Vengeance

CHAPTER 1

VENGEANCE

CHAPTER-1

FLASHBACK

"Izzy! Where are you?" She called out, searching for me. I continued sobbing, hiding away in a closet. "Oh, Izzy..." She sighed after finally spotting me. "I know how hard today is, but you can't be locked away all day, right? Look, I even made your favorite spaghettios!" "I miss them," I said with my face in my palms. "I-I know... I do too. But-" "Where are you two? Bella! Clara!" Auntie Celine called out. "We're in here Auntie!" Clara replied. "There you two are! Now may I ask what the special occasion was that you two were locked up in a closet?" "Nothing..." I said. "Oh my, Clara, are you crying? This won't do. Come on out children, I'm taking you for ice cream." She said most sweetly. "Thank you, Auntie." We clamored together. We got three ice creams of our favorite flavors. Chocolate for me, Butterscotch for Clara, and vanilla for Auntie. "How d'you eat such a boring and simple vanilla, Auntie?" I asked. "Oh, it's not boring at all! It's the most flavorful if you imagine what the flavor should be! It all depends on your thought process and what you're thinking." "Well, right now I'm thinking of mummy and daddy. Will it remind me of the smell of mummy and daddy?" I asked, tearing up again. For the millionth time that day. "Dear, it's been 2 years now. If you keep holding on to them, they won't be able to travel safely to heaven and get stuck on earth and become ghosts." She replied. Clara squeezed my palm. Everything'll be okay as long as I'm here. She mouthed.

FLASHBACK ENDS

Only she's not here anymore. She's gone, just like how mummy and daddy are gone. Only I won't cry anymore like I used to do. I've figured out that crying is useless. I'm done sitting at my desk, wasting my time, crying, as my sister's murderer is roaming around, free. I used to think that I really was going insane, but this letter has always kept my hopes up. In the times of smartphones and telegrams, she was the only one who used to write letters. Her uniqueness still amuses me.

Dear Izzy,

I really hope you somehow find this letter. I'm writing this to you after finding out a huge secret. If I tell you this now in person, you won't believe me and probably tell on me. But listen closely, I'm writing down a riddle in the hope that someday when you're older and ready, you'll be able to figure out what I was trying to say. I'm in real danger right now and don't know if I'll be able to survive. Don't show this letter to anyone.

Look for it in your heart, listen closely now,

Search for footage where there once lived a cow

You will find it near the number we once chose

You shall find the answer among your memories,

Say it out loud, prove your worth, avenge your sister, who's gone from the Earth

Please try to solve this! Your life is in danger. And if we never meet again, remember that I love you more than anything.

Lots of Love

Clara

I've never been able to decode this letter. No matter how hard I try. Everyone said it was an accident, and that I was going mad and made this letter up. They never even considered the murder. Even my dear Aunt, who had loved and taken good care of me since the day my parents died had stopped believing me after her death. She joined the rest on the 'accident' theory. But none of that mattered. What mattered was that I'd found this letter in my drawer and that I believe my sister. I know the truth.

Now, I'm 19, I live alone in my 1-room apartment, I have no friends, no boyfriend, no pet, no nothing. I do have coworkers though. However, I'm not at all sad about it. I work as a journalist in New York. My aunt lives in Jersey City. She works in the film industry as a costume designer. I visit her often. She's all I have left to call family. But we haven't been as close ever since the death of my sister. You may think I'm lonely, however, I don't agree with that thought. I like keeping things to myself because it's hard to find someone who understands. I also like being alone because it gives me time to think and because there are no annoying distractions. I'm writing all this down so that one day when I solve my sister's case, I'll ruin the murderer's life by publishing this book. One day.

I'm getting late for work now. As I left my apartment, I bumped into some guy. He was blonde and wearing a sky-blue shirt and white pants. He wore several bands on his wrist and carried a red and white electric guitar. Ugh. What a colorful character. "Oh, I'm sorry!" He said. "It's fine." I replied. "D'you live around here?" He asked me. Why is he still talking to me? I wondered. "Excuse me?" He asked again, wondering if I was even listening. "Yes, I live on the 7th floor." "No way! I'm moving in on the seventh floor today!" He exclaimed. "Oh, joy," I replied. unfortunately, he wasn't able to detect the sarcasm in my tone. "I know! We'll be good buddies, I'm sure," "Yeah, I can tell that. Anyway, I have someplace to be at this moment." "Of course, well, goodbye neighbor!" He waved. I left the place then and there. What a character.

As soon as I reached my office Sam spoke while typing something on his laptop, "We have some people complaining about the construction work being done near Anchor Road. Isabella, Please go and check it out." "Alright, if you're so set on kicking me out the moment I enter, I'll leave," I replied. "Thank you." He said, continuing to type on his laptop. I walked over to the construction site. People living there were arguing with the construction workers. "Stop yapping y'all! Come on! This mall is being built for you! Don't you want a mall right in front of your houses?" I tried to explain. "No." A guy said. "Well, too bad then. Because all expenses for this mall have been paid already and you're going to have to deal with this. So good luck with how you take it."

The guy just laughed. "Look at this bitch!" He tried to grab hold of my wrist but then, a boy slapped his hand off. "Don't touch her. Didn't your parents ever teach you not to touch a girl without her permission? Or anyone for that matter." I turned back to get a closer look at his face. It was that guy from earlier. My new neighbor. The person who tried to hold my hand was taken aback a bit. His face said it all. He was shocked at how such a young boy could tell him off like that. "You brat! Talking about manners! Don't you know that you shouldn't talk to your elders in such a way?" He exclaimed. "Don't make a scene here, sir. I will take your complaint back to the main office. We're leaving." I said, looking down. He just shrugged and looked annoyed but didn't speak at all. The boy followed me. "Hey, you could at least thank me!" He said. "I had it covered. You didn't need to show up." I replied. "So you're that type. Well, I don't care. I haven't got any friends. You look like you don't either. So, what d'you say?" He asked, with hope in his eyes, and his arm reaching out to me. "I may not have any friends, however, that's only because I don't need any." I told him.

"Come on, everyone needs friends! Anyway, what's your name?"

"You seem like you know a lot. So, why don't you try and find that out yourself?"

"I will." He responded. He then left on a bike.

What a character, I thought again.

I went home after that heck of a day. And guess who'd been waiting for me there? The blonde boy. "Hey, Isabella." "You read my house plate, how clever," I said, sarcastically. "I know right? But you don't need to be jealous. I have a sort of a knack for such things." "Well, now that you know my name, tell me, what's yours?" I asked, just to be polite. "Woods, Ethan Woods. I'm 20. How 'bout you?" "19," "I feel like we're really going to hit it off pretty well." "Goodbye."

It had been a long day.