetson was screaming. I ran towards the noise, it took me a long time to find anything. When I did the noise had stopped.

Stetson was on the ground. He was covered in blood and wasn’t moving. I didn’t know what to think or do. He was just laying there; I couldn’t hear anything from him when just a minute ago I was hearing his screams and frantic breathing.

Then I saw Seth kneeling by a tree a little bit away. He looked lost. Blood was on his hands and shirt, his face was motionless looking at me, and he was crying.

Book 2 Seth

Chapter 11 absent Regret

It was like a dream. I felt nothing, regret was absent but signs were all around that it should be there. It just wasn’t. It hadn’t made me happy, but resolved to an extent. I knew what I had done and accepted it. Though I also knew it was terrible, I couldn’t find the sorrow everyone expected of me. The sorrow they wanted of me. I saw his family break down in tears, I watched them cry in the court and cry at the funeral. I was sorry for them, it’s true. But I didn’t shed a tear. I was told to speak to them, to apologize. I had a straight face, I said I was sorry, and though I meant it I wasn’t sorry enough about it, and didn’t know how to convey the apology right. I told them I was sorry, they walked away disgusted. Just how most people walked away from me. It was either that or flinging insults and calling me a monster. I figured they were right.

It had been three weeks since it had happened, and it had all reached a heated maximum. Parents, friends, brothers and sisters all joined in to try and show me the horror of what I had done. They cried, they yelled, they even tried to hurt me. Still, through it all, I knew what I had done. I knew it from the moment after I did it, and I felt nothing. It was like a finished math problem, one that I had finished, where the ending answer didn’t work. The answer was simply ‘invalid solution’ and the problem was over. That was that for me.

Jacob was once my friend. I didn’t see how it did what he did, maybe that made it easier on my mind to do what I did. I saw him with her, kiss her, wondering if she would feel with him what she felt with me and do what we did. When through that time all I wanted was her. All I saw was her, almost all I thought about. It was almost given, she was mine and I was hers. I was so happy. But I guessed now that it was just having that feeling, person after person and no one cared. It didn’t seem right. Were things so easily given up, tossed aside? Did they even matter? They mattered to me. She mattered to me. It was set in stone for me, I loved her in the truest sense of the word, and she loved me too. I knew what that meant to me. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe he didn’t care, I don’t know. But I guess that’s a big part of why I didn’t feel sorry. Having had that done and taken away from me I didn’t care anymore. I couldn’t think of living without her in the first place, not after all that. The feelings would stay there forever. I still didn’t see how he could do that. But I had repaid him in full and more over, and now I was the bad guy. It didn’t seem like he really was ever the bad guy, he was just going out with the girl he liked. To me though, he was. She was all I ever wanted…

Chapter 12 Calm Insanity.

I sat in front of the psychologist and said nothing. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t feel anything. He asked me questions, I answered. Not what he wanted to hear. Time passed quick and slow at the same time, not quite meaning as much as it had just days before.

Chapter 13 Almost innocent

I watched from my chair, I couldn’t see the audience but I could hear the good doctor speaking.

“He was in his right mind, but at the same time he wasn’t. He felt wronged to the point of seeking a justice that no one else showed him, a justice that he believed in though I don’t think he had the intention of going that far. It’s like when someone spills your coffee all over you, and they apologize, but just walk away, and no one else cares and neither do they. It’s almost unjust. I’m sure he felt this way on a tremendous level, and was blind to what he was doing at the time. Blind with a mangled sense of injustice, of betrayal, and of the absence of what he had made sense of in the world. He believed he had been wronged, and with these feelings he was blinded. You notice he feels no remorse now, he doesn’t cry for what he’s done nor does he condemn himself as people expect of him. He believes he was right; he feels he was right. It’s that feeling that keeps him from mourning. He may have gone much too far over the line, but it was in the act of justifying things to a degree. In his world where nothing made sense anymore there were no rules and he felt a slight justice in persecuting the one he had felt had wronged him so bad. I don’t know if he meant to kill him and I don’t think so. But, if he did, it was probably to him just a thought of what justice there might be that made at least a little sense. It would have been an almost innocent scheme of murder.”

I sat in my chair listening, and the doctor had it right. Nothing made sense after that, nothing was right or wrong there were just people and what makes them happy or makes them complain. I couldn’t find the reasoning anymore. I couldn’t say he got what he deserved, but I felt no remorse. In it all I had found a small portion of justice, though it was taken too far. I understand things more clearly. It saddens me that things had to go to such lengths for things to make sense to me, and that he had died I would not now wish for. It did, however, put some solidity in my mind, and for that I’m thankful. At least now I understand it somewhat. Things happen, and life goes on. I should’ve learned that, before I took his chance for his life to go on. There would be more Ren’s. It was her decision and I could do nothing about it, no matter how wronged I felt about it. I would have moved on, and maybe found someone that thought the way I did. Maybe got past my feelings for her one day.

But now it’s taken me this far to understand, and I can’t go back. I’ve been branded because of what I’ve done, and nothing will be the same. Maybe I’ll still find that person, I’m not sure.

Missing chapters: Death,