could get hurt if we don’t find her soon. Obviously she doesn’t know who she is or she’d come looking for us,” said the girl who had spoken first.
“Who is that you keep thinking about?” the last girl who spoke said. “Who is Chloe?”
My head jerked to the TV without warning – just as everything fell silent. I tried to pull away but I was powerless. I’d relinquished control over my body. Something inside me shattered. Splintered. My heart rate increased. I stumbled to my feet and crossed the room. I picked up the remote and pressed the on button. My body moved in uncharacteristic rhythm. Like a puppet with no strings.
I flipped through the channels, scanning each program, but I didn’t find what I looked for. Though I had no idea what that was. Why won’t my body cooperate with what my brain said to do? What’s happening to me? This isn’t normal. I can’t be normal…
The evening news aired. The reporter, Melanie Clemson, reported a story about a burglary to a local business. The suspected burglar had been apprehended a short time later. I held my breath, certain that wasn’t what I was supposed to see.
The next story was presented as breaking news. “Behind me is the Whitney Young High School football field. Quiet and peaceful now, but just a short time ago it was the location of a brutal murder. Varsity football captain, Zackary Taylor, has been found dead, the apparent victim of a violent attack. No further information has been given at this time.”
My finger pressed the off button and I sat on the bed waiting for my brain to register what I’d learned. I didn’t cry. I barely blinked. I sat unable to comprehend. Zack was dead and I knew it would happen. Why hadn’t I said something? Because I didn’t believe it. Because I was too chicken shit. Fear clouded my thinking. Someone killed him. Who? Why?
Just then, a horrifying idea crossed my mind. What if I’d killed Zack? Enraged? Then came home and laid down as if I’d been asleep the entire time. “No!” I shouted to the voice in my head. I had no motive to kill him. “No! I’ve been in my room the entire time.” Despite my outburst, doubt remained.
I sprinted from the room and bolted for the stairs. I stumbled and tripped over my feet but managed to make it down the spiral staircase without disabling myself.
I checked the living room for my brother. “Matt…Matthew,” I yelled, alarmed. I didn’t want to be alone with only my madness to keep me company.
“What?” he shouted from the direction of the kitchen.
I raced to the kitchen. Matt and his girlfriend, Amber, sat at the breakfast table. They’d eaten half a pizza and were watching a reality show on the 42” plasma TV mounted on the rear-facing wall.
“Hey, Bops,” Amber said. I ignored her and that incessantly annoying nickname she and my idiot brother picked up from our father.
I scoured the table for the remote. It must have been under their piles of food and books. I tossed a slice of pepperoni pizza to the side and found more books and papers beneath. “Really. Matt, you’re disgusting. You need to be delazified.” I continued to scour the table.
“Nobody asked you to come in here. What are you looking for anyway?” he asked. Obviously he was annoyed I was in his presence for more than a fraction of a second.
We argued like normal siblings, but we used to have each other’s backs. However, with parents who idolized vanity and beauty, it was no wonder we’d grown apart. Matt fell victim to all our parents and social circles taught us. I didn’t. We were unable to communicate most of the time because of it. I caught sight of the remote. It lay between a stray slice of pepperoni pizza and Matt’s Physics book. I grabbed it and switched the channel to the news I’d been watching upstairs.
“What’re you doing? We’re watching that,” Matt yelled. He threw a slice of pepperoni pizza at my head. With a quick duck, I dodged the pizza and
“Who is that you keep thinking about?” the last girl who spoke said. “Who is Chloe?”
My head jerked to the TV without warning – just as everything fell silent. I tried to pull away but I was powerless. I’d relinquished control over my body. Something inside me shattered. Splintered. My heart rate increased. I stumbled to my feet and crossed the room. I picked up the remote and pressed the on button. My body moved in uncharacteristic rhythm. Like a puppet with no strings.
I flipped through the channels, scanning each program, but I didn’t find what I looked for. Though I had no idea what that was. Why won’t my body cooperate with what my brain said to do? What’s happening to me? This isn’t normal. I can’t be normal…
The evening news aired. The reporter, Melanie Clemson, reported a story about a burglary to a local business. The suspected burglar had been apprehended a short time later. I held my breath, certain that wasn’t what I was supposed to see.
The next story was presented as breaking news. “Behind me is the Whitney Young High School football field. Quiet and peaceful now, but just a short time ago it was the location of a brutal murder. Varsity football captain, Zackary Taylor, has been found dead, the apparent victim of a violent attack. No further information has been given at this time.”
My finger pressed the off button and I sat on the bed waiting for my brain to register what I’d learned. I didn’t cry. I barely blinked. I sat unable to comprehend. Zack was dead and I knew it would happen. Why hadn’t I said something? Because I didn’t believe it. Because I was too chicken shit. Fear clouded my thinking. Someone killed him. Who? Why?
Just then, a horrifying idea crossed my mind. What if I’d killed Zack? Enraged? Then came home and laid down as if I’d been asleep the entire time. “No!” I shouted to the voice in my head. I had no motive to kill him. “No! I’ve been in my room the entire time.” Despite my outburst, doubt remained.
I sprinted from the room and bolted for the stairs. I stumbled and tripped over my feet but managed to make it down the spiral staircase without disabling myself.
I checked the living room for my brother. “Matt…Matthew,” I yelled, alarmed. I didn’t want to be alone with only my madness to keep me company.
“What?” he shouted from the direction of the kitchen.
I raced to the kitchen. Matt and his girlfriend, Amber, sat at the breakfast table. They’d eaten half a pizza and were watching a reality show on the 42” plasma TV mounted on the rear-facing wall.
“Hey, Bops,” Amber said. I ignored her and that incessantly annoying nickname she and my idiot brother picked up from our father.
I scoured the table for the remote. It must have been under their piles of food and books. I tossed a slice of pepperoni pizza to the side and found more books and papers beneath. “Really. Matt, you’re disgusting. You need to be delazified.” I continued to scour the table.
“Nobody asked you to come in here. What are you looking for anyway?” he asked. Obviously he was annoyed I was in his presence for more than a fraction of a second.
We argued like normal siblings, but we used to have each other’s backs. However, with parents who idolized vanity and beauty, it was no wonder we’d grown apart. Matt fell victim to all our parents and social circles taught us. I didn’t. We were unable to communicate most of the time because of it. I caught sight of the remote. It lay between a stray slice of pepperoni pizza and Matt’s Physics book. I grabbed it and switched the channel to the news I’d been watching upstairs.
“What’re you doing? We’re watching that,” Matt yelled. He threw a slice of pepperoni pizza at my head. With a quick duck, I dodged the pizza and
Similar Books
DARK CITY a gripping detective mystery
CHRISTOPHER M. COLAVITO
Natural Consequences
Elliott Kay
Ringworld's Children
Larry Niven
Transvergence
Charles Sheffield
The Animal Hour
Andrew Klavan
Possession
A.S. Byatt
Blue Willow
Deborah Smith
Fragrant Harbour
John Lanchester
Christmas In High Heels
Gemma Halliday