Chapter 4

After resting around the house the next day, the weekend finished and a new week began. Jessica went back to her job, saying there was a delivery to make to Talus. Rostan went to his used starship lot while Raine was still getting ready for another day of school. She sighed lightly, not really wanting to go after the events before the weekend.

She hears a knock on the door and goes to it, putting her bag over her right shoulder. The door opens and Jenos is standing, waiting for her. “Hey.” Raine blinks and looks at him. “Jen? What are you doing here?” He smiles and waves his hand towards the road. Raine closes the door behind her and starts walking, Jenos right next to her. “Well, I figured that I should walk you there, as we are going to the same school and all.”

She looks at him curiously. “You haven’t done this since my first day, and that was because you had been there a year before me.” Jenos shrugs and places an arm around her shoulders. “So there’s some law against walking your cousin to school now?” She smiles lightly and leans into him. “Not that I recall.” He grins. “All right then.” They walk to the Suvari Public Institution and enter the four story high building. Though Jenos was only five months older than Raine, his birthday let him be in a grade higher than her. He was on his last year of schooling and would soon be 17, the legal age of responsibility on Corellia. Even though Raine would turn 17 during her last year, she had to complete the school year.

Though it was the spring semester and only months away from graduation, Jenos still did not know what he was going to do from there. Raine was the same way, but she had more time to consider than he did. They get to a stairwell that went in either direction in the back of the center room. The school, from the front, looked like a rectangle, but it actually was built like a U, with the wings connected by the center room and ones like it on the floors above. Jenos looks at Raine. “I’ll see you later. Meet you back here after school.” Raine nods and is hugged before they go their separate ways. Jenos watches as she goes up the stairs on the left. He heads up the one on the right, as his first class is on the second floor in that direction.

While in her second class, Raine hears a few boys talking to each other wondering why Norton, Parsin, and Bradlin weren’t here. They speculated that the three had skipped school again and would have to see the principal about it again. The boys cracked other jokes, but Raine had stopped listening, withdrawing from the small group to the other side of the room. She sees the teacher reenter the room and settle down the class before continuing the lesson on the Corellian-Selonian War that had occurred many centuries ago. She tries to pay attention, but her thoughts wander to that night, which makes her shudder.

While in the fourth class, an announcement is made throughout the building. “Hello everyone, it’s my sad duty to tell everyone that three of our students were killed during the weekend.” Jenos stiffens slightly but his face acts in surprise. “We don’t know the details, but an investigation has begun by the PSS. It is a shame that such young lives were tragically cut short.” The principal continues on a little longer, naming the three and expressing sorrow at the lose, even though it was well known the trio had caused him much headache. “And for anyone who wants to talk, our counselors are available before and after school. Thank you.”

Raine bites her lip and looks around, seeing no one watching her. She closes her eyes and bows her head. She feels a hand on her back and looks up at a female classmate. “It’s okay, they were jerks, but I’m sure the PSS will find out who did it and punish them.” Raine smiles bravely even though she only thinks about what might happen to Jenos if he’s found out. Murder had warranted either the death penalty or years in the spice mines of Kessel. Afterwards she excuses herself to the refresher and cries. “It’s my fault… if I would have tried to run away earlier this wouldn’t have happened…” She weeps for a few minutes before she can not cry anymore.

After a few more minutes, she manages to shakily get up from the floor when she slid down the wall while weeping. She looks at her reflection in the mirror and cringes lightly. Her eyes are red as well as her nose and cheeks were she had shoved her face in her hands. Raine turns on some water and washes her face, trying to make herself feel not as bad as she thought she looked. When it doesn’t improve her appearance, in her mind, she just sighs and leaves the refresher.

No one asks about her red eyes, everyone trying not to talk to become suspicious of having killed the three boys. As it turns out, even the boys that had talked about them before don’t like them. The three were unpopular and their antics were more of a nuisance than seen as something to emulate. The rest of the period seemed to drag on as the teacher seemed to dwell on their behavior and that it wasn’t to be copied. Raine was only too happy when the day ended after it. She got to the center room and waited for Jenos to show up, since her last room was on the first floor.

A pair of hands reach over her head and cover her eyes. Raine yells in surprise. “Guess who?” She turns around and lightly hits the person in the stomach. Jenos smirks and looks at her. “What, was that really necessary?” Raine makes a face and they head out with the rest of the students. They head back to her house, waiting until they get away from the others before speaking again. “You heard the announcement, right?” Jenos nods. “Yeah, but I’m not worried.” Raine looks at him. “Why not, you were the one that did it.” Jenos shrugs lightly. “The PSS really isn’t that interested in solving murders, they probably won’t even do a search, just place the blame on the next person they arrest suspected of rebel activities. They don’t care about the citizens.”

Raine starts to say something, but closes her mouth as she knows the truth in that statement. They arrive in front of her house and stop at the door. Raine turns to Jenos. “Do you intend on doing this tomorrow?” He nods. “Yes, I do.” She nods slightly, not really minding him doing it. “Okay… so I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” Jenos smiles. “Yup, see you then.” He waves at her and heads to his own home. She waves back and opens the door to the house.

She steps in and goes to her room, laying her bag down next to her bed. She plops down on the bed and sighs before closing her eyes. “I’m not as confident as you are, Jen. But I do hope you’re right about this.” She continues lying there a few minutes until she falls asleep for a short nap.

Raine jolts as she hears a loud knock on her door. “Raine, I’m talking to you.” Raine groans lightly and gets up, going to the door and opening it up. Her mother stands at the door, her hands on her hips. She frowns lightly at her daughter. “I’ve been standing here for four minutes now, what were you doing?” Raine looks at her mother. “I was sleeping.” Darlene rolls her green eyes. “Well, I was going to tell you that your father is going to be home soon, so go and set the table while I finish cooking.”

Raine nods lightly and her mother heads back to the kitchen, her brown, medium length hair swaying as she walks. Raine steps into the hallway and closes the door behind her. She goes to the living room and walks through the room into the kitchen. Her mother was making some nerfloins and greens. Raine sets out three forks, plates, and knives, placing the forks on the left side of the plates and the knives on the right, teeth facing away from the plate, above the napkins. The training her mother made her do was apparent. When the girls were still young, Darlene decided that she was going to try to get them married to some wealthy and well mannered men.

The idea did not sit well at all with Jessica, who rebelled against the plan after graduating by going to work at a shipping company. Raine was not very receptive as well, and Darlene ended up forgetting about the plan, though she still insisted that Raine follow the etiquette she taught her. Perhaps wisely, Rostan stayed out of the attempt.

Raine grabbed three glasses from a cabinet and placed them on the dining table above the knives. She goes to the refrigeration unit and takes out a container full of water. She pours the contents into two of the glasses and puts it back. For the last glass, she grabs a bottle of bourbon and pours it in, since her father liked to have a glass of bourbon after a day of work. She places it back in when she hears the door open, then close a little afterwards.

Raine goes out into the living room and smiles as she sees Rostan walking into the room through the short hallway. “Hi Dad.” Rostan smiles at his daughter. “Hey, how are you?” Raine keeps the smile on her face. “I’m good. Work went well?” Rostan shrugs lightly as he heads to the master bedroom, taking off his brown jacket. “It was a normal first of the week, slow and boring.” Raine smiles, having heard him say rather often that ‘The first of the week, people have all ready spent the bulk of what they got for their paycheck. They don’t want to try and buy a used ships.’

He exits the room shortly after, clad in blue casual pants and a dark blue shirt. Darlene puts the food on the table and the three sit down for dinner. While eating, Darlene looks at Rostan. “Did you hear that the PSS was investigating the murder of three young boys during the weekend?” Her tone and word choice conveying that it wasn’t really important to her. Rostan looks at her. “Oh? Was there any news as to a possible lead?” Raine could tell that he was worried about both Jenos and her. Darlene shook her head but stated they had assigned quite a few personnel to look into it.

Raine bites into the nerfloin so she didn’t have to speak. Rostan glances at her and sips on his bourbon. “What is it Raine?” She shakes her head and continues eating the meat. He reaches across the table and places his hand close to hers. “What’s bothering you? I don’t think that they seriously will try and solve the murder, and I doubt even more that they will finger Jenos.” Raine looks at her father, concern clearly written on her face. “But they might, and then what? They’ll kill him because of me.”

Rostan gets up and looks at her. “Now listen, you had a part in it, yes, but Jenos did it of his own accord. It’s not as if you made him go out and kill those three, he chose it himself. I know it’s hard to accept or even like, but that’s how it is. I bet you he isn’t worried about it at all.” Raine slowly nods her head. “When he left here he said he wasn’t worried because the PSS doesn’t care about the people.” Rostan raises an eyebrow. “Jenos was here?” She nods. “Yes, he walked me to school then back.” Rostan nods slowly and lightly scratches his chin.

Darlene looks at the two. “Well, that was rather nice of him wasn’t it?” Raine nods and picks up some greens and eats them. Rostan nods as well and sips his drink again. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. The family separates the same way as they had done the night before, Rostan and his wife in the living room watching a holodrama while Raine is outside looking at the sky and thinking. “I hope you’re right…”