Temporary Home

Chapter 14

It was a long night that evening. I had to catch up on all of my work and worry about those stupid letters. I just wish I could get all of this over with. I wish everything was over and I didn’t get strange letters. I found more in my room. A lot, actually. It didn’t trigger anything, just put me more on edge. 

At about eleven o’clock, I went up to my room and changed into my pajamas. I hardly ate dinner. I wasn’t hungry. On my bed sat a letter and in my stomach sat a feeling of dread. All I wanted was to go to bed. I just wanted this day to be over with. I picked up the letter carefully, scared of what may be inside.

It read: 

Dear Annabeth,

Roses are red

Violets are blue

My bullet snipped you

But you’ll be seeing me soon

Do you think you got off easy?

Can you understand me clearly?

You have two choices

Or soon you’ll hear no voices

You know three boys

And with very little noise

I could have them with me

As easy as one, two, three

I know their routines

I can get them by all means

So they can die with me

Or I can let them be

Alone they will be left

If you can pass my test

Meet me in the school lot 

Tomorrow, 9 o’clock

Your boys will be saved

If you make the date

I need information 

And only you can answer my questions

That wasn’t all. Inside, there were pictures. Pictures of Ren doing everyday things. Pictures of Blake doing everyday things. And pictures of a little boy with hearing aids doing what looked like normal activities. I didn’t know the third boy, but Blake and Ren are very important to me. I couldn’t let them die. I couldn’t. I fell asleep, clutching the pictures in my hand.

The next morning was awful. I got up an hour late and rushed to get to school. My morning passed painfully slow. It was almost as if it was mocking me that I may be dead in less than twelve hours. I couldn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want to risk anymore lives. 

It was lunch time, but I didn’t feel like eating, even though I didn’t eat breakfast. My stomach was in knots and it didn’t help when Blake and Ren came to sit with me. 

“Hey, Anna. What’s up?” Ren asked, chugging down his small milk carton.

I didn’t answer. 

“Are you okay? You look really pale.” He asked.

I didn’t respond.

“Yeah, you look sick. Maybe you should go home.” Blake suggested.

I didn’t acknowledge them. I felt like I was being drowned. I couldn’t reach the surface and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. 

I stormed out of the lunch room in a hurry. I couldn’t be around them. They could die tonight, but I’m not going to let that happen. Even if that means that I have to die.

I went to the rest of my classes numbly. I didn’t take notes; I stared out of the window, imagining what life would be like without all of this nonsense. I imagined my life happy. I imagined settling down after college with the guy of my dreams, buying a house, raising a family. I didn’t imagine that tonight may be the last night I will ever see. I didn’t imagine that I never got to tell anyone how I felt. I’ll never get to see Dan again. Or Char. Or Robert. Or Blake. Or that little boy in the pictures. Or... Ren. 

I didn’t know why, but as I said his name my heart did flips. My stomach churned. I didn’t imagine seeing those three  boys dead because of me. I didn’t imagine what life would be like if Char and Robert didn’t take me in because I wouldn’t get to experience the best things that have ever happened to me. I didn’t imagine that my life was over. I imagined it already was. I imagined this life over and me in a different one. A life where no one could hate and we all accepted the world as it was. A life where laughs laughed with each other, not at each other. 

Before I knew it, the bell rang. It was four o’clock. I had five hours. I went home and walked to my room, not saying anything to anyone. I wrote letters. I wrote one to Blake, one to Char, one to Robert, one to little Dan, one to Ren. I explained everything and I apologized for every trouble I caused in their life. I told them emotions I felt around them and I thanked them for absolutely everything. I even wrote one to that little boy and taped a picture on the envelope where the name should be so they could find out who to give it to. By the time I was done, I had forty-five minutes until nine. I missed dinner, but that was okay. I didn’t even hear them call me. I checked my phone one last time. I had fifteen missed calls. Two from Blake, three from Char, and ten from Ren. I didn’t even bother with the text messages. 

I left my room and started walking to the school. I had every intention of not making it to tomorrow. I had every intention of not seeing the ones I loved ever again. Strangely, I was ready. I felt tears gather in my eyes as I neared the parking lot. There was a figure in all black standing there. He had a ski mask and gloves on. I couldn’t see a detail about him. Nothing looked familiar, save the gun he held in his hand. I was behind him now. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I saw the weapon.

“How wonderful you showed up. I thought your little friends would have showed up by now. But, that’s okay. I see no need for any unnecessary violence.”

As he said that, something clicked in my mind and more than the gun was familiar. Everything was familiar. Everything came back at one. I remembered everything.

Then the worst happened. I slipped into darkness as he came toward me, an eerie grin seen through the mask. That was the absolute worst time for me to black out from getting my memories back.

The last thing I heard was a gunshot.