I felt my eyes begin to open, but I fought the urge to let them win. The pain aching through my entire body was unbearable. It wasn't until I heard a faint whisper of my name that I finally decided to open them. The first thing I noticed was all of the equipment attached to my arms. I had never broken any bones or done anything that required urgent medical attention, so this was very new to me. I heard my name being called again, and looked to the entrance of my small room, where a doctor was standing.
"Sutton... Sutton, we need to talk to you."
That day, I found out that I lost the thing most dear to my heart. I didn't know how I would ever cope, and I didn't want to think about it. Countless police officers came into my small hospital room, which I felt was a total invasion of my privacy. They asked me countless questions in an attempt to identify the person who hit our car. I told them all the same thing: I couldn't remember.
I was let out of the hospital exactly one week after the accident. I couldn't stop thinking about Hazel's last words to me, and I continued struggling to remember the details that were so vital to the case. It wasn't until I was visiting Hazel's grave for the third time that day that I remembered a small detail. It came to me out of nowhere, like someone had whispered it into my soul. Light blue truck. That was the vehicle that hit us and it was a very distinct shade of blue that I knew I'd recognize again. I knew that for the police, that wouldn't give them much to work with, so I decided to keep that detail to myself. I could easily find the car myself and give those people the justice they deserved.
As it turns out, finding a light blue truck in the midst of a corrupt town wasn't as easy as expected. I devoted weeks to finding that car, but I was left feeling hopeless. I began to think that I was looking in the wrong places, so I decided to stop trying to look for the car and let the car find me.
Four weeks later, I got a call from Izzy, who invited me to spend her birthday weekend with her. She explained that we would be traveling into the city and staying in a hotel for a night or maybe two, depending on the weather. At that time, winter was quickly approaching, and winter in New York was always quite brutal.
We spent one night in the hotel, for a bad snow storm was approaching the next night. On the drive back to Izzy's house, we made a detour through the suburbs since the city traffic was unbearable. Suddenly, I saw a flash of light blue, the same distinct color of the truck that had begin to fall into the back of my mind. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, thinking I had possibly imagined it, but I hadn't, for it was still there, parked in a driveway leading to an extensive, alluring mansion. I pulled a napkin out of the center console and quickly jotted down the address to the house. I knew that I would be returning in the near future.
For me, the near future ended up being the next day. Izzy had offered to drop me off, and wished me luck as I stepped out of her car into the gloomy, brisk night. I sprinted to the front porch and braced myself before nervously ringing the doorbell. Immediately, a girl who looked around my age answered the door.
"Oh, hi," the girl said in a confused voice, as if she was expecting someone else.
"Hey, my name is Sarah." I had practiced this a million times in the mirror, but suddenly I felt anxious and my thoughts seemed to leave my mind. I hadn't expected someone my age to answer the door.
"Okay... How can I help you, Sarah?"
"Look, are your parents home?" I asked in an unintentional, impatient tone.
"Uh, yeah. Hold on," she said as she walked away. A few seconds later, her mom appeared at the door.
"Hi, ma'am. My name is Sarah and I know this is super bold to ask of you, but could I possibly stay the night? You see, my...boyfriend is really sick and he's in the hospital, but they aren't allowing me to visit him. I just got out of the foster care system, so I don't have a home, and it's really cold out tonight." The mom's eyes widened, but she quickly blinked them and opened the door a bit wider.
"Oh," the mom said hesitantly, which was completely understandable, but she continued to say, "Sure, Sarah. Come in," and I followed her into the house and down the vast hallway, which was crowded with family photos. I recognized the girl I had met at the door, as well as a boy who looked about two years older than me.
"I know you must feel gross. Go ahead and clean up. You can use the guest bathroom," the mom said as she handed me a thick, fluffy towel. She led me upstairs into what appeared to be the guest bathroom, which happened to be bigger than our room back at the foster home.
"Thank you so much, ma'am. I never asked, what's your name?"
"You can call me Ms. Jill," she said before flashing a quick smile.
About thirty minutes later, I strolled out of the bathroom and into the dark hall, where I ran into the boy I had saw in the pictures before. Like, I literally ran into him.
"Sarah?" He asked quietly, since we couldn't see one another completely and by that time, it was pretty late.
"Yeah, it's me," I answered, awkwardly.
"My parents went to the neighbor's, so I guess I'll show you to your room," he said as he began to walk away. I didn't follow him immediately, but simply stood there admiring him as he walked away. As if the situation couldn't get more awkward, he asked, "Are you coming?"
I followed him down the hallway and passed numerous closed doors. We continued walking until we reached the last door in the hallway.
"So, I would tell you to bug my sister if you need something, but she left for the night. If you really need something, I can help you. I'm just the next door over," he said before closing the door.

For the remainder of the night, I stayed awake and listened closely for footsteps coming up the stairs. When it was about 3 AM and no one had walked up the stairs for hours, I quietly crept out of my room. After opening a few doors, I still hadn't found what I was looking for.
I tiptoed into the sister's room and shut the door behind me. I decided that I could possibly find something useful to my case while in her room. I turned on the small flashlight that Izzy had given me and began to find something that could commence my thirst for revenge. I began by looking through her desk, only to find typical desk supplies and old documents from school. The only information I gathered from that search was her name: Skylynn Montgomery. As I begin to close the drawer of her desk, I heard a sound coming from the other side of the room. I turned around and saw a faint light coming from under Skylynn's pillow. Her cellphone, jackpot!
I came to find out that Skylynn's phone didn't have a password, which made my life a lot easier. I decided that her phone could quite potentially contain some information I could use against her. I slid it into my pocket and turned around to get a quick overview of her room, which was just as clean as it had been when I entered.
When I got back into my room, I immediately began to look through Skylynn's unread messages. Her messages with a boy named River struck me in a particular way. After continuing to read her messages with him, I concluded that he was her boyfriend of two years, and they seemed extremely content in their relationship. Honestly, I began to feel hopeless that Skylynn's phone would contain anything useful. I put her phone down on the desk in my room.
Hours passed, and I simply couldn't fall asleep. Countless thoughts were running through my mind, and I was becoming even more desperate for revenge. To make matters worse, Skylynn's phone was continuously beeping across the room. I finally gathered enough energy to drag myself across the room to turn her phone on silent. As I was placing my hand on the volume button, a message from a boy named Brody appeared on her screen.  It read Miss you more and more each day. Tomorrow is the day I finally get to see you again. Have you told your parents about us yet? I practically squealed with excitement, for I finally had something to hold against her. Skylynn had two boyfriends! Oh, how things were falling into place. However, I was careful not to open the message so that Skylynn would see it when she returned.
When I woke up the next morning, I debated whether or not to walk down the stairs or wait for someone to knock on my door. When an hour had passed and no one had come to get me, I decided to journey down the stairs myself, for my hunger was becoming unbearable. I walked out into the hallway, which was still dimly lit. I eventually found my way to the kitchen, where I proceeded to eat an overripe banana that I found rotting away on the counter. I wanted these people to like me, so I didn't want to push my limits by rummaging through their pantry in order to make a five course meal.
As I finished the last bite of my banana, a man walked through the door that led to the kitchen from the garage. When I looked at him, I immediately felt sick to my stomach. I was looking at the man who caused me the most pain I've ever experienced. He killed my sister.
"You must be Sarah! Welcome to our home," he said with a little to much enthusiasm for that early in the morning.
"Why yes, I am. Thank you," I said, digging deep inside myself for my sweetest tone of voice possible.
"You must be still be hungry. Please don't by shy," he said as he opened the fridge.
"Oh, thanks," I replied as I walked towards the fridge. I grabbed a yogurt, then proceeded to make my way back to the table, where the son was now sitting. He stared blankly at me and I felt my cheeks turning bright red. 
"Sarah," he nodded forcefully.
"Hi, uh..."
"Liam," he replied.
"Liam," I nodded back, then awkwardly sat down next to him. A few seconds later, Skylynn entered through the side door.
"Hi, everyone. Please excuse me for a moment. I forgot my phone when I went to Autumn's," Skylynn said as she scurried up the stairs. I remained at the table until Skylynn came back downstairs. She was freshly dressed in the most fashionable clothes, her makeup done flawlessly, and her hair curled tightly.
"And where are you going?" Mrs. Jill inquired her daughter.
"To hang out with a friend," Skylynn replied, nervously. At that moment, I knew exactly what she was doing, and I was going to find a way to secretly come along.
"No, Skylynn. You already went out last night, which was dangerous enough. Not to mention, you didn't ask permission from me or your father. You are staying home. The weather is going to get really bad." Skylynn didn't reply, just rolled her eyes and walked back up the stairs. A few minutes later, I went back to my room.

I showered in the same bathroom I had used the day before and as I was tidying up my room, I heard a faint crashing sound coming from Skylynn's room. Immediately, I walked out of my room and saw that her door was slightly opened.
"Shh, someone will hear you, Brody!" Skylynn attempted to whisper as Brody picked up the stack of books he had knocked over upon secretly entering her room. I abruptly pulled my cell phone from my back pocket and snapped a picture of the two facing one another, holding hands. Before anyone could spot me, I tiptoed back into my room.
After Brody left, I sent the picture directly to River, whose number I found in the Montgomery's address book. The message I typed out made it look like Brody had sent the picture to him. He texted back immediately saying You can tell Sky I don't even want to hear her explanation. I'm tired of her sneaking around, and I am a fool for trusting her. We are DONE! I heard Skylynn's phone ringing in her room, and the caller ID announced aloud that the call was from River. Skylynn answered the phone, using her sweetest voice to greet him. I could hear the yells coming from the other line all the way from my room. It didn't even take a minute before Skylynn was gushing her eyes out in tears and practically screaming from pure heartbreak.
"One down, three to go," I mumbled under my breath.
Two days passed, and the weather conditions made it dangerous for anyone to leave their homes. Therefore, the family had no other choice than to let me stay. Weather reports said the snow storm would last for another week at the most, which I decided was the perfect amount of time to advance in my plan. As I walked down the stairs to eat breakfast one morning, I heard harsh whispers coming from the kitchen.
"Don't you dare say anything, Liam! You know there are so many things I know about you that mom and dad would kill you for!" Skylynn hissed.
"And if you tell them, I will be sure to make your life miserable."
"Then never bring up Brody ever again, do I make myself clear?" Skylynn inquired before she began to walk up the stairs. I quickly composed myself, and began to stroll down the stairs.
"Goodmorning, Skylynn," I cooed as I passed her on the stairs. I immediately saw Liam sitting at the table, and when his eyes met mine, he nervously crumbled the piece of paper he was holding and threw it into the trash can. He proceeded to walk into the garage, and a few seconds later, I heard him beating his punching bag. My stomach rumbled with hunger, but there was more important things I needed to accomplish at that moment. I looked around to make sure no one was walking into the room, then advanced to the trash can, where I grabbed the crumbled paper Liam had thrown into it. Before reading what it said, I dashed up the stairs and into my bedroom.
As I closed my door, my heart started beating with excitement and anticipation. Before I could even make it to my desk, I was smoothing out the paper, too excited to read each word. I continued to skim the contents of the paper, only to discover that it was the announcement of Liam's trial date. The formal diction puzzled me at first, but when I saw the words "drug dealing", the confusion left me completely. I immediately knew that this was the subject of Liam and Skylynn's argument earlier that day. I wondered how Liam got away with something like that without his parents ever finding out. They would probably never find out, until now.
After much deliberation of how to present the note to Liam's parents, I decided to be straight forward with it. Therefore, I strategically placed the note behind the box of oatmeal that only Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery ate each morning. I concluded that placing it there would make it appear that Liam was hiding the note. Part of me felt bad for making Liam and Skylynn suffer for something their father did, but a bigger part of me felt like I was on a thrilling ride that sent tingles up the spine from excitement.
It was safe to say that the Montgomery parents were conservative and strict when it came to their children. They were the type of parents that viewed their kids as precious creatures who could do no wrong. Well, if today wasn't a huge slap in the face to them, I don't know what would be. They discovered the trial notice, and to say they were furious would be an understatement. I could hear the screams all the way from my room, then angry footsteps marching up the stairs. The next thing I heard was Liam barging into Skylynn's room, and Skylynn screeching in fear.
"Liam, calm down! Liam!" Skylynn yelled in between her shrieks of pure horror. Liam continued to yell at her, and from the sounds of it, he had reached a violent state. I didn't hear the end of it until Mr. Montgomery finally calmed them down and sent both children to their rooms. Shortly after, there was a knock at my door.
"Sarah?" Mrs. Montgomery asked quietly as she poked her head into my door. 
"Hi, is everything alright?" I asked in a concerned tone of voice.
"Just some family drama. I actually came in here to tell you some good news. The snow storm should be gone by tomorrow morning," she smiled.
"Oh, okay," I said simply.
"Do you want me to call the hospital to see if you can go visit your boyfriend tomorrow? I'm sure you miss him dearly," she said as she placed her hand on my shoulder.
"That won't be necessary. I actually got a call from my friend, and she will be picking me up tomorrow," I lied.
"Okay, great. It was a pleasure to have you at our home, Sarah," she said as she walked out the door.
That afternoon, I had lunch with the entire family. Skylynn and Liam didn't speak to anyone for the entirety of the meal. All I could think about was how I needed to finish my plan, and it all needed to happen that night since I would be leaving the following morning. I chose Mr. Montgomery as my final target, and I wanted to make him my grand finale.
"If you will excuse me, I have some business to take care of," Mr. Montgomery said as he pushed his chair under the table.
"Me too," I replied before standing up as well. Something about his tone of Mr. Montgomery's voice bothered me in a way that meant revenge. He walked over to the sink and began to wash his dishes. As he did this, I walked upstairs and into the first door on the right: Mr. Montgomery's office. I turned my phone on the silent setting, and set it behind a picture frame directly in front of his desk. I clicked "record" on the video camera, then left the room.
Later that night before I went downstairs for dinner, I made a detour through Mr. Montgomery's office once again to grab my phone and save the video. From the top of the stairs, I said, "Hey guys, I'm not feeling too well. I think I'm just going to relax for a little bit."
"Alright, Sarah. I hope you feel better," Ms. Jill yelled back.
When I got back to my room, I fast forwarded through the video to try and find something worthy to post. Mr. Montgomery has been on the phone for a long period of time. Throughout all of the business-talk that I couldn't understand, I was able to gather that Mr. Montgomery's business was a fraud. Whatever product he was selling to thousands of people had been bogus. All of the years that his business had been "successful" were a lie. I knew that busting him for this would cause him and his family to lose everything. I uploaded the video to my computer and cut out the useless clips. In the end, I had a three minute video of Mr. Montgomery's full confession.
I posted the video to YouTube and sent it to my former neighbor, Sandy, who wrote for the New York Times. Sandy emailed me back within minutes and informed me that the story would be on the front page of the newspaper the following morning. I hadn't realized that this would be such a big deal, but apparently Mr. Montgomery's business was a well-known one.

I smiled as I tucked myself into bed that night. After countless hours of tossing and turning, I turned on the small TV that hung on the wall above the desk. The news channel immediately clicked on, and they seemed to be covering a story about a girl who had died. The man on the news said, "We have finally identified the man responsible for Hazel Hathbury's death. He has been traveling across the country and was found in lower Alabama. He was pulled over by an officer due to his reckless driving and ended up admitting to this murder. The name of the man is Jack Asher, and he is now awaiting his trial. Congratulations to Hazel's sister, Sutton, who has made this case her mission for the past few months. We are happy to announce that the search is now over." Immediately, my entire body felt paralyzed. It took an immense effort to get out of bed and pack up my belongings. However, running down the stairs and out of the door was a seemingly effortless task. I continued to run through the deep snow and never turned back. The front page story the next morning was, in fact, covering the Montgomery story.