June 23rd, 2021

I heard a bang on the window. I looked over and saw my brother Parker smiling. I rolled my eyes and looked at Grandpa.

“Parker is here to go to lunch. Are you good with groceries?”
My grandfather nodded and looked down.

“Thanks for sharing, Grandpa. I’ll come back next week if you wanna talk about it some more?”

He nodded and smiled, his eyes slightly watery.

“Thank you, dear. That means a lot to me.” 

I stood up and made my way to the door and left. I shut it behind me and glared at Parker.

“Why’d you do that?” I said angrily as I stomped to my car.

He laughed and started walking with me. “I thought it was funny, duh.”

I rolled my eyes and opened the door and sat down.

“Did you walk here?” I asked as he sat down in the passenger seat.

“Fawn dropped me off.”

I scoffed. Fawn was his girlfriend since we were in 9th grade. We’re fraternal twins, Parker and I. Although, we look very similar. Obviously. Parker is done with school altogether, but I’m taking summer school. I want to get extra credits because the college I want to go to requires 30. My dad says I’m too ambitious, but I don’t think so. I just want a bright future. I won’t be alone, though. Some of my friends are going as well. My friend Ophelia is going. I met her in 3rd grade; we were neighbors. She moved but stayed in the same city. My other friend Kevin is going as well. He was new this year. He came in halfway through the year, and he’s now a senior. It must be pretty rough coming in halfway through junior year. And finally, Hannah is going. I sort of forced her to go. What’s the harm in extra credits? She’s technically my ex, but we only dated for a few months. We quickly decided we were better off as friends. Summer school is gonna be fun. I know it.

I jabbed the keys into the ignition, twisted them, and drove to Lenny’s.

Parker and I walked into the cafe and the smell of waffles and syrup wafted through the air. I pulled my black hair into a long ponytail and walked up to the front desk. The lady quickly took us to our seats, and we looked at our menus. I always ordered the chicken salad, so I was just searching for something to drink.

“So,” Parker piped up, “what did you and Grandpa talk about?”

I smiled behind my menu. “Oh, just about how he got shot.”

I saw his eyes widen from the corner of my eye.

“Wait, seriously? Why’d he tell you and not me?”
“Because you’re a jerk,” I said simply.

“Fair.” Parker sighed and put his menu down. “Can you tell me the story?”
“I didn’t get to know all of it because someone interrupted. But I’ll tell you what I know so far.”

Parker was jealous of me, but he never showed it. I knew he wanted Grandpa to tell him, and as much as we joked, I knew it hurt him. Grandpa always took favor of me; buying me all the treats and presents, being overly protective of me, being extra excited when I came over. But with Parker, he seemed cold and stand-offish. Like he wasn’t as important as me. But I knew that wasn’t true. Parker was smart, funny, kind. He was popular. He had a pretty girlfriend and jock friends. The typical teenage boy’s dream. Meanwhile, I was “nerdy” and had a tiny group of friends, and no pretty girlfriend on my arm to flaunt. I think Parker and I are simultaneously jealous of each other without letting the other know it. But it always confused me why Grandpa never preferred Parker. He was the cool kid, he did things better than me. He was more outgoing and extroverted. What grandparent wouldn’t want to be around that more? Reward that behavior? It always seemed weird to me, but I said nothing. I graciously accepted the gifts and presents, smiled when Grandpa greeted me, and basically shunned Parker. I willingly held his hand as we walked down the sidewalk when I was a kid. I was too scared to question him.

When I finished telling Parker what Grandpa told me, I felt a hand slap my shoulder. I sighed and put my chin on my palm. I knew it was Josh without even needing to turn around and look. Sure enough, dirty blonde hair flopped in my face as he bent over my head. 

“Heya, Chels,” He said while grinning.

“Don’t call me that,” I replied coldly.

He backed away and put his hands up as if surrendering. “Hey, no need to be bitter.”

He shoved Parker to the end of the booth and sat next to him. They did a fist bump, and it took everything in me not to cringe.

“Park, your stupid sister is being mean to me. I didn’t even do anything.” He was looking at me as he said this.
Josh was only a few months old than Parker and I. We lived close to each other when we were younger. I noticed how bright his blue eyes were immediately after I saw him for the first time. I was intrigued. But then Parker came and swept him away. He was always more of Josh’s friend than I was. Guess that’s how it goes. Boy is friend with boy, and girl is friend with girl. One afternoon when I was 13, I passed by Parker’s room when Josh was over. I overheard them talking, and for some reason, I decided to eavesdrop. I heard Josh say how he liked me. Ever since we met. Parker laughed. A devilish laugh. He thought it was funny. It was so weird that someone would have a crush on me that it was comical. But still. I liked Josh as well. We could never happen, though. As much as I liked him, it would be too awkward. Parker would tease me, I already knew it. So whenever Josh tried talking to me, I avoided him. In 9th grade, I started dating Hannah. Josh knew I was bisexual, so this didn’t surprise him. But I could see it hurt him. I wish I could say I didn’t start dating Hannah just to get Josh to leave me alone, but that would be a lie. Eventually, Josh gave up on me. He started dating this girl Anna, who I hated. There was no particular reason. I hated her because of her role in my life.

But here, right now, looking at him, every feeling I had tried repressing came flooding back.

“Chelsea, are you high?” Parker asked quite loudly.

I snapped back to reality and saw Josh staring at me, his smile plastered on him like a sticker.

“No, sorry. Just thinking about uh, school. Summer school.”

Josh laughed, looking at the ceiling. “Wow, Miss Smarty-Pants over here is going to summer school.”

“Hey, I just want extra credits…” I mumbled. 

“I’m just kidding. I’m proud of you. I can tell you’re gonna get into that school and be the CEO of a billion-dollar company,” Josh said, kindly, for a change.

I smiled at him, and he smiled back. I heard Parker sigh and drum on the table.
“Where the hell is the waitress?” Parker asked, getting impatient. 

Just then, a girl with a brown bun and black glasses came around the corner with a notepad. We all ordered, Josh included, and she walked away.

The rest of the afternoon, I tried avoiding eye contact with Josh and conversation with Parker. I really just wanted to go home at this point. I wanted to see Grandpa again and get the rest of the story. I wanted to be anywhere but here. 

I was awoken by the sun shining through my window and onto my face. Josh came over yesterday and stayed the night. Right now, he was either in the kitchen or sleeping in Parker’s room. I prayed it was the latter as I stood up, got dressed, and left my bedroom. I didn’t bother brushing my hair. I put it in a messy bun. I brushed my teeth in the bathroom and put black mascara above my light brown eyes. I did my normal routine; concealer, blush, and contour. I finally left the bathroom and ran downstairs. I checked the kitchen. All clear. I made a mad dash to the door, letting it slam behind me. I hopped into my car and sped to Grandpa’s house. I just needed to hear someone else’s voice before I went crazy.

I knocked on the door and was surprised when it opened almost immediately. Grandpa grabbed my arm and pulled me in, closing the door behind me. I stumbled, almost falling down. 

“Ow, Grandpa! That was aggressive.”

He quickly apologized and sat down, so I followed. 

“I need to tell you the rest of the story,” he said quite urgently.

I simply nodded, not wanting to protest. This is exactly what I came here for.

June 24th, 1956

I sat outside the police station, my arms crossed and a dry throat. The police found me as I tackled Peter. I explained everything that happened, and they took him to the police station to question him. They told me they would question me tomorrow, which was today now. They took Jessie’s body for testing. They were going to look for Peter’s fingerprints anywhere on her. We’d get the results soon, but I was scared. What if it wasn’t Peter? What then?

Officer Williams stepped outside and motioned for me to come in. I got up from the bench I was sitting on and made my way through the doors. Immediately, I heard whispers. They were talking about me.

“You ought to think they’d have locked their doors. It kind of seems like her fault.”

“And that Daniel boy? He doesn’t seem that shaken up about it.”

I tried to ignore them. Their words went in one ear and out the other. I didn’t care what they said; they knew nothing. But now that I think about it, neither do I.

Officer Williams led me into the interrogation room. I sat down on a chair across from a cream-colored desk. There were papers in a manila folder labeled “Jessica Karack Case.”

I saw a glossy picture of Jessie lying on the floor with blood pooling around her head sticking out from the folder. I put my elbow over it so I couldn’t see. I knew I would see her again for her funeral, but at least then she wouldn’t be all bloody.

Williams sat across from me, slowly taking the folder out from under my elbow. 

“So,” he started, “I’m going to ask you some questions. I want you to be completely honest with me.”

I nodded, just wanting this to be over with.

“What time did you get home yesterday?”

“I didn’t look at the clock, but I think around 3:30. I went home immediately after school.”

“And when you went in the house, you saw Jessica right away, yes?” He asked.

“Yes, she was in the living room. It’s right by the front door.” I tried my best to sound composed. I was not about to cry in front of an officer.

“So you made the phone call here. Did you try CPR at all on Jessica?”

“No,” I said simply. CPR wouldn’t work for a gunshot to the head, idiot.

“And right after, we saw you with Peter Lian. Can you explain that again?”

I sighed. I’ve told this story at least 4 times within the last day.

“I heard something in the kitchen and went to check, and Peter was there with a gun. So I chased him and you guys came.”

Williams nodded, keeping his eyes on the paper. “And did you physically assault Peter in any way?”

I didn’t know how to answer this. “Technically. I tackled him to the ground, but only his palms really hit the ground.”

This questioning went on for about 10 more minutes until I was released. I went outside the police station, the warm air touching my skin. I waited by the edge of the sidewalk. My dad was going to come to pick me up soon. But I knew my life was changed forever.

A few minutes later, my dad pulled up beside me. I climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door, dreading stepping foot back into our house.

“Danny?”

I looked up and made eye contact with my dad. He looked worried. Understandable, considering his daughter was murdered the previous day.

“I need to tell you something important. It could help with this whole investigation.”

I raised my eyebrows and stared. Why is he telling me? He should tell the police, not his dimwit son who barely passed senior year. But I nodded anyway because I was now curious.

My dad cleared his throat, obviously scared to tell me this secret.

“So… you know your grandfather?”

I nodded. Grandpa had died last year. It still hurt to think about.

“Well, when I was around your age, he told me a secret.”

I was even more curious now. Usually, Grandpa doesn’t keep secrets from me.

“He told me his great grandfather made a deal for property when he was in his twenties…”

Now he was scaring me. What did this have to do with Jessie?

“He made a deal with some bad people. They were very misogynistic. The deal he made… was that the Lians would kill any female born into our family.”

I stared at him blankly. That sounded absolutely ridiculous. But he really seemed like he was serious.

“Our family managed to keep only boys in the family. We married women whose families tended to have a lot of boys. But when your mother got pregnant and had Jessie… we were very surprised, to say the least. You were already 3, and we didn’t want to uproot you. But we were still in the town where your grandpa’s great grandfather made that deal. We had to move here. So we did. We packed up everything and left a week after she was born. I thought we were safe… I was so sure we were safe. We took a plane here, for godsakes!”

I never saw my dad this upset. He slammed his hands onto the steering wheel and started crying. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but I was honestly scared. He’s never acted like this before.

June 29th, 2021

I sat at the grey desk, picking at the maroon cotton T-Shirt. I threw on ripped jeans and old dirty white sneakers. I put on my basic makeup and put my hair into a bun. I really couldn’t be bothered. It was the first day of summer school. There were about 4 other people in the class not including my friends. They weren’t here yet. I put my palm on my cheek, yawning. I woke up at 6 this morning. School started at 8, but I wanted to be prepared. I really regret that decision now. I passed by a shirtless Parker in the kitchen who was eating an orange with a fork. I always teased him for it. He threw me a banana as I was walking out the door. He wore the same black swim shorts to bed every night, which I thought was gross. But I digress.

Someone plopped their backpack right beside me and sat down. I looked up to see Hannah smiling at me. Her light blonde hair was down and wavy, her blue eyes wide. She wore a pink dress, although it looked more like a nightgown to me. She had on black heeled boots and a charm bracelet. She was always good at fashion. I smiled at her.

“Hey, Chelsea.” She nudged me and pulled out a notebook and pencil. She was really prepared.

I waved and stared at her supplies. “You’re really prepared, aren’t you?” I asked while tilting my head.

She laughed and leaned back in her chair. “I figured I’d try.”

Someone sat at the other end of me, and I knew right away that it was Kevin. I looked over at him, his dirty blonde hair messy and falling around his eyes. He wore a blue tank top and black gym shorts. He looked like he’d just come from the gym.

“Dude, were you working out?” I asked him.

He smiled at me and looked back at the table. “Yeah. I figured I’d hit the gym before I came here. I want to get jacked before my senior year, ya know?”
I snickered and hid my face behind my notebook. “Yeah, sure. That’ll totally happen.”

He glared at me, but he couldn’t hold his smile back for long.

The last to arrive was Ophelia, who sat across from me. She adjusted her red glasses on her dark face. She wore her hair in braids today and had on jean overalls and a white crop top. 

“Cute outfit, Eli. Did you get it at Ambercrombie?”
“Hollister,” she said simply. “My mom wanted to take me shopping for summer clothes, which I think is pretty useless.”

We all laughed and the teacher started the lesson. I could tell this was going to be a great summer.

Last week, I had to leave in the middle of Grandpa’s story. My mom called me saying she was coming home and needed me to pick her up from the airport. She flew out to see her parents for a few weeks, and dad was at his business meeting, so Parker and I were alone at home for a while. I knew if I didn’t leave right then, I’d get a very stern talking to. So the rest of the story would have to wait.

We got worksheets we’d need to work on at home. But I knew after school, I was going to go to Grandpa’s immediately. 

After school, my friends and I all sat out on the bench outside of the school. Kevin was peeling a banana, Hannah was applying more lipgloss, and Ophelia was cleaning her glasses. We were all just normal people doing normal things. So why did I feel so weird about doing this?

I turned to them and cleared my throat. They all looked at me. Hannah smacked her lips and put the tube away, Ophelia put her glasses back on her face, and Kevin slowly chewed his banana. I then proceeded to tell them everything my grandpa had told me. 

They looked pretty shocked, to say the least.

“Wait, so every female?” Ophelia asked, her eyes wide open.

I nodded, my hands in my lap.

“But you’re a girl,” Kevin said.

“You’re quite observant, aren’t you, Kevin?” Hannah asked mockingly. He glared at her and rolled his eyes.

“Yes Kevin, I’m a girl. But I’m assuming my grandpa moved his family far away from those people. I don’t see why he’d stay in that town.”

I was still shaking after telling my friends everything. But I knew I could trust them to keep it a secret. But it was dangerous. They could end up telling the wrong people, and it would lead the Lian’s right to us. But now, I was just focused on getting the rest of the story.

I stepped on the gas and drove straight to my grandpa’s house.

He opened the door, already knowing what I was there for. He sat down, smiling at me.

“I’m so glad you want to hear the rest of my story, dear. It means a lot to me.”
I smiled back. “I want to know who shot you. Was it one of the Lian’s?”

He nodded. “I think today I’ll be able to tell you the rest of the story.”

July 2nd, 1956

We moved away from our previous town a few days ago. We needed to escape to help save the lives of the future women born into our family. My father told me stories of my female relatives who were born into the Karack family. Cousins, great aunts, etc. They were all dead. And Jessie was now, too. But we’ve escaped, and we’ve covered our tracks. There was no way they’d find us now.

But I lay here, in a hospital bed, gauze wrapped around my leg. We were leaving our house when he appeared. Peter Lian’s father. Nial Lian. He pulled a gun on me. He gave this big speech about how I ruined their legacy and ruined his son’s life. He was just doing his job, he said. I tried running, and a burning pain suddenly appeared right below my knee. I fell down and held my leg, yelling in agony. I looked down and saw enough blood to fill a lake. The bastard shot me.

My father ran out of the car with a small box filled with my mom’s weights. Nial turned around and tried to shoot, but my dad hit him over the head before he could pull the trigger. Nial fell down, not making any noise. My father helped me up, basically carrying me to the car. We quickly sped away. He ended up ripping his T-Shirt and tying it around my wound, something he figured out how to do during his lifeguard training. I leaned my head back, my cropped black hair covered in blood from me touching it. I tried ignoring the pain, but it was pretty useless.

When we got to the town we were moving to, we immediately went to the hospital. They admitted me and put me on a bed, cleaning my wound, etc. They needed to do minor surgery to get the bullet out of my leg. I almost ended up fainting when we finally arrived, but they managed to keep me awake. These last few days have been hell.

My dad ended up telling the police the whole story of the Lian’s before we moved. We don’t know if they arrested Nial, but we were pretty certain he was dead. There was a very slim chance he’d survive that hit.

I had to stay in the hospital for a few days, but I knew my leg would be messed up for a while. I didn’t lose too much blood thanks to my dad, but I felt light-headed for a while. 

I wouldn’t tell my future children about this. Or about the Lian’s. I didn’t want them to be paranoid. And I knew we were safe.

June 29th, 2021

I sat there in silence, taken aback by everything my grandpa has just told me. I didn’t realize how strong he was. Moving right after his sister died is something I could never do. If Parker died, I’d wallow in sadness and die right there with him. I hugged my grandpa, sharing positive affirmations before leaving.

I called Parker and told him everything. I could tell he wished grandpa told him, but he saw now why he was so protective of me. He was scared. I knew that our family would be healed now.

I texted in the group chat and told all my friends. To my surprise, Kevin told me to come to his house. He said he wanted to comfort me, which isn’t unlike him. He’s a really caring person. I texted Parker to say I was going to Kevin’s and drove over to his house.

I’d been here a few times before. I met Kevin at the beginning of the year, so my friends and I went to his house for Christmas. His parents were away, something to do with business, so he was alone. His parents trusted him to be home alone since he was a Junior at the time. But me, Hannah, and Ophelia all felt bad he was spending Christmas alone. So we pitched in our money and bought him some presents. Ophelia got a job over the summer, so she had enough money to buy him a cheap laptop. Together, Hannah and I scraped together enough money to buy him these expensive sneakers he told us about earlier in the year. They were red and had a silhouette of a guy jumping with a ball. I think it was supposed to be a basketball player. But we all came over and sat by the tree, unwrapping presents and laughing. But now I lay here, in his basement, staring at the ripped box that contained that tree. I wiggled my hands to try and break free from the chains he tied around my wrists, but to no avail. 

I screamed at him to let me out. He was upstairs, doing god knows what. 

I knocked on his door and he greeted me with a hug. He said I was so brave for telling him my story. I was confused, but I didn’t think that meant he’d lock me in his basement like a movie serial killer. I was in the kitchen getting water when he grabbed me by the waist and dragged me down the stairs. Of course, I screamed but he covered my mouth with his hand. God, now I wish I bit him. He basically threw me down here, quickly tying my hands so I couldn’t escape.

I heard footsteps now and looked up. Kevin was coming downstairs, holding something. I couldn’t tell what it was, but it was shiny and silver. Does he have a damn knife?

He walked towards me, setting the knife down on the table beside me. He bent over, staring me in the face.

“I knew you were here. You and all your stupid family,” he remarked. He looked angry.

I wish I could wipe the tears from my face. I shouldn’t be scared of him. “What the hell are you talking about?” I yelled.

He put his finger to his lip, gesturing for me to shut up. 

“You look so much like Jessie,” he said while examining my face.

I sat there, knowing that if I tried anything, he’d kill me.

“I’m Kevin Lian,” he said while standing up. He said it so casually, I almost ignored it.

“What?” I screeched. “You said your last name was Bertram!”

Kevin Lian rolled his eyes. “I was lying, idiot. Wow, women are actually dumb.”

I frowned, wanting to kill him instead. Who was he to say I was dumb?

“Now,” he started, picking up the knife, “it was really great knowing you. If you didn’t tell me everything your precious grandpa told you, none of this would have happened. I was starting to believe it was just a coincidence your last name is Karack. But stupid little Chelsea had to go blabbing to her friends.”

He leaned over, holding the knife right above my nose. “I would say next time think before you speak, but we both know there won’t be a next time.”

I closed my eyes, preparing for the split second of pain. But that moment never came. All I heard was a loud thud. I opened my eyes and saw Kevin lying on the floor, bleeding. I shifted away from him. I looked up and saw Josh and Parker standing over him with the metal star that went on the Christmas tree.

“Parker!” I shouted, shaking my hands to try getting them loose again.

Parker rushed over to me, pulling a key out of his pocket. “I found it in that dude’s pocket.” 

He unlocked the chains, setting my hands free. I quickly jumped up and hugged him, so relieved they were here.

“Why did you come here?” I asked while starting to cry again.

“Josh was worried. We tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. I figured we’d come here so I could prove you were fine, but I guess I was wrong.”

I looked over at Josh who just hung up the phone. He set it down, and I could see he dialed 911. They’d come and take care of this psychopath.

I let go of Parker and ran into Josh’s arm, who hugged me tightly back. I knew right here and now, that whatever happened, I’d always have a bodyguard to protect me.