“Oh, My Goodness! What was up with that?” Jessica said.

“Yeah, I agree. What was up with that guy?” Rose said. Arianna shrugged her shoulders but looked down.

“Hey, Arianna. You and I need to talk later so you can tell me what is wrong,” Rebecca said.


They all got in the car and were driving home. The girls were too busy joking around and listening to music. Just then Rebecca saw something run into the street. She tried to swerve to avoid hitting it, but it was too late. It happened too fast. Rebecca didn’t have enough time to do anything. She hit it. The girls got out of the car to see what it was that Rebecca had hit.



They couldn’t believe their eyes. They all began to scream and cry. They couldn’t believe that they had hit a little girl. Rebecca was screaming “ Oh no! Not a little girl, please be alright!”



Arianna bent down to see if she was okay, to see if she was hurt. Then she noticed that the little girl was not breathing.

“Someone call 911! Please hurry up!” Rebecca screamed. Arianna dialed 911 from her cell phone.

“Hello 911 what is your emergency?” the 911 operator asked.

“We hit a little girl crossing the street,” Arianna told the operator. The 911 operator asked where they were at so she can send an ambulance. Arianna told her 5 miles south of the mall on Hwy 101.

“Ma’am we just called an ambulance and it should be there soon.”

“Thank You so much.” Arianna said.



When the paramedics arrived they informed the girls it was too late. The little girl had died.



Arianna and her friends couldn’t believe what was happening. They thought it was all a bad dream. Arianna was looking down on the road and noticed something beside the little girl. She leaned down to see what it was and she saw a bracelet had come off the little girl’s wrist. She picked it up. It had a name on it. The name Esperanza.


Arianna knew that name. She remembered her grandmother’s name was Esperanza, and it meant Hope in Spanish. As Arianna was looking around she caught a glimpse of something moving near the trees. She saw that guy William from the mall and Chili’s. He was looking in an evil way with a lot of anger and hate. Then he vanished into the dark.


Arianna was getting ready at home. She decided to go to school. “Mom , have you seen my school books?” she asked.

“No, sweetie. Are you sure you want to go to school? You know the principal said that you and the girls didn’t have to go to school today,” her mom said.

“Yes, I know. I just need to get out of the house. Have you seen my books?”

Arianna knew that it had only been two days since the accident, but she felt like she was doing better. As long as she was at home all she could see every time she closed her eyes was the face of the little girl. So she needed to get out so she can get something else on her mind.

“Forget it, Mom I‘m fixing to be late. I’m leaving. Bye, Love you, See you after school.” Arianna said.

“Okay, be careful. Be sure to come straight home after school, alright?” Mom said.

“Okay, bye,” Arianna shouted as she walked out the door.


Arianna’s mom couldn’t believe that it had been two days since the accident. She remembered how hard it was for Arianna when her father was killed in an accident. But she was worried that it was hitting Arianna harder this time because it was a little girl who was killed by her and her friends. Yes, it was almost the same way as her father except her father was killed by a drunk driver and the little girl was killed by a group of high school kids being careless. She stopped thinking about him and the little girl.

She heard the doorbell ring and she wiped her tears away. “Coming! Just hold on. Who would be here this early in the morning?” When Arianna’s mom answered the door, no one was there, only a vase of red roses with a card saying it’s for Arianna. She opened the card and read what it said.

Arianna you are next to be dead. Be careful where you go. I’m always there watching you.
P.S.
I’m sorry about your mom. She was a pretty woman, too bad I had to kill her.

Love W.

Arianna’s mom turned to run for the phone. But it was too late. She was facing her killer. She screamed “Oh no, not you!” Then she was stabbed several times in her head.


It was 8:00 P.M. before Arianna came home. She noticed that the lights were not on. She thought it was unusual because her mom would have had the lights on already. She walked in. It was pitch black, and it was really chilly in the house.

“Mom! Hello! I’m home!” Suddenly she heard a shattering noise come from the kitchen. She called out,

“Hello is someone in there?” No one answered. She felt like something was wrong as if like someone else was in the house with her. She hurried to the kitchen to see what had shattered. As she walked into the kitchen she slipped and fell into something wet on the floor. She hit her head very hard. She felt the room spin and then turn black.


She started to open her eyes and noticed someone over her. She let out a dreadful scream. The person over her started to choke her. She struggled and managed to kick the person very hard. She ran for the phone and picked it up. It was dead. She heard footsteps coming behind her and she turned and threw the phone at them. She ran to the counter and grabbed a kitchen knife. She started to run to the door and the person was at the door. She started stabbing until the person fell to the ground. She ran out of the house to the neighbor’s house, and they called the police.


Arianna was sitting at the back of the ambulance when the Chief of police came up to speak to her.

“ Ms. Arianna, I am Chief Murray with the homicide division. I have a few questions for you.”

“Yes, sir.” Arianna replied.

“ Did you know that a man was in your house when you came home today?” Chief Murray asked.

“No!” Arianna answered. They brought the body out and Arianna asked to see it. They pulled the sheet back and she saw that it was that same guy William. “What was he doing in her house? Why was he trying to kill me?” Arianna thought to herself.


The chief asked her if she had seen him before. She said “Yes, at the mall. He followed me around, he was my waiter and he returned my wallet to me. His name is William!” Arianna told the chief.

“ No, his name is Guillermo Vega,” Chief Murray told Arianna.


Suddenly Arianna felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Could it be him? Then she realized that he was using William which was the English name for Guillermo. And Guillermo Vega was her older brother who had run away from home when she was younger because he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant.

“Why would he want to hurt me?” Arianna asked the Chief. Then the Chief showed her a note that was in Williams pocket:

I want you to feel my pain and grief. You took my Esperanza away from me and now I will take your Mom away from you. Then I will take your life from you.


“The little girl who ran into the street was William’s daughter. She was my niece. Oh, No!”

“Where is my mom? I want my Mom?” Arianna cried.

“ Arianna, I am so sorry to tell you, but he killed your Mom.” the Chief said.

“No! No! No!” Arianna screamed. “ I should have stayed home with her! She asked me to stay home with her. Why didn’t I stay home with her?”

“I am so sorry, but we need to take you downtown until a relative or guardian can come for you.” Chief Murray said.


It had been a week since her mom was murdered by her brother. Arianna didn’t know how it all happend, how her whole life came to a end with no one to love her anymore. Everything had changed in that one night. “But why me?” she thought to herself, but it really didn’t matter anymore. “I lost everybody that I had loved and really mattered to me.” Arianna yelled to the emptiness as she sat there staring at her reflection in her living room. She had already made her decision. Arianna still couldn’t get it out of her head. How she left her Mom that day. How she should have stayed with her. How that guy in the mall looked so familiar. How she wanted to recognize him. How he looked like her father but she just couldn’t beat to look at him. She didn’t want to be without her parents anymore. Arianna sat there watching old family videos. She couldn’t take it anymore. She went to her mom’s closet. She grabbed the box that was on the top shelf. She took the box downstairs with her. She opened the box, pulled out the gun, loaded it. Then she put the gun to her chest and pulled the trigger.