Shhh! It's a Secret

Chapter 10: Smile!

Time passes so quickly when you stop living in the present and instead start living on the broken fragments of your dead past, only a few minutes ago I was so lost in the memories of that day and now as I look at the calendar it's already that day, just another year, as I look at the mirror today I can't stop noticing how beautiful I look, scarlet does look good on me, I look out through the window once again to look at bright and disgusting weather outside and after adding the final touches look at my reflection once again, "Happy Birthday Harlene!"

It's almost time for Josh to arrive and I know for a fact that today he would be on time, I have invited him okay maybe not me exactly, Hardin has invited him, he might be here even before time today, I mean this is their favorite place--- the basement of the old church. As I walk around the place, a deep sigh leaves my mouth, there is so much dirt and garbage around this place, it hasn't changed a bit since that night four months ago Hardin had brought me here and Josh had brought Ava Anderson, the ceiling in filled with spider webs with drops of mud falling from the gaps between the wood, there are a few bird nests around the corner, it smells like garbage here, such an awful sight to be someone's last and god knows how many girls had seen it as their last.

How ironic? The sky is turning scarlet in color, everything is just like it was on that day in the year of 2009 except this time I know why the sky looks so bloody. Though the night I was brought here the sky wasn't like this, in fact the sky was beautiful that night, filled with stars,  as I wore my favorite pink dress that evening I knew it was going to be a perfect first date, a date under the stars just like they show in fairy-tales, Hardin Everson had written a note for me saying how lovely he thought I was, my price charming had written me a letter, my only chance of getting noticed had arrived, it was my turn I believed to be happy, to be finally happy. Only a note? I must have been his easiest hunt so far, nice! However Josh Everson always had a rich taste, everyone knew it, he hated easy things and so when his brother showed him what he had brought for the party he rolled his eyes in disgust, I clearly remember his words, "Seriously?" He had laughed out, "Eww!" he had said as he kicked my unconscious body out of his way from the corner of his shoes but I guess Doctor Carol was right about increasing my doses on sleeping pills as the standard amount had stopped working on me. The other men were drinking and laughing on the opposite side when Hardin called them to choose the the winner between the two brothers, Josh won! As I still remained unconscious lying against the wall of the church I tried to believe all the sounds, laughter and screams I was hearing were a dream and in reality I was just sleeping on my bed after a beautiful date with Hardin, but Ava's sudden scream had broken all the noise and my dreams into a million pieces, Aunt Susan's face as she screamed and screamed while Uncle Clay raped her came floating back in front of my eyes, I was looking through the gaps as I cried still smiling until Aunt Susan stopped moving, her eyes were still open but they had no life in them,  they say big families have many buried skeletons but the Marvins never took the chance, they burnt their skeletons.

I tried to open my eyes but the pain in my forehead didn't let me, I still continued to try and from blurred vision of my eyes I saw Ava's soulless body lying on the floor while Mr. Wright helped Hardin to dig the ground, I tried to move but my hands were tied and then I saw Josh, he brought his face closer and I knew I had to stop moving, he looked at me until he was sure I was unconscious and then dragged me to his car by my hair, soon Hardin came and he drove me back home while I remained lying at the backseat my forehead bleeding. He stopped in front of the hospital and threw me out not following the plan Josh had made which had clearly mentioned to make sure that I never return.

Footsteps are heading in this direction, Josh enters the basement with an angry look on his face, his dark hair tasseled messily and huge bags underneath his black eyes, so interesting, he does care about his brother, with worried yet annoyed voice he asks, " Hardin? What the hell man! You could have at least told me before running away like that! Who knows about that night? Come on tell me! Who is blackmailing you?" he pauses waiting for a reply but as he doesn't get one he shouts with annoyance, "Hardin! Who knows?"                                                                                    "I know" I say calmly, " And Hardin?" with a sorry face,"He Knew"                                                                 All the color leaves his face, well now he kind of looks like Hardin, "Where is my brother?" he sounds so scared, I start laughing and as soon as his fall on the glass vase on my hand, just like Hardin it seems as if he had seen his worst nightmare, so the two brothers had something in common, they both feared me.

He looks so peaceful while he is unconscious, but as soon as I spatter the petrol all over his face he wakes up in a second, fear in every line on his face, he looks at me in disbelief, I guess he was also trying to believe all of it was a dream but as he wakes up his he knows he is back in the reality, I sit on the wooden chair in front of him with a genuine smile on my face, I mean in the last 10 years, this is the first time I am feeling actually happy. He looks at me with his black eyes huge and glassy as he smells something different, with a breathy voice, he says, "What is this?" I peacefully say, "Petrol" as I continue to set the camera up to be in the perfect angle, he continues to say things such as "What are you doing?" "let me go" "Are you crazy?" "Please" until I finally say, "Shh!" he stops, horrified as I light my cigarette up, I pass the paper on his lap and start recording, "What? Do you want some?" I can't stop laughing at my own joke. It takes almost 15 minutes for him to finish his confession and as I began to stop the recording, I say "smile!" dropping the cigarette off my mouth and watched his body burn to mere ashes.