C5 CHAPTER FIVE

The next evening, the Willows were very excited to have the teacher over for dinner; they had prepared a banquet of different meals, and Ivan couldn't understand why his parents were so jacked up over their invited guests, but deep down he knew he was just as desperate as his parents. Because of the chance he would have to interact with someone other than Daniel,His parents knew this would help his social life, and Jane, the younger sister of their son's new history teacher, appeared to be the best choice to help Ivan come out of his closet.Derrick, Ivan's dad, came over to his son's room that evening just before dinner to help. Prepare his mind and encourage him to not be so awkward around girls.Although he was not going to say it this directly but in a more coded and polite manner"Hey Son"Derrick said while standing behind the door."come in"Ivan replied before sitting up on his bed, he had been on his laptop playing video games, but he knew his dad's rules.Derrick always wanted him to be focused when they had discussions, so he slowly put out his laptop for the obvious long speech that he was going to get that evening.Derrick sat on the bed and gave a cough to clear out his throat for a minute before speaking. "Look, son, now we are having your teacher and his sister over for dinner today."He paused a bit before adding"We're actually lucky that he's our neighbor; you should strive to build a relationship with him." Derrick knew Ivan was hardly going to have any replies because, as he spoke, he was constantly looking over at Ivan to see his reaction.

Ivan, on the other hand, looked really unmotivated about the whole dinner, and in his mind he was thinking About how he wanted his dad to just conclude his speech and get the hell out of the room,This was how he felt, but outwardly he appeared to be giving listening ears to the whole sermon, when in reality he wasn't hearing a word.and his father went on and on about him being of the best behavior, and just before he stepped out of the room, he added "You know Craig's sister has a medical condition. I don't really know the details, but it prevents her from going to school, so try to be nice to her today; you're a good kid." Derrick said before finally making his way out the door.

Ivan waited for a few minutes before stepping out of the bed to lock the door behind him, before rushing down back to the bed and beginning to put on his laptop. Just after he was done, he thought for a few minutes about Jane's medical condition."She's probably some kind of weirdo, "he thought to himself, wondering what sickness was so bad that it was unsafe for it to require that she didn't go to school.But if it was that bad, Craig and his parents would not welcome the idea of having a dinner with her over.Ivan thought a bit more and later decided to forget all about it and go to sleep.

Later in the evening, Craig and his sister showed up at the Willows. Craig had in his hand a wine bottle, and Jane followed closely behind.

As the family settled down to feast, Craig, Derrick, and Martha all got engulfed in the discussions about Wolfspring High School and the recent murders in the county.

All while the two teens, seated opposite each other, looked on awkwardly,Jane kept her eyes fixed on Ivan, who tried his best to dodge her gaze,

He occasionally tried to look her directly, but he realized he didn't have the guts to maintain eye contact.While she effortlessly kept at it, without blinking even once,

But eventually, the last time he would look directly at her, she gave him a signal with her head, gesturing at the door before standing up."I'll like to get some fresh air, please."Jane said before stepping out, winking at Ivan as she turned to leave.

Ivan, after a brief moment of contemplation, equally stood up."Excuse me, please, " he said, barely audible enough to hear himself before rushing out.

The Willow parents looked at each other before turning to face Craig, who smiled, looking unimpressed with the childish antics of the two teens.

While outside, Ivan came out to see Jane standing in the distance, close to the fence, with her hands in the pocket blue sweater.

He casually walked over and stood close to her, trying to get a glimpse of her face as she stood watching the sky."Hey, are you cold?" He asked, not knowing what to say."No,she replied, without even giving him a glance."I'm Ivan, he said, pulling out his hand for an awkward handshake. She finally turned to look at him, observing him for a moment before smiling weirdly.

"I know. My brother already told me the night we dropped you off."She paused for a moment before taking his hand, which had been left hanging."Okay"!

Ivan finally said, trying to get himself together,"So, what's the nature of your condition?"Ivan asked immediately, regretting why he was asking such a question during their first actual conversation, but Jane replied almost immediately."Its cancer"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ivan answered, turning to look at her with concern.but Jane replied absentmindedly."Why are you apologizing?"Shocked Ivan couldn't understand what was wrong with her."I mean, just as he tried to explain himself,They heard a loud scream coming from the junction up ahead."Help me"!!!!The voice appeared to belong to a female in need of urgent help.

"The hell is that? Ivan asked, scared to his bones, but Jane only stood calmly, although she had a serious and questioning expression on her face.Just then, Craig and the Willows busted out from inside the house.

"What happened? Derrick asked, grabbing onto a shovel that lay close to the doorpost."Oh my God, baby, are you okay?Martha asked, going over to Ivan, who was already frozen with fear.Surprisingly, Craig didn't seem too concerned about Jane; he only went to her and said"Stay with them,almost like he was putting her in charge of the others.He immediately scaled the fence and began running towards the sound. Derrick followed along with his shovel despite the calls from Martha for him to come back."Just call 911, she yelled at him, but he replied"You do that, "he said, running a little distance before adding "now!"!!

As the two men ran, Craig, possibly due to his younger age, ran a considerable distance ahead of Derrick, who only caught on a few minutes later; by then Craig had already been at the murder scene for a while.A prostitute slashed open in the same manner as the two other murders. Craig stood over the gory mess of a dead body, looking visibly upset, while Derrick slowly approached him, reducing his steps as soon as he came closer to what he realized to be the viciously dismembered body of another victim."My God!Derrick exclaimed. Just then a blast of sirens could be heard; it was the police department and the ambulance team. Someone had already tipped off the officers in the neighborhood during the time of the murder, and this individual probably had seen the killer.