[ A COMPLETED 2020 TEEN MYSTERY ] Life can take a turn for the worst when you least expect it, spiralling deeply out of control in mere days. It's hard to see the signs sometimes; it may be personality changes, or even just an odd remark, but if we...
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Stephanie
"She's coming back!" I hear as my eyes drift open slowly, taking a moment to adjust to my surroundings. Sonia and Joel are standing beside me, their faces looking extremely concerned.
"Huh?" I groan, rubbing a hand tentatively on the back of my skull, where I feel a burning pain.
"You fainted, Steph," Joel explains, helping me into a sitting position from the bench I was lying on.
"Father!" I gasp, swatting him away. "I must see him! What happened?"
Joel looks away, biting his lower lip, and I see Sonia similarly avoiding my eyes. "Guys!" I shout. "Where is my father?"
And then everything hits me, all at once.
"No, it can not be!" I whimper. "He can't have!"
"Oh Stephanie, I'm so sorry. I know how important he was to you," Sonia says.
Joel mutters under his breath, "For some reason..."
"He's in jail? Truly? But the only one he could be in is all the way in Trovils!"
"Yes, I begged the police officers to wait for you to come to your senses so you could say goodbye - but they dragged him away in cuffs," Joel says, clenching his fists.
"It's not your fault, I shouldn't have fainted! How could I miss the one chance to-" I stop in horror. "What's going to happen to me? Oh Sonia, Joel! Are my grandparents going to take me away? I can't bear to part with you two!"
"I'd hardly call it taking away," A voice says, and Sonia and Joel step apart to reveal an elderly woman. She has her hair in a tight bun, her face serious looking and an expression hard as stone.
"Who are you?" I ask, but deep down I already know the answer.
"Your grandmother, of course," She speaks surely, her voice never wavering, and it's then I know that I'm doomed.
"You don't resemble my father in any way," I say uncertainly.
She laughs bitterly and I grimace. "That's because I'm not your true grandmother, Stephanie. However, I forbid you from even considering calling me your step-grandmother. Clear?"
I frown. "And why should I oblige?"
She tuts. "Because I'm your legal guardian now." She tells me what I'd already figured out, but the moment it comes out her mouth I feel like I'd never even remotely thought about it.
"Good heavens, Patricia, why are you scaring the poor girl?" A man calls out as he walks down the corridor towards us.
It's then that I see traces of my father, the same button nose, eyes that crinkle at the sides - it's almost like he's right there in front of me.
