Chapter Sixteen} Pš¥€ho

Start from the beginning
                                    

"I just know these things, Emma. Don't question it."

Black- backspace backspace backspace backspace backspace.

Grace Black, age sixteen- backspace- age fifteen, 3061, Nebraska.

I hit enter, and wait for it to load.

None of your search results contain the following phrases: "fifteen" "3061"
Continue?
Yes Cancel

I hit yes, my heart sinking. There's no way I'm going to find anything with just Grace Black and Nebraska.

When it loads, I scroll through the results mindlessly, praying something will come up. It's not that I want Blaze to be lying, I just want everything to be over. The lies, the confusion- I want it gone.

     After scrolling all the way to the bottom of the results and finding nothing, I scroll all the way back up, praying I'll catch something I didn't catch on the way down

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     After scrolling all the way to the bottom of the results and finding nothing, I scroll all the way back up, praying I'll catch something I didn't catch on the way down. I click on every link, but nothing shows up. The most interesting thing I see is a Wiki page on some old fictional character that's also named Grace Black.

     "There's nothing under Grace," I sigh, closing out the tabs.

     "Who the hell is Grace?" Jess asks. Her voice is faint, and I can tell she's far away from her phone.

      "It's Blaze, dipshit."

"Try Black."

Marlee Black, age twenty three, 3061, Nebraska.

None of your search results contain the following phrases: "twenty three" "Nebraska"

I suck in a breath and press enter.

My eyes widen as I see the search results, every single headline making my heart skip a beat.

"Oh my God, Jess. This is insane." I gape at the links, the titles broadcasting things I almost wish I could unsee. "I didn't actually think I'd find anything..."

"Well damn, take me off pause!"

I shake my head, but then realize she can't see me. "No, I gotta read these." I breathe.

I click on the first link and scroll through the newsletter, my jaw dropping lower the more I read.

On the other end of the line, I hear Jess groan. "Well don't just gape, Emma. What the hell does it say?"

     Swallowing hard, I shake my head to make sure I'm not dreaming. Hardly believing the words coming out of my mouth, I begin to read aloud.

11/7/55

Siblings Marlee and Castor Black were arrested yesterday, charged with first degree murder of their mother, Helena Black. When asked for their motive, sixteen year old Castor answered, "I was always looking for a reason. It just felt right." While his eighteen year old sister replied, saying that, she never wanted to be a writer, and prison would be better than spending her days with her mother. Helena allegedly pressed her for days on end about writing, insisting that Marlee would do the work she hated.

     Despite her pleads for life in prison, both Castor and Marlee were too young to be behind bars. Instead, they've been sent to The GRAVYARD, (commonly known as The Graveyard) where they will do time for a minimum of three years, or until the court deems them sane enough to return to their homes. Once they have served their time in The GRAVYARD, they will both be on probation for two years.

12/4/58

Marlee Black has been released from The GRAVYARD this past Thursday after serving three years for first degree murder of her mother, Helena Black. Strangely enough, the twenty year old was not happy to be let out of the place that was once quoted, "a living hell".

She was screaming and struggling, and (according to the video linked here), was begging to be let back in. She allegedly said that she "can't bring herself to leave her brother behind."

We believe it is safe to assume that Black was referring to her brother's death last May. He was eighteen, and had a child on the way, due the following October.

There's a pause between the two of us where neither of us knows what to say. All I can hear is heavy breathing on the other end of the line. I stare at the article, my palm pressed firmly over my forehead.

"You know what this means?" Jess whispers, her voice shaking.

I swallow hard, my eyebrows knitted together. "That Black is a murderer?"

I hear her lick her lips. "I mean yeah, Em, but it also means you won."

<><><>

There are buried bones
Beneath my home
It makes me sound like a freak
Now come inside
Go run and hide
And we'll play hide and seek.

<><><>

***

________________________________

Hey guys! So basically I shocked myself as I was writing this... like, my fingers were moving and my head had no idea what my fingers were doing, so I physically gasped at the news articles. So since I wasn't really thinking, I'm praying this was good. What did you think???

Also, yes this very much was a crossover between writerameliawright 's story and mine, and that's only because ITS AWESOME AND I DONT REGRET IT

-Shayna 💗

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