Mystery Murder

It was my second week of sophomore year, and the end of the day was drawing near. I look out the classroom window as the sky twists and turns into a frightful mixture of light and dark clouds bellowing my way.

The rain started off slowly, pitter pattering its way through puddles and drizzling off of the tall evergreens. The rain fell heavier, throwing the bystanders into a panic for their hoods and umbrellas as the clouds bombarded plentiful beads of water. Splattering rainfall dances off the school bus roofs, the rhythm tapping the window with force.

There goes the 6th period bell, throwing me back into reality. I gather my notebooks, pencils, and homework and stuff it neatly into my backpack. I say goodbye to friends as I hurry to the door to head for the bus. There I see my dad standing in the doorway, drenched from the tsunami-like downpour of the unrelenting storm.

Dad never picks me up from school. We don’t get along well, only because we are so much alike.

He approached me slowly, staring at me with blood shot eyes that were as puffy and dark as the storm clouds that were brewing outside.

“Hey Livie,” he says.

I hate that name.

“It’s Olivia Dad, what’s going on?”

“I’ve come to get you, something’s happened. We need to go, now.”

My heart stops. What does that mean? Somethings happened? His frantic fidgeting, darting expression, and his distraught face could honestly only mean one possible outcome. Mom.

Dad urges me faster and faster through the halls. He won’t even look me in the eyes.

We make it outside and he hands me an umbrella. The sky had gotten darker and had an eviler aura to it, as if the sun had taken an immediate vacation for the news to come.

Dad opens my door to the truck first and reminds me to buckle my seat belt.. He closes my door and heads to his side. Dad‘s door barely cracks open before I begin to badger him with my frantic array of questions.

He freezes and closes his soulless eyes. The truck is started and in drive without a single word. We are only eight minutes away from the school, but the drive home felt like hours.

The silence is maddening. In the driveway now, neither one of us even contemplated moving. Not even a breath.

“Livie, it’s your mom.” He says shakily, which is extremely odd to hear from such an emotionless man. Dad reaches for my hand but I pull away.

“Daddy... what is it?” Scared to hear the truth, I fight back the tears like a never-ending war.

“There’s no easy way to say this.”

“Say WHAT??” Furious now, I’m shaking out of my body.

He voiced what looked like “Mom died….” That can’t be though…there’s no way!

I look at him, tears swelling in my eyes like mini oceans. The rain is so deafening I can hardly think.

“How...” I can’t control my rattling body. My tears won’t listen and they start streaming down my face. The saltiness makes my mouth dry.

“She was murdered Livie.”

I whip open my door and scream at the top of my lungs. I fall to my knees and throw my hands to my face. My jeans are soaking up all the water the grass has been fed so far.

For the first time in hours, it’s quiet. The rain has stopped. That’s impossible.

I slowly release my hands and see the pebbles of rain in front of my face at a standstill. I look around, Dad is halfway out of the truck, frozen solid. Cars in the street, unmoving. Time has stopped, but I’m still free.

What in the world have I done?

I don’t understand what is happening. This ability to stop time, did I do that?

Mom would know what to do.. how could this happen? Murder??

I stay sitting in the grass. The imprint of my legs had dried the grass of all its rainfall. Everything remained still. The thick raindrops hang in a peaceful daze. The trees are stuck in a forever frozen wind, but that’s the thing. There isn’t even a breeze. The clouds above are eerily quiet.

I look over at my dad who is still hanging off his truck, he was about to run to me before time froze still.

I go from my knees to laying on my back, looking up at the dark sky. I close my eyes and I see my beautiful mother. Her brown wispy hair playing in the sun rays. She’s holding me in her arms as the breeze dances around us. I feel her warmth wrapping around every ounce of my body.

I open my eyes and my dad is hovering over me, ripping me from the ground. Back to normal. The rain is pouring over us relentlessly. Dad takes me into the house. Neither one of us says another word or shed another tear.

Do I tell him what happened? Would he even believe me?

“Hey Livie..” he says to me.

“Dad.. please.. it’s Olivia.”

“Ok... are you alright?”

“No Dad.. I’m not alright.. mom’s dead and we don’t even know what happened! Who could’ve done this??”

Dad seems less upset. Which is unnerving to me. How is he so calm? Does he know something that he isn’t telling me? Does he know who did it? My imagination can get the better of me sometimes so I better stop thinking about it all together.

Dad looks over at me and touches my face, I wince a little when his cold hands touch my cheek.

“There will be some… agents stopping by shortly to discuss things.”

“Ok, what are they going to do?”

“They just want to talk to us, ask a few questions.”

I head up the stairs to my room. My room is at the end of the hall to the left, past the bathroom and past my parents’ room. My mom won’t be here anymore. The thought of that puts a wrench in my stomach and I almost throw up.

Just the other night, my parents were in there arguing. I only heard bits and pieces, but it was their worst one yet. I heard mom yelling first this time...

“... I just don’t understand why you can’t accept the fact...”

“You have no idea what you’re talking...”

“Yes I do! Joe.. you don’t know what they’re capable of..”

“The hell I don’t! You can’t put these ideas in her head Laura!”

Were they talking about me? My imagination is running wild again. Did mom know about this gift I seem to have? Or was freezing time a freak hiccup in reality.

I lay on my bed and hold my stuffed elephant close to my chest wishing that it would be my mom. That’s when I felt it. Something under my pillow that wasn’t there before. A small black notebook. Leather bound with a special inscription on the front. Weathered, it’s hard to see what the inscription says.

I open it up to the first page to see my mother’s name transcribed in red ink on the bottom right-hand page. “Laura Alona.”

It was filled with pages full of mystical stories, family trees, and locations of faraway lands. The very last page was an entry made on September 22nd. Only a day ago..

Olivia, my baby.

There is not much time for me now… I wish there was another way. I promise I will always be there for you. Do not trust them. Follow the family trail.

I love you.

I must have dozed off because I wake up to my dad pounding on my locked door.

“Liv.. I mean, Olivia sweetie. The agents are here and need to speak with us.”

The agents are standing in the doorway. My dad looks their way and says, “Have a seat, please.”

The men take the loveseat and Dad and I are in the recliners. This recliner still smells like mom. The vague smell of lavender and warm vanilla flood my memories.

“My name is officer Daniels, this is my partner Beck.”

Beck is extremely handsome, hardly looks to be in his twenties. His blonde hair is slicked to one side and his eyes seem to be an angelic blue. Daniels on the other hand looks cruel and scary. I catch him fiercely staring into my existence.

A cool breeze brushed by me…

Do not trust them.

“Have your parents been fighting recently?” asks officer Daniels. I am spacing out, thinking of where my mom is.

“Livie, Officer Daniels asked you a question.”

“Oh, excuse me, what was the question?”

“That’s alright” Daniels says, “I asked if you’ve overheard your parents fighting recently?”

I look over to my Dad who shoots me a glare which must mean to keep quiet about their fights they’ve been having. My heart is racing again, I feel like I might pass out from the adrenaline rushing through every vein in my body.

My face must have given Daniels a heads up that I’m about to lie so he softens his face and looks right into my soul.

“No, I haven’t heard anything.” I say nervously, too obvious of a lie. He knows!

Beck speaks up again, “Alright Olivia, thank you for your time. Why don’t you head back to your room. We will talk with your Dad alone now.”

Before I shut my door, I hear officer Daniels say,

“Can she hear us?”

“No” Dad says, quieter now.

“Good, because you have some explaining to do. Where’s the money Joe?”

“She’s dead now Daniels, the $20,000 dollars will be transferred to you as soon as my blasphemy of a wife’s daughter is dealt with too. That was the deal.”

My heart sank to the floor, I fall into a panic.

The breeze brushed by me again, but this time it was warmer than earlier. Humid even.

A voice calls out to me, but not my mother’s… someone else’s.

Do not trust them, Olivia, Run.

I said RUN!