A Picture Is WOrth A Thousand WOrds (Leah)

[Seth Talbot Young]

Seth sat on a small hill at the beach, looking off into the endless sea of salt water. The smell of the salt, combined with the fresh breeze was refreshing. His clothing was something new, that was given to him by the unit, as a way to welcome him to Los Angeles. However, since coming to LA, he found this section of the beach and felt incredibly comfortable here ever since. Especially after today's situation.

It was an investigation, involving the death of a little girl. Nine year old Stacy Kruzwic. The signs of of abuse were all over. Small stains of blood on the side of a dresser, that had been there long before her death, along with a slight indention on her forehead was the first clue, and so was the clothing that she was wearing and the clothing in her room. They were all very old, and outdated, not to mention moth eaten. They were hand-me-downs, and given the apartment that they lived in, it was highly unlikely that she was in poverty. The father was the murderer, but the mother was no more innocent than the father. There were scratched on the young girl's arm, and bits of flesh in the mother's fingernails that were still present, despite her efforts to scrape them out.

The event was simple. The girl was strangled and the mother tried to hold her down to keep her from struggling. Traces of alcohol on their breaths indicated that they were both drunk, and so they were arrested. The look on Seth's face was one of fury and intent to kill, but his quick breaths allowed him to leave the scene, where he was now.

He looked out into the vast sea, lost in the many waves that came and went. He thought about how people could be the way they were, and chocked it down to just, simple evil hearts. He sighed softly, and hoped for a miracle to forget this day.

[Leah BETHANY Romero]

Leah loved the beach, she loved the extended view that went on all into the distance and beyond. And the crashing of the waves had a calming way of doing things, going on about their way as usual and not listening to anyone but the wind and the weather. Leah wanted things to work like that in real life.. For humans. And she had realized a little too late how messed up human life really was. She had only figured this out when she was already.. dead. But, she wasn't really dead, she was still here, she was still breathing, only this time, everything was different and this time she was supposed to figure out who she needed to protect which on it's own wasn't a small task.

But she still had the wind and the waves, when she wasn't focusing on that part of her life. Her clothing was simple, but it fit for a day at the beach like this. A smile appeared on her face, as she walked a little bit more about the shore and felt the seawater tickle her feet and her ankles. At this, she picked up her camera and made a few more pictures, careful to not let it fall into the sea and let it be ruined. That at least was one part of her life she still had control over. She then lowered her camera and walked along the path, picking up her shoes and putting the strap of her camera around her neck again.

When she saw someone, she stopped walking and wordlessly looked at him, unsure as to greet him or keep walking. He looked so distant to her, that she began to wonder whether or not he would even know she was here. She didn't think so, but there was something else that drew her to him, something she couldn't really name. He almost looked a little lost. "I hate to break it to you, but the waves will be around your middle in an hour if you keep sitting like that, looking like a lost puppy." She then said, as she moved closer.