《Memory Lane》


 Prologue

    Let¡¯s think about this one more time.


    ¡°I sat in the silence of my temporary room on the billionaire¡¯s yacht. It gently swayed in the most relaxing manner. I¡¯ve heard that some people get seasick, but this just felt like being cradled to me.


    Four other kids and I were invited to meet the retired owner of the most successful tech company in the world. Although, it might be more accurate to say the most successful company ever. His net worth is well above three-hundred billion dollars. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to call him one of the greatest people who ever lived. His name was Marcus.


    The man himself was as strange as they come. He lived alone, with the exception of his staff, on a small island. His family had nothing to do with him either. Marcus moved there some time ago and hadn¡¯t interacted with the world again until just recently. He didn¡¯t have a mobile or even internet connection. He simply isolated himself from the entire world after retiring. But all of that only made the current situation much stranger.


    Not only did the man reveal himself to the world once again, but it was to invite some kids to his remote island. Even weirder than that, he invited me. The rest of the kids here I could understand, though. There was the world famous artist who already had her paintings in museums, the programmer with his skills in high demand by companies and governments alike, the actor who was so convincing that it took time before most people even realized it was the same girl who played in each role, and the genius who has shaken multiple different areas of modern science with her revelations. Surprisingly, I didn¡¯t know any of their names. They were all famous in their own way, but I had never heard their names mentioned before this trip. Even still only two people had told me their names so far. Few people knew the actor¡¯s name due to her convincing nature and I wasn¡¯t informed in any specific fields, like programming and art, so my knowledge was very limited.


    Then there was me. I was the center of attention when I was a little kid, but everyone got bored of me quickly. I didn¡¯t work for my status like the others did, I was just born this way. I¡¯ve been told that I have a unique case of hyperthymesia. Hyperthymesia is an extremely rare condition that causes its victims to remember events to an astonishing degree. In my case, however, every aspect of my memory was flawless. I was given many tests and everyone was shocked time and time again by my performances. But after a while, the scientists had all they needed to know and the media had gotten bored of me. I was forgotten, ironically.


    By all but Marcus apparently.


    The silence in my room was suddenly filled by the loudspeaker. An elderly voice came on as our captain announced, ¡®It¡¯s almost time. If you head out to the deck, you¡¯ll see that we¡¯re now approaching the island. It¡¯s a beautiful view. There¡¯s only about ten minutes left, so prepare your items.¡¯


    I sat still for another moment and sighed. I really didn¡¯t want to see her again, but it would be odd if I just stayed in my room. I didn¡¯t necessarily want to distance myself from the rest of the group, either. I¡¯d be sharing this island with them for the next week, so there was no use in making enemies.


    Waiting until I no longer heard the sounds of the kids leaving their rooms, I followed their path close behind and met them on the deck.


    I once again caught a glance at each of the kids. We were mostly all highschool aged and in our late teens.


    There was a tall man in formal attire. He wore a blue suit with a long red tie. His hair was blonde and his face sharp.


    Beside him was a short blonde girl wearing a beret and glasses. Her clothes were casual and her face glowed with excitement at the sight of the island. She lifted herself up using the rail for a perfect view. She seemed to be an anomaly when it came to age. She looked around fifteen at the oldest.


    Distanced slightly from the three of us was a brunette girl who watched the island closely. She didn¡¯t take her eyes off of the island for even a second, seemingly oblivious to the fact there were any other people aboard. She wore a striped pink shirt with long sleeves despite the heat. She held her arms behind her back shyly.


    Finally, there was her. The one that I hated so much to see. She was tall and slim with a gentle and cute face. Her hair was black and long reaching down to her waist. Just one look at her and my head began to ache once again. She rested in a beach chair, laid on her back with her eyes closed. The trip must have been tiring for her too.


    ¡®This is going to be so fun!¡¯ the girl in the beret laughed.


    The formal man replied, ¡®Yes, it¡¯ll be a wonderful experience too.¡¯


    Then the girl turned to me with a smile, ¡®You¡¯re the one with the memory, right? Do you still remember my name?¡¯


    ¡®Of course. Even people with an average memory wouldn¡¯t have forgotten by now. You¡¯re Lilah, right?¡¯


    Lilah glanced down and chuckled a bit, ¡®Yeah, about that¡­ What was your name again?¡¯


    ¡®I guess she doesn¡¯t have an average memory,¡¯ I thought.


    ¡®I¡¯m Daniel.¡¯


    ¡®Hehe,¡¯ She chuckled. ¡®Sorry about that.¡¯


    The man, who I remember is named Alex, said, ¡®We haven¡¯t gotten to talk all that much despite being in the same boat. Literally. What have you been up to?¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t tell him that I had been avoiding everyone because I didn¡¯t want to see that girl again, ¡®I¡¯ve just been a little seasick.¡¯


    ¡®Haha! Well, it happens to the best of us.¡¯


    ¡®Could you guys quiet down?¡¯ She, the cute girl in the beach chair, didn¡¯t even bother to open her eyes. ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯


    Alex awkwardly smiled, ¡®Oh, sorry about that! Forgot you were sleeping.¡¯


    His face was smiling but I knew that we all felt the same way.


    ¡®What¡¯s her deal?¡¯ I¡¯m sure we all thought. But, no one was brave enough to say it.


    The silence lingered for a few moments while we awkwardly decided whether we should continue talking or not.


    ¡®Well, I guess I should go pack up anyway. It¡¯s nearly time to go!¡¯ Said Lilah. ¡®Let¡¯s pick this back up on the island!¡¯


    Alex agreed, ¡®Sure. I guess I¡¯ll follow her lead and finish packing as well. See you, Daniel.¡¯


    ¡®See ya.¡¯


    The two walked back into the ship leaving only me, the girl in the beach chair, and the girl who hadn¡¯t even looked away from the island since we all walked out. It felt a little awkward just standing around next to these two.


    ¡®Well, that gives me a good excuse to get away from her anyway,¡¯ I thought.


    Despite being fully packed, I returned to my room and wasted some time before the loud speakers spoke once again, ¡®We have arrived at the island. I¡¯ll guide you on a tour through the Master¡¯s mansion. Bring your bags and I¡¯ll meet you on the deck.¡¯


    Following instructions, we all lined up on the deck and waited for the captain. Apparently, he manned the whole giant boat himself. There wasn¡¯t another staff member to be seen. It was just him.


    Lilah sat on the railing, haphazardly kicking her feet back and forth in anticipation. The wind threatened to throw more than her beret off of the boat, yet she wore a childish carefree smile.


    Alex waited patiently, standing completely still with his arms by his side. If one word was absolutely necessary to describe his posture, it would be confident. No nervous ticks or movements, he simply stood with his arms by his side, waiting for the captain. He looked ready for a business meeting, not even a bead of sweat sat on his forehead despite wearing a suit under the sun¡¯s oppressive heat.


    The silent girl stood leaning to one side. Her hands were folded behind her back and her eyes darted across the deck, analyzing every crevice.


    I intentionally didn¡¯t so much as glance at her. I wasn¡¯t ready to see her face again. She wore it far too stern, it was unnerving. But, nonetheless, she stood in line beside us, undoubtedly wearing an expression of impatience. I could hear her foot tapping faster and faster as the seconds ticked by.


    Finally, the captain carefully opened the door revealing an elderly man, most likely in his late sixties. He wore a similar suit to Alex, but it was dark black and was paired with a proper black bow tie. He stood with impressive posture and balance that didn¡¯t waver despite his age. He walked fast and didn¡¯t carry himself like anyone over the age of thirty.


    ¡®Greetings, and welcome to the island. Sadly, it has no name to introduce. It doesn¡¯t have a need for one and actually serves its purpose much better without one. I¡¯ll be your guide and butler for the duration of your stay. Please call me William.¡¯


    He stopped speaking for a moment and gave us a once-over. His eyes stopped on Alex in particular and he gave a slight approving nod.


    I thought, ¡®Are we supposed to dress and act like that, even though we just got out of highschool? Are we older than I thought?¡¯


    Continuing on after his appraisal, ¡®Please, follow me. The Master will be waiting for you in the main hall. Sadly, there is no meal waiting for us. I¡¯ll prepare one right away after the tour, so dinner will be ready as soon as possible.¡¯


    She stuck to the back of the line, so I naturally made my way to the front, beside Alex.


    Walking off of the dock and onto the island, it was like a world I had never seen before. The path from the dock to the entrance of the mansion was almost like a garden. Hedges lined the path and the ground was covered in an intricate design of brickwork. Every once in a while there would be an arc made of vines over top of the path. Even with so many vines and plants, the path didn¡¯t seem overgrown in even a single area.


    The brick path eventually led itself into a large circle around a pond with a fountain in the center. The fountain shot high into the air and covered the crystal clear water¡¯s surface in ripples.


    Just past the pond there was what I¡¯d consider the ¡®main garden,¡¯ as I believe even the simple path here was a garden in and of itself. It was covered in colorful flowers and exquisitely shaped bushes.


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    Towering over all, a large modern mansion stood around five stories tall. It was white and covered in windows. It¡¯s edges were mostly rounded off and the roof was coated in solar panels which seemed to be following the direction of the sun.


    I turned my gaze to the other kids. The sight didn¡¯t seem to amaze them all as much as it did me.


    Alex looked as professional as always.


    The silent girl¡¯s eyes darted around, but that didn¡¯t seem unusual. Her face didn¡¯t say a thing about amazement.


    She didn¡¯t look quite as bored or emotionless as the others, but she didn¡¯t seem amazed either. It was a complex look of surprise and wonder that was quickly overwritten by one of disgust.


    Lilah was the only exception. Her childish wonder led her in front of William, our guide. She ran around and stopped by every different breed of flower, studying their unique scents.


    Unlike what I¡¯ve come to expect from movies, there weren¡¯t any butlers or maids waiting for us at the entrance. We simply walked past the notably lock-less doors and straight through the entrance. All throughout the mansion there didn¡¯t seem to be another staff member. Still, it looked very clean and neat, making it feel as though no one lived here at all.


    The halls were relatively empty. Awards and paintings occasionally clung to the walls, but the look was very simplistic. There were few decorations and the furniture was plain.


    ¡®This place is kinda lame,¡¯ I faintly heard her behind me. She didn¡¯t sound like she was talking to anyone in particular, just muttering to herself in disappointment.


    William pointed down a large hallway stemming from the entrance, ¡®Down there is the dining hall and kitchen. I¡¯ll set you all free to explore after the tour, but we¡¯ll meet again there for dinner at six.¡¯


    He walked us past an elevator in favor of several flights of steps. I doubt we¡¯d all fit in the elevator comfortably. The steps didn¡¯t seem to phase Lilah, but even Alex seemed uncomfortable climbing them. Despite his age, William was fine.


    The rest of the tour was short. Everyone¡¯s room was on the second floor down the same hall. Extra rooms lined the entire hallway like a hotel. We stopped by and dropped off our bags before continuing the tour. There was a pool and gym on the third floor and a library and engineering workshop on the fourth floor. Finally, the Master, Marcus¡¯ office on the fifth, top floor. There were various bathrooms and closets on every floor, but those were probably considered ¡®forgettable details.¡¯


    After pointing to the pad-locked door of the office, William stated with force, ¡®Don¡¯t go in there. There¡¯s a doorbell out here if you need to speak with him, but going into the office is forbidden. Even to me. Everywhere else on the island is yours to roam. Try to find me or Marcus if you have any questions. Have fun, and I¡¯ll see you all for dinner.¡¯


    At this point my breathing was pretty heavy from the stairs and I desperately needed to rest. Alex looked the same way. It was clear he was trying to hide his fatigue. Lilah was still as fine as ever, though.


    Surprisingly, the first person to leave the group was her. She turned her back and walked off as soon as William finished his speech. Next was Lilah, eager to explore. Alex turned to me with a ¡®See you later.¡¯ His breathing was noticeably heavy.


    That left me and the shy brunette¡­ I realized that we hadn¡¯t introduced ourselves yet.


    The silent girl sat in one of three empty chairs on the side of the hallway to catch her breath. She must have been as tired as me.


    I sat myself down beside her and attempted to make eye contact. She simply ignored it, or perhaps didn¡¯t even notice. She looked down at the ground as she attempted to control her breathing.


    ¡®Hey, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve really had a chance to meet yet. I¡¯m Daniel. What¡¯s your name?¡¯


    She looked up slowly and took a good look at my face, ¡®Amelia. Nice to meet you.¡¯


    ¡®No wonder William is so fit for his age, walking up these steps everyday.¡¯


    Amelia gave a little chuckle and smiled, ¡®Yeah. It must be hard for him, taking care of this place. But, that garden was beautiful. I think I¡¯ll be heading back there, as soon as I catch my breath.¡¯


    She glanced up absently, thinking of the colorful island.


    ¡®Oh,¡¯ I thought as I recalled the appearance of the garden. ¡®I suppose most people have to revisit beautiful places in person. But then again, since I can see it anytime I want, they¡¯re not all that beautiful to me.¡¯


    ¡®Well, I¡¯ll leave you to it then. Nice to meet you.¡¯


    ¡®See you,¡¯ she waved.


    Walking back to my room, the elevator was occupied.


    ¡®Seems about my luck,¡¯ I thought. ¡®I suppose walking wouldn¡¯t be so bad. I need to get comfortable with this place anyway.¡¯


    Just down the first flight of stairs, on the fourth floor, Lilah glanced all around, one hand on her beret and the other adjusting her glasses. She seemed frantic and lost. As soon as she noticed me, she ran up and smiled.


    ¡®Where are we!?¡¯


    ¡®Just how bad is her memory?¡¯


    ¡®We¡¯re currently on the fourth floor, with the library and workshop. Where do you want to go?¡¯


    She grinned, ¡®I knew I could count on you! Can you walk me to the pool?¡¯


    Sighing as I felt obligated to help her out, I gestured ¡®follow me.¡¯


    Lilah wiped her glasses as she spoke, ¡®Ya know, having a perfect memory seems great. I can¡¯t even remember how to get back to my room!¡¯


    I disagreed heavily, but I didn¡¯t want to refute her so I stayed silent.


    ¡®Oh!¡¯ She looked up abruptly and turned to me as we walked. ¡®Are you smart?¡¯


    ¡®Where did that come from?¡¯


    ¡®C¡¯mon are you?¡¯


    ¡®Well, I wouldn¡¯t say so,¡¯ I¡¯d never compliment myself. It feels unfair. But, at the same time, it feels just as wrong to insult myself.


    ¡®We really haven¡¯t gone over it yet, so did you talk to the rest about who¡¯s who?¡¯


    ¡®¡°Who¡¯s who?¡± What¡¯s that mean?¡¯


    ¡®C¡¯mon!¡¯ She puffed out her cheeks and made a pouty face while giving me a light punch on the shoulder. ¡®Our talents! Have you asked them what they do?¡¯


    ¡®Not really. Actually, I think everyone knows mine already, but I don¡¯t know anyone¡¯s for sure yet.¡¯


    Her honest smile briefly changed to a grin and back again. The difference is subtle, but there, ¡®For sure? That does mean you have some guesses then, right?¡¯


    ¡®Hmm¡­ Well, Alex must be the programmer. I know that the programmer was male and I¡¯m not him so¡­¡¯


    ¡®I see¡­ who else?¡¯


    She sure likes pushing my brain around, ¡®I guess Amelia seems like the genius, the quiet intelligent type.¡¯


    Lilah looked a bit impatient again and childishly blurted out, ¡®Man! I¡¯ll come out and say it, who do you think I am?¡¯


    ¡®Geez. Well, you¡¯re the artist right?¡¯


    She stops in her tracks forcing me to wait in front of her with a look of surprise on her face. I turned to face her. It shouldn¡¯t have been that impressive. I mean, she wore a beret, which was an odd choice for anyone that wasn¡¯t an artist in my mind, did she forget that too?


    We had nearly gotten to the pool. One more turn, the second right just in front of us, and we would be there.


    ¡®Wow! You¡¯re good!¡¯ She had a child-like wonder in her eye.


    ¡®So that leaves her as the actor,¡¯ I thought.


    ¡®Want me to paint a picture of you?¡¯ Lilah asked through a chuckle.


    ¡®Sure,¡¯ It seemed like it could be fun. ¡®Do you need me to sit somewhere while you paint me?¡¯


    Her smile and chuckles strengthened. At this point she had been promoted from giggling to full on laughter.


    Speaking through breaths she laughed, ¡®Yeah! Here, meet me in the garden right after dinner. It¡¯d be nice to paint you in front of the sunset.¡¯


    ¡®Sure. Sounds good.¡¯


    Lilah quickly faced her head down as her laughter grew louder. For the brief moment I saw her face, she had tears in her eyes and her mouth had formed a sneer. She quickly ran ahead of me and turned the corner to the pool room.


    ¡®Wait up-¡¯


    My reflexes were a bit slow, but I chased just behind her. As soon as I turned the corner to keep pursuing, I was forced to stop abruptly. Lilah stood in front of me, only having been barely hidden by the corner. She faced me, her tears and laughter were gone leaving no evidence of whatever was so funny to her.


    ¡®I should probably mention¡­¡¯ She said calmly- but cut herself off and smiled again. Childishly. ¡®You know what? Never mind. I¡¯ll see you after dinner!¡¯


    Then she turned around and skipped into the pool room.


    ¡®What a weird interaction. I guess people who are talented are often quite abnormal. But, she had seemed relatively normal until now. At least she was having a good time¡­ I wonder what her art looks like. I look forward to seeing her paint. But¡­ I thought she didn¡¯t remember how to get to the pool?¡¯


    I stared at the entrance of the pool for a few moments more, contemplating on Lilah¡¯s odd behavior.


    ¡®Oh well. There isn¡¯t much more to do, so it would be best for me to wait for dinner in my room. I¡¯ll meet Marcus then as well. Hopefully he isn¡¯t too weird.¡¯


    With a deep sigh, I walked down the stairwell and back to my room.


    I sat on my bed, simply staring at the clock.


    ¡®Ten more minutes.¡¯


    Whenever my mind began to wander, I forced it back into counting seconds. If I let it go where it wanted to, I¡¯d have no doubt ended up seeing her irritating face again. She was cute with a face befitting an actor, but that would only be a good thing if she didn¡¯t seem so angry all of the time. She can¡¯t sugar coat her words and has no sense of manners. That isn¡¯t how she should be. It¡¯s all wrong.


    Eventually, I made it to six o¡¯ clock without remembering anything unpleasant.


    I left my room at the same time as Alex. He didn¡¯t spend any time exploring either, I guess.


    Alex and I rode the elevator down to the ground floor.


    ¡®It¡¯s quite amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Alex broke the elevator¡¯s silence.


    ¡®Huh?¡¯


    ¡®The mansion. When I think of the word mansion, I usually imagine one of those old buildings of wood or stone. Modern mansions are truly fascinating.¡¯


    ¡®Yeah¡­ The design is really unique,¡¯ I searched for something to say.


    ¡®I can¡¯t wait to meet Marcus. Have you heard the stories about him?¡¯


    ¡®Which ones? He¡¯s quite famous.¡¯


    ¡®How he built his wealth,¡¯ Alex looked at me with stars in his eyes. This was the first time he seemed really excited or interested about anything so far. ¡®They say that he grew up with very little money. His family was poor. But one day, as a child, his talents were recognized. In the growing age of technology, he was a prodigy. He started his own company and then it steadily grew into a monopoly. He took risks that could have shut his whole company down for relatively small payout. His company was the only one dumb enough to do such things. Somehow, through genius or luck, he won every gamble. Rival businesses were forced to sell their companies one by one, until he dominated the entire industry. It was pretty rough at the time too, with various crimes targeting new tech companies.¡¯


    ¡®Wow. He¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t he?¡¯


    ¡®Marcus¡¯ beginnings must be similar to Alex¡¯s. They both are the best there is at technology, assuming he¡¯s the programmer.¡¯


    The elevator stopped and let us out near the hallway to the dining room.


    ¡®Well,¡¯ Alex smiled. ¡®Let¡¯s not make him wait.¡¯


    A pair of double doors were left open leading into the dining room. The room included several large tables with many chairs around them. The table in the middle was peculiar. Marcus sat at the head and Amelia, Lilah, and her sat across from him. That left only two chairs, the perfect number for all of us. The table had plates, silverware, and napkins set out at every seat. Platters of various different foods sat in the center, emitting a wonderful aroma. William stood off to the side of the table behind Marcus. He carried a folded towel in front of him and held his other arm behind. Everyone¡¯s plates were empty. They must¡¯ve been waiting for us. She was dishing out her food already, though.


    ¡®Welcome!¡¯ Marcus greeted us in a loud voice. ¡®Now we can finally begin!¡¯

 Amelia

    The dinner table was quiet as Alex and I took our seats. The only two chairs left were beside Marcus. I guessed that the others found it awkward to sit next to such a famous and accomplished man.


    ¡­ or perhaps the girls didn¡¯t want to sit next to an old man they¡¯ve never met before. That¡¯s especially understandable in the current circumstances.


    Marcus was visually unremarkable, you wouldn¡¯t be able to tell how influential a person he is just by looking at him. He was roughly seventy or eighty years old. Bluntly, he seemed to be on his last legs. He didn¡¯t have many days left to be sure. His hair was gray and his face was covered in wrinkles. He wore a similar suit to William but with no bow-tie. Just sitting still, his hands shook gently.


    ¡®Hello,¡¯ Marcus spoke loudly, ¡®I suppose that I¡¯m your host on this island. As you know, I brought you all here to¡­¡¯ he stopped for a moment, searching for the words. ¡®see the future. I¡¯d like to witness the finest of the youth so that I can understand what the future holds. So, what are all of your names, again?¡¯


    Unlike Lilah, his poor memory was understandable. It was probably due to age.


    ¡®I¡¯m Mary,¡¯ The girl with long black hair spoke in a rough voice.


    ¡®So that¡¯s her name. I hadn¡¯t gotten it until now. She hasn¡¯t talked to anyone much, let alone me¡­¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m Alex. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡¯ He smiles as he tries his best to act professional.


    ¡®Hehe! The name¡¯s Lilah!¡¯ The bespectacled girl in the beret laughed as she reached for a serving of food in the center of the table, following Mary¡¯s lead.


    ¡®I¡¯m Daniel,¡¯ I said.


    A few moments passed as everyone¡¯s gaze turned to the quiet brunette.


    ¡®¡­ I¡¯m Amelia,¡¯ she managed to squeak out.


    ¡®Good, I¡¯ll do my best to remember each of your names,¡¯ Marcus gave a polite smile. ¡®As you all know, I¡¯m Marcus. But, pleasantries aside, you can all start eating. This feast is for you.¡¯


    My eyes were drawn to William who stood with his eyes closed just to the right and behind Marcus. He kept his posture strong and hadn¡¯t even made a facial expression since dinner started.


    Noticing the confusion on my face, Marcus spoke up, ¡®Sorry about William. He takes his job very seriously. I insisted that he join us for dinner but this is as far as he¡¯d go.¡¯


    Slowly, the rest of us began to serve ourselves some food. It felt so fancy. The food was extravagant. It was prepared almost perfectly and presented as though it were art. The taste was amazing as well. Even the food here was worthy of a billionaire.


    Amelia was the only one who had yet to take a bite. She, as always, took impressive care in observing her surroundings, ¡®¡­ This food looks fantastic. Tell the chef that he¡¯s one of a kind.¡¯


    ¡®No need!¡¯ Marcus announced. ¡®He¡¯s right here, after all!¡¯


    ¡®Many thanks,¡¯ William bowed slightly.


    ¡®Wait... so he¡¯s the captain, butler, and chef?¡¯


    Mary spoke up. Her voice was so beautiful, yet she always added an aggressive tone to it, ¡®Speaking of, I haven¡¯t seen any other staff. Is that butler really the only one doing any work around here?¡¯


    ¡®Of course,¡¯ Marcus spoke in a proud tone. ¡®William was something of a prodigy himself, back in the day. He¡¯s managed to clean this mansion and take care of the garden day after day. He¡¯s a wonderful chef and he¡¯s even our captain for the boat! Truly a man of many talents.¡¯


    William bowed once more, ¡®I¡¯m honored.¡¯


    ¡®His one fault is how polite he is,¡¯ Marcus let out a hefty laugh. ¡®He does so much for me but doesn¡¯t seem to recognize his own importance¡­ Anyway, since we¡¯re all together, does anyone have questions for me? I certainly have questions for all of you.¡¯


    Immediately, unable to hide his excitement, Alex jumped up and asked, ¡®How is it that you became so successful? What¡¯s the secret? How can I make a company as great as yours?¡¯


    William, who had been unresponsive for everything that wasn¡¯t about him, raised a brow.


    Marcus couldn¡¯t hide a troubled expression, ¡®I¡­ I wouldn¡¯t recommend it. It¡¯s a rocky road, and the top isn¡¯t as bright as you think. It¡¯s best not to aim for the top.¡¯


    ¡®In other words¡­ give up.¡¯


    Everyone slowly stopped eating, except for Mary who didn¡¯t seem bothered by the suddenly serious reply.


    Alex looked shocked and disappointed before he sat down, ¡®I see¡­¡¯


    Suddenly, everyone was quiet and left only the sounds of Mary eating her food with no regard for the current mood.


    To lighten the atmosphere, Lilah spoke up, ¡®Do you use all of the facilities here regularly? It¡¯s hard to imagine someone as old as you actively using the tools in the workshop or swimming.¡¯


    ¡®Ah no, no. Not anymore. William filled the pool back up in preparation for your arrival. I figured it might be a fun activity for you all to bond over.¡¯


    ¡®I see!¡¯ Lilah smiled at me. ¡®We should all play sometime! Everyone here can swim, right?¡¯


    Everyone either nodded or gave an ¡®mhm¡¯ in approval.


    ¡®I don¡¯t really want to,¡¯ Mary said as sour as always.


    ¡®C¡¯mon! The pool is fantastic! It¡¯ll be fun~!¡¯ Lilah insisted while playfully grabbing Mary¡¯s arm and giving her puppy dog eyes.


    Mary looked away and tried her best to ignore her, but it didn¡¯t take long for her to sigh and reluctantly accept the offer.


    ¡®Fine. But, let¡¯s wait until tomorrow. I want to rest tonight.¡¯


    ¡®Yay!¡¯


    The rest of our dinner was uneventful. We all talked a bit more and asked Marcus a few more questions. Mary finished eating and left the table a little before everyone else. Eventually, Amelia and Lilah followed her lead.


    Alex was pretty quiet after Marcus¡¯ response to his question. Having your idol tell you that you shouldn¡¯t keep chasing your dream must¡¯ve hurt.


    ¡®Well, it¡¯s best that I just leave him alone. So, I guess I should meet Lilah in the garden now. The sun should start to set soon and she¡¯ll be upset if I skip out on our portrait plans.¡¯


    I stepped out from the mansion¡¯s giant doors and recalled an odd detail, The front door didn¡¯t even have a lock. Well, actually, only the rooms that us kids were sleeping in and the bathrooms had locks in this mansion. I figured that living on an island meant not having to worry about intruders. Although there was one more locked room. Marcus¡¯ office. Even though it already had a lock on it, William forbade us from entering.


    ¡®Oh well. No use in thinking about it.¡¯


    I glanced around at the garden.


    ¡®Exactly like I remember it,¡¯ I thought as I let out a deep sigh.


    Although, there was now an easel facing the sunset paired with a small chair. Sitting with her back to me, I could make out that it was Amelia, not Lilah. Lilah wasn¡¯t even here. I looked around but she was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡®Hey,¡¯ I tapped Amelia on the shoulder.


    She let out a little yelp in surprise.


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    She swiftly turned around to get a look at my face, ¡®H-hello!¡¯


    ¡®Sorry about that, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you. Have you seen Lilah? She was supposed to meet me out here.¡¯


    ¡®No, sorry. Although I doubt I would¡¯ve noticed her if she passed by¡­¡¯


    Amelia was very distracted. I sighed pretty loudly when I left the mansion but she didn¡¯t notice. She didn¡¯t hear my footsteps either, ¡®What is she doing?¡¯


    I turned my eyes over her shoulder at the canvas on the easel. Painted on it was a very detailed brick path surrounded in flowers. In the distance there was an arc of water from a fountain in a pond. I could easily recognize the view. It¡¯s the one that was right in front of us.


    ¡®Ahhh!¡¯ She saw me look over her shoulder and immediately stood up to block my view, ¡®D-don¡¯t look yet! It¡¯s not complete. It still has a long way to go. At least you didn¡¯t get a good look at it¡­¡¯


    Too bad for her, it was already memorized. It looked fantastic. Somehow, she painted the scenery nearly exactly the same as it looked right in front of us, but the brush strokes added a sort of charm to it that you could never find in reality. The colors were more vibrant and the occasional flower¡¯s position was adjusted to look perfect. The painting invited me to rest and bask in the beauty of the things all around me. The things I took for granted. Almost impossibly, she managed to make the garden appear as though it was based off of the art. The already wonderful garden was only half as beautiful as the unfinished painting.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t even finished yet!? Wow. She¡¯s a fantastic artist. But, wait¡­¡¯


    ¡®Hey, Amelia?¡¯


    ¡®Yeah¡­?¡¯ She looked at me a little funny while keeping her body between my eyes and the canvas.


    ¡®Why did Marcus invite you to the island?¡¯


    ¡®Well¡­ I don¡¯t like to say it but, apparently I¡¯ve made some pretty good pieces of art.¡¯


    Modest.


    ¡®Then¡­ What''s Lilah¡¯s talent?¡¯ I pondered aloud.


    She pretended to have been the artist.


    ¡®¡­Or maybe she didn¡¯t? If I remember the conversation correctly, which I do, then she never actually said that she was the artist. I came to that conclusion all on my own. All she asked was if she could paint my portrait. No wonder she was laughing so hard¡­ she got me good. Did she prepare the beret just for that!?¡¯


    ¡®Uh¡­ What happened?¡¯


    ¡®Well, I guess, I thought Lilah was the artist because of her beret.¡¯


    ¡®Yeah, that struck me as odd too¡­ I figured she was French,¡¯ Amelia smiled a bit and giggled. ¡®Sorry, I wasn¡¯t trying to keep my talent a secret or anything. It just seemed like kind of a stigma around here to talk about it- kind of like bragging. Nobody else really seemed interested in who was talented at what. Although, you did tell everyone your talent.¡¯


    ¡®Actually, I was asked about my talent by Lilah when we first met. Now knowing her, she probably already knew it anyway.¡¯


    ¡®Well¡­ uhm,¡¯ Amelia forced a polite smile. ¡®Could you turn around so that I can stop standing like this?¡¯


    ¡®Oh! Uhhh-¡¯


    Swiftly, I turned around. We had a whole conversation and I left her standing like that! Although, blocking the canvas wasn¡¯t necessary.


    A few moments passed as I listened to the sounds of Amelia moving around the easel and canvas.


    ¡®Alright, you can look again. Sorry about that, I just feel really embarrassed about my art that I don¡¯t feel is my best work.¡¯


    She put the canvas into a plastic bag containing a few more canvases that laid on the floor. There were a few more bags scattered around that contained small bottles of paint and various brushes.


    ¡®Really? It looked great to me.¡¯


    For a moment there was silence and then suddenly her face grew bright red, ¡®Y-you saw it!?¡¯


    That was a mistake.


    ¡®Oh- uh¡­ yeah. I remember it pretty well,¡¯ Noticing the panic on her face I adjusted and began to nod in appreciation. ¡®But it¡¯s really well done! I¡¯m not much of an art person, but it was really great!¡¯


    The barrage of compliments only did more damage. She placed her face in the palm of her hands and let out a tiny, ¡®Aaaaaa.¡¯


    ¡®Um¡­ do you have any ¡°finished¡± pieces that I can look at?¡¯


    Slowly looking up, she nodded a bit, ¡®Can you help me carry this all back to my room? I have some finished art there.¡¯


    Not wanting to refuse after making her so embarrassed, I picked up two bags and folded up the easel.


    It was tough to press the buttons in the elevator with our hands full, but we eventually made it to her room.


    The room was almost identical to mine. The main difference was that everything was on the opposite side that mine was. My bathroom was on the left side of my room while hers was on the right. Our rooms were on opposite sides of the hallway, so they ended up mirrored. It was a spacious area with a relatively large bed and a window overlooking the garden. An easel was already set up in her room next to the window.


    Unexpectedly, the painting on it was not of the view through the window. The painting depicted a small island in the distance, surrounded by water. The island itself appeared lonely and sad. The blue of the water was much darker than that of the sky. The light from the sun seemed to avoid the island and the water grew darker as it approached the gray shore.


    Of course, I¡¯ve seen this view before as well. It¡¯s what she was looking at so intently as I talked to Lilah and Alex on the deck of the ship.


    The details weren¡¯t perfect, however. The island itself looked a bit off. The trees weren¡¯t in the right position either, though that¡¯s to be expected. The art itself was abstracted intentionally to fit with the loneliness of the painting.


    ¡®Is that one finished?¡¯


    ¡®Yeah. It¡¯s not my best work, though.¡¯


    ¡®No, I think it looks great. What made you choose such melancholic colors?¡¯


    She gently set her bags down on the floor and then stared at the painting for a moment, ¡®It must be sad- to live out here, on this island¡­ all alone. Nobody would choose such a fate because ¡°they like it this way.¡± My art isn¡¯t usually so somber, but something about the scenery was emotional to me, so I captured it.¡¯


    Her talent was unquestionable. She had already painted two paintings since we arrived. And here I had spent my day staring at a clock. Although, I guess only one of her paintings was finished. Yet it was still better than anything I¡¯ve ever made.


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ She asked.


    ¡®Oh, it¡¯s nothing,¡¯ There was something about her art that stood out to me. Unlike most typical art I¡¯ve seen, it managed to convey very specific emotions without a need for words. I suppose art is supposed to do that, but I¡¯ve never seen a painting so effective. I guess I did have her explain it to me, but I only asked about the image because of how lonely it already felt. ¡®How is it that you can paint your feelings so well?¡¯


    Although I didn¡¯t expect a serious response to my question, she gave it her best shot, ¡®I¡¯m not entirely sure. I never really felt that my art was special, there¡¯s plenty of artwork that does exactly what mine does. I think the only reason that I¡¯m praised for this ¡°talent¡± is because of my age. No one expects a child to be competent.¡¯


    ¡®Well that can¡¯t be. I¡¯m not really involved in art, but I¡¯ve never seen pieces that were so expressive.¡¯


    Even though my words tried to be encouraging, she let out a sigh, ¡®No. My art isn¡¯t something that would make me famous.¡¯


    ¡®What do you mean? You are famous!¡¯


    ¡®Not for my art. I¡¯m famous for my age. If I made these pieces just a few years later, I¡¯d never have caught on the way I did,¡¯ She looked at the lonely island painted onto the canvas. ¡®My art conveys emotion, but when I look at the most famous contemporary art¡­ there isn¡¯t any. Most people don¡¯t want to become emotionally invested in anything that they don¡¯t have to. People use art as a way to distract themselves from harsh realities. So art that conveys emotion, especially negative, usually isn¡¯t in demand. They already have their own lives to deal with, after all. The media just likes the fact that a child can paint, they don¡¯t like the paintings. My art¡¯s actual audience is very niche.¡¯


    ¡®Oh¡­ so that¡¯s the way it is huh? Well, at the very least, I was very moved seeing your artwork. I might be in that niche, myself.¡¯


    Amelia looked away from the lonely island and chuckled, ¡®I¡¯m glad.¡¯


    ¡®But, what does it say about a person who is interested in art such as this? Do they have no life taking up their limited emotional energy? Do they just have more emotional energy to spare? Or, perhaps they simply don¡¯t invest their emotion into reality? It¡¯s obvious what category I fall under, but what of Amelia, who creates such art?¡¯


    ¡®What made you become an artist?¡¯ I asked, seeking an answer to my thoughts.


    ¡®I assume this is true for all artists, but I was inspired. I used to be a very stressed person until I saw a piece of art that captured my attention. It was like I could understand the painting like it was a person. So, I tried to express and let go of my stress and feelings in the form of art. From then on I just kept creating art when I felt surrounded by feelings. I was relieved, being able to paint away my problems. One day my teacher saw my art and suggested that I should enter a competition. You probably know the rest from there.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s incredible.¡¯


    ¡®She took a much different route from me. To think, she dealt with her overflow of emotion by painting it all away. She expressed how she felt and that was enough to relieve her. Would something of that nature have worked for me too? Oh well.¡¯


    I reiterated, ¡®It really is.¡¯


    We talked a while longer that night. The conversation continued until it was time for me to sleep. All of us had to be tired. It was our first day on this island and our first time meeting each other.


    I shut my door behind me and locked it. It felt like I hadn¡¯t gone anywhere due to the similarities of our rooms, but there was no doubt that this was my room for the night. I remembered it well.


    With a gentle click, I turned off my light and threw myself onto the bed. I had waited for it all day and finally, I allowed my mind to wander off as the monotonous world around me faded to black.


    ¡®I¡¯m back¡­ Rose.¡¯

 Rose (Part 1)

    ¡®Today will be boring as well. Of course it will. My first day of highschool will be no different than my last day of middle school. I¡¯ll glance at the board every so often and then I¡¯ll copy down what I saw onto the test.


    I arrived at my new homeroom almost twenty minutes before class started. Normally, that¡¯s clearly a very suboptimal time to arrive, but on the first day of school it¡¯s a different story. If I showed up any later, I might not get the best seat.


    In order to not stand out, I took the leftmost seat in the back of the class. It has a bad view of the board but a fantastic view of the window. Now, until class starts, all I have to do is lay my head down. Nobody will talk to me that way.


    But, I guess nothing ever goes according to plan.


    A girl pokes my shoulder and I have no choice but to glance up at her.


    ¡°Hey,¡± The girl speaks softly. She¡¯s tall and surprisingly cute with a gentle face. Her long black hair reaches down to her waist. I don¡¯t remember seeing her last year at middle school. ¡°Is this seat taken?¡±


    A wrench has immediately been thrown into my plans. The goal was to never talk to anyone and become a social outcast who nobody wants to talk to. That would be the ideal scenario where my highschool days pass as quickly as possible and I don¡¯t have to do anything that I don¡¯t want to.


    But, here we are.


    ¡°Nah, you can sit there.¡±


    Her face brightens with a smile before she takes her seat.


    Well, I guess just sitting there doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll have to be friends, but it might¡¯ve been easier to tell her it was reserved. Although, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have been able to turn her away without feeling bad.


    I attempt to put my head back on the desk and take a quick nap before class, but just before I was able to lay back down,


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The girl spoke gently as though we were in a library. Few people were in the room at the moment so there wouldn¡¯t be a problem if she spoke up. In a way, it may be the quiet uncrowded atmosphere that encouraged silence.


    She looked at me completely unaware that I wanted nothing to do with her.


    I sigh faintly, hoping that it¡¯d queue her in, ¡°Daniel.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see! I-¡±


    I look a little bit off to the side, pretending not to notice her attempt at an introduction and stay silent. It must feel awkward for her¡­


    But, that¡¯s the goal. Maybe now she¡¯ll stop talking to me.


    After a few moments of sitting still without knowing what to do, she reaches into her bag and pulls out a small notebook and pencil. She flips through numerous small sketches before reaching a blank page somewhere in the middle. I managed to catch a glimpse at her art which was mediocre at best. She drew mostly landscapes but with the occasional person and self portrait mixed in. A few of her drawings contained a middle aged man, who I assume to be her father as it was the only person she drew aside from herself.


    Eventually, the classroom filled and the teacher appeared at her desk. I raised my head to get a good look at her. She¡¯s old and has an agitated looking face. No doubt, this year will be tiresome. She seems like the kind of teacher who is constantly yelling at the class.


    Nearly every kid in the room was talking to their new classmates and making friends already, but I have no need for that. The girl next to me isn¡¯t talking to anyone either. From the look on her face and the nervous doodle she was scribbling in the corner of her sketchbook, this probably isn¡¯t by choice.


    I swear, I¡¯m too nice for my own good.


    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t get your name.¡±


    For a moment the girl doesn¡¯t respond and keeps doodling, but after a few moments without hearing a response from the person beside her, she jerks her head up and begins glancing around the room.


    Eventually, she manages to point her finger towards her face and mutter, ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Who else?¡±


    ¡°Rose!¡± She gives me a warm smile of relief.


    Cutting off our brief and poorly timed introductions, the old teacher announces the start of class, ¡°Quiet down now. I¡¯ll be your homeroom teacher for the year¡­¡±


    As expected, the class period went by without anything notable happening. I didn¡¯t get a chance to talk to Rose again, but that¡¯s probably for the better. I only gave her a quick, ¡°See ya¡± before switching to the next class.


    Unfortunately, after comparing schedules, we share almost every single class together. We don¡¯t have assigned seats either. So, naturally, she sat next to me in every class. I¡¯m the only one she knows, it looks like.


    It¡¯s the first day of school and I¡¯m already doomed to a long year.


    I sigh aloud just thinking of it.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Rose askes with a worried expression.


    We had just arrived at lunch and, because she decided to sit next to me in almost every class, she hadn¡¯t made any new friends yet. So that left us two alone to eat an awkward meal.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Although I don¡¯t like the idea of being her friend, I¡¯m genuinely curious. ¡°You didn¡¯t go to school here last year, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, I just transferred¡­ There¡¯s a lot of kids that go here. Do you know them all?¡±


    We go to a relatively large school, so getting to know everyone in the grade is normally a bit of a task. But, to those who don¡¯t know, I¡¯d never tell them about my little ¡°talent.¡± At least, that¡¯s what the doctors called it. It feels like bragging to mention something of that nature, something that sounds superior. In all reality though, it¡¯s much closer to being a detriment than a superiority, ¡°Not really. I guess I just had a hunch.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± She stretches out her arms and looks around. It must be disappointing to be sitting with only one friend on your first day at a new school. But, she was determined to keep this friend, so she kept the conversation going. ¡°My family moves around a lot- my dad¡¯s a journalist- so I¡¯ve been the new kid a few times already. My closest other relative lives a few states away.¡±


    ¡°Must be rough.¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± She laughs with a bright optimistic smile. ¡°I always look forward to meeting new people! There are so many different kinds.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡± How can someone like her be happy with that? She seems like the kind of person who needs companionship. If I were her, I¡¯d have given up on making friends and stopped trying by now. Well, even though I wasn¡¯t in her situation, I already did.


    Lunch ends as quickly as it began and we continue on with our classes for the day. Rose isn¡¯t able to muster the courage to sit anywhere other than beside me so we sit next to each other in every class we share. I eventually get to catch the bus ride home. We aren¡¯t on the same bus, at least.


    The next day, I make it to class before Rose so I simply stare out the window. With nothing interesting to look at, my mind helplessly wanders through my memories.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    When I was a little kid, I had a much higher vocabulary than would be expected. Not to mention, I learned to put full sentences together when other kids were learning their first words. Actually, my parents thought it was a cause for concern. It only took me reminding them where they put their keys and where they parked the car a few times before they got me checked out. They probably thought I was a genius. I was only two, after all. As it turned out, my memory is something the world has never seen before. It just started with a local newspaper before suddenly the whole country had heard of the ¡°genius boy¡± with a perfect memory. I didn¡¯t really mind being the center of attention. While it didn¡¯t bother me, it wasn¡¯t anything I was interested in either. My parents liked it a lot, so I went along with it for their sake. Aside from the media, scientists also heard about my anomaly. They were more interested in it than anyone.


    A few times a week I¡¯d get driven to some hospital where they¡¯d try to find a limit to what I can do. The end results were undetermined. I beat every single adult at the card game Memory and I drew a map of the long extensive hallways we had walked through only once.


    What they did find was that while I could memorize things, that didn¡¯t mean I could effectively use the information. When instructed on how to make various complicated origami, I fumbled around with the paper and struggled to make proper folds for so long that they eventually took it away from me and moved on. I memorized several languages in a day, though I could hardly pronounce any of them properly. And, despite being able to repeat various mathematical formulas and theories word for word, I couldn¡¯t solve a single equation.


    In other words, I¡¯m an idiot.


    Eventually, after brain scans and tests, every scientist or doctor who saw me left just as confused as they showed up. I was labeled a miracle and it was determined that no beneficial product could come from continued studies. I have a hunch that it was my mother who put a stop to the experiments. I feel that she might not have liked the idea of me becoming what¡¯s effectively a lab rat.


    Soon after, the media also forgot about me. There¡¯s always something bigger going on.


    My classmates had always thought I was weird and I thought the same of them. Kids are loud and always making a mess, that¡¯s what I believe now and that¡¯s what I believed then. Most of my classmates were too young at the time to make anything of my ¡°perfect memory¡± so it didn¡¯t leave much of an impression. I doubt they even remember that about me at all. If anything, I¡¯m known as ¡°the kid who sits alone.¡±


    I let out a large sigh. Thinking about what others think of me always tires me out. I can¡¯t keep up with all of it.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Rose poked my arm and giggled. She must¡¯ve just gotten into the room while I was too lost in thought to notice.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Well, what¡¯re you doing?¡±


    ¡°Just watching the wind in the trees.¡±


    She sits down at her desk and pulls out her sketchbook. She flips to the first blank page and begins doing a rough sketch of a man¡¯s face.


    Unable to help myself, I ask, ¡°Who is that?¡±


    She looks a bit surprised that I started a conversation, ¡°My dad! I kind of told you about him before. He¡¯s a journalist and doesn¡¯t have much time on his hands¡­ but, he¡¯s amazing! He¡¯s still able to find the time for me and my sister!¡±


    ¡°He sounds like a good father. Who¡¯s your sister? I haven¡¯t heard anything about her yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s not really at our house much. She moves around almost as much as our dad. Y¡¯know, it¡¯d be easy for her to be forgotten like that, but dad is still able to find time between both of their schedules to spend time together. Though, I don¡¯t see her as much as he does- with school and all.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Though the question is on the tip of my tongue, I hold myself back from asking about her unmentioned mother.


    Our time to talk up, the teacher gathers our attention and begins class.


    Another day goes by and then another yet again. By the end of the week, Rose had unexpectedly not forgotten about me. Actually, she only gets closer by the day. I had expected to wait until she found a more interesting friend, but it never happened. She did meet a few other people and became their friend, but they didn¡¯t replace me. Not in the slightest.


    Today, almost two weeks since meeting Rose, we received our scores from the first chemistry test we took.


    Going into chemistry is such a weird feeling. It seems like my whole life I¡¯ve looked at chemistry as ¡°something that big kids do.¡± But here I am, and I hardly feel big at all.


    Although chemistry is seemingly complicated, I stare for a brief moment at my one-hundred percent perfect score before flipping it back over onto my desk. Concealing the score really helps keep away unnecessary curiosity in my classmates.


    Rose sits staring at her test for more than a short second. Her face looks rather distraught, though still smiling, and her hands grip the test tight enough to crinkle the pages. Her hand is covering the score, but I can see that the front of her paper is covered in doodles.


    ¡°Did you do okay?¡± I ask.


    Through a little bit of nervous laughter she replies, ¡°¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°I guess even the ever-cheerful Ro-¡±


    My thinking is immediately cut off by Rose. She reaffirms her smile and laughs, ¡°But, I think I¡¯m starting to get it. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll do better next time!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± or so I say. But to be honest, I¡¯m just not sure how she does it.


    ¡°What¡¯d you get?¡±


    A little nervous laughter escapes from me as well. As I think of ways to dodge the question, ¡°Uh-¡±


    ¡°Did you really do that bad?¡±


    ¡°N-no! It¡¯s not that¡­¡± Well, I guess I can¡¯t really hide it. Is it even something to hide, anyway? It just feels wrong to mention it. It might be awkward for Rose too, because of how bad she did.


    Without words, I simply flip over my test.


    Her face glows with genuine surprise and admiration, ¡°How did you do that!? You¡¯re incredible!¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing. Really.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­ One-hundred percent is something to be proud of!¡±


    ¡°But, it doesn¡¯t feel deserved. It¡¯s not like I studied or anything.¡±


    It took a moment of seeing the surprise on her face before I realized what I had said, ¡°You didn¡¯t even study!? Are you a genius or something?¡±


    ¡°Quiet down! Someone might hear you¡­¡± I say in a hushed voice. ¡°I just have a good memory.¡±


    ¡°One-hundred percent without studying takes a little more than a ¡®good¡¯ memory¡­ And if that¡¯s all it is, then why keep it a secret?¡±


    With a sigh, I come to terms with letting her in on it. There¡¯s no way to wiggle out of this one. And she¡¯s right, there really isn¡¯t a reason as to why, other than how it feels.


    ¡°My memory is just really good, but that¡¯s all,¡± For some reason, it still feels like bragging. So, to even it out, ¡°It¡¯s not all good though. I¡¯m sure you can imagine how boring school is.¡±


    She chuckles, ¡°No way! Having a memory like that would be amazing! I envy you.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not a good thing whatsoever,¡± Just by saying that I can feel the atmosphere around us darken a bit, I¡¯m clearly killing the mood. Rose immediately looks taken by surprise at my sudden seriousness. But, I really don¡¯t want the topic to come up again. If I keep going, maybe she¡¯ll even stop hanging around me so much¡­ ¡°Everything is so predictable. Each day blends into the next. Every test I take is another boring, plain one-hundred. It¡¯s infinitely easier to realize how little each day matters when you can see the blatant repetition between them.¡±


    As predicted, the conversation falls to a halt, neither of us know what to say or how to continue. For what seems like the first time, Rose¡¯s smile fades off of her face. Feeling awkward, I turn and face out the window.


    Well, I guess that¡¯s it. I just bragged and told her that having something she wants and I have isn¡¯t actually that good. That¡¯s one of the things that angers me the most, when people with a lot of money or fame complain about the adverse effects of it. I¡¯m such a hypocrite.


    A few minutes pass and the teacher rambles on in the front of the room. I don¡¯t look up from the window until suddenly Rose pokes my shoulder. I turn around in my chair to see a bright smile on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I guess I made an assumption about your position¡­ But, if everything¡¯s so boring, then I guess we¡¯ll have to spice it up a bit!¡± She holds out my test, she must''ve swiped it off of my desk while I wasn¡¯t looking. On it is a drawing of me. It¡¯s not that bad, but one detail on it is noticeably different from my usual appearance.


    I¡¯m smiling.


    She giggles, ¡°Isn¡¯t it much more fun now?¡±


    Rose held out the drawing and looked at me like I wasn¡¯t weird at all. I gently take the paper and gaze at the portrait for a second.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    I simply shrug her question off, not knowing how to explain what I tried to do to her in words. I tried to make her start hating me over something so stupid.


    Turning back to her one more time, I take a deep breath.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I smiled.


    From that day on, Rose began putting a small sketch on every one of my tests. I didn¡¯t notice for a long time but, somewhere along the line I began looking forward to school.¡¯

 William

    I woke up on the second day of this ¡®vacation¡¯ to the ceiling of my temporary room. Without a moment of delay or rest, I immediately went into my morning routine. I showered, brushed my teeth, and changed clothes. Although I was in an all new room, the motions that I repeat every day were still the same.


    Painfully monotonous.


    The clock hanging on the wall told me that it was already noon and that I should have woken up long ago. As I pondered on what to do for the rest of the day, my stomach began to growl.


    ¡®First things first, eat. I really hope that I didn¡¯t miss lunch, at least.¡¯


    With haste, I took the elevator down to the first floor and made my way to the dining hall. I pushed open the double doors leading in, which were much heavier than I would have imagined. Behind the door was a set table. Everyone was just about to start eating.


    ¡®Sorry I¡¯m late,¡¯ I said with a wave.


    ¡®Daniel!¡¯ Lilah waved from her chair, no longer wearing her beret. ¡®We were getting worried about you! You missed breakfast and I was worried you wouldn¡¯t make it to the pool party today!¡¯


    On the way to my seat, I replied, ¡®Oh, when is that going to be?¡¯


    ¡®We decided to have it during dinner, if that¡¯s alright with you.¡¯


    ¡®During dinner?¡¯ I asked.


    ¡®Yeah! Wouldn¡¯t that be fun?¡¯


    Having made it all the way down the long diner, I pulled out my chair and took a seat.


    ¡®Glad you could make it,¡¯ Marcus smiled. ¡®Now then¡­ bon appetit!¡¯


    The food, once again prepared excellently by William, tasted nearly perfect. He could¡¯ve easily qualified for a number of jobs. He was able to cook at an expert chef level, clean and upkeep the whole mansion all on his own, manage and sculpt the garden, and he could even pilot a boat. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Marcus revealed that he built this entire mansion by hand too. In a way, he was more of a prodigy than any of us kids. He wasn¡¯t limited to one talent, but instead seemed to be amazing at anything he did.


    ¡®I wonder what led him to work here, an empty island isolated from society.¡¯


    Alex was obviously much quieter and more nervous today. He hardly talked and when he was asked a question, he answered in the fastest and simplest way possible. For the most part, we all opted to ignore him so that our lunch wouldn¡¯t be spoiled.


    It didn¡¯t take long before everyone had finished eating. As we prepared to leave, Marcus spoke, ¡®If it¡¯s alright with all of you, I¡¯d like to talk one on one with each of you at some point this week. I invited you all here so that I could learn more about you, so it would be nice if we could do this, at least.¡¯


    Still intimidated by his status, everyone kept quiet except for Lilah. She was oblivious to the social hierarchy that should¡¯ve been clear as day.


    ¡®Sounds good to me!¡¯


    The rest of us simply nodded along.


    I left only Marcus and William behind as I exited the diner. William still needed to clean up the table.


    For a moment, I aimlessly walked around, having not yet decided what to do with my day. All I knew was that I must keep myself occupied. As I began to wander, I noticed Alex¡¯s back walking up the stairs.


    ¡®Alex¡¯s behavior has been pretty weird lately though¡­ It definitely doesn¡¯t feel like something I should just brush off.¡¯


    My mind thought back to Rose and I immediately began to walk up the stairs. Before making myself known, I decided to follow him to see where he was going.


    After walking to the second floor, he seemed to be headed straight to his room. If he made it in there, I wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable knocking on his door to talk to him. That would seem much too deliberate.


    ¡®Hey!¡¯ I shouted to him. ¡®What do you know? We¡¯re the only two headed back to our rooms right after lunch.¡¯


    I jogged lightly to catch up to him, ensuring a conversation instead of a passing greeting. He slowly spun around to look at me. His eyes were noticeably different from before. They had been full of admiration and excitement and were now already ready to leave.


    ¡®Hey¡­¡¯ He mumbled.


    ¡®Are you feeling alright? You¡¯ve seemed pretty down lately.¡¯


    He looked up and forced a smile, ¡®I¡¯m doing fine. Don¡¯t worry about me. I just have a whole lot to think about. Hopefully I¡¯ll be back to normal in a few days.¡¯


    Then, he turned around once again and opened his door.


    ¡®W-wai-¡¯ I reached out my hand to his back, but he already shut his door behind him.


    ¡®What¡¯s his deal?¡¯


    I sighed aloud, no longer having anything to do, ¡®Maybe I¡¯ll go talk to Amelia?¡¯


    With that idea in mind, I walked my way to the garden. Sadly, that required me to once again walk down the stairs to where I had just come from. If only I had decided sooner¡­


    I swung open the door to the garden and took a large breath of fresh air. The garden was just as pretty as I remembered, but Amelia was nowhere to be seen, not like that was too surprising. But, there was someone else in her place. Squatting next to the flowering bushes was Mary. She somehow still looked rather annoyed despite the fact that she was smelling flowers.


    ¡®How unlucky could I possibly be? Mary, of all people?¡¯


    Swiftly while trying not to make a sound, I turned around and headed straight back to the mansion door.


    ¡®Really?¡¯ Her soft voice was filled with annoyance. ¡®You¡¯re going to sneak behind me and not even say hello?¡¯


    Feeling forced, I turned around and put my hand on the back of my head in embarrassment, ¡®Oh, sorry about that¡­ But, I should be on my way.¡¯


    ¡®Wait just a moment. Why do you avoid me so much? Even now you won¡¯t so much as look me in the eye. Did I do something to you?¡¯


    I sighed, being forced into a very unfortunate conversation, ¡®It¡¯s not that. You just scare me a bit, that¡¯s all.¡¯


    I decided against telling her about her similarities to Rose. I¡¯m not seeking sympathy and I certainly do not want to be her friend.


    Mary laughed very lightly in an almost irritating way, ¡®Is that how it is? It felt like you were avoiding me before I would¡¯ve even had a chance to make an impression¡­ Could it be that we¡¯ve met before this?¡¯


    ¡®No, of course not.¡¯


    Her annoyed facial expression and voice suddenly changed as she smirked, ¡®Actually, I¡¯m pretty bored right now and you seem to be too. Why not stay for a while?¡¯


    ¡®W-well I-¡¯ I desperately searched for ways to decline her invitation, still unable to make eye contact.


    ¡®C¡¯mon. I bet I¡¯m not as bad as you think I am. Let¡¯s get to know each other, as fellow prodigies. That¡¯s what we¡¯re here for, isn¡¯t it?¡¯


    Sighing once more, I responded-


    Before I got a chance to talk, she interrupted me immediately, ¡®You sigh a lot. Did you know that? You really shouldn¡¯t.¡¯


    ¡®Why¡¯s that?¡¯ My heart stung at the words.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you know? Even if you have to force one, the world will be a much happier place if you smile. Faking a smile and simply trying to be happy can trick your brain into actually being happy. In the same way, sighing all the time is a one way ticket to sadness.¡¯


    Hearing those words from her was painful in more ways than one, ¡®No¡­ but I¡¯m not really interested in fake happiness like that.¡¯


    Mary stared at me for a few moments. She seemed to be judging me. It was this character of hers that made her so unapproachable, ¡®You know, I think I can agree with you on that. But still, expressing your sadness and boredom so openly¡­ it¡¯s as if you¡¯re seeking sympathy. For what other reason does one express their emotions? So, what is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡¯


    I have never been asked such a kind question and yet felt so insulted. Her voice, despite saying such kind things, still felt cold. Her voice that imitated Rose¡¯s felt all wrong. It was missing the actual kindness and empathy that Rose had. She didn¡¯t seem to be attacking me or making fun of me either. There was no spite or aggression. This voice just felt empty. It was as if no emotion was behind her words at all.


    But, maybe she didn¡¯t intend to come off this way? Could it be that she¡¯s just bad at socializing?


    ¡®I¡¯m just bored, that¡¯s all.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s it? It sounded like much more than that¡­¡¯


    ¡®Really? Well, sorry to worry you. I guess I¡¯m so excited for the pool party that I can¡¯t find anything to do.¡¯


    Her eyes locked with mine for a moment and I briefly looked away. When I turned back, she was still staring. It went on for many moments. It was like her eyes attempted to peer into my mind.


    Finally, she closed her eyes and turned back to the bushes. She must¡¯ve determined that there was no point in nagging me further when all I wanted to do was leave, ¡®If that¡¯s how it is, go talk to Marcus. He has seemed disappointed in his lack of interaction with his guests. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s bored too.¡¯


    I immediately took the out she gave me, ¡®Oh! Well, that works out perfectly! Thanks a lot!¡¯


    Without turning back, I briskly walked back towards the mansion.


    While I was only trying to get away, her idea wasn¡¯t half bad. So, I decided to take my sights off of Amelia and find Marcus instead.


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    I walked back to the diner only to find that it had already been completely cleaned and evacuated.


    ¡®Where does Marcus even spend his day?¡¯


    On the first floor, I decided to walk to the right of the stairs instead of the left, the location of the diner.


    Through a large doorway layed a large living room. It was almost two stories tall on its own and octagonal in shape. Three of its sides were covered in windows. Several sofas surrounded a fireplace with a very thin and expensive looking curved television mounted on top.


    ¡®Oh, Daniel. Would you like some tea?¡¯


    William was diligently cleaning when he noticed me enter. I had hardly made a sound but he must¡¯ve heard it clearly to respond so fast.


    ¡®Sure. Black would be nice.¡¯


    ¡®Well then,¡¯ he smiled. ¡®Wait right here and prepare yourself for the best tea you¡¯ve ever tasted.¡¯


    With perfect posture and a gesture that seemed to have been practiced millions of times, he bowed and pointed his arms towards the couch invitingly. Naturally, I sat where he told me to and waited.


    He wasn¡¯t gone for long. He appeared much faster than I would have thought for him to make tea.


    Confidently, he walked back carrying a plate with a teacup on it, ¡®Enjoy.¡¯


    The tea was exactly as expected of William.


    Absolutely fantastic.


    ¡®Hey, William?¡¯


    Even though I was sitting down, he still insisted on standing beside the couch, ¡®Yes? Is it not to your liking?¡¯


    ¡®No, it¡¯s delicious. But, I¡¯ve been wondering for a while now. Why do you even work here?¡¯


    Perhaps it was rude to ask, but William gave off an air of comfort. He felt as though I could ask him just about anything and he wouldn¡¯t think any differently of me. Although, I suppose that¡¯s part of his job. A butler¡¯s purpose is to serve his master and his guests, and being a place to confide in could be a service as well.


    ¡®Hmm,¡¯ He hummed unperturbed by the bland question. ¡®For Marcus. Not for the money and not because of the residence, but simply for him.¡¯


    ¡®He must be pretty amazing to earn your respect like that. You¡¯re fantastic at pretty much everything. To have someone like you offer to work here¡­¡¯


    ¡®Forgive me for being so informal, but this question has to be answered like this,¡¯ William didn¡¯t move for a moment, simply thinking. Then, gently, he set down the plate in his hand onto the table and took a seat. ¡®I didn¡¯t offer to work for him. At least, not in the way that you made it out.¡¯


    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯


    ¡®Well, before I worked for Marcus, I was in poverty. I grew up in a very poor area and I was never able to realize my own potential, but he could. He was simply starting up his business at the time, so he wasn¡¯t rich yet. One day while he was on a business trip, he found me. I was¡­ this is hard to say- stealing from him. Even though he wasn¡¯t rich, he was by far the most wealthy person in the area at the moment. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on him. Now, this story would have been much shorter if I got away with it,¡¯ He chuckled heartily. ¡®But, of course, I was caught. Instead of pressing charges, not that I had anything to give him if he did, he said that he could see talent within me. He let me keep his wallet and offered me a deal. I work for him as his assistant and he would teach me how to use money, he¡¯d pay me too of course.¡¯


    ¡®Wow. So, nobody would¡¯ve ever known about all of this talent you have because of where you were born?¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s right. But, that¡¯s just how the world works. I have no qualms with it. In fact, Marcus made a really dumb decision, hiring me on the spot like that! Then again, he¡¯s fantastic in his own right for recognizing a diamond in the rough like that. I still don¡¯t fully know how he knew I¡¯d be a good match for him just from a little pick pocketing.¡¯


    ¡®No kidding. Speaking of Marcus, why does he live on this island?¡¯ There was a long pause where William didn¡¯t answer, so I continued. ¡®Do you even know?¡¯


    For the first time, he seemed uncomfortable, ¡®N-no. I¡¯m only here because I believe that he has his reasons. I trust him wholeheartedly and would never leave him, no matter how inconvenient it may be.¡¯


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you curious? What could cause him to do something like that? If I were you, I¡¯d definitely be curious. B-but of course I¡¯m not trying to call your determination into question, I just think that it might be fun to try and find out¡­ Maybe there¡¯s something in his office? It¡¯s one of the few doors that are locked-¡¯


    Suddenly, he stood up without warning and picked his plate back up, ¡®Well, I¡¯ve got to go start dinner. I can¡¯t sit around chatting forever. Can you go tell the rest of the guests that we¡¯re having dinner early and that we¡¯ll be meeting in the pool?¡¯ He began to walk out of the room. Never turning back and still facing away from me he added, ¡®It was nice talking to you. You¡¯re right, though. I¡¯m very curious.¡¯


    ¡®W-wait!¡¯ I shouted from the couch, but the tea in my hands prevented me from moving sharply.


    Once again, I was simply walked away from in the middle of a conversation.


    The next nearly half hour consisted of me finding the rest of the kids and telling them about dinner. My legs started killing me after walking up and down several flights of stairs. I figured that the stairs would be faster and therefore better at the time, but that was clearly a mistake.


    Mary had found her way to the workshop with Lilah, who was still not wearing her beret. Alex was still in his room and Amelia was painting in hers as well. All of them were ready to go except for Mary and Lilah. They said that they¡¯d be there momentarily.


    By the time I had notified everyone, it was already time for dinner and the pool party.


    The pool was seemingly Olympic in size. There were three diving boards of varying heights paired with ladders on the deep end. The shallow end had enormous spools of lane separating ropes and various swimming equipment. There were also beach chairs lining the walls. It was the first time I had ever laid my eyes on a pool that was as large as a public one, but as clean as a well taken care of hot tub. On my way into the pool there were two entrances. They each led to a different gendered changing room.


    I told Alex and Amelia about dinner before Lilah and Mary, so I entered the changing room after Alex was already inside. Amelia was separated from him when she went into the women''s room.


    The changing room was as clean as you¡¯d expect from William. It contained various swim trunks with a large selection of designs and sizes. I chose a simple blue pair, and Alex an orange.


    Marcus laid in a beach chair pulled up to the shallow side of the pool. William stood beside him, as always. Neither of them wore swimwear. They were probably too old to keep up with us kids. A medium sized table next to them was full, containing platters of food and empty plates and silverware.


    Everyone gathered around the table. Amelia wore a simple and modest navy blue one-piece. A few minutes after we had changed and entered the room, Lilah showed up too. She wore a pink one-piece swimsuit covered in childish frills. She looked surprisingly different without her glasses. She seemed somehow more childish than ever. William invited us to eat whenever we were ready and Marcus told us that he hoped we had fun.


    Immediately, Lilah grabbed goggles from the boxes of supplies and dove into the pool.


    ¡®C¡¯mon in, the water¡¯s warm!¡¯ She seemed so excited to be able to play around with us like this.


    ¡®One second, I think I¡¯ll dish myself some food first,¡¯ I said as I walked to the table.


    ¡®Me too,¡¯ Amelia followed just behind me.


    Alex skipped getting food and jumped straight into the pool with Lilah.


    Looking at the table I could see that the menu was just as great as ever. Amelia and I swiftly made ourselves a plate so we didn¡¯t keep them waiting.


    We both sat down next to each other on the edge of the pool, dipping our legs into the water. Lilah hadn¡¯t been lying when she said that the water was warm. It was the perfect temperature. Just from that you could tell that William was responsible for it.


    It was the first time in a surprisingly long time that I had entered a pool. I learned how to swim a long time ago but was never very good at it. It felt quite refreshing to be able to unwind like this.


    Followed by the sound of the changing room door, Mary spoke as she walked into the natatorium, ¡®Sorry I¡¯m late.¡¯


    ¡®Oh! I was starting to think that you were going to skip out on me!¡¯ Lilah cheered. ¡®Come on in!¡¯


    Mary wore a simple black bikini. It wasn¡¯t flashy but it wasn¡¯t shy either. She grabbed a plate of food and then dipped her legs into the pool, taking a seat on the side. She sat on a different wall from me and Amelia, however.


    While we ate our food and chatted, Lilah and Alex splashed around in the pool. He wasn¡¯t as talkative as he was on the first day, but he seemed to be cheering up since I last saw him.


    When we were about halfway done with our food, they got out of the pool and finally made themselves a plate. Speedily eating, Lilah finished hers before I was even done with mine. As swiftly as she got out she had already jumped back in. Alex took a little longer, but he didn¡¯t grab much food so he still finished before me.


    ¡®Excuse me, but I¡¯ll be right back,¡¯ William set down a pile of towels on a chair for us and then bowed as he exited the room.


    Even though it struck me as just a little odd, Marcus seemed almost shocked, not offended, by this. William must have never done something like that before.


    While everyone was finishing up our last bites of food, Lilah proposed a race, ¡®Want to see who can make the fastest lap in the pool? Freestyle of course!¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re on,¡¯ Mary immediately accepted. It was the first time she seemed engaged to me so far. She seemed to finally be letting loose.


    Eating just before swimming isn¡¯t usually recommended, but very few kids our age would¡¯ve even considered that. Marcus didn¡¯t want to leave a bad impression on us either so he didn''t say anything. Still, Amelia didn¡¯t like the idea much.


    With some reluctance from Amelia and a little pushing from Lilah consequently, we all ended up in our own lane, participating in the race.


    I¡¯m not exactly weak or unfit, but it was a given that there was no way I could win. Amelia and I were winded by the steps when we first arrived here. So, the goal I set for myself was to beat just her.


    Lilah asked Marcus to be the referee, although really all he had to do was keep track of everyone¡¯s positions and say, ¡®go.¡¯


    With all of us finally in position, I glanced around at my competition. Lilah looked as excited as always, Mary looked confident, Alex seemed a little indifferent, and Amelia looked extremely nervous. She probably thinks that she¡¯ll come in last.


    ¡®I can see how that might be embarrassing¡­¡¯


    Finally, Marcus shouted for us to begin.


    Lilah and Mary were immediately off to the races. They took off notably sooner than the rest of us. Swiftly, Alex and I began shortly before Amelia.


    We all had gotten a pair of goggles before the race so that we could see clearly and know when to turn. Although I was able to clearly note everyone¡¯s positions as my head turned through the water, I¡¯m sure that wasn¡¯t an option for anyone else.


    Although we started at almost the same time, Alex quickly overtook me. It wasn¡¯t by much, but he was obviously a better swimmer than me. Turning at the end of the pool, I noticed that Amelia wasn¡¯t too far behind me, but despite how tired I already was, it was clear she wouldn¡¯t be able to beat me.


    Without giving it much thought, I slowed down a little bit.


    Out of breath, I slammed my hands against the wall at the end of the race, right back where I started. Marcus relayed to me the standings of the competition. Mary had won by several seconds. Lilah came in second but Alex followed close behind. Amelia made it to the other side after several more seconds and I followed shortly behind her.


    Mary had a grin on her face as Lilah complimented her, ¡®I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re such a good swimmer! Who would¡¯ve known? Are you on a competitive team or something?¡¯


    ¡®No, I¡¯m not that good,¡¯ the tone in her voice could be easily read as ¡®compliment me more.¡¯


    Alex didn¡¯t seem to care too much about his standing in the race, but also gave compliments to Lilah and Mary.


    For the most part, Amelia and I stayed out of it. I came in last and we weren¡¯t really close enough to tease each other yet, so they didn¡¯t talk about my placement at all. Not to mention, we were both completely out of breath. It was a real workout.


    Amelia finally caught her breath and I could see a brief smile of relief and satisfaction on her face.


    The rest of dinner passed smoothly and we all dried off as we prepared to change back into casual clothes for bed.


    Oddly enough, William never returned. Marcus was clearly very worried about this. Even though we hardly knew him, it was incredibly strange given his character so far.


    We all thanked Marcus for dinner and began to walk back to our rooms.


    Mary was talking more than she ever had at once. She wore a smile on her face and seemed to be hitting it off well with Lilah and Amelia. Alex wasn¡¯t as talkative as he used to be still, but he definitely seemed much better than this morning.


    Suddenly, on our walk back to our rooms, a shrill blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the mansion. My skin suddenly ran cold and goosebumps covered my arms.


    ¡®What was that?!¡¯ Amelia jumped.


    ¡®It sounded like Marcus,¡¯ I was able to make it out from the scream. It was brief, so everyone may have missed their chance to think about the sound much.


    Swiftly, we all ran to the staircase and back up. My whole body ached from swimming and running around all day. I was out of breath and covered in beads of sweat. My stomach churned as I imagined what could have happened.


    Everyone else must have felt the same. Their faces were all bent in anticipation for what could have been to come.


    I was the third one to make it there, after Mary and Lilah. The scream had come from the top floor, at the door to Marcus¡¯ office.


    A horrendous scene laid out before me. Marcus had fallen backwards onto the floor. His jaw was gaping open as he attempted to yell, but nothing more came out.


    The body of William laid lifeless in the doorway.

 Marcus

    Everyone froze as they stared at the scene before them. William¡¯s unmoving and bloody body laid face down in the hallway. Blood covered the back of his head and a bloody brick sat beside it. He was positioned halfway inside of Marcus¡¯ office. The large office door was unlocked and partially opened for the first time; the light inside the room was off. It appeared that William had been hit over the head with a brick while trying to escape into the safest room of the mansion.


    Marcus had fallen onto the floor at the site of the murder. He looked stunned and appalled. His face had gone pale and his jaw was frozen open. No matter how much he tried to look away, his eyes were glued to the body.


    ¡®W-we have to help him!¡¯ Amelia cried. Her eyes welled with tears and her hands covered her mouth. ¡®We need to call an ambulance!¡¯


    Normally this is where Mary would chime in, but she seemed frozen too. Her eyes stared at William and couldn¡¯t look away.


    Alex spoke in a grim tone as he turned his head away from both Amelia and the body, ¡®He¡¯s¡­ already passed.¡¯


    Lilah bit her nails and her legs gave out on her. She fell to the ground with a thud. Her glasses were falling from her face but she didn¡¯t seem to notice.


    ¡®H-how do you know that?! It can¡¯t be true! He was fine just an hour ago¡­ You haven¡¯t even checked his pulse!¡¯ Amelia continued.


    Alex shook his head sadly. He seemed reluctant to check the body. Everyone did, for that matter.


    Slowly and carefully, I made my way to the scene of the crime. I grabbed William¡¯s wrist with one hand and pushed my fingers against his neck with the other. Neither gave even the faintest sign of a pulse.


    ¡®It¡¯s no use. He¡¯s dead,¡¯ I stand back up and glance around at everyone in the room.


    Mary¡¯s face hadn¡¯t moved an inch. She was truly shocked to her core. Lilah covered her face and sat on the ground, shaking. Alex continued to look away from the rest of the room and stared at the floor.


    Amelia looked at me, scared, with tears falling from her eyes, ¡®How¡­ how can you be so calm?¡¯


    I knew how I should¡¯ve felt and I knew something horrible had just happened, but for some reason, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to cry. Without a response or answer to her question, all I could do was shift my eyes away from her.


    ¡®What happened? D-did something fall on him? Could there have been some kind of accident?¡¯ Amelia desperately searched for a reason.


    Finally, Mary regained her senses. Her face shifted from shocked to stern, ¡®It was a murder. It had to have been. There¡¯s no way a brick just happened to hit him on the head.¡¯


    ¡®But that¡¯s impossible!¡¯ Amelia insisted through tears. ¡®Are you saying that one of us¡­? We need to call the police!¡¯


    ¡®Yes,¡¯ She responded quickly and without care. ¡®But, that¡¯s impossible. There¡¯s no connection to the outside world here. No internet and no phone service.¡¯


    Alex directed a question towards Mary, who had just demonstrated her leadership and level headedness, ¡®Why would anyone target William? We have several famous people here, and they target the butler?¡¯


    My stomach churned. I knew the answer before it was said.


    Mary spoke in a harsh tone, ¡®William wasn¡¯t their only target. Think about it. Who drove us here? The only ¡°connection¡± to the outside world we have, or at least had, was the boats. Tell me, are any of you qualified to sail a boat?¡¯ Silence. ¡®Whoever did this is planning on doing it again. They¡¯ve trapped us on this island!¡¯


    Amelia looked like she was about to throw up and stared at the ground while repeating ¡®Why¡­?¡¯ to herself in a whisper.


    Suddenly, Mary burst into rage. Her long black hair glided through the air as she made a sudden stride towards the center of the circle we had unconsciously created, surrounding the body. She stomped across the ground and began to yell in anger, completely unhinged, ¡®Murderer! Know that you have another thing coming! I won¡¯t let you get away with it! You¡¯re going to be next! The vile act of murder, killing another man, is by far the worst crime a person can commit! But, there¡¯s no law out here, no enforcement. So know this! I won¡¯t fear you! You should be the one fearing me!¡¯


    She made a slow spin as she boldly uttered her lines. As she spun she made direct eye contact with everyone. She ended her speech staring Marcus in the eye, and he seemed afraid of her.


    Lilah stopped shaking for a moment and looked up at Mary, adjusting her glasses. Despite being in petrifying fear, she seemed interested in Mary¡¯s words.


    I gently raised my hand, directing Mary, Alex, and Lilah¡¯s attention towards me. The sudden silence caused Amelia and Marcus to look up at me as well, ¡®Um¡­ Maybe we should take a minute to calm down and then meet in the cafeteria to discuss how we should proceed. How¡¯s half an hour?¡¯


    A couple moments passed and everyone nodded. Somehow, the friendship we had begun to build over the few days we were here suddenly felt distant.


    Mary took a deep breath and began to walk away, no further words. Alex followed suit. Lilah stumbled up and then took a last look at us before walking away.


    Amelia tapped me on the shoulder. Her eyes were a little red from the tears and she sniffled a little bit, ¡®I-I¡¯m afraid. I don¡¯t want to be killed while we have an intermission¡­ Could I come with you?¡¯


    ¡®Hm¡­ I suppose that she trusts me more than the rest of them. We did share a nice little bond over mutually enjoyed art. While I hate this thought is even crossing my mind, this could be bait from her to get us alone. If she¡¯s the murderer, then I¡¯ll be done for. But, if I express that concern to her, any trust we might¡¯ve had will disappear in an instant. At the same time, what¡¯s even the worst case scenario if she¡¯s the murderer? I¡¯ll just die right? But if I die¡­ No. I¡¯ll just trust her for now. I¡¯ll trust my own judgment.¡¯


    ¡®Sure. I¡¯d feel safer with you, too. I¡¯m glad you can trust me.¡¯


    She smiled softly at my words and rubbed her eyes, ¡®Thanks.¡¯


    Without turning around, Amelia and I left Marcus behind with William. Perhaps he¡¯d¡¯ve liked to say one last goodbye?


    The next thirty minutes were spent in my room sitting alongside Amelia in mostly silence, door locked of course. They went by almost instantly. Despite us trusting each other enough to be alone in the same room, there was a fair amount of distance between us, just in case. Neither of us said that was why, but it could be assumed. Amelia would occasionally start breathing heavily in a silent sob.


    Before we knew it, we were slowly walking to the cafeteria. We had waited until we heard everyone else¡¯s door open, just in case.


    We all arrived in the cafeteria at a similar time. Everyone was still standing when Amelia and I made it. Our arrival signaled that it was time to take a seat.


    Everyone sat in their normal seats, but William didn¡¯t stand behind Marcus this time. The table was empty with none of the delicious meals that normally laid there.


    Alex looked nervous and was persistent about avoiding eye contact. Amelia stared at the table and folded her hands in her lap. Lilah seemed to have gotten over her initial shock and was looking at everyone¡¯s face carefully. Mary¡¯s face was as serious and stern as always. Marcus¡¯ face was blank, his fingers were intertwined and he leaned his forehead against the back of his hands.


    Nobody spoke for around a minute before I decided that it was probably my job to at least start the discussion. I was the one who proposed it, after all.


    ¡®So¡­ I guess first things first, what do we do now?¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s a bit of a vague question,¡¯ Mary immediately critiqued.


    ¡®We need to get off of this island,¡¯ Amelia proposed.


    Alex frowned, ¡®Impossible. None of us can sail a boat. We¡¯d only get lost at sea if we tried.¡¯


    ¡®But it¡¯s worth a shot! It¡¯s better than staying here and being murdered!¡¯


    Lilah chuckled, ¡®No, I¡¯d much rather have a chance at survival than be doomed to starving to death at sea. Thanks for the offer though. But, don¡¯t let me get you down, you can go. If you¡¯d like.¡¯


    Amelia gritted her teeth.


    ¡®Alright guys, calm down,¡¯ I spoke over them. ¡®We can¡¯t go picking fights. Not now.¡¯


    ¡®Alright then, Lilah, what do you think we should do then?¡¯ Amelia scoffed.


    ¡®Well, we¡¯ll be picked up off of this island soon. If we don¡¯t return in a week like we were supposed to, there will be rescue teams dispatched immediately. But, in the meantime, let¡¯s have a trial!¡¯ Somehow she seemed to have already gotten over the shock and fear already. Her smile came back like it was only natural. She no longer seemed to be disturbed.


    ¡®How can we even hold a trial with no evidence?¡¯ Alex countered.


    She snickered a bit in response, ¡®Let¡¯s investigate! We¡¯d be like real detectives!¡¯


    Mary seemed annoyed at Lilah¡¯s behavior the whole time, but that had set her off, ¡®This isn¡¯t a game!¡¯


    Lilah puffed her cheeks out, ¡®You¡¯re no fun¡­¡¯


    ¡®Alright, alright. Leave her be for now,¡¯ I said. ¡®She¡¯s having a rough time too. Everyone deals with stress differently. She might be right too. We need to find out more about what happened.¡¯


    Mary rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.


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    ¡®Does anyone have any clues?¡¯ I added.


    With a sigh, Mary picked up the discussion, ¡®Naturally. I already know who it was anyway. None of us kids could have done it. Think about it. William left when we were all at the pool. After we all left, Marcus was the only one who went upstairs. It had to be him.¡¯


    ¡®What!?¡¯ Marcus screamed. ¡®How dare you! I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯d say that! He was my only friend for the past ten years- and you claim that I killed him?!¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s the only possibility!¡¯


    ¡®Well¡­¡¯ I interjected. ¡®I only looked at the body briefly, but I remember it perfectly. He wasn¡¯t bleeding. The brick must have hit his head a while before he was found.¡¯


    ¡®Brick?¡¯ Amelia asked.


    ¡®You must have missed it under all of the confusion. It was lying next to William¡¯s head. It seems that someone hit him with it.¡¯


    Mary responded to my claim, ¡®Impossible. Someone had to do it. William left the pool room by himself, alive. He had to have died after that. All of us kids were together. If you don¡¯t think it was Marcus, are you proposing that there¡¯s someone else secretly on the island?¡¯


    ¡®No, that would be silly. I¡¯d bet you that it was done remotely. A trap.¡¯


    Mary¡¯s face looked shocked for a moment, then she placed her thumb on her lip and thought for a moment, ¡®Perhaps¡­¡¯


    ¡®Besides, what would Marcus have to gain from killing William? If he called us kids here to kill us, he wouldn¡¯t have needed to kill William. He could have even sent William away for the duration of our stay. If him being a witness posed a problem, he could have just killed him beforehand. And if William was his target, he could have waited until we left, or even just not called us here in the first place.¡¯


    Marcus let out a deep breath and his shoulders fell.


    ¡®Then who-¡¯ Mary got cut off by Lilah.


    ¡®See? Investigation time~¡¯ She smiled innocently.


    ¡®Someone was murdered! Why doesn¡¯t this mean anything to you?¡¯ Mary asked desperately.


    ¡®It is pretty suspicious that she¡¯s so calm¡­¡¯ Alex added.


    ¡®Well it¡¯s pretty suspicious that you¡¯d point that out!¡¯ Lilah stuck out her tongue.


    Alex jumped back, ¡®W-well it¡¯s pretty suspicious that Daniel is so calm too!¡¯


    ¡®What!?¡¯ I gasped. ¡®Guys, we¡¯re going to need to stop the baseless accusations. They¡¯ll seriously tear us apart.¡¯


    Amelia came to my defense, ¡®There¡¯s no way it was him! We were alone in his room for half an hour before this meeting. He could have easily killed me then!¡¯


    Lilah pointed out, ¡®Well, how do you know he wasn¡¯t just trying to seem innocent? And doesn''t saying that imply that you are out of the question too?¡¯


    Mary coughed, ¡®He just said that we shouldn¡¯t baselessly accuse each other. Did he not?¡¯


    ¡®Whatever, but be careful,¡¯ She shrugged.


    ¡®Let''s all investigate together,¡¯ I suggested. ¡®A murder won¡¯t occur if we¡¯re together. At least we know that the murderer doesn¡¯t want caught, otherwise we¡¯d know who did it already.¡¯


    ¡®Are you suggesting that you search my office?¡¯ Marcus asked in a serious tone.


    ¡®No, it¡¯s certainly not a suggestion,¡¯ Mary stared daggers through him. His once serious face grew meek. ¡®Unless you have something to hide?¡¯


    With that, we were able to secure our right to investigate.


    We all walked up the seemingly endless stairs to Marcus¡¯ office. Mary led the group, her back exposed fearlessly. Lilah and Alex drifted to the back, cautiously. Marcus walked just in front of Alex. In the middle, Amelia walked with me shoulder to shoulder.


    Unconsciously, the whole group walked progressively slower the closer we got to the office. The body will still be there, reaffirming the severity of the situation we¡¯re in.


    Surprisingly, when we made it to the doorway, his body was no longer lying there.


    Noticing our surprise, Marcus spoke solemnly, ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I carried him to his room. He¡¯s in his bed.¡¯


    The door to the office that used to be partially opened, was once again locked and shut tight. Mary walked right up to the door and put her hand on the keypad, ¡®What¡¯s the code?¡¯


    Though hesitant, Marcus whispered, ¡®Seven three five seven.¡¯


    Proceeded by the sound of four beeping buttons, a loud clunk was released from the door as it was unlocked.


    ¡®Alright everyone, let¡¯s search the room. We can share our findings as we come across them,¡¯ Alex stepped up to the front.


    The door swung open and Mary reached around the walls for a light switch. After a click the room became visible. Book shelves lined every wall. They were entirely full, not a single space was missing on them. Several extra books were stacked on top of the shelves. Marcus¡¯ desk was located in the center of the room, facing towards the door. It didn¡¯t have a computer on it, only a desk lamp, folders, papers, and office supplies like paper clips. A filing cabinet was pressed against the back wall.


    Mary searched efficiently and seriously, leaving no spot unchecked. Lilah seemed to be going along with it and had a smile on her face as she analyzed everything on the shelves. Alex slowly and carefully pulled one book at a time off of the shelves, more interested in those than the problem at hand. Amelia and I didn¡¯t know where we could fit in, so we stood by and watched. Marcus stayed in the doorway, looking around sadly.


    After a while, Mary finally looked like she found something. She pulled out a file from the filing cabinet and intently looked at the papers within, ¡®Hey, Marcus? What¡¯s this newspaper all about? What do you have this for? And these too!¡¯


    She pulled multiple newspapers out of the cabinet and tossed them on the table. Many slid right off and glided across the room.


    The headlines were are all along the lines of, ¡®New Gen Murderer ¨C Business Owners Beware!¡¯ and ¡®Several Promising Companies Shut Down!¡¯ Some more obscure ones were present too. They seemed much less popular, like local papers mentioning individuals, ¡®The Disappearance of Journalist Steve Bailey!¡¯


    Marcus looked to the side, unable to look Mary in her eyes, ¡®Do I have to explain them? Are you really going to make me?¡¯


    ¡®Yes. And you¡¯d better hurry up if you don¡¯t want to look any more suspicious.¡¯


    ¡®C-can I at least tell only you-¡¯


    ¡®No! You must tell us all, right here and now. Out with it!¡¯


    A moment of silence passed and Marcus began to explain, ¡®I was a serial killer. No other words could be used to describe the atrocities I committed,¡¯ His voice was shaky, like he was about to cry. ¡®When I was young, I believed that the success of my business was the only thing that mattered. My company wouldn¡¯t be where it is today without that belief. I grew up poor, so to me, getting out of that rut, and recognizing my potential was all that mattered. But, it was hard. It was rough starting from the ground up. Luckily, I found potential in electronics. Most commercial electronics were quite new at the time, but I wasn¡¯t the only one to see the potential in the industry¡­ I was getting beaten by several other businesses. Even some that started after me! In desperation, I killed a rival tech company¡¯s owner. Not only that, but since it was small at the time, I crippled the company so that it would never stand again. It worked out so well that as soon as my progression locked again, I thought, ¡°Why not do it again?¡± I- I even killed some of my own employees so that nobody suspected my company! In the same way, I avoided killing anyone from my greatest rival¡¯s company. The bad press is what took them down¡­¡¯


    While Marcus spoke holding back tears, Mary looked down on him as though she was staring at a wild animal, a lesser being. He was the scum of the Earth in her eyes. She looked about ready to spit on him, ¡®Did you ever once consider the feelings of those around you?¡¯


    ¡®No¡­ not even once. I killed so many that it was only natural for my company to be the only one left. I used my talent not for helping people, but for hurting them. All for the sake of my own success. But, as I aged, I knew what I had done was wrong. Not just wrong, but despicable. I considered suicide for the longest time. Surely that was the only way to atone?¡¯ He fell to his knees and a tear dropped from his eye. ¡®But, I came to the conclusion that that was the easiest way out. That I wasn¡¯t helping anything, I was just escaping. So, I imprisoned myself on this island. For five years I¡¯ve simply waited in pain for death to take me.¡¯


    ¡®Tch. You think that makes up for even a fraction of what you did?¡¯


    ¡®No.¡¯


    ¡®Ha! Don¡¯t make me laugh! Then why would you even go through with the punishment at all, if it¡¯s not going to solve anything?! Not to mention, you used your ill gotten funds to build yourself a mansion to live in! What kind of punishment is that? You weren¡¯t even alone here! You had a personal butler to take care of you!¡¯


    There were several seconds of silence. Mary had yelled herself out of breath, so the sound of her heavy breathing prevailed through the silence. Everyone had stopped what they were doing just to stare at them. They had a mixture of emotions on their face, uncertain of how to feel.


    ¡®You¡¯re right. It wasn¡¯t a punishment. I figured it out a few years ago. I was only hiding. Whenever William left to restock, I made sure to request newspapers from several areas. The murder of a journalist was reported, one who happened to be investigating the old technology serial murders case. I¡¯m certain that¡­ someone in my company killed him to keep the name of my company clean. If the journalist had figured out what I did and reported it, it would have been bad for the company as a whole. Learning of this, I realized that my actions so many years ago are still causing pain to this day. Nothing that I do can undo my crimes and nothing I do can make up for them. That¡¯s why, with the last years of my life, I decided that I would make up for lost time. I wanted to finally let go of the past that has governed my every thought. And so that I could let go of the past, I decided to start with looking towards the future. The only way for me to continue forward is to make sure no tragedy like this happens again. So, I invited the most promising kids here. You¡¯re all almost adults. When the time comes, I want to have made a difference,¡¯ Marcus began to cry. It wasn¡¯t simply just tears falling, he was truly crying. Mary¡¯s face of pure rage was suddenly disturbed. She looked at him pitifully and conflicted. The raw and honest emotions of Marcus began to pour out. ¡®So, I beg of you! All of you! You don¡¯t have to forgive me, and I¡¯d rather you not! But, please, know that you should never turn out like this. Never do anything that you might regret. I have no family. I¡¯ve distanced myself from all of them. That¡¯s why, I want to give all of my money to you. I want to give my money to the future, the money that I stained with blood! I¡¯ll fund whatever projects you may have! I don¡¯t deserve to have any say in changing the future. Not because I¡¯ve sinned, but because I¡¯m old. This new generation must decide for themselves what to do. So I implore you, please! Allow me to assist you in creating a brighter future!¡¯


    Stunned, everyone sat in silence.


    ¡®He was a serial killer. That¡¯s¡­ awful. But, despite what he said, it¡¯s impossible for me to think of him that way. The way he speaks, he¡¯s truly remorseful. The serial killer who lived all of those years ago simply cannot be the same person weeping before us today. But, is that just wishful thinking? Is letting something like that go alright, simply because he knows it was wrong? If it¡¯s not alright, then what¡¯s the point of a punishment? Revenge? Shouldn¡¯t punishments and resentment be saved only for rehabilitation? You don¡¯t punish someone just because they deserve it! Not to mention¡­ he overcame his past.¡¯


    I suddenly looked at him with much more respect. Marcus, the old man who had just collapsed to the floor in tears, spilling his heart out, was the most heroic sight I had ever seen.


    ¡®Sure. That sounds good to me,¡¯ I gently stepped forward and reached for Marcus, giving him a hand back up.


    ¡®You don¡¯t know how much this means to me¡­ Thank you,¡¯ Marcus began to spill even more tears.


    ¡®I¡¯m in too,¡¯ Amelia said from behind me. ¡®Even if I can¡¯t forgive you, I can see that you really want to make a difference. So, to improve the world, I¡¯ll help out.¡¯


    ¡®Me too! That sounds like fun!¡¯ Lilah laughed and smiled at Marcus.


    Mary continued to stare with confusion. Alex had a disgusted look on his face.


    ¡®Sorry to interrupt, but one of us is an insane murderer,¡¯ Alex spoke up. ¡®You can¡¯t entrust the future to someone like that. They¡¯ll surely end up like you.¡¯


    Marcus only smiled painfully.


    ¡®Well then,¡¯ I began to pick up the scattered papers. ¡®I think it¡¯s safe to assume that Marcus wasn¡¯t the killer. That might be an emotional and impulsive decision, but he simply doesn¡¯t have the motive.¡¯


    Nobody contested my view, although Lilah and Mary didn¡¯t really seem convinced.


    Lilah stepped over to the bloody brick, still lying in the doorway, ¡®I think there are a lot of these in the workshop. Want to check there next?¡¯


    ¡®Actually, let¡¯s save that for tomorrow,¡¯ Amelia proposed. ¡®I¡¯m really tired. Can we take a break for now?¡¯


    ¡®Lame~¡¯ Lilah pouted.


    ¡®Sounds good to me,¡¯ I agreed. ¡®Let¡¯s meet in the cafeteria for breakfast like usual. If you don¡¯t mind, could you wake me up Amelia? I don¡¯t want to miss like last time.¡¯


    ¡®Sure.¡¯


    One by one we exited the room, once again leaving Marcus behind.


    On our way back to the dorms I thought, ¡®There¡¯s still so much to do¡­ We have to investigate, hold a trial, and¡­ safely dispose of the body.¡¯


    After everyone else had escaped to their rooms and locked their doors, Amelia and I stood in the hallway.


    ¡®Will you be alright by yourself tonight?¡¯ I asked.


    ¡®I think so¡­ thanks for being there for me.¡¯


    ¡®No problem.¡¯


    ¡®B-but I haven¡¯t really been able to help you out at all yet. I feel like I might be putting too much pressure on you¡­¡¯


    ¡®Really. It¡¯s no problem. I have plenty of emotion to spare.¡¯


    ¡®If you say so. Thanks. And- goodnight.¡¯


    Amelia spoke quietly as she shut the door to her room. A soft click of the door locking and I knew she would be safe.


    Finally, I got the chance to lie in bed again. Everything was getting more and more exciting¡­ but, none of that mattered. Absolutely none of it. Because my life is here.


    ¡®I¡¯m back¡­ Rose.¡¯

 Rose (Part 2)

    ¡®The bell rings signaling the end of the period. I leave the classroom swiftly and immediately begin to head to lunch, my favorite part of the day.


    My class before lunch is one of the few that I don¡¯t have Rose in. I hurry through the hallways to meet her at our lunch table. After this we have another class together as well. Although, you don¡¯t get much time to talk with your friends in most classes.


    Though I¡¯m walking fast, there are plenty of people who run to the cafeteria like a pack of kids. By the time that I made it in, there was already a pretty long lunch line.


    Surprisingly, Rose was already standing in the room when I got there. She usually walks slowly, so she¡¯s either very hungry today or her class was released early.


    Casually, I slow down and greet, ¡°Hey!¡±


    I didn¡¯t notice until it was too late, but she was talking with two of her friends when I called out to her. Immediately I was able to recognize their faces: Natalie and Trisha. They¡¯re relatively normal girls, though not that type that I¡¯d enjoy talking to.


    ¡°I guess my reputation hasn¡¯t rubbed off on her¡­¡±


    One of the girls put a hand over her mouth and said something quietly. Rose only replied with ¡°Yeah,¡± and a smile.


    The two girls wave their arms above their heads while walking away, ¡°See ya later!¡±


    ¡°Bye!¡±


    ¡°Did I interrupt something?¡± I ask jokingly.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Rose laughs.


    We both pack lunch to avoid the line, so we simply walk over to our usual table and take a seat.


    ¡°Get this,¡± Rose looks proud. ¡°I joined the art club!¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice. Do you know anyone in it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, remember those two girls you saw just now? They¡¯re the ones who invited me. It¡¯s a pretty small club so there¡¯s only one or two people other than them.¡±


    It¡¯s nice to see her getting more involved with the school and start fitting in, even though I¡¯m certainly not one to talk, ¡°That¡¯s great to hear.¡±


    ¡°Yeah and¡­-¡±


    While she talks my mind begins to wander.


    ¡°Now that I think of it¡­ she never talks to anyone else in the classes that I¡¯m with her in. Maybe it¡¯s more like nobody talks to her¡­ That¡¯s probably my fault. I made my reputation like this, so it is my fault. Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°-Are you even listening?¡±


    ¡°Course! You said that you were invited after they saw and complimented your art, right?¡±


    She sits up straighter, ¡°Oh! Sorry, I thought you weren¡¯t paying attention! Anyway-¡±


    ¡°That was close.¡±


    Lunch was fun as usual. I¡¯m still very bad at conversations, but Rose is talkative enough to make up for it. We joked and talked about this year¡¯s teachers and made fun of the book we were reading in class.


    After lunch, there usually isn¡¯t much time to talk to friends so the rest of school passed by swiftly. Though, I couldn¡¯t get my mind off of the fact that I¡¯m costing her a lot of friends she could¡¯ve had.


    The art club stays after school today so I walk to the bus alone. I slide my hand into my pocket to grab my phone, but it¡¯s not there. I must¡¯ve been so wrapped up in worrying that I didn¡¯t realize it had slipped out of my pocket.


    Breaking into a sprint, I swiftly make my way back into the building to get my phone before I miss the bus.


    It doesn¡¯t take long before I¡¯m out of breath.


    The halls of the school are odd when they¡¯re so empty. The lights are still on, but there¡¯s only the occasional person who is still at their locker. It feels almost abandoned.


    I carefully open the door to my last class, peering slightly in before entering. Nobody was there so I helped myself to the room.


    ¡°There it is.¡±


    The phone was laying on the edge of my chair.


    Just before my phone slid right back into my pocket where it belongs, I checked the time. I smiled proudly, having plenty left to spare.


    On my way out of the room, exiting carefully as though I was stealing something, I hear voices from the room beside me. Instantly, I¡¯m able to recognize the voices of Natalie and Trisha. That must be the room they use for the art club.


    Knowing wiser, I turn around and try my best to ignore them.


    ¡°Why do you hang out with him, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s, like, so weird.¡±


    The sweet and familiar voice of Rose spoke up, ¡°N-not really. He¡¯s a bit quiet, but he¡¯s really nice when you get to know him. He says some pretty harsh things, but when it comes down to it, he always respects those around him and he treats others with kindness.¡±


    ¡°Eh~¡± Natalie sounded a little confused and disgusted. ¡°Sounds like somebody has a-¡±


    With that, I break into another sprint for the bus.


    Tossing around in bed, I can¡¯t seem to get any sleep. Their voices bounce around my head, keeping me awake.


    ¡°Am I really going to cost her all of her normal relationships? Can I justify that? Am I so important and selfish that I¡¯d take these things away from her? At first I only talked to her out of pity, but now could it be the other way around?¡±


    The thoughts and the memories merge together to form a suffocating fog.


    Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­


    I slam my hand onto my alarm clock, tearing open my eyes in a cold sweat. My forehead throbs with a headache.


    ¡­


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll skip school today.¡±


    And so I did.


    ¡­


    Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­ Bzzzzt¡­


    ¡°If I don¡¯t go back, maybe she¡¯ll make new friends. But, I can¡¯t just never go back¡­ Is this childish? To be thinking like this? Is it immature to blame myself? Even so¡­¡±


    I already skipped yesterday, and that can¡¯t be undone.


    I¡¯ve decided.


    I slam my hand onto my alarm clock once more.


    ¡°None of this happened.¡±


    Our homeroom teacher hasn¡¯t shown up yet, so it seems that we¡¯ll get a little extra talking time.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    ¡°Where were you yesterday? If you keep missing class, you¡¯re going to fail the test!¡± Rose laughs jokingly, but it feels like she¡¯s actually a little bothered by it.


    ¡°I was just sick is all.¡±


    ¡°Really~?¡± Her innocent gaze pierces my heart. It¡¯s hard to lie to her.


    ¡°Yeah, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± I chime in. ¡°You know I¡¯m not going to fail.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    Unable to hold back my curiosity, I grab my chest firmly, ¡°Did you meet anyone new yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where did that come from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ never mind.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± She stares at me thoughtfully.


    ¡°W-what is it?¡±


    ¡°I have something that I want to show you. We¡¯re working on an independent piece right now in art. It¡¯s not done quite yet, but I¡¯d love to show you when it¡¯s finished.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    Today we got a little extra time to talk because we were peer reviewing essays. They were on the book we were reading in class. Neither of us liked the book, but that¡¯s just how it is. Rose¡¯s writing was surprisingly good.


    ¡°Hey, why not write something more professional? Your art is pretty good too, but you write really well.¡±


    Flattered, she responded, ¡°Well, I guess I just don¡¯t like it as much.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s fair I guess. But, you have some real potential.¡±


    When she returned my essay to me, nearly the entire thing was highlighted. I could hardly critique hers at all, but I guess mine wasn¡¯t really up to par.


    We separated once again just before lunch. The entire time, I could only think about if she was having a better time without me. Not because of me specifically, I¡¯m not that insecure, but because it¡¯s a well known fact that I¡¯m not taken too positively by the rest of our classmates.


    Class seemed to drag on more and more the harder I thought. Time slowed to a syrupy crawl.


    Finally, the bell rang and I was the first to stand and exit the room. It was probably jarring to my classmates, but they didn¡¯t matter right now.


    I hurry into the hallway but when the cafeteria is in sight, I stop. Casually, I walk around a corner and wait a minute for the room to fill. After around half of the people were inside, I walked in myself.


    At our usual table sat Rose¡­ Natalie, and Trisha.


    Without time to think, my heart sank. I turned around and left immediately.


    ¡°They¡¯ll just leave her again if I show up.¡±


    Swiftly, I pick up my pace and head straight for the stairs. Unlike just after school, now the hallways are completely empty. Everyone¡¯s at the cafeteria eating their lunch. I¡¯m the only person still running through these halls.


    After passing several empty classrooms, I turn and walk straight up the stairs. Up and up to the place that only I know about. I¡¯ve seen the janitor come from here before and realized that he didn¡¯t have his keys with him. He doesn¡¯t usually lock the roof.


    The door to the roof is awfully gloomy. It has a small clouded window on it, but the clouds block the sun out. An empty void awaits me on the other side of the door. There are no lights on my side either. The door is thick and cold suggesting even further that this isn¡¯t a place that is meant to be entered by anyone.


    As I predicted, the door was unlocked. I pushed my body against the door and it slowly squeaked open.


    A chilly wind blows by, ¡°Is it fall already?¡±


    Time has, for the first time in my life, flown by. The days all passed swiftly, leaving nothing but good memories. But, I suppose all good things must come to an end. Maybe it¡¯s childish, but I won¡¯t be selfish.


    Just as I begin to sit down, the door opens behind me, ¡°Are you out here?¡±


    While sighing deeply, I slowly turn around. The door opens in small spurts. It¡¯s quite heavy compared to the regular doors around the school. Eventually, Rose pokes her head out and looks at me with surprise and relief.


    ¡°Go away.¡±


    Her relief instantly washes away, but she walks out and shuts the door behind her, ¡°W-wha-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just go.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Her voice is as soft as always, containing genuine concern. She avoids eye contact and looks at the ground just as another gust of wind blows by. It blows her hair elegantly and she begins to look more beautiful than ever. ¡°I saw you walking away from me at lunch. Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I addressed her more sternly this time. ¡°Just go.¡±


    A pain begins to flood my chest.


    ¡°But, something¡¯s clearly wrong. You¡¯ve been acting strange all day. Did something happen? Was it the reason you missed school yesterday? Or did it happen even before that? Is it my fault? Did I do something?¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened!¡±


    For the first time, Rose shouts at me, ¡°Stop it! Don¡¯t avoid the questions! I only want to help¡­¡±


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I just stop there¡­?¡¯


    I take a step forward and tighten my hands into a fist. My voice echoed through the sky, ¡°You aren¡¯t! You¡¯re not helping! So let me help you out! Leave. Me. Alone!¡±


    ¡°W-why-?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?¡± I should stop here¡­ this is unnecessary. ¡°I¡¯ve always hated you! I was only nice to you because I pitied you! It was simply too sad of a sight to see you drawing all alone in a room full of strangers! Go play with your other friends. It¡¯s more convenient for both of us.¡±


    Rose stares at me, innocent and confused. She looked shocked, but she didn¡¯t react how I imagined she would have. She wasn¡¯t crying, or angry, and her voice sounded almost concerned, ¡°I just don¡¯t get it¡­ Why? After saying all of that to me¡­ why are you the one crying?¡±


    I tried my best to keep it in, but I didn¡¯t even realize that I had been crying this whole time. I¡¯m so useless¡­


    I slowly sit down and bury my head in my hands, ashamed to have recklessly exposed myself like this. I feel weak. How can I even put myself on eye level with her?


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Rose whispered. She quietly and softly wrapped her arms around my shoulders from behind. ¡°I think I understand now. I¡¯m pretty dumb, but I¡¯ll try my best to help you. So, let¡¯s do this together. What is it that you need me to help with?¡±


    My mouth opened, but no words came out. An invisible wall built itself in my throat. Unable to stop them, the tears continued to fall silently.


    ¡°How can she still look at me right now? Why doesn¡¯t she just leave? Am I that pitiful?¡±


    Several minutes passed with us together like this, until I was finally able to answer her question. The cold wind froze us, desperately telling us to go back inside. The warmth of her arms wrapping around me made it almost unnoticeable, but she must¡¯ve been cold, herself.


    ¡°Am I really not causing you any trouble? Is it okay for someone like me to have friends?¡±


    ¡°Sure it is,¡± Rose was behind me, so I couldn¡¯t see it, but I could somehow feel her signature smile and gentle warmth.


    ¡°Even though being friends means that you have to hold me like this?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The pain in my chest passed over and I began to feel calm once again, ¡°¡­ Sorry.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±


    With a light raise of my shoulder, I indicated that everything was okay now. She unwrapped her arms and sat down next to me.


    ¡°I wanted you to meet them,¡± Rose looks up into the clouded sky.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°My new friends. But, I guess more accurately, I wanted them to meet you. We made a deal on my first night of art club. I¡¯d have them eat lunch with us and then they¡¯d see that you weren¡¯t so bad after all.¡±


    I sigh aloud.


    ¡°Did you know?¡± She asks.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Sighing too much will only make you more sad,¡± She puts her index fingers on the corners of her mouth and smiles. ¡°Even if you have to force one, the world will be a much happier place if you smile.¡±


    The corners of my eyes were still hot from the tears and my eyes still stung, but I turned to face her, ¡°How¡¯s this?¡±


    She nodded in approval, ¡°You¡¯re looking happier already!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ What do you suppose we do now? Your friends are still waiting for you to come back, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Standing up she laughed, ¡°Well, you can¡¯t meet them while looking like that. First impressions are everything!¡±


    A sudden wave of embarrassment passes over me, noticing what had just happened.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry though. I don¡¯t mind,¡± She smiles. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them that you were helping a teacher out. They¡¯ll probably be fine with meeting you tomorrow.¡±


    Rose struggled a bit as she opened up the door once again and she left without saying another word.


    Right as the door starts shutting shut I mutter, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I rolled over in bed that night, unable to sleep. Memories of earlier today stain my cheeks red and I begin to regret my entire life up until this point. Everything plays out again in my head, having not forgotten a single word, I¡¯m forced to relive the embarrassment. But then I saw that part again.


    Even if you have to force one, the world will be a much happier place if you smile.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± I thought and suddenly the memory became a sweet dream.


    ¡­


    Rose pats me on the back and laughs, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine! Today I¡¯ll walk in with you. They¡¯re already waiting at our table, are you ready?¡±


    Swallowing a gulp of air, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    We both step inside slowly and confidently. My nerves must have shown on my face, but I try my best to cover them with a smile.


    The four of us talked for a while and afterwards, I figured that those two might be pretty fun people after all.¡¯

 Lilah

    A knock at my door shocked me awake.


    ¡®Daniel? Are you up?¡¯ Amelia¡¯s familiar voice brought me back to the present.


    ¡®One second.¡¯


    My hair was still messy and I was still in yesterday¡¯s clothes. I slowly stood up, still half asleep, and let Amelia in.


    ¡®We¡¯re going to meet in the cafeteria in about twenty minutes. Will you be ready by then?¡¯


    ¡®Sure. Sounds good to me.¡¯


    She smiled, ¡®Alright. I¡¯ll see you there.¡¯


    She turned around and waved her hand as she walked away.


    Quickly, I grabbed a new change of clothes and started a shower. The familiar motions of everyday played out once again, indifferent to the fact that someone had been murdered. Despite everything, today was still a normal day.


    To avoid the pain of the stairs that I¡¯ve become so acquainted with, I took the elevator down to the first floor and made my way to the cafeteria. The doors opened up and, like usual, I was the last person to make it there.


    Taking my seat, I got a feel for everyone¡¯s expression. Marcus¡¯ face was full of pain as he gazed at the empty table, a reminder that William wasn¡¯t able to prepare food today. Amelia wore a fake smile as she greeted me, she was still clearly in distress over yesterday¡¯s events. Lilah looked like she did everyday, she smiled childishly as though nothing happened. Alex seemed back to normal from his previous depression, although slightly more serious, despite yesterday¡¯s events. Mary appeared impatient and seemed to want to get the meeting started.


    ¡®First order of business,¡¯ Alex began. ¡®How can we ensure our own safety? One of us is a murderer and they¡¯ll take the first opportunity they see.¡¯


    ¡®We¡¯ll find them first!¡¯ Lilah cheered.


    ¡®No. That¡¯s foolish,¡¯ Mary was less than amused. ¡®I suggest that we either move as a whole or in groups of three. That way, the murder wouldn¡¯t be able to kill without being seen. If a group returns without a member, we know it was one of the others. I don¡¯t like the idea of one large group because disagreements on where to be and what to do would cause chaos. We may end up sitting in one room all day. On the other hand, there¡¯s six of us so it would be an even split. I don¡¯t suggest pairs because the perpetrator could have been a duo. They¡¯d be able to easily take out another pair at once.¡¯


    Amelia seemed frightened of the idea, ¡®Then how do we know it wasn¡¯t three people?¡¯


    ¡®To minimize that risk, the groups will be assigned at random. There is always the possibility that all three murders are assigned together. In that case, all we can do is die.¡¯


    ¡®Sounds exciting!¡¯ Lilah said.


    Mary¡¯s face grew disgusted, but she ignored her instead of causing a fight.


    ¡®Guess that¡¯s what we¡¯re going with,¡¯ Alex approved. ¡®Next, our number two priority, right behind safety, should be figuring out our criminal. As it is now, anybody could have done the crime. Just to get this out of the way, getting rescued won¡¯t be a problem, we¡¯ll get rescued no matter what we do.¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s decide the groups for now,¡¯ Marcus spoke up.


    After tossing pieces of paper with names on them into a bowl, we sat down at the table in our new groups. Group one was Amelia, Alex, and Marcus. Group two was Lilah, Mary, and I.


    ¡®Any last minute thoughts?¡¯ I prompted.


    ¡®I have an idea,¡¯ Amelia offered. ¡®How does it sound if my group makes breakfast today? We all need to eat, and it might be better if only one group investigates at a time.¡¯


    Marcus chuckled, ¡®That sounds like a good idea. You¡¯ll need to be patient with me though, I¡¯m a bad chef.¡¯


    Alex looked a bit annoyed, but didn''t say anything about it.


    ¡®Follow me,¡¯ Mary immediately took the role as leader in our group and began to walk out of the cafeteria.


    It was so sudden that I was taken aback and had to rush to catch up with her. Lilah waved goodbye to group one as she walked backwards following us.


    Nobody spoke as we walked. Lilah skipped ahead of us, already knowing where to go and I had to follow close behind Mary.


    It was obvious, but just to confirm, I asked Mary. ¡®Are we heading to the workshop?¡¯


    ¡®Of course. That¡¯s where the brick came from, after all.¡¯


    The door to the workshop was unique. It was strictly button activated and slid open like an elevator. It was one of the few areas in the mansion that could remind you Marcus once owned a tech company.


    The interior of the room was mostly white. Various utilities lined shelves and tables across the walls. Some notable technology was a large three-d printer, a laser cutter, and various manual tools. There was one set of clear cabinets, several bottles of unknown medicine were visible from inside.


    Lilah skipped right into the room cheerfully. This was my first time entering, despite having knocked on the door to tell them to head to the pool, but I knew for sure that Lilah and Mary had been here.


    Several bricks stacked up in the corner of the room caught my eye.


    ¡®One of these exact bricks was used as a weapon just hours ago.¡¯


    ¡®Say,¡¯ Lilah spoke up in a childish tone. ¡®You were the last one in here before the murder, weren¡¯t you Mary?¡¯


    Although she spoke childishly, it felt like an accusation. Mary turned around and glared at her.


    For some reason, I couldn¡¯t let it slide, ¡®Hey. There¡¯s no evidence that it was her. She was at the pool party at the time of the murder, anyway.¡¯


    Mary watched me, surprised that I had come to her defense.


    ¡®So was everyone!¡¯ Lilah rebutted. ¡®Unless you believe that he killed himself? Or are you proposing that there¡¯s someone else on this island?¡¯


    ¡®Of course not! But now that you mention it, Mary being the last one in isn¡¯t even a reason to suspect her! That brick could have been missing for who knows how long. Not to mention, you left the room before Mary. While she was still in there you could have just as easily set up a trap in Marcus¡¯ office and went back to the pool!¡¯


    Lilah laughed, ¡®Man, I knew you were smart! But you don¡¯t share your ideas enough, you know? It always takes a little push to get you talking. Speaking of which, if they set a trap, how did the murderer even get into Marcus¡¯ room? It was padlocked.¡¯


    ¡®Any number of ways,¡¯ I guessed. ¡®Still, I suppose that makes Marcus suspicious because we know he knows the code. Assuming it wasn¡¯t him, it would be easy for someone to sneak up and watch him type it in.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯d probably be even easier with a good memory¡­¡¯


    ¡®Watch it.¡¯


    ¡®It was a joke! A joke! But, you were pretty unfazed by his death,¡¯ She laughed. ¡®Putting that aside, I guess Marcus is pretty old. He may have simply left the door unlocked. Assuming there wasn¡¯t an extra person, why did William even enter the office? I had assumed he was running from the murderer when he was stopped by a door and was hit over the head while he was opening it, but that couldn¡¯t be the case when everyone was at the pool.¡¯


    On queue, I remembered the conversation I had with William that day. I suggested that he learn the true reason why Marcus stayed on the island. As dedicated and loyal as he was, perhaps his curiosity got the better of him? Or maybe he thought that knowing the truth would deepen his commitment?


    ¡®Still though¡­ if William entered the room by mistake and wasn¡¯t actually the target-¡¯


    I thought in silence for several moments.


    Before we could continue, Mary interrupted while examining the cabinets, ¡®Well, aside from the missing brick, there doesn¡¯t seem like anything out of the ordinary here, right?¡¯


    ¡®I guess not,¡¯ I answered.


    ¡®Let¡¯s head back to the office, then. We may be able to discover what kind of trap was used.¡¯


    After reaching the bloodstained carpet of the office door, Lilah chuckled, ¡®What do you think Marcus did with William¡¯s body? Do we have to bury him?¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s not worry about it,¡¯ I said. ¡®Marcus probably buried him last night.¡¯


    With one eye shut and the other glued to Mary, Lilah laughed, ¡®Knowing him, he probably didn¡¯t want us kids involved with the burial, to protect us and to be the last one with his best friend.¡¯


    ¡®Whatever. It doesn¡¯t matter now. Anyway, what kind of trap could have been set?¡¯ Mary forced the investigation back on track.


    The bloody brick wasn¡¯t moved, and if you looked hard enough, it was possible to determine a rough outline of where the body used to lay.


    Mary turned to me naturally, ¡®This is exactly where the brick was, right?¡¯


    ¡®Oh, yeah of course.¡¯


    The brick rested near the left wall of the doorway and appeared to be offset slightly out of the office.


    ¡®If it was a trap, it must¡¯ve simply fallen on him,¡¯ Lilah continued staring at Mary¡¯s face. It was clear that Lilah saw her as the main suspect. ¡®It could have been a pretty complicated mechanism, but I¡¯d wager it was something far simpler. Geniuses use the most effective option, not most complicated. What are the odds that it was simply propped up on top of the door? What if the murderer opened the door slightly and balanced the brick against the wall, like a classic water bucket prank?¡¯


    Mary slowly and confidently inputted the code into the door, unlocking and opening it once again. She then raised herself on the tips of her toes to analyze the top rim of the door.


    ¡®There¡¯s no dust up here. I don¡¯t doubt William¡¯s diligence, so that¡¯s probably normal, but it looks like there¡¯s a slight mark on the wall above the door. Could that have been from the brick sliding?¡¯


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case then we¡¯ve found our murder method,¡¯ I confirmed.


    Lilah smiled brightly, ¡®I¡¯m like a real detective!¡¯


    ¡®Well, you¡¯re certainly good at playing the role of one,¡¯ Mary remarked. Before Lilah could respond, ¡®I guess that concludes this room¡¯s search. Unless you think there may be another clue? But, I think it was checked thoroughly yesterday and I¡¯m hungry too.¡¯


    ¡®What~? We should stay!¡¯ Lilah smiled, still refusing to break eye contact with Mary.


    As the tie breaker I announced, ¡®No, I want to eat too. There being three of us, it should be left to a majority vote. Let¡¯s go report our findings.¡¯


    ¡®Aw man¡­¡¯


    ¡®Thanks,¡¯ Mary smiled at me kindly and then walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. ¡®I need to use the restroom though. Could you wait for me?¡¯


    Lilah insisted that all of us enter the bathroom together, so nobody was left alone, but that idea was met with a vehement refusal from Mary. Lilah and I ended up sitting on the bench beside the bathroom.


    ¡®So, why¡¯d you trick me into thinking you were an artist?¡¯


    ¡®Oh!¡¯ She looked surprised by the question. ¡®I thought you would have forgotten by now, with everything going on, but I miscalculated there.¡¯


    ¡®Of course I didn¡¯t. So?¡¯


    ¡®It was just for a bit of fun! A little prank, you know?¡¯


    ¡®There wasn¡¯t a purpose behind it? You seem cunning enough for that to be the case.¡¯


    She grinned, ¡®You really think? Well, I may have actually calculated a lot more than you know.¡¯


    ¡®What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡¯


    ¡®Oh nothing. It was just a lie.¡¯


    ¡®A lie?¡¯


    ¡®Yeah! Just a line that I thought sounded cool.¡¯


    ¡®How is that a lie? It isn¡¯t an untrue statement or anything.¡¯


    ¡®Lies can simply be misleading too, they don¡¯t have to be told as facts.¡¯


    The rest of us were all almost the same age, but Lilah always felt like an outlier there. She acted like a middle-schooler sometimes, ¡®How old are you, anyway?¡¯


    ¡®Why do you want to know?¡¯ She gave me a sly look, quickly followed with a laugh and a smile. ¡®I¡¯m kidding! I¡¯m kidding. I¡¯m seventeen, same as you.¡¯


    ¡®Then why do you act like that all the time?¡¯


    Her happiness washed away instantly, leaving an uncharacteristically expressionless face. There was a brief pause in which I was forced to focus on the complete silence around us. The only sounds I could hear were the ticking of a clock and my own breath.


    In a dark and ominous tone she muttered, ¡®To hide my true intentions.¡¯


    My heart sank. Between the recent events and the fact that we were practically alone right now, how could it not? The sudden fear must have crept onto my face because she immediately responded with a smile.


    ¡®Just kidding! That was a lie too, of course,¡¯ The look on my face gave her a good laugh. Through light tears, she continued childishly. ¡®People like you crack me up. I¡¯ve never once seen you smile. You pretend to be all aloof and apathetic, only to waste the entire act on something like my little scare just now. But, why is it that you choose not to smile? Why don¡¯t you choose to laugh along with me?¡¯


    It suddenly felt like I was being attacked. My character, my very self was being called into question by this girl I hardly knew. In a stern voice, ¡®You don¡¯t know anything about me. I¡¯m not apathetic at all. My emotion is just being saved for something else. It doesn¡¯t belong here, now.¡¯


    Although I didn¡¯t mention it to her, if I was forced to reveal where it belonged, I could only simply say, ¡®then.¡¯


    ¡®Oh! I haven¡¯t seen you respond like that since I accused Mary of murder! I wonder¡­ what does Mary have to do with where you put your emotion¡­¡¯ Lilah wore an ugly sneer on her face as she stared into my eyes.


    Intimidated, I broke eye contact and looked away.


    ¡®Just like back then, even while yelling at me, you don¡¯t sound angry. Loud, but not angry. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard emotion in your voice. You don¡¯t invest emotion in reality, huh? Wherever you ¡°invest your emotion¡±, it isn¡¯t real.¡¯ Her voice was cold once again as she uttered, ¡®People like you, people who indulge themselves with fiction and refuse to take a look at reality¡­ should all just die.¡¯


    The words reverberated throughout my mind.


    With the sound of a toilet flushing and the quick spray of a sink, the door opened and Mary walked out. She looked at us for a moment and confusion set on her face. There¡¯s no doubt that at that very moment, I was terrified.


    ¡®Is that a threat? Is she telling me to kill myself? Is she saying that those who won¡¯t take a look at life should just leave it?¡¯


    Suddenly breaking through the tense silence, Lilah¡¯s voice became sweet once again. Just like a child.


    ¡®I¡¯m just kidding,¡¯ She giggled. ¡®That was a lie.¡¯


    Lilah seemed so much like a child.


    Although children are often seen as kind, innocent, and cheerful, they have much less appealing traits as well. The strangest part about children, to me at least, is that you can never tell what exactly is going on in their heads.


    They may be kind, but they can be nasty and single people out without knowledge of manners or care for their feelings.


    They may be innocent, but their distorted sense of right and wrong can be eerie, leaving you to doubt their intentions.


    They may be cheerful, but you never know what might be behind their smiles.


    Lilah wasn¡¯t childish only in the sense that she was kind, innocent, cheerful, or even petty. She was childish in a way that obscured her true intentions. She spoke her mind, her suspicions about others, without regard for emotion. She recovered from witnessing a death as though it were normal. She smiled when she lied and she smiled when she told the truth.


    That is what made Lilah ¡®childish.¡¯


    After that conversation, it finally hit me.


    ¡®She must be the actor.¡¯


    I was very slow on the uptake and it was very obvious in hindsight. The way her personality seemed to flip around in the middle of a conversation was something that could only be accomplished by a skilled actor.


    ¡®Sorry. I feel like I¡¯m intruding on something,¡¯ Mary turned around and began to walk away.


    ¡®Leaving Mary as the genius.¡¯


    ¡®No! I-I mean, we have to stick together,¡¯ I insisted, still shaken by Lilah¡¯s threat.


    ¡®Fine. Follow me. Let¡¯s go eat.¡¯


    ¡®It seems that I was placed in a group with a troublesome person,¡¯ I thought as I glanced behind me at Lilah. She was still grinning from her little ¡®entertainment.¡¯ Though she may just refer to it as a ¡®lie.¡¯


    On our way to the cafeteria, I did my best to keep a safe distance from Lilah. Although, she seemed to have already forgotten our entire conversation and was already running around like nothing happened. She skipped her way in front of Mary and spun around as she curiously gazed at the rich environment of the mansion.


    ¡®She acts like a little kid, but with that being the case¡­ Why does she act so sketchy? It¡¯s impossible to tell what she¡¯s thinking. Every word out of her mouth may be a lie, but I suppose that¡¯s true with everyone. Maybe I should be less trusting from now on? Was that the message she was trying to send? Was it a warning?¡¯


    ¡®Welcome back!¡¯ Amelia greeted us.


    Marcus and Alex followed with a wave.


    Amelia continued, ¡®It was hard, but we found all of the ingredients in the kitchen. None of us are great at cooking so¡­¡¯


    She walked past the door into the kitchen and returned with a pot full of mac and cheese.


    ¡®Thanks for the food,¡¯ I said, although it was admittedly very underwhelming compared to what William had made.


    We all sat in our usual spots and served ourselves a bit of mac and cheese from the pot.


    After everyone had a plate, Alex started the discussion, ¡®What did you guys find?¡¯


    Mary, my group¡¯s unofficial leader, started us off, ¡®Not much. We confirmed that the murder weapon is identical to the bricks in the workshop. Through a bit of process of elimination we also determined the most probable murder method. It¡¯s likely that the murderer broke into Marcus¡¯ office somehow and balanced a brick at the top of the door.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s all it took? That¡¯s quite a simple set up,¡¯ Alex pointed out.


    ¡®Yes, but it was an effective one. Of course it wasn¡¯t guaranteed to hit, but it was probably placed slightly towards the doorknob from the middle. That¡¯s where most people¡¯s heads would be placed while opening a door. And¡­ well, it worked.¡¯


    ¡®Oh! If that¡¯s true then Marcus was probably the intended target after all!¡¯


    ¡®Why say that like it¡¯s a good thing?¡¯ Mary gave him a piercing glare.


    Marcus looked down at the table solemnly, ¡®I¡¯m sorry that it may have been my fault you are being put through this. If someone has come here to kill me then I can¡¯t blame them¡­ But now that I¡¯ve been allowed this opportunity to shelter the future, accepting my death would only be taking the easy way out.¡¯


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case then we don¡¯t have to travel in groups anymore, do we?¡¯ Lilah smiled.


    ¡®That¡¯s a bad idea,¡¯ Alex immediately shot it down. ¡®All of this has been speculation so far. For all we know, there could be another person on this island. While it is unlikely, it is still to be considered. Even ignoring that, Marcus could¡¯ve only been their first target. If the murderer is one of us, they still may simply want to kill at random.¡¯


    Lilah made a pouting face and poked at her food.


    I spoke up, ¡®Well, no more investigating will help. So, are we just going to bide our time before we get rescued? There''s only a little less than a week left before they¡¯ll notice we¡¯re missing.¡¯


    ¡®I think that would be wise. There isn¡¯t anything else we can do,¡¯ Marcus said.


    Mary and Alex nodded in agreement.


    Mary directed herself towards Marcus, ¡®Just to confirm, did you bury William?¡¯


    ¡®¡­ Yes. I¡¯m ashamed that my selfishness has cost him a proper funeral, but I buried him in his beloved garden. Because I viewed this home as a punishment to myself, I would have never requested to make it beautiful like that. The garden was something that he enjoyed doing. He may have even done it to make me happy as well.¡¯


    To me, it still seemed that Mary was having a hard time looking at Marcus. The matter of him being a serial killer seemed to have bothered her even more than everyone else. Not that I blamed her.


    A short meal later and it was already noon. We all had the rest of the day free, but were forced to stay in our groups of three. As sad as it was, it eased everyone¡¯s nerves that Marcus may be the only one in danger.


    My group took turns deciding where to go. I was impartial so really it was only Lilah and Mary¡¯s decisions. I did my best to avoid Lilah, although it was difficult because we were stuck together. The tables had turned quite drastically since I first arrived on the island. I went from avoiding Mary at all costs, to sticking to her to avoid Lilah.


    We all met for dinner and discussed how to deal with night time.


    ¡®Do our groups have to share a bedroom?¡¯ Mary brought up with distaste. ¡®It¡¯s not too bad in my case, but I¡¯d feel bad for Amelia¡­¡¯


    Amelia chuckled uncomfortably.


    ¡®She¡¯ll just have to deal with it,¡¯ Alex said. ¡®I won¡¯t sacrifice safety for something that small.¡¯


    Feeling like I had to assist Amelia, ¡®It shouldn¡¯t be a problem if we all go to our rooms as usual. Even if we all slept together to avoid someone leaving the room while everyone was asleep, it still wouldn¡¯t be very difficult to sneak out. Not to mention, you¡¯ll be safe locked in your room. They don¡¯t have keypads on them, making it ironically more secure than the office. So it¡¯s probably more likely you¡¯d be killed in your sleep if you were locked in with potential murderers.¡¯


    Sighing faintly, Alex gave in, ¡®You have a point¡­ I might feel safer sleeping alone.¡¯


    Amelia showed a smile of relief.


    ¡®All those in favor?¡¯ Mary raised her hand.


    Everyone raised their hands in unison.


    ¡®Then it¡¯s settled,¡¯ she continued. ¡®The first person to wake up after seven A.M. will be responsible for waking everyone else up. It¡¯s possible that the murderer may move around at night, so report suspicious sounds and watch for possible traps. With that all out of the way, we can go to bed whenever.¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s turn in for now,¡¯ Marcus said. ¡®I¡¯m beat.¡¯


    We all entered our rooms at roughly the same time. Marcus started sleeping in one of the unused guest rooms in our hallway. As we said our goodbyes, I took note of everyone¡¯s expressions.


    Marcus was tired and weary, he still seemed to be shaken up over the loss of his friend, but he was doing well, all things considered. Mary seemed irritated that we hadn¡¯t found the culprit yet, I wouldn¡¯t doubt that she¡¯d be up all night going over evidence. Alex seemed a little tired as well, he recovered from his sudden odd depression very fast. Lilah was giggling as always.


    As for me, I¡¯m sure my face was one of relief.


    Stepping into my room, I immediately threw myself onto the bed.


    Once again, I returned to the only world I care about.


    ¡®I¡¯m back¡­ Rose.¡¯

 Rose (Part 3)

    ¡®I¡¯m getting along with Natalie and Trisha very well lately. They apologized to me about their preconceptions, which I had to apologize to them about in return.


    Up until now, I¡¯ve tried my best to make everyone think those very things about me. For me to all of a sudden wish that I hadn¡¯t done so is arrogant. But, they¡¯re really nice people.


    In homeroom, I sat next to the window ready to sigh, but caught myself with a smile. There was nothing in particular to smile about, but Rose would tell me that that¡¯s a better reason than any.


    She didn¡¯t show up at school today and I don¡¯t have any way to contact her. Oddly enough, as it¡¯s unusual behavior for me, the empty seat beside me made my heart sink every time I looked at it. School bored me more than usual and I started having irrational fears that Rose may have been in some kind of accident. It¡¯s Friday, so I already missed the chance to see her for the whole weekend now. I¡¯ll have to wait until Monday.


    The rest of the day was a slog and so was the weekend. It felt like it would just never end. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from remembering the image of her empty desk.


    Luckily, she was back on Monday.


    Rose was already sitting in her seat when I arrived at homeroom. Seeing her again sent a wave of relief over me.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I wave to her, but she doesn¡¯t seem to notice.


    She¡¯s drawing aimless scribbles, unlike her usual artwork. Her expression is blank and she simply stares at her desk.


    ¡°You alright?¡± I put my hand in front of her face and wave it.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Rose jumps up, startled. ¡°Oh, you scared me!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why¡¯d you miss school on Friday?¡±


    She smiles more bright and vibrant than ever before, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s nothing. I was just a little sick, is all.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­ I can¡¯t doubt a smile like that.¡±


    ¡°Anyway¡­ I got to see my sister again! She¡¯s usually not around, so it was nice talking to her.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s great. How old is she?¡±


    ¡°Same as me.¡±


    ¡°Wah!? This may be rude to ask¡­ but doesn¡¯t she live with you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that! It¡¯s nothing so sensitive. She just goes to a boarding school for smart kids.¡±


    ¡°Wow, well it¡¯s nice that you got to see her again.¡±


    Rose only smiles in return.


    It became routine for Trisha and Natalie to sit with us at lunch. Trisha is pretty relaxed and Natalie is funny. Our group somehow had a really great accidental chemistry. I usually tend to be a pretty negative and serious person, but I¡¯m balanced out with Rose¡¯s lighthearted optimism. Trisha is chill but is balanced with Natalie¡¯s antics. By simple chance, this became the only group that I ever want to be a part of. Everyone is always having a good time and we haven¡¯t argued since we met each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that I gave them a shot.¡±


    Though despite seeing all of that in hindsight, when we¡¯re all together I only ever look at Rose.


    Towards the end of the day, it suddenly starts raining. There was no warning; the clouds rolled in suddenly and the rain came shortly after. I checked the weather nervously as the day drew to a close, but it didn¡¯t get better. The rain kept picking up the closer school got to dismissal.


    Unluckily for me, I just so happen to not be taking the bus today. My Mom is driving me home, but it seems that she¡¯s caught up in traffic, leaving me stuck inside the school building. The forecast hadn¡¯t predicted this terrible weather, so I don¡¯t have an umbrella handy either. Everyone at school already hurried home so I ended up left alone to sit and listen to the rain.


    In the empty, out of session school, I sit on a bench beside a large window which is being pelted with rain. Thunder strikes occasionally and large flashes of light fill up the window. Headlights of cars in a hurry to get home barely shine through the splashes of rain. With them, I hear their tires fling up puddles onto the sidewalk.


    Eventually, boredom overtakes me and I stand up to walk around the halls. The rainy scene outside is a bit melancholic. It¡¯s reminiscent of how I used to be.


    I begin to aimlessly walk through empty hallways, waiting for a text from my mom. Everyone else had run home, so there isn¡¯t even one other person that I can see. But, although faint, I can hardly make out an echo through the halls.


    Unable to hold back my curiosity, I follow the sound down the hallway. As I approach the noise, it starts to sound like sobbing. It¡¯s muffled, but I can hear the pain seeping through the sound. It mixes with the rain pounding against the roof in harmony, creating a soul crushing feeling.


    I gently slide my hand across the wall as I slowly arrive at the classroom that the noise is coming from, which also happens to be where the art club usually meets.


    ¡°That voice sounds¡­ familiar,¡± I think to myself.


    ¡®Why¡­? Why am I remembering this? Not again¡­ Why did I have to make it to this part again?¡¯


    Slowly peeking my head around the door, my eyes become glued to the source of the tears.


    Rose lays her head in her arms on top of a desk. Her body shakes uncontrollably as the tears soak into her sleeves. A portrait lies beside her, but it¡¯s face is covered by her arm. It appears to be a portrait of a man, but not the same one in her usual art.


    I slowly reach out my hand towards her back, preparing to calm her down, but then a thought occurs to me.


    ¡°She probably doesn¡¯t want to talk right now. She would have asked for help if she needed it. I¡¯ll only be causing her more trouble by forcing her to talk when she isn¡¯t ready yet. But¡­ that smile earlier today¡­ She seemed so happy. What could have happened?¡±


    I grab my hand and pull it back, just as my phone vibrates in my pocket silently.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± it¡¯s a text from my mom.


    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± I confirm to myself and sneak out of the room.


    ¡­


    ¡°Good morning!¡± Rose exclaims as I enter the class.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°¡¯Morning.¡±


    ¡°Guess what?¡± She starts with a bright smile on her face. ¡°On the way to school today-¡±


    ¡°Good. It looks like she¡¯s doing better. I¡¯ll do my best to forget about it for now. If she mentions it later then I¡¯ll listen, just as she did for me.¡±


    ¡°Are you listening?¡± She asks.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The teacher interrupts, ¡°Quiet down now. I¡¯m going to take attendance.¡±


    Quickly, Rose adds, ¡°Let¡¯s talk on the roof during lunch today.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that all abou-¡±


    ¡°I said quiet!¡± The teacher glares at me and waits for several moments to continue with attendance.


    It kind of feels like Rose timed that so I wouldn¡¯t be able to question her¡­


    On our way to our next class I try to bring up what she said in homeroom, but she only smiles and tells me to wait.


    The infinite possibilities for what she could want cloud my mind.


    ¡°Did I do something wrong? Did something happen to her?¡±


    Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, my final class before lunch ended. I ran straight to the roof as fast as I could. Somehow though, Rose had still arrived first.


    I push the heavy door open and the bright sun burns my eyes. The sky doesn¡¯t have a single cloud in sight, yet it¡¯s still freezing cold. Most trees surrounding the school are evergreen. Despite appearing to be a normal summer day, the wind coldly threatens us to go back indoors.


    Rose stands with her back to the door and puffs of her breath disperse in the cold, ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ What was it that you needed to talk about?¡± I ask cautiously.


    Slowly, she spins around smiling, ¡°Can I borrow your homework?¡±


    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s it? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°...¡± No words come out.


    ¡°So¡­?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah I guess you can but-¡±


    I stop myself from continuing. I don¡¯t want to pressure her¡­


    No, who am I kidding? That can¡¯t possibly be it. I wonder why I can¡¯t just ask her what¡¯s wrong?


    I continue, ¡°Want to go to lunch now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll catch up,¡± For a moment, her smile wavers and her voice trembles. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±


    ¡°Are you really alright? You¡¯ve seemed a little bit down lately.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine,¡± She turns back around. ¡°Don¡¯t keep Trisha and Natalie waiting or they¡¯ll be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± I hesitate, but end up turning around and shutting the door behind me.


    After getting to the lunch room, I talked with Natalie and Trisha for a while, but Rose never made it. The whole group felt off without her. I kind of felt like an outcast without Rose to balance out my personality. It didn¡¯t seem like they felt the same way though, so I¡¯m probably just too self conscious. They seemed to be having fun, but I was bored.


    When I made it to the next class, Rose was back acting normal again. This time though, the corners of her eyes were very slightly red. Was it simply the cold or¡­?


    I talked to Rose on our way to the buses after dismissal. I try my best to keep talking to her like normal, despite my concern.


    ¡°Maybe I can cheer her up indirectly?¡±


    With a proud smile on my face, ¡°I can¡¯t believe that we¡¯re in highschool. Even more than that, I can¡¯t believe that I care. Most of the time we¡¯ve known each other, I¡¯ve been pretty friendly, but I used to be really awful. Even more than you think. It¡¯s thanks to you that I can make friends now. Because of that, I can¡¯t wait to live highschool to the fullest. Let¡¯s graduate together.¡±


    Her eyes widen and her mouth freezes open for a moment. Recovering, through a little laughter she replies, ¡°Of course! Is it even possible to graduate alone?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s possible, then I would¡¯ve done it without you. Really, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Oh man. You¡¯re embarrassing me. I¡¯m just glad that you can be happy now.¡±


    Before we even made it out of the building, Rose tapped me on the shoulder and turned towards the stairwell, ¡°I¡¯m not taking the bus today. I¡¯m going to wait on the roof for my dad to pick me up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, have fun. I¡¯ll see you later.¡±


    ¡®Why¡­? Over and over again I have to repeat the same mistakes. I feel sick.¡¯


    The next day, something felt off.


    With just one look at the school, my stomach begins to churn. It feels like I¡¯m going to puke.


    Gentle snowflakes fall down for the first day of the year. They land on the grass and on the sidewalk, but all melt immediately. The school building has a police car parked outside it and officers are pacing on the roof of the school.


    With every step I take towards the building, my legs get weaker. They carry me through the halls and into homeroom, but Rose hasn¡¯t arrived yet.


    I throw myself into my seat and tap my foot impatiently as I wait for Rose to make it. A headache sets in and it starts to get hard to think straight.


    The old angry grouch of a teacher walks in solemnly. She steps in carefully and doesn¡¯t raise her voice for the class to quiet down. She simply waits until all eyes are on her to begin talking.


    ¡°There have already been numerous rumors as to what happened last night. It pains my heart to say it, but we lost a classmate yesterday. And to many of you, a friend. Yesterday, on the rooftop-¡±


    The more words that leave the teacher¡¯s mouth, the more erratic my breathing gets. I lose control of it quickly. Cold sweat pours from my face and my throat begins to dry up from my heavy breathing. A lump lodges itself in my neck. The world starts to spin around me as I hyperventilate.


    Then the words come out, confirming my nightmare.


    ¡°Rose Bailey committed suicide.¡±


    The words pierce my ears like a knife. I desperately grasp for my chest as it becomes hard to breathe. My nails dig through my shirt and draw blood from my chest.


    And suddenly, the world was black.


    ¡­


    I slowly open my eyes to my bedroom¡¯s ceiling.


    ¡°Thank god. It was just a dream¡­¡±


    Feeling a wet sensation on my forehead, I reach up and pull a wet towel off.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? Did my mom put that on me while I was asleep?¡±


    I feel a sharp pain on the surface of my chest. My breathing quickens pace. The sound of my heartbeat begins to speed up and I can feel the thumping throughout my entire body. Carefully, I look under my shirt.


    Two curved indents of my nails are scabbed over on my skin.


    ¡°It was all real¡­¡±


    The door opens and my mom exclaims, ¡°You¡¯re awake! Thank goodness!¡±


    She runs over and hugs me. I feel all of the power in my body leave. I can¡¯t even feel the warmth of her hug.


    ¡°I was so worried for you!¡± She continued. ¡°You fainted at school. I heard the news. I¡¯m so sorry, baby.¡±


    I simply cannot possibly believe it. Despite all of the panic throughout my body, I can¡¯t manage to cry. The tears won¡¯t fall and I won¡¯t accept this outcome.


    ¡°The idea of living in a world without her scares me. No. I refuse to believe in a world without her.¡±


    Suddenly, my panic attack stopped.


    ¡°Hey. Can you drive me back to school?¡±


    With a little bit of convincing, I managed to get my mom to agree to bringing me back to school. It¡¯s almost lunch, but that¡¯s the one part that I don¡¯t want to miss.


    I sit down at my usual table to see Trisha and Natalie absently pushing their food around.


    ¡°Hey,¡± I greet monotone.


    They look up slowly and look relieved to see me.


    ¡°Thank god that you¡¯re still here,¡± Trisha says.


    ¡°We thought that you might¡¯ve-¡± Natalie¡¯s voice trembled and then turned into tears. Trisha looked down at the table and wrapped her arm around Natalie, pulling her closer.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re taking it pretty well,¡± Said Trisha.


    ¡°Heh. Not really. I fainted when I first heard the news. I guess it just doesn¡¯t feel real yet¡­¡±


    ¡®¡°And it never will.¡±¡¯


    ¡°Oh. Sorry if that came off as rude. I¡¯m still a little- you know.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ we all are right now.¡±


    I wanted to see how Natalie and Trisha were doing, but seeing them now, I realize I never cared about them in the first place. None of them matter. Not a single one in this school besides her.


    Passing through the rest of school like usual, the usual from before I learned to smile- before I met Rose, the new usual, I finally made it back home. My mom continues to dote on me in concern and I insist that I¡¯m fine. Eventually I make it to night, when I¡¯m all alone in my room.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault that she killed herself. She wouldn¡¯t have done it if I would¡¯ve helped her. I should¡¯ve tried to help even if she didn¡¯t want it. She practically told me that she needed help, but I averted my eyes. She was smiling an awfully lot lately. With her it¡¯s hard to tell which smiles are real because she insists on smiling when she¡¯s sad. She must¡¯ve been covering up her tears with a smile. The day she died, she smiled brighter than ever. She never once let me see her in pain, not on purpose.


    Why couldn¡¯t I just ask, ¡®What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ All I ever asked was, ¡®Are you alright?¡¯


    I was afraid. I was afraid that she would be afraid of something. If she was weaker than I thought she was, then who would be there for me? I was worried that my image of her would change if I knew her problem. What if she wasn¡¯t the goddess I saw her as? How could Rose not be happy all the time? I was scared that her problem would be too much to handle and have a negative influence on me. I was afraid. I was worried. I was scared. I was selfish. I was an idiot.


    But, she¡¯s dead now. She¡¯ll never come back. What do I do now¡­ Without her? Maybe I should just die too¡­


    No!


    No. I need to remember her. More than that, I don¡¯t even have to live here. If this is the future, then I¡¯d rather live in the past forever. So that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do.¡±


    Despite my perfect memory, there¡¯s one object that I¡¯ve kept for old times sake. I open my desk drawer and stare at the piece of paper inside. A test marked one-hundred percent. The smiling portrait on it really did make life much more fun.


    I lay in my bed, shut my eyes tight, and begin to indulge in the past, memories of a time when I could smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m back¡­ Rose.¡±¡¯ I dreamt, I remembered.

 Alex

    In a cold sweat, my eyes busted open as I flung myself off of the bed and into the dark. My alarm clock read, ¡®Six A.M.¡¯


    I slowly looked down at the palm of my hands. They shook uncontrollably and my vision blurred in and out. I felt sick to my stomach and my head filled with pain.


    ¡°It happened again.¡±


    Having woken up before seven, I wasn¡¯t even allowed to leave my room yet. My head throbbed as it was stormed with memories. I couldn¡¯t manage to sit stationary in this lonely room anymore, so I practiced my daily routine.


    Shower, change clothes, brush teeth.


    The familiar motions calmed my breathing and gave me something to remember instead of that.


    I took a long shower and practiced thorough cleaning motions to waste as much time as possible. The goal was to finish brushing my teeth around seven, so I would need to use as much time as possible.


    While still in the shower, I heard a knock at the door.


    Mary¡¯s voice rang out through the walls, ¡®It¡¯s seven-twenty! Let¡¯s get going.¡¯


    While still on the first step of my routine that I had started at six, I was forced to begin rushing to get ready.


    ¡®I must¡¯ve been in the shower for over an hour.¡¯


    After quickly finishing my routine, I tried my best to not keep anyone waiting.


    ¡®Sorry to make you wait!¡¯ I exclaimed, out of breath from rushing, as I swung open my door.


    ¡®No problem,¡¯ Amelia spoke a little hesitantly.


    Mary looked irritated but continued on, ¡®Let¡¯s go eat, shall we?¡¯


    As a group we all moved down to the dining room. We had to take the stairs again due to our group size. Nobody spoke as we walked, they must¡¯ve been too nervous.


    Arriving in the dining room and taking our seats, Mary led the discussion, ¡®So, who¡¯s cooking today?¡¯


    ¡®Well, if the rest of my group doesn¡¯t mind, we could cook again,¡¯ Offered Amelia. ¡®I had fun last time.¡¯


    Alex immediately shot her down, ¡®I object. I don¡¯t want to do that again. Can¡¯t the other group do it this time?¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t really want to either, though,¡¯ Lilah frowned and puffed out her cheeks while poking the table.


    ¡®How about this, let¡¯s mix up the groups,¡¯ I proposed.


    Marcus looked a little concerned, and for good reason, ¡®What do you mean by that?¡¯


    ¡®Well, I guess it would raise the odds that, if the murderer is actually a group, they¡¯d be in the same one, but if you¡¯re just staying in the kitchen to cook then it won¡¯t be a big deal. We¡¯ll know who did it if someone goes missing.¡¯


    Alex looked deep in thought but nobody refused. Marcus looked slightly sad, as it was obvious that everyone was valuing safety less now that Marcus was the probable target.


    ¡®Great,¡¯ I continued. ¡®If you don¡¯t mind, Ro- Mary, could you switch groups with Alex? Then everyone should be happy. Is that arrangement good?¡¯


    ¡®I suppose that works,¡¯ Said Alex. Mary nodded hesitantly in agreement.


    Mary uncharacteristically gave me a wave and a smile as she walked to join her temporary new group.


    ¡®I¡¯m bad at gauging relationships, but maybe we¡¯re starting to get closer too?¡¯


    ¡®Well then,¡¯ Alex took charge of our group. ¡®Want to bounce ideas off of each other while we wait?¡¯


    ¡®For the murder investigation?¡¯ I asked.


    ¡®Obviously.¡¯


    ¡®Rude,¡¯ I thought.


    ¡®Well then,¡¯ he continued. ¡®Let¡¯s talk in the living room.¡¯


    I had been to this room before. It was the same room that I may have accidentally convinced William to investigate Marcus.


    We all took a seat and made ourselves comfy on separate couches. Lilah kicked her feet gleefully as she laid her stomach on the couch. She propped her chin up on the back of her hands and smiled. It looked like we were going to talk about crushes at a middle school girl¡¯s slumber party, despite the fact that we were discussing a murder. On the other hand, Alex sat down with the same professionalism that he had come to this island with. He seemed to have completely gone back to how he used to be.


    ¡®Pardon me for asking,¡¯ I hesitantly speak up and Alex turns to me seriously. ¡®What was with your little bout of depression?¡¯


    ¡®Oh? Hmph. That¡¯s all you wanted to know?¡¯ He spoke monotone like the event was long behind him, like it was irrelevant. ¡®I had my dreams crushed by Marcus.¡¯


    ¡®Oh- It was then. When Marcus told him not to strive for the same kind of success that he had.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s right¡­ You looked up to him a lot, didn¡¯t you?¡¯


    ¡®Of course! In my life, there has only been one short period of time where surpassing the richest man of all time didn¡¯t matter to me anymore. Only during my small depression on this island.¡¯


    ¡®So you¡¯re back to dreaming of surpassing Marcus? Even though you know the price he paid?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s because I know the price he paid!¡¯ Alex raised his voice impatiently. Noticing his excitement, he adjusted his glasses and took a deep breath. ¡®I thought that I wanted to become him, but then the man who was the greatest in my eyes shot me down. He made it sound like he had made some kind of huge sacrifice for his business. It was seeing him break down and cry that made me realize, he¡¯s just weak. I never wanted to be Marcus. I just want to be the idea that I had of him. But, it wasn¡¯t my ideal that shot me down, it was that weak and cowardly man. I mean, he never even got caught! He wouldn¡¯t have either! He made a fortune, only to give it all up! And then he finished his legacy by groveling in front of children.¡¯


    Alex took one more deep breath with a disgusted look on his face.


    Lilah chimed in happily, ¡®So you¡¯re saying that murder is a small price to pay?¡¯


    ¡®Of course.¡¯


    ¡®And just to confirm, you would have done the same thing in his position?¡¯


    ¡®Of course. I would do anything to reach my dreams. For my future I would sacrifice anything.¡¯


    She laughed, ¡®Wow! You¡¯re a funny guy, you know? You just admitted to be willing to kill someone, even though you¡¯re a suspect in a recent murder!¡¯


    ¡®Heh. Unless you can prove that I did it, then I¡¯d say I¡¯m safe. Not to mention, I wouldn¡¯t murder for anything petty. Killing Marcus wouldn¡¯t help me succeed. Actually, it only hurts my career when taking into account his proposition to us!¡¯


    ¡®Not saying you¡¯re guilty or anything¡­ but he didn¡¯t make that offer until after his life had been targeted. You could have easily done it before hearing the offer.¡¯


    Alex began to look impatient, ¡®But, that still wouldn¡¯t have helped me succeed at all. I had no motive.¡¯


    ¡®Well~ Isn¡¯t it odd that he shot down your dreams, sent you spiraling into depression, and then just so happened to have his life targeted? Also, you¡¯ve seemed a lot more stable after the murder attempt¡­¡¯


    ¡®Tch. What¡¯s with this? Are you just going to attack me now?¡¯


    Lilah smiled at him childishly in response.


    I didn¡¯t want to look like I was defending him so I wouldn¡¯t say it out loud, but I thought to myself, ¡®His condition was improving before the murder attempt even happened. He gradually got better until he was finally back to normal. Learning that the person who turned him down so harshly was actually ¡°weak¡± probably helped too. It doesn¡¯t make him the murderer¡­ but I still can¡¯t deny the possibility.¡¯


    Alex pointed his finger at Lilah, irritated, ¡®Accusing someone else doesn¡¯t look good either, you know. You¡¯re just as big of a suspect! You had plenty of time to set up the trap because you came to the pool late.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s certainly possible. But, do you know who I think really did it?¡¯ Without giving anyone time to respond. ¡®Amelia!¡¯


    ¡®Huh? How could she have done it?¡¯ I asked. ¡®She was at the pool on time.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t know where you got the idea that only late people could be suspects! Marcus and William were setting up the pool for a little while. Since you found Alex and Amelia in their rooms, they could have committed the crime before you found them. Nobody was with them so they don¡¯t have an alibi.¡¯


    My eyes widened in realization. I hadn¡¯t considered that before. Perhaps I simply wanted the case to be easier on myself. This was a murder that could have truly been commited by anyone.


    Still though, I had no intention of getting too involved.


    ¡®But, I don¡¯t think it was her.¡¯


    ¡®Then who do you think it was?¡¯ Asked Alex.


    ¡®¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    Everyone sat silently in thought for several moments.


    ¡®I¡¯ll be right back. I¡¯m going to the bathroom,¡¯ said Alex.


    Lilah stood up, ¡®Well, we¡¯ll come with you to be safe.¡¯


    ¡®Eh? Do you really have to? What do you think I¡¯m going to do? If I come back and one of you is dead then it was the other. It¡¯ll be fine.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m with him,¡¯ I added. ¡®It¡¯s not a big deal. It should only be a few minutes.¡¯


    Lilah¡¯s eyes bounced between our faces before she sighed and flung herself back onto the couch.


    ¡®One second,¡¯ He said as he left.


    ¡®Why do you still trust everyone so much? That¡¯s a dangerous game you know,¡¯ Lilah sneered.


    ¡®It¡¯s not that I trust them. I just don¡¯t know who to believe. Though I do know not to trust you.¡¯


    ¡®Awwww. Why?¡¯


    I glanced at her, unamused.


    A few moments passed and I broke the silence, ¡®By the way, where did your beret go?¡¯


    Snickering, she replied, ¡®Well, there was no more point in it after my successful prank.¡¯


    ¡®So that is all it was for¡­¡¯


    Laughing again she took off her glasses and began polishing them.


    ¡®I still don¡¯t get it,¡¯ I continued. ¡®Why do you pretend to be someone you¡¯re not? Just be yourself. You¡¯re the world¡¯s best actor, but it¡¯s not like you should have to ¡°play the role¡± of yourself.¡¯


    She suddenly tightened her grip on her glasses, snapping them into two. The sharp crack startled me and signaled her sudden mood change. With an enraged voice, ¡®You¡¯d be surprised¡­¡¯


    Taken aback, I stuttered, ¡®Wa-was that okay? That¡¯s got to be expensive!¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s alright,¡¯ Her anger immediately returned to chuckles as she held up her broken up glasses. Then she casually poked her finger through the lens, or lack thereof, ¡®They¡¯re fake.¡¯


    Unable to hold myself back, I gave her exactly what she wanted. My jaw dropped and I couldn¡¯t bring myself to speak.


    ¡®The look on your face~¡¯ she laughed hysterically and childishly.


    ¡®This whole time¡­ they were-?¡¯


    ¡®Yep!¡¯


    ¡®It was all for a three second joke?¡¯


    ¡®Of course!¡¯


    ¡®I can¡¯t¡­¡¯


    Lilah immediately cleared her face again as footsteps approached the room. Alex stepped through the doorway as I struggled to control my surprise.


    It didn¡¯t take him long to finish, but Lilah made her suspicion clear.


    ¡®If another trap is found tonight¡­¡¯ Lilah looked at him as though she were a disappointed mother.


    He proudly raised his chin, ¡®Ha! As if I would try to kill Marcus. Didn¡¯t I make it clear? That¡¯s only bad for me.¡¯


    ¡®Whatever you say~!¡¯


    He sat back onto the couch with noticeably good posture.


    ¡®At least for me,¡¯ I started. ¡®All this discussion has done so far is add more possible suspects to the list. I thought only Lilah, Mary, and Marcus could have done it but¡­¡¯


    Lilah giggled, ¡®Of course not! This wasn¡¯t done on impulse. Someone planned it out thoroughly. Although, they didn¡¯t expect that someone would try to break into Marcus¡¯ office!¡¯


    I jumped slightly at the sound of a knock at the door. Sadly, the grin on Lilah¡¯s face meant that she must''ve seen my surprise.


    ¡®Excuse me,¡¯ Mary said while slowly opening the door. ¡®The food¡¯s done. We just made some sandwiches.¡¯


    My group all stood up and began to head to the cafeteria. Mary followed close behind us. As we passed her, Lilah gave her an obvious stink eye.


    ¡®Welcome back. I hope you enjoy,¡¯ Marcus set down a platter of sandwiches. Mary followed behind him with a salad bowl, before sitting down as well.


    We all grabbed a plate and took our chairs. The loneliness showed through on Marcus¡¯ face with breakfast reminding him of William.


    Mary grabbed several sandwiches and directed a question towards me, ¡®Did you guys think of anything?¡¯


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡®Sadly, no.¡¯


    ¡®I see¡­¡¯


    The sandwiches were very bland and visually unappealing. I could tell that everyone had tried their best but in comparison to what we ate before, it was disappointing.


    We ate silently while continuing to try and process our situation. It was still hard to believe that one of us was a murderer.


    Aside from Marcus, that is.


    The tension had seemed to calm down ever since Marcus was determined to be the target. Although it may have been selfish, it was hard to worry on his behalf. The relief of believing that your own life is safe is overwhelming. Rose is probably the only one who could worry about another person in this situation.


    Breakfast wrapped up quickly. No one spoke a word so they chewed faster instead.


    After everyone finished, Mary spoke again, ¡®How does a party sound?¡¯


    ¡®Pardon?¡¯ Marcus raised a brow. ¡®Now hardly seems like the time.¡¯


    ¡®Yes, but I think that means we need one now more than ever. Everyone¡¯s been tense since the murder, so how about we let loose a bit?¡¯


    Marcus folded his hands with a difficult expression.


    ¡®That sounds like a great idea!¡¯ Exclaimed Lilah.


    ¡®Tomorrow would be good, right?¡¯


    ¡®Sounds good to me,¡¯ I cut in. ¡®Is that fine with everyone else?¡¯


    Everyone nodded in approval happily, except for Marcus who seemed reluctant but not willing to fight.


    ¡®Then it¡¯s settled,¡¯ Mary folded her arms. ¡®And before we go, how are we handling our next groups?¡¯


    ¡®Let¡¯s go back to our groups before breakfast,¡¯ Amelia said. ¡®But also, I don¡¯t really want to make meals for the rest of the day, so how should we handle that?¡¯


    Mary folded her arms, ¡®Fine, then we can all just make our own. Whenever a group gets hungry the kitchen will be open.¡¯


    ¡®Alright, sounds good.¡¯


    After a quick ¡®thank you,¡¯ we got back into our groups and separated. I followed behind Mary and Lilah as they left the diner.


    ¡®Where do you want to go?¡¯ I asked.


    ¡®Can we go to the pool?¡¯ Mary proposed. ¡®I want to get some exercise.¡¯


    ¡®Yay! Sounds good to me!¡¯ Lilah cheered.


    I nodded along as we made our way to the changing rooms. I was forced to separate with them there as they went into the girl¡¯s room.


    Swiftly changing so as not to make them wait, I entered the pool room to see that I was the first one there. I didn¡¯t want to look too excited for the pool so I didn¡¯t hop in before them. I simply pulled up a chair and waited.


    ¡®I know women take longer to change but I''ve been waiting for several minutes now¡­¡¯


    Shuffling noises and Lilah¡¯s giggles could be heard through the wall. It was impossible to tell what exactly they were doing in there, and the ambiguity of the sounds invited a mixture of feelings.


    ¡®Come on~¡¯ I heard Lilah¡¯s muffled voice through the door.


    ¡®Really¡­? Do I have to?¡¯ Mary sounded embarrassed.


    ¡®Come. On!¡¯ Lilah¡¯s voice made it clear that she was exerting a lot of physical force as the door swung open.


    Lilah was pulling Mary by her arm out of the changing room. Lilah was wearing the same childish one-piece swimsuit as last time, but Mary wore something surprising. She was wearing a matching swimsuit with Lilah along with red cheeks exposing her embarrassment. It was a larger size, but they were the same in design. It was a cute pink one-piece covered in childish frills. Compared to her last swimsuit that was much more mature, it drove home the cutesy nature that much more.


    Lilah put both her arms out pointing towards Mary like she was on display, ¡®How does she look?¡¯


    Last night¡¯s nightmare, or memory, was still fresh in my mind. Mary¡¯s long black hair, slender body, and cute face forced me to double take. She was even blushing with more emotion than I¡¯ve seen from her in a while. She looked just like¡­


    ¡®Rose¡­?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but mutter.


    Immediately realizing it, I placed my hand over my mouth and hoped they didn¡¯t hear. Mary¡¯s embarrassment subsided a bit and was replaced by a look of confusion.


    Lilah looked disappointed as she puffed out her cheeks, ¡®What¡¯s with that reaction?¡¯


    ¡®N-nothing. You both look great.¡¯


    ¡®Thanks!¡¯ Lilah laughed.


    Suddenly, my stomach began to churn and I wasn¡¯t in the mood to swim any longer. Seeing what must have been Rose¡¯s doppelganger acting embarrassed and even wearing what Rose would have worn- my heart couldn¡¯t take it.


    Lilah ran and then jumped into the pool swimming down to the bottom. Mary slowly walked towards the edge to let herself in, but she stopped and turned to me.


    ¡®Aren¡¯t you going to join us? You¡¯re wearing swim trunks.¡¯


    ¡®W-well,¡¯ I stuttered with nervousness. I knew that she wasn¡¯t actually Rose, but- ¡®I¡¯m not really feeling well anymore.¡¯


    She studied my face and then shrugged, ¡®Suit yourself,¡¯ as she slid in.


    For the whole time we were in the pool room, I never entered the pool. Lilah attempted to get me in a few times, but I refused.


    Mary immediately began to do laps across the length of the pool. Lilah raced her a few times but Mary never stopped. The entire time we were there she only did laps. Lilah cycled between races, diving, and aimless paddling.


    Eventually, we were all hungry and went to make our own food.


    I waited outside the pool room for them to change back into their clothes.


    Lilah yawned as she exited the changing room, ¡®Would you look at the time? We really spent a lot of time there. We completely skipped lunch!¡¯


    It was nearly dinner already so we hurried to the diner. Along the way we ran into the other group so we ate with them. It was another simple meal of sandwiches but we all made our own.


    All of us decided to go to bed at the same time so we walked together towards the rooms. I stayed in the back of the line while following a small distance behind everyone else.


    Amelia slowed her speed and started walking alongside me, ¡®Hey¡­ you¡¯ve seemed a bit off today. Is everything all right?¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s probably because of the nightmare¡­¡¯


    ¡®Nah. I¡¯m fine. Thanks for asking. But, there¡¯s a lot going on, you know?¡¯


    ¡®Yeah,¡¯ She sighed. ¡®I know what you mean.¡¯


    Amelia seemed genuinely concerned for me. Not that I really needed it, but it was nice. We hadn¡¯t really gotten much of a chance to see each other, being in different groups, but she noticed my odd behavior fast.


    Lilah was the first one to throw open her door. She seemed as awake as ever despite cheering, ¡®Goodnight!¡¯


    Everyone else followed her queue as they went into their rooms.


    Mary and Amelia both looked at me while saying their goodnights.


    I entered my room and locked the door behind me. I slid my hand against the rail on my bed anxiously. My hand shook with fear of having another nightmare.


    Marcus¡¯ loud voice called out to us through the walls, ¡®Emergency.¡¯ Despite what he said, he didn¡¯t yell.


    As we all gathered around, he stood in his doorway with his door opened.


    Marcus pointed at the back of his door, ¡®I tried to lock my door, but as you can see-¡¯ he tugged with a bit of force and the bottom of the slide lock pulled loose. He continued, ¡®Someone tore off my lock and glued it back on.¡¯


    ¡®I see¡­¡¯ Mary put her hand on her chin. ¡®They must have planned to kill you in your sleep. On the other hand though, this means that they don¡¯t have any other way to kill. This was their last ditch plan.¡¯


    Alex joined in, ¡®This confirms Marcus is the murderer¡¯s target. So we¡¯ll watch you extra carefully from now on. Tomorrow we can try to find out who did this. For now though, sleep in one of the extra rooms. I¡¯m tired. Everyone else, check your lock too, just to be safe.¡¯


    After that quick interruption we said goodnights once again and went to sleep.


    Luckily for me, I woke up the next morning without recollection of any dream I may have had.


    Immediately, Mary woke us up at seven A.M. and we gathered in the diner.


    ¡®To start us off,¡¯ Mary broke the silence. ¡®Who are our suspects?¡¯


    ¡®From memory,¡¯ I began. ¡®Alex went to the bathroom alone and¡­ Mary notified us of dinner alone. Is that everyone?¡¯ I was hesitant to throw Mary out as a suspect.


    Amelia raised her hand politely, ¡®I went to the bathroom alone in my group as well.¡¯


    ¡®Is that everyone now?¡¯


    ¡®Not exactly,¡¯ Lilah grinned. ¡®When we went to the pool, we were in the changing room for quite a long time, leaving you alone.¡¯


    ¡®So I¡¯m a suspect too, huh?¡¯


    ¡®How long exactly did you leave him?¡¯ Alex scoffed. ¡®Do you really think he could have run to the workshop to grab supplies, head back to the second floor to rig the lock, and then run all the way back up in the time it took you two to change? We all saw how those stairs treated him on our first day.¡¯


    ¡®Well¡­¡¯ Lilah pouted.


    Mary reiterated, ¡®That means our current suspects are Amelia, Alex, and I. That¡¯s half of us¡­¡¯


    I added, ¡®Although it doesn¡¯t narrow the list at all, it is also clear that the glue used in the crime was taken from the workshop.¡¯


    Then suddenly it was silent. Nobody else had anything to add. We were no closer to figuring out who was doing this than day one.


    Mary slapped both of her hands on the table and then stood up, ¡®Let¡¯s throw the party now. I think we all need to get our minds off of the current situation.¡¯


    Lilah¡¯s eyes glowed with excitement, ¡®Yay!¡¯


    Marcus placed his hand on his head sadly.


    ¡®Sounds good to me,¡¯ Alex said.


    ¡®Me too,¡¯ I added.


    Mary smiled, ¡®Then let¡¯s do it like this. Amelia and Marcus make fun food. Alex and Lilah set the table. Daniel and I will prepare the drinks.¡¯


    Amelia tilted her head, ¡®What constitutes ¡°fun¡± food?¡¯


    Alex tilted his head as well, ¡®Will setting the table be a big enough job for two people?¡¯


    I added in, ¡®What kind of drinks do you need to prepare? We can¡¯t have alcohol¡­¡¯


    Mary¡¯s smile faded and her eyebrow twitched, muttering, ¡®And I tried to do something nice¡­¡¯ Catching herself she spoke louder, ¡®I mean, ¡°fun food¡± is food fit for a party. Get creative. You can decorate the table too for a more accurate party feel. And we can make non-alcoholic cocktails, perfect for a party.¡¯


    Most of us seemed skeptical that it would turn out well, but Lilah cheered.


    Marcus sighed and headed to the kitchen to begin preparation.


    With everyone on board we headed to our places. My group and Marcus¡¯ were on opposite sides of the kitchen and Alex¡¯s stayed in the diner.


    I followed close behind Mary as she got out all of the ingredients in the kitchen.


    Mary moved carefully and swiftly as she prepared the individual ingredients and set the workspace. The precise but fast movements revealed that she must have had a lot of practice. From behind, she looked just like Rose. I could imagine the smile on her face, even if it wasn¡¯t there.


    Mary turned to me with a look like she had something to say, but stopped as she saw my face.


    She spoke in a gentle tone unfamiliar from her, but fitting well with her voice, ¡®You¡¯ve been acting a little strange lately. Are you alright?¡¯


    ¡®Yes¡­ I¡¯m fine. You just remind me of someone.¡¯


    ¡®Rose?¡¯ She asked while tilting her head.


    My heart nearly stopped at the familiar name being spoken by the familiar face, ¡®H-how did you?¡¯


    ¡®You said the name yesterday, remember? Of course you do.¡¯


    ¡®Oh¡­ yeah. It¡¯s just that,¡¯ Mary didn¡¯t seem as stern as usual, her resemblance to Rose made her look almost like a clone. It made me want to open up to her. ¡®You look just like someone that I knew. But, they¡¯re dead now.¡¯


    Mary stared into my eyes. Her face sunk and she started to look broken up, ¡®Oh¡­ Sorry.¡¯


    ¡®For what?¡¯


    ¡®Reminding you of her. That must be tough.¡¯


    ¡®No-no it¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to be sorry. It¡¯s not your fault.¡¯


    She cast her gaze downwards.


    Quickly trying to make up for ruining the mood, I tried to change the subject, ¡®C¡¯mon. Let¡¯s get those party drinks ready! Alright?¡¯


    With Rose¡¯s face, she looked up and smiled at me. She really did look great with a smile.


    With her leading the way we made three different drinks in large bowls. There were serving ladles in each of them.


    We looked at our work proudly as it was finished. Although, admittedly, she did do most of the work.


    Mary added, ¡®I¡¯ll go grab cups. I¡¯ll put our names on them so nobody accidentally steals someone else¡¯s drink.¡¯


    ¡®Good idea. Want to go check on the other groups afterwards?¡¯


    ¡®Sure.¡¯


    We walked to the cupboard to grab the cups, though it was more of an extra room than a cupboard. Mary opened the door of a room filled with all kinds of cups and dishes. She walked in and swiftly came out with a stack of cups. I had never been in the room so I didn¡¯t know where anything was located, but Mary cooked with her group before so I left getting the cups to her.


    She had them all stacked inside of each other so she took them out and wrote everyone¡¯s name on their own cup with a marker, then re-stacked them.


    I grabbed a bowl of punch and we both took trips carrying the bowls and cups to the table.


    Alex and Lilah had been done for a while and looked bored, so we left organizing the cups and bowls to them. Marcus and Amelia were nearly done cooking so everyone else took their seats for the time being.


    Soon, it was all prepared. Marcus and Amelia carried out large platters. On one was a clearly homemade pizza and on the other was a cake.


    The table was set with a pretty red cloth and everyone had a plate, napkins, and silverware set out at their chairs. The napkins were folded like origami into various animals. I took my seat next to Amelia and Mary. We weren¡¯t separated by gender at the table anymore. I sat next to Amelia and Mary almost instinctively as they were the ones I had connected with the most.


    ¡®Let¡¯s party!¡¯ Lilah exclaimed while reaching for the pizza.


    With Lilah¡¯s signal, everyone began to dig into their meal. The food wasn¡¯t presented as well as William¡¯s, but this time it tasted way better than expected.


    ¡®Eating together like this¡­ isn¡¯t so bad.¡¯


    Halfway through the meal, everyone was happy and chatting to their heart''s content. Even Alex and Marcus were having fun. Though I¡¯m sure that I still didn¡¯t look as happy as them, I tried my best to indulge in the moment.


    For the first time in years, I began to forget about the past for a little bit. Having the presence of Mary made me calmer. I was able to focus on just the moment, on just Mary, happily. Things felt ¡®back to normal.¡¯


    ¡®So, what kinds of things are you famous for, Mary?¡¯ Amelia asked.


    Mary suppressed a smile from the joy of showing off, ¡®Well, I¡¯ve fashioned numerous discoveries in various sophisticated sciences,¡¯ With her display of vocabulary over, she continued. ¡®But for real though, I specialize in chemistry and medicines while dabbling in some physics. I¡¯ve made discoveries in medicine but mostly learned a lot of physics.¡¯


    ¡®I see!¡¯ Amelia smiled. ¡®That¡¯s a lot better than me already.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s not true!¡¯ Mary asserted. ¡®I¡¯m a legitimate fan of your art. Not a lot of people talk about the actual worth or meaning of your art, just that you were young for being skilled. I had a similar problem while I was starting off my career so I was very interested in your work!¡¯


    ¡®Really?¡¯ Amelia smiled with surprise. ¡®I never thought someone like you would enjoy that type of art. I made a piece while I was here, so I could show it to you if you¡¯d like.¡¯


    ¡®That sounds lovely!¡¯


    While the two of them talked, Marcus waved for me to come to him.


    I grabbed my drink and slipped away from Mary and Amelia. Marcus was by himself while Lilah and Alex were chasing each other around the room and bickering.


    ¡®What¡¯s up?¡¯ I asked.


    ¡®The drinks you and Mary made were excellent. We¡¯re almost out already.¡¯


    ¡®What,¡¯ I scoffed playfully. ¡®Do you want us to make more? Mary did most of the work though.¡¯


    ¡®No, no. It was just a compliment.¡¯


    ¡®Thanks. Your food was great too. The cake and the pizza are almost gone as well.¡¯


    ¡®Well, thank you also. I guess that makes us even,¡¯ His smile faded a bit and he got a little more serious. ¡®Um. Are you having a good time? You seem a little out of place. I¡¯ve thought about it since the day we met. You never really smile or seem happy. Lately you¡¯ve seemed to be a little happier, but I¡¯m worried for you.¡¯


    ¡®Oh,¡¯ That surprised me. By the look on his face and the tone in his voice, he was genuinely worried for me. It was hard to believe he¡¯s a serial killer. ¡®Thanks for your concern. I¡¯m doing good, I just don¡¯t invest a lot of emotion here.¡¯


    ¡®I don¡¯t really get it, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright. Even if you don¡¯t feel comfortable talking to me, know that there are plenty of people that are here for you. Talk to someone if you ever need it. I know I¡¯ll be here for you at least.¡¯


    We both went silent for a moment, but then I saw my opportunity. Finally alone with Marcus, I asked the question that had been on my mind since day one, ¡®Why me? Why did you choose me out of the millions of other kids that showed potential for changing the future?¡¯


    ¡®Well,¡¯ Marcus smiled. ¡®With an ability like yours, you have the potential to do anything. But, most notably, you can teach. Being able to remember- to learn anything would make it much easier to teach the next generation. You could teach whatever you want and make a huge impact on the future. Not only that, but with a great memory you could also specialize in any field and make improvements. Your potential is infinite, just like the future.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s nice to hear, but- I¡¯ve already given up on the future,¡¯ I thought to myself.


    ¡®Thanks for saying so.¡¯


    Suddenly, Lilah tripped while running from Alex. A painfully loud thud resounded through the room. Everyone stopped chatting and immediately looked up.


    ¡®I¡¯ve got you now!¡¯ Alex laughed, taking advantage of the opening.


    He slowed down as he approached her, but she didn¡¯t get up.


    ¡®Hey¡­ are you alright?¡¯ Alex tried to hide the worry in his voice. He poked her several times but she didn¡¯t move.


    I couldn¡¯t help but mutter to myself, ¡®You¡¯re just lying again¡­ right?¡¯


    ¡®What¡¯s going on? Are you alright?¡¯ Marcus shouted.


    Amelia stood up abruptly and called, ¡®Lilah?!¡¯ before losing strength and face planting into her plate.


    Marcus¡¯ eyes grew large as he stood up and he grabbed at his chest desperately, only to fall to the ground.


    Mary looked uncomfortable before gently allowing herself to collapse like everyone else.


    Alex put his hand up to his face as his whole body trembled, ¡®P-poison¡­?¡¯


    Then he fell just like everyone else.


    ¡®So suddenly¡­¡¯ I whispered as I looked around the room at the sudden attack.


    There I stood. Surrounded by everyone¡¯s bodies.


    ¡®This can¡¯t be happening.¡¯


    I was the only one left.

 Daniel

    The unconscious¡­ or dead, bodies laid around me unmoving.


    I held my breath in fear that I would soon permanently lose consciousness¡­ but that time never came.


    After recovering from the shock, I immediately rushed towards Mary and grabbed her wrist. She had laid her head down gently, so she couldn¡¯t have any external injuries. I carefully placed my index and middle finger under her thumb. Then, I held my breath.


    A gentle pulse of life could be felt rushing through her body, hurrying tirelessly to keep her alive.


    I breathed a sigh of relief, but it wasn¡¯t over yet. She still may be in danger and everyone else may be too. Carefully and respectfully, I put my arms around Mary¡¯s back and picked her up off of her chair. She was surprisingly light for her height. I laid her down on her side a little ways away from the table.


    After feeling comfortable with her position, I made my way to Amelia. Following the same procedure, I confirmed her pulse before laying her next to Mary.


    I sighed again in relief, ¡®Whatever happened to everyone wasn¡¯t fatal.¡¯


    With newfound confidence, I laid everyone else in the line with Mary. I paid extra care to make sure Lilah didn¡¯t have external injuries due to her fall, but she seemed alright for the most part. If she had landed in an unfortunate position, she could have died. Even if the poison itself wasn¡¯t lethal, the fall certainly had the potential to be.


    One by one I carried everyone on my back up the elevator and into their rooms.


    It seemed that I had plenty of time while they were asleep, so I bided my time caring for them properly.


    I had noticed a mark on Amelia¡¯s forehead, surely from slamming her head into the table, so I wrapped up an ice pack in a towel for her head. I placed it on for her while she was asleep.


    Alex took a pretty bad fall too, so I checked to see if he had any injuries but he seemed fine.


    Lilah, on the other hand, had taken such a bad fall that she was sure to have gotten hurt. It felt weird to check her for injuries the same way I had Alex, so despite her fall being worse I limited myself to just her arms, hands, and feet. She looked fine at first glance but it became obvious that she had twisted her ankle. To avoid swelling I searched the house for gauze, which I eventually found in the bathroom, and properly wrapped up her ankle. I then made another ice pack wrap and applied it to the injury. Finally, I propped her foot up on the edge of the bed to help with swelling.


    Marcus and Mary didn¡¯t have any sort of fall when they passed out so I left them to rest.


    Normally I wouldn¡¯t have expected to have the knowledge necessary to do something like check someone for injuries and wrap a twisted ankle, and although it¡¯s not very hard, I have my memory to thank for knowing first aid.


    Everyone may have still been poisoned and simply wouldn¡¯t die until later, but there was no way for me to figure that out on the island. There were no police to find fingerprints and no labs to test for poison. Additionally, without knowing what poisoned them, trying to cure them would be dangerous.


    After making sure the current situation was as safe as possible, I was left to think. I sat in thought on a chair that I pulled into Mary¡¯s room.


    ¡®How were we poisoned? I know it wasn¡¯t me, so either the murderer poisoned themselves along with everyone else, or there is another person on this island after all. Although, if there was another person on the island, they had to have poisoned the food before we even started making it. Another thing is that I ate the food and drank the cocktails too. So the poison couldn¡¯t have been in the food or drinks anyway¡­ For that matter, why poison everyone in the first place? It¡¯s probably not even lethal. Was the attack pointless?¡¯


    That was as far as I got with my attempt at figuring out this mystery. I¡¯m not a genius, or even that intelligent, so I didn¡¯t get far with my thoughts. All I knew were the facts that had come from my memories. Yet, I wasn¡¯t able to draw a conclusion from them.


    To be fair though, I wasn¡¯t in much of a hurry and I didn¡¯t struggle with my thoughts. As soon as I felt lost I simply gave up in hopes that Mary could have figured it out for me. So there¡¯s still a chance.


    I felt a gentle tug on my sleeve, stirring me from my thoughts. Mary looked up at me with sweet, tired eyes and spoke in a kind, happy voice. One that was relieved and happy to be alive.


    ¡®Is it over?¡¯ She asked.


    Even though she spoke with a clear voice, I couldn¡¯t understand the question she was trying to ask, ¡®Is what over?¡¯


    ¡®Sorry¡­ I¡¯m dizzy,¡¯ Mary mumbled as she pulled herself up using my arm. Now sitting, she placed her hand on her face and groaned. ¡®What¡­ happened?¡¯


    ¡®It seems like we were all poisoned. Although, I wasn¡¯t for some reason,¡¯ As I spoke Mary raised a brow, but then shrugged it off. ¡®Everyone else is in their rooms. They¡¯ll probably be waking up soon. Are you able to get up?¡¯


    ¡®Yeah¡­ I¡¯m fine,¡¯ She pushed herself out of bed slowly and carefully. She didn¡¯t seem like herself just yet.


    ¡®Let¡¯s check on the others.¡¯


    Together we made our way to Lilah¡¯s room. She was still asleep.


    We turned around quietly so as not to wake her, ¡®I guess she¡¯s not up yet. We¡¯ll have to try someone el-¡¯


    I was cut off by a chuckle coming from the bed, ¡®That was a lie.¡¯


    Lilah flung herself out of bed as chipper as ever, only to wince in pain as she landed on her injured ankle.


    ¡®Take it easy. You took a nasty fall. Try to stay off of that foot for a while,¡¯ I gave her a thumbs up reassuringly. ¡®How long have you been up?¡¯


    ¡®Not long,¡¯ She hopped on one foot beside us. ¡®After I woke up, I was still tired so I just laid there.¡¯


    ¡®Well then come with us, we need to check if everyone else is alright. It seems that we were poisoned,¡¯ Mary looked worried that there would be another victim.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry,¡¯ I patted her shoulder. ¡®Everyone is fine. The poison probably isn¡¯t lethal.¡¯


    ¡®¡­ probably?¡¯ She repeated.


    ¡®Well, let¡¯s get going!¡¯


    Our exchange prompted a laugh from Lilah who, despite being on one leg, led our walk to the next room. Or in her case, hop.


    Several minutes passed before Alex finally awoke. Lilah notified us as soon as it happened. Mary and I simply talked in the hallway waiting for someone else to get up while Lilah waited in Alex¡¯s room. The two of them must¡¯ve gotten close when I wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    ¡®We were poisoned!?¡¯ Alex couldn¡¯t control his voice from the shock.


    ¡®Did you forget?¡¯ I asked. ¡®You were the one who said it first, right as you went down.¡¯


    He placed his hand on his face and sighed, ¡®No¡­ I can¡¯t seem to recall moments before I fell. They¡¯re so hazy.¡¯


    ¡®Yeah,¡¯ Mary confirmed. ¡®It¡¯s the same for me.¡¯


    ¡®Me too,¡¯ Added Lilah.


    Alex took a deep breath before looking up with irritation, ¡®This has gone on long enough. We need to hold a trial and either lock up or kill whoever is doing this. I¡¯m starting to worry about my own future here.¡¯


    ¡®I figured it would come to that,¡¯ Mary folded her arms.


    ¡®Alright, let¡¯s wait in the hall for Amelia and Marcus to wake up. After everyone is ready we can begin the trial,¡¯ I said.


    Amelia woke up almost fifteen minutes later. She stumbled out of her room and held her hand on her head in pain. We recapped her on the recent events, but she seemed much more worried than everyone else and grew silent quickly. Then, we all decided to wait in Marcus¡¯ room to be there as soon as he got up.


    We sat in Marcus¡¯ room for almost an hour. As each minute passed we grew more and more worried.


    ¡®Just to confirm, Daniel,¡¯ Alex started. ¡®You did check to make sure he was alive, right?¡¯


    ¡®Of cour-¡¯ I stopped myself. ¡®¡­ I stopped checking pulses after the first two.¡¯


    ¡®Tch,¡¯ He replied in disapproval.


    Everyone sat silently for several moments almost as if to say, ¡®Who¡¯s going to check?¡¯


    Seeing the discomfort on Amelia¡¯s face, I stood up and made my way to Marcus¡¯ bedside. Slowly and carefully I reached out my hand to grab his wrist. The first thing I felt was the cold chill of his skin.


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    ¡®No way¡­¡¯ I couldn¡¯t keep the surprise off of my face. ¡®The poison wasn¡¯t pointless after all.¡¯


    I swiftly placed my index finger under his thumb to make it certain, but there was no pulse. I removed my finger and pressed it in several different spots to prove to myself that it wasn¡¯t true, but it was far too late.


    ¡®He¡¯s dead.¡¯


    Amelia turned pale and darted out of the room, into the hallway bathroom. The news would make most people sick.


    Mary looked down at the ground and Alex gritted his teeth.


    Lilah sighed and bounced out of the room on one foot, ¡®I¡¯ll get Amelia. You all head to the cafeteria.¡¯


    Following her commands silently, we all went straight to the diner. To think, we would all take commands from even Lilah, the smallest and most untrustworthy out of all of us, without a word because of the sheer tension in the atmosphere.


    Everyone sat in the cafeteria, waiting for Amelia and Lilah to return. Nobody spoke a word until they arrived.


    They came back several minutes later. Lilah had her arm over Amelia¡¯s shoulder like she was giving her reassurance, but at the same time she used it as a support.


    As soon as they took their seats, Alex started us off, ¡®Marcus died with no external injuries. He was almost certainly poisoned. We were all poisoned as well. One of us has to be the culprit.¡¯


    ¡®B-but!¡¯ Amelia cut in. ¡®What if there was someone else on this island?¡¯


    ¡®Impossible,¡¯ Mary replied. ¡®That would only make sense if that person was able to hide from everyone. The odds of them being able to sneak around and commit crimes without anyone noticing is absurd. For instance, when the murderer broke Marcus¡¯ lock they would have had to have done it without passing anyone in the hallways. We know for certain that that crime was committed during the day too, as it was to remove the lock for nighttime.¡¯


    Amelia stared at the table in silence, not wanting to believe that one of us was the killer.


    ¡®The poison must have been ingested by us,¡¯ Lilah said. ¡®It had to have been at the party because we hadn¡¯t eaten anything else that day. Alex and I didn¡¯t cook, so it couldn¡¯t have been us.¡¯


    Alex reiterated, ¡®Our suspects for the poisoning must be Mary, Daniel, and Amelia.¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t forget Marcus!¡¯ She chuckled.


    ¡®I suppose the possibility is there, but I doubt it,¡¯ Mary said.


    We all thought in silence for several moments, not knowing where to continue.


    ¡®Here¡¯s a good question to start with,¡¯ Alex began. ¡®How did the murderer not kill us, and themselves? In other words, how did we all eat the same food, but only Marcus died?¡¯


    ¡®That mystery may be the key to solving this,¡¯ Mary said.


    ¡®What if the poison only kills old people?¡¯ Lilah laughed. ¡®Or maybe it conflicted with whatever meds he was taking.¡¯


    Her nonchalant attitude made Mary slam her hands against the table, ¡®Now¡¯s not the time for jokes!¡¯


    Alex sighed, ¡®Her laughing isn¡¯t a big deal. She had a good point. The poison might have been the same for everyone but simply affected him differently.¡¯


    ¡®So the murderer would have to know what meds he was taking or what would kill an old person?¡¯ Lilah sneered. ¡®Doesn¡¯t one of us have some kind of medicine degree?¡¯


    All eyes turned to Mary. Her look of anger turned to shock. ¡®M-me? Just because I know a little about medicine¡­¡¯


    ¡®Way to humble yourself,¡¯ Lilah laughed. ¡®You¡¯re called the ¡°genius girl¡± for a reason. These murder plots have been far too good to have come from just anyone. You were one of the people making the food, too.¡¯


    Mary didn¡¯t seem to have a rebuttal. She sat silently in deep thought, thinking of a way to get out of this situation.


    ¡®You shouldn¡¯t assume it was her just for that!¡¯ I stood up. ¡®Whoever is doing this was clearly targeting Marcus. Anyone can put together a perfect murder plot if it¡¯s for the sake of revenge. They had plenty of time to prepare so I don¡¯t think just being smart means it was her.¡¯


    ¡®So you¡¯re saying it was Amelia then?¡¯ Lilah laughed. Amelia immediately looked up with tears in her eyes. Everything was simply too much for her. ¡®Or, if not her, are you saying it was you?¡¯


    ¡®W-well¡­¡¯ I was at a loss for words.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s somehow possible for someone not in the kitchen to have done it¡­? No¡­ or maybe?¡¯


    Amelia looked shocked for a moment and then the tears in her eyes began to flow. She wiped them immediately and looked back down at the table.


    ¡®Amelia, you looked like you had something to say,¡¯ Alex pointed out.


    ¡®No¡­ it was nothing,¡¯ Her eyes darted around before she wiped more tears.


    ¡®These people aren¡¯t your friends!¡¯ Alex yelled. ¡®They killed people! One of us is a murderer! You have to say what¡¯s on your mind!¡¯


    Amelia stared me in the eyes as more tears poured out. Then she looked at the table and mumbled, ¡®Someone could have given Marcus a different poison after he passed out¡­¡¯


    ¡®Is she saying¡­?¡¯


    ¡®Oh!¡¯ Lilah smiled. ¡®That¡¯s brilliant! The murderer had to be awake for the kill!¡¯


    ¡®N-no!¡¯ I raised my voice instinctually. ¡®Why wouldn¡¯t the murderer have just poisoned themselves after so that they woke up with everyone else? That would have been flawless!¡¯


    ¡®While the first murder could have been done by anyone, this crime only has one possible suspect.¡¯


    ¡®Not necessarily,¡¯ Alex cut in.


    ¡®Him too?¡¯


    He continued, ¡®Drugging yourself is a dangerous game. They may have been too scared. Not to mention, if their grudge was with Marcus then they may have wanted to check on everyone else to make sure they were alright. After killing Marcus, they made sure their friends were okay, and in doing so the bodies were moved or patched up. If everyone sees that they were helped by someone then they would be more inclined to trust them. But that might have backfired. Alternatively, the murderer could have made themselves obvious, but not certain, to a degree at which you wouldn¡¯t believe they¡¯d make such a simple mistake.¡¯


    ¡®There¡¯s still no evidence!¡¯ I pleaded.


    Amelia continued to cry into her arms while everyone else looked at me. Mary looked at me with a mixture of emotions: pity, confusion, anticipation. Alex looked at me with contempt, already having made up his mind. Lilah just sneered at me, getting as much entertainment as she could.


    Lilah snickered, ¡®Only one person had the capability to commit this crime. Whether it was a well thought out crime is another story. Right now, only one of us could have done it.¡¯


    I stared at the people I felt I could call friends, Mary and Amelia. I looked to them desperately for them to come to my defense. I prayed that they would have some miracle evidence to disprove the allegations. In a final attempt I stuttered, ¡®T-there has to be another way! Someone else could have done it! It-it must have conflicted with his medications somehow!¡¯


    ¡®How¡¯s this?¡¯ Proposed Alex with a sigh. ¡®We don¡¯t know who it is for sure, so let¡¯s think about it tonight. We¡¯ll lock up the potential suspects for the rest of the day to make sure they don¡¯t do anything. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll decide who it was and then we¡¯ll punish them.¡¯


    ¡®P-punish?¡¯ Amelia stuttered. ¡®Do we have to? We could just wait for the police to show up-¡¯


    Alex elaborated, ¡®The murderer needs punished now! They don¡¯t have to die, but we need to do something. When the police show up there may not be enough evidence to prove the murderer did it. So we need to take this into our own hands.¡¯


    I sighed and sat back down helplessly, ¡®One last thing before I get locked up. Let¡¯s bury Marcus next to William. Over the last few days I grew a new respect for him. He did something that I couldn¡¯t.¡¯


    Alex gave me a funny look but replied, ¡®Very well. I¡¯ll come with you to relocate his body. Everyone else, go wait in the garden.¡¯


    Nobody argued, simply and wordlessly obeying.


    We wrapped Marcus up in a blanket and carried him carefully into the garden. The world was incredibly somber, despite it being a cloudless day. The chirping of insects and the rustle of trees continued as usual despite the death of someone I admired. It was as if none of it ever mattered. The world continued on despite the scared, scarred faces of traumatized kids.


    Amelia couldn¡¯t even look as we dug the hole for Marcus to lie in. Alex and I found shovels in William¡¯s closet full of gardening supplies. It took us a little over an hour to get an adequate hole dug, but we placed Marcus, still wrapped in a blanket, into the hole. We dug right beside the fountain, next to a small stone and flower that Marcus had placed on top of loose soil, where he had once buried William.


    Together, we slowly walked to our rooms. The moments dragged on and each step felt like minutes of silence. A part of me couldn¡¯t get over my anxiety for the future and my discomfort in the present. A feeling that had been so prominent in my life that it stirred something within me.


    Eventually, the time came.


    ¡®See you guys later,¡¯ I waved sadly to Amelia and Mary.


    Mary waved back, but Amelia couldn¡¯t even look at me. She was undoubtedly guilt-ridden from throwing me under the bus. From her perspective, I probably did seem like the most probable suspect. I could at least hope that her tears were because she felt like she betrayed me, rather than because she felt betrayed.


    The story wasn¡¯t over yet.


    ¡®See you,¡¯Alex said as he shut my door behind me and proceeded to screw on a second lock on the outside of the door.


    I was alone.


    I threw myself onto my bed and wracked my brain for answers.


    ¡®How was it all possible? How was the last murder committed? Why was I left awake? Why didn¡¯t the murderer just put us all to sleep and then kill Marcus, followed by putting themselves to sleep?¡¯


    I was swiftly sidetracked by the thought of Marcus and William disappearing like Rose.


    Rose.


    ¡®Rose¡­ If only she were here right now. What would she say? Maybe something like-¡¯


    ¡®¡°You can do it. I believe in you.¡±¡¯


    ¡®But, what do you believe in me to do?¡¯


    ¡®¡°You need to protect the present that you¡¯re living in and secure your future! So, solve it. Solve the mystery. Clear your name! You can do it! It¡¯s something that only you can do. You have to look it over again. You have the catalog of events in your head. Your memories are the key to solving this mystery!¡±¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s it¡­ That¡¯s it! I¡¯ll look it all over one more time. No¡­ perhaps that won¡¯t be enough. I¡¯ll replay the events in my head until I finally solve the mystery. If it¡¯s in a memory then I can look over them much faster than they took place. I should be able to recap this story many times before tomorrow. I may not invest emotion into this world, but for the sake of the past that I hold so dearly¡­ For Rose. I¡¯ll try again! I¡¯ll ¡°reread¡± this ¡°story¡± one more time. All of the clues are there for me to solve it. So, I¡¯ll try again.¡¯


    ¡®And again.¡¯


    ¡®And again.¡¯¡± I think to myself, waking up from the memory once more.


    ¡°I finally understand¡­¡± I can¡¯t help but mumble to myself with a grimace. ¡°All I have to do now is interrogate that person at the trial. They hold the final answer.¡±

 Mary

    I watch the darkness of my eyelids as I attempt to fall asleep. Who knows how long it took me to solve it all? How many times did I read over my memories? But, it doesn¡¯t really matter. The real problem is the conclusion that I reached.


    I toss and turn, struggling to finally fall asleep. All I want in this moment is to sleep. Sleep is like skipping to tomorrow, because I no longer want to live in today. So much has happened that I don¡¯t think I can take it anymore. The little emotion that I invest into reality has finally begun to overflow.


    Images of Mary¡­ or Rose? No, Mary, flood my mind.


    Without a second of sleep that night, I hear a knock at the door.


    ¡°Daniel, are you awake?¡± Alex greets loudly from behind the door. ¡°It¡¯s finally time.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly wait!¡± Lilah¡¯s voice is muffled through the door.


    Followed by the clinking of the lock, Alex opens the door with a smile.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going. The sooner we get this over with the better,¡± He gestures for me to follow as he turns around and begins to make his way to the cafeteria.


    Lilah hops far in front of us leading both Amelia and Mary along with her. The three of them take the elevator without waiting so Alex and I take the stairs down.


    I hesitate a little before speaking but muster up the courage to ask him, ¡°¡­ Do you really think it was me?¡±


    He sighs heavily and adjusts his glasses, ¡°I wish no one had done anything at all, but here we are. I probably lost Marcus¡¯ investment now too. Unless we were in his will for whatever reason.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still thinking of yourself even though he just died?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t pretend like you aren¡¯t. All last night you were probably just trying to think up a way out of your situation. There¡¯s no way I can believe someone would do anything out of the goodness of their heart right now. Anyone who would, I¡¯d classify as an idiot,¡± He looked at my troubled expression and sighed. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t believe it was you. That is, I¡¯m not convinced it was you. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I think it couldn¡¯t have been you. The only ones that I know didn¡¯t commit the murder are Lilah and I.¡±


    Alex picks up his pace down the stairs and I hurry to follow him. We arrive on the first floor just as the elevator opens up and lets Lilah¡¯s group out. Now all together, we make our way to the diner in silence.


    Everyone takes their chairs quietly. Lilah wore a smile as usual, but no longer had her beret or glasses. Alex sat as professional as always and was prepared to lead the trial. Mary seemed irritated, impatient, and worried. Usually she would be the one leading discussions, but as a suspect in the case she wouldn¡¯t be allowed that privilege. Amelia sat with her hands covering her face, crying or simply shaking with fear.


    ¡°Alright everyone. Let¡¯s go over this one more time,¡± Alex folds his hands and crosses his legs. ¡°This trial isn¡¯t only for the murder of Marcus. It¡¯s also to determine who killed William. That should be obvious, but we should also include evidence from previous cases when determining who committed the crimes. That being said, let¡¯s start with the most recent. Everyone was poisoned during our little party. It must have been in the party food due to the fact that we held it in the morning. It is important to note that Marcus most likely had a different poison from everyone else.¡±


    ¡°How do you know his poison was different?¡± Mary inquires. ¡°What if he just had a higher dose or his body couldn¡¯t handle it? Someone could have made sure the poison conflicted with his meds.¡±


    Alex responds with a puffed out chest, ¡°That is possible, but I don¡¯t believe that was the case. The murderer would have had to know what meds he was taking and have the knowledge of what would conflict with them. The only one who should have known these things is William, but he¡¯s already dead. As for a higher dose, everyone ate the same food, so that¡¯s impossible. He may have a weak body, but then the murderer would have been taking a huge gamble as to whether or not the poison would kill him. If any of those were actually how he was killed then it¡¯s clear the murderer would need a large amount of medical knowledge. Making you the prime suspect.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± Mary sighs. She turns to face me and hesitates before continuing. ¡°That¡¯s why I believe it was Daniel. He was the only one awake during the time of the murder. In my head the murder plot would have gone like this: Daniel poisons everyone¡¯s drinks. He refrains from drinking any, or just enough to not be affected. After everyone is out cold he forces Marcus to take a separate, deadly, poison. Finally he puts everyone that he doesn¡¯t have a grudge on in bed and tends to their wounds. He could have passed out himself but he was worried about his friends¡¯ injuries. Either that or he was too afraid to poison himself-¡±


    Amelia comes to my defense with tears in her eyes, ¡°W-what if the real murderer actually did give Marcus a separate poison during the event somehow? They also might not have thought about the possibility of someone not eating or drinking enough of the poison, so Daniel ended up awake by accident.¡±


    Mary rebuts, ¡°That¡¯s very unlikely. How could the murderer have possibly given out two separate poisons? It¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Amelia looks at me desperately for assistance. I open my mouth to assist, but Alex picks up before I can.


    Alex begins, ¡°So, to summarize, the only possible murderer is Daniel. We can rule out Mary and Amelia because other murder methods would require a large amount of luck, hazard to their friends, and a high chance of being found out. That is, unless it was somehow possible for two different poisons to be distributed accurately?¡±


    He directs his question towards me.


    Without Lilah¡¯s smile, or an ounce of Alex¡¯s confidence, or Amelia¡¯s emotion, or even Mary¡¯s determination, I bit my lip and stared at the table, ¡°I already know who did it. All of it. Every single crime.¡±


    Amelia looked at me with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Lilah giggled and grinned, simply enjoying the show. Mary looked at me with surprise.


    Alex adjusted his glasses once more, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll start from the beginning. Anyone could have set up the trap in Marcus¡¯ office. It was an entirely perfect crime. The padlock on the door meant nothing and ended up being much less secure than a regular lock, despite the use of technology. Although anyone could have done it, those showing up late to the pool party were extra suspicious as we all knew for certain that Marcus wasn¡¯t in his office at the time.¡±


    ¡°Could you refresh us on who those late individuals were?¡± Lilah laughs.


    ¡°It was you and Mary. Although I was a little behind, myself.¡±


    ¡°So you admit that you were a big suspect there?¡± She sneers again.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to let me finish. But, yes, I had the ability to commit that crime,¡± I take a deep breath and recompose myself. ¡°The next attempted murder was when someone broke Marcus¡¯ lock. We were moving in groups at the time but there were three possible suspects that day: Alex, Mary, and Amelia. I couldn¡¯t have committed that crime.¡±


    ¡°That might be so¡­ but I don¡¯t remember for sure. How do we know that you aren¡¯t using your perfect memory to trick us?¡± Lilah smiles.


    ¡°Your memory is just bad,¡± Alex backs me up. ¡°I remember that too. Continue on, Daniel.¡±


    ¡°Last but not least, our suspects this time were Amelia, Mary and I. From all of this, the only common denominator in every crime is Mary and Amelia.¡±


    Amelia looks at me with shock and horror, ¡°W-what? It wasn¡¯t me!¡±


    I can¡¯t force myself to look up. I can¡¯t bring myself to look at the person I¡¯m about to convict. It might be wrong, and she might deserve to see my face before I accuse her, but it¡¯s impossible for me.


    ¡°I know. It had to be Mary.¡±


    Mary looks at me curiously, but not angrily, ¡°Why me? Why am I the only option left?¡±


    ¡°Because someone who was cooking the food wouldn¡¯t be able to dish out separate poisons accurately. But with drinks, you can easily dish out whatever poison you want for your desired target.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± She looks at me very curiously and leans forward to listen to whatever I have to say.


    ¡°You offered to give everyone their own cup so they didn¡¯t get mixed up. I wasn¡¯t watching too carefully at the time, but you must have put the poison in the cups,¡± I say with certainty. Lilah¡¯s eyes open wide and she smiles with sheer entertainment. ¡°Think about it. The only thing that was unique to each of us that meal was our cups. We shared the food, but if our cups were poisoned then you could control exactly who got it. Not to mention, it would prevent someone who wasn¡¯t your target from overdosing. The poison, probably in the form of a powder, was applied to the inside of everyone¡¯s cups! The murderer then chose to not poison mine so that I could take the fall instead. They left me to be the only possible suspect as a scapegoat. And while not poisoning me, they also added a unique kind of poison to Marcus¡¯ cup. One that was lethal.¡±


    ¡°Mary¡­?¡± Alex offers her a chance at a rebuttal.


    Amelia looked at Mary with tears in her eyes, still unable to believe that her friend would commit a murder.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Mary shrugs in an over dramatic way. ¡°You caught me. I could sit here and spout excuses all day, but now that Daniel is on the case, I don¡¯t think I have a chance.¡±


    Amelia¡¯s tears fall once more as she stares in confusion at Mary. She doesn¡¯t weep or let out a sound, but tears fall off of her stunned face. Lilah smiles while she watches what looked like the most amusing thing in her life.


    Alex stands up and pounds the table enraged, ¡°Are you being serious? Just like that? Are you really going to admit to it that quickly? Is Daniel really that intimidating?¡±


    ¡°Well, this whole time I was trying my best to get Daniel on my side. It worked for a while too. I have a hunch as to why, but he seemed to have had an abnormal amount of fondness for me. That worked out perfectly because of his talent. If he can really just remember any detail about everything, there was no chance for me to get away from the beginning. Not unless I killed him too, but that¡¯s not just. That¡¯s why I needed him.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Even if you had no chance, why didn¡¯t you at least try to get away?¡± Alex asks in confusion. ¡°You would sacrifice your entire future because of that?¡±


    ¡°How very ¡®Alex¡¯ of you,¡± Mary mocks. ¡°But, I¡¯m sorry to say that I don¡¯t care about the future. I¡¯ve accomplished my goal. It¡¯s sad that William was killed along the way, but all that matters is that I was able to kill Marcus. William was an accomplice as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡±


    Amelia¡¯s breathing is labored, ¡°Why¡­? What made you kill Marcus?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to say.¡±


    ¡°Revenge. She must¡¯ve been affected by his serial killing,¡± I propose vaguely, despite knowing much more detail.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± Alex returns to his chair with a sigh. Everyone else sits back down following his example. ¡°We missed a lot, but the rest of the details don¡¯t matter. She confessed. She says that she was only targeting Marcus, but she¡¯s still dangerous.¡±


    ¡°D-don¡¯t hurt her, please,¡± Amelia manages to defend her friend until the end.


    Mary looks at her pitifully. Who knows if their relationship ever meant anything to Mary?


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Alex assures. ¡°We¡¯ll turn her in to the police when they arrive at the island. For now we¡¯ll lock her up. If we can leave this to you, Amelia, can you feed her three meals a day?¡±


    She weakly nods while staring down at the table.


    ¡°Great work Daniel,¡± Alex congratulates.


    He stands up and walks behind Mary. She knew without anything being said, so she stands and begins to walk to her room. Alex escorts her close behind, watching to make sure she doesn¡¯t try anything.


    For what I hope is the last time, I look at Mary¡¯s face. Her long black hair flows behind her and her cute face looks satisfied with this outcome. Satisfied that she served her past, even if it damned her future.


    But¡­ the more that I look at her, I finally realize something.


    As she walks away she says to me with disgust, ¡°I never liked you, Daniel. You were always so fixated on the past. It reminded me of myself. You chose to overlook every piece of evidence that made me out to be the villain of this story. Why was that? Simply because I look like someone you used to know? It¡¯s pitiful. I, on the other hand, worked for my goal, for justice, until the bitter end. You¡¯re weak. But, I¡¯m glad that you got over it.¡±


    With the last glimpse of her face it¡¯s finally obvious.


    She doesn¡¯t look that much like Rose after all.


    ¡°Well, that was certainly a show! Wasn¡¯t it?¡± Lilah laughed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I stand up and offer a hand to Amelia, ignoring Lilah.


    Amelia takes my hand without making eye contact and I pull her up. Together, we start to walk out of the room.


    Behind us Lilah makes her disappointment known, ¡°Boring~¡±


    We stop in the halls, without knowing where to go.


    ¡°It¡¯s all over now¡­¡± I said as reassurance to Amelia.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry,¡± She throws my hand to the side and runs away.


    I instinctually grab her arm before she gets far. She turns to me with tears in her eyes and tugs her arm.


    ¡°Tell me you¡¯ll be okay. I¡¯m here for you,¡± I say without breaking eye contact.


    I just can¡¯t avert my eyes from my friend¡¯s pain anymore. Not again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine¡­ I just need some time alone.¡±


    She pulls away from my hand and turns her back, walking to her room.


    ¡°How sweet,¡± Lilah mocks from behind me as soon as Amelia is out of view.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Relax! I was just leaving the cafeteria. You guys were in the way. I just so happened to be here long enough to hear it all.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°Was this all fun for you? I¡¯m not trying to start a fight, but did you enjoy all of the chaos?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Lilah laughs and spins around on one foot. ¡°What could be more fun in the whole wide world? I love acting, but this experience is one that I¡¯ll never forget.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Me either. But I didn¡¯t have any fun. Though it was eye opening for me.¡±


    ¡°I had a blast!¡± She giggles and giggles but slowly she starts to sound worn out. ¡°Sorry. That was a lie.¡±


    On one foot she hops away, without turning back.


    Hours pass before I see anyone again. I walked out the front door and sat down on the side of the pond, staring into the sky. It was finally sunset and I hadn¡¯t moved since the trial. I was completely lost in thought.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Sorry about earlier,¡± Amelia speaks softly behind me.


    ¡°Oh, hey. Are you doing better?¡±


    She stops for a moment before sitting down beside me, ¡°Yeah. I was painting again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. I¡¯ve just been watching the clouds.¡±


    ¡°Are you doing alright?¡±


    ¡°Kind of¡­¡± I sigh. ¡°I think that I only ever made friends with Mary because of her resemblance to someone I used to know¡­ I know what made her want to kill Marcus. The worst part is that I don¡¯t know if I can blame her.¡±


    Amelia looks at my face through my reflection in the pond, ¡°What do you think happened?¡±


    ¡°There was a newspaper in Marcus¡¯ office from several years ago. An article in it was titled, ¡®The Disappearance of Journalist Steve Bailey.¡¯ The girl that I knew¡­ Her name was Rose Bailey. She killed herself around the time that the article was published. I can only imagine that that was why.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible¡­¡± She spoke with genuine empathy.


    ¡°It gets a little worse. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already guessed though¡­ I never knew much about her, but Rose had a sister. One who went to a special boarding school because of how smart she was. Not to mention, they had no mother for a reason I don¡¯t know. She was left all alone. As a genius, she probably dedicated the last few years of her life to discovering who did it, finishing her father¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°¡­ After Mary¡¯s dad went missing, her sister killed herself? No wonder she wanted revenge¡­ B-but that still doesn¡¯t make it okay!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ of course not. But that isn¡¯t why I can¡¯t blame her. It¡¯s because if I knew it was Marcus¡¯ fault, I¡¯d have done the same thing,¡± We both fall silent for a few moments as I gather the courage to continue. ¡°Before today, I¡¯ve been living in the past. I couldn¡¯t move on from Rose¡¯s death. But this trial showed that to me. I overlooked so much that Mary did simply because she reminded me of the past. Not to mention, ever since Rose died, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve truly been happy. I think that¡¯s because I didn¡¯t open up my eyes. I¡¯ve had the potential to be happy, but I haven¡¯t been able to see that. Even on this island, I hardly spent any time with you because of my focus on Mary. Living like this isn¡¯t okay. So I decided to finally move on. Three years later. I won¡¯t forget the past, that¡¯s impossible. Despite how it all ended, I¡¯m glad I met Rose. I think that she would¡¯ve wanted me to continue smiling. Above everything else, I¡¯m going to smile for myself from now on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fantastic. I¡¯m sorry you¡¯ve had to go through so much.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I really appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Amelia speaks gently. ¡°Whenever I want to get out my emotions, or leave something behind, I paint. Want to paint with me?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯d love to,¡± I smile.


    Amelia¡¯s eyes open wide and she grins from ear to ear, an honest smile, unlike Lilah¡¯s, ¡°You smiled.¡±


    We spent the rest of the day painting together in her room. I was so caught up with Mary that I had completely forgotten how much fun I had with Amelia on our first night. I was so blinded by the past that I chose what was already lost over what was yet to come. I was afraid that it would only be more loss.


    For several days, the four of us continued our lives like usual. There was plenty of food left in the diner and a whole lot of things on the island that we hadn¡¯t done yet. So, until help finally arrived, we took a well deserved break.


    Amelia taught me how to paint, and I was surprisingly good at it. At first I couldn¡¯t really draw what I wanted to, even though I had the exact image in my mind. But, after Amelia¡¯s instruction, I managed to learn how to paint accurately. Even though I painted extremely accurate pictures without the need for a reference, I still much preferred to add subjectivity and abstraction. It¡¯s much more fun now.


    Finally, while we are all eating breakfast, an unfamiliar sound echoes throughout the island.


    Lilah runs out the doors first and calls to us, ¡°They¡¯re here!¡±


    We swiftly rush to the garden and stare up at the silhouettes in the distance. Two helicopters headed straight towards us.


    Lilah immediately runs back to her room to pack up her things. Her foot isn¡¯t fully healed yet but she doesn¡¯t seem to care. Perhaps it is fully healed, but she¡¯s wearing the wrap for a prank? Following close behind Amelia, Alex and I rush to pack up as well. As I packed up in my room, my best painting yet sat on the window sill. Without a second thought, I wave to it as I exit the room and leave it behind.


    The four of us line up in the garden holding out bags tightly. It was all over. We watch cautiously as the helicopters find a place to land. They create an enormous wind that stirs up the flowers. I wave my hands violently to signal that the garden was off limits.


    The helicopters locate a flat stretch of grass a ways from the main building and we follow behind. The deafening sound of the helicopters only grows louder as they approach the ground.


    As soon as they land, several menacing looking guards in full body armor step out of the vehicle. They have weapons, but they put them away as soon as they see we are safe.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± They ask with confusion and worry. ¡°Isn¡¯t there supposed to be one more of you? And where is Marcus?¡±


    Nobody seems like they want to be the one to break the news. Alex holds his hand behind him, suddenly losing the confidence he kept with him always. He probably thinks it would reflect poorly on him. Amelia looks at the ground, ashamed. Even Lilah seems a bit uncomfortable at the question.


    I step forward from our line, ¡°Marcus and his butler William are dead. They were murdered by the other kid, Mary. She¡¯s locked in her room.¡±


    One of the guards takes a deep breath, ¡°This will take longer than I thought¡­¡±


    After a search of the building, they signal for us to get inside of the second helicopter. We¡¯re going to be returned to our homes shortly, but we¡¯d have to answer some questions first. They must be well informed because they mostly directed that part at me.


    We sat in the helicopter with only the pilot in the front while guards searched the mansion.


    ¡°Can we stay friends?¡± I muster the courage to ask everyone.


    Even Lilah and Alex who can be insensitive are still good people. It¡¯s hard to tell at first, and may not even be true, but I believe that Lilah still cares despite her acting. Her childishness and dishonest smile remind me of Rose. But I won¡¯t be obsessive. I¡¯ve learned that lesson already. Alex probably truly does only care about his own future, but I only cared about my past so it¡¯s fair.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Lilah grins.


    Amelia looks at the ground and blushes shyly, ¡°S-sure.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Alex scoffs, ¡°Like I¡¯ll have time to be friends with you while I¡¯m building my empire,¡± his cheeks faintly change color as he continues. ¡°But, perhaps I could clear some time.¡±


    Around half an hour passes and the guards make their return. I don¡¯t watch their approach as they must have brought Mary with them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep her in the other helicopter with us.¡±


    We¡¯re given headsets to lower the noise of the helicopter and the pilot signals from the front seat, ¡°We¡¯re taking off.¡±


    Memories of the past week flash through my mind. Sad, lonely, terrifying memories, but I smile for my new friends.


    As we take off I look longingly at the garden. Goodbye William. Goodbye Marcus. I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t save you.


    And I think back to the painting on my window sill. Sitting alone on that island- the island that Marcus secluded himself on due to his fixation of the past. A painting of a smiling girl.


    ¡°Goodbye, Rose.¡±

 Afterword

    Thank you for getting this far. It means a lot to me. This is my first mystery novel, well, novella, but I think it turned out alright. A lot happened along the way and there are probably a handful of mistakes that I didn¡¯t see, but for what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m happy with it. It ended up a bit shorter than my last book, but I feel like my writing has improved a lot since then.


    While I was writing I just wanted to express the feeling of moving on. This expanded into a whole cast of characters focused on the past, present, and future. I hope I was able to write a convincing tale of a young boy moving on from his first loss, even if it took him a while.


    Originally the book was only going to answer the final mystery of who the culprit was. It wasn¡¯t going to outright state their connections to other characters or their motivations. Somewhere along the way though, I ended up deciding that the mystery genre is the biggest genre where nothing should remain vague. Still, all of the answers to the mysteries were laid out before chapter 10. This way, you could follow in Daniel¡¯s shoes as you ¡°re-read the story¡±/¡±look over your memories¡± to solve the mystery.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Another thing is that I absolutely love playing with the ordinary convention of books. I¡¯ve been thinking to myself lately, ¡°What does a book have that can¡¯t be imitated by any other form of media?¡± While this isn¡¯t the final product of that idea, I tried my best to use quotation marks in an interesting way, as I¡¯m sure you saw.


    Finally, know that I¡¯m not weak by any means. That is, I am very open to criticism. In fact, I was pretty disappointed by the lack of reviews on my last book. Even if it¡¯s just a comment insulting my grammar, please don¡¯t hesitate to leave it! Any improvements I could make to my writing is something I would love to hear.


    Thanks again, and don¡¯t go easy on me! - L. A. Sirius