I finally arrive home and I start running upstairs to my room…and I let it out. I start crying like there is no tomorrow, but I don’t make any noise when I do so. I just let the tears fall silently down my cheek like a clear, crystal stream trailing down a creek.

That’s when it comes to me. No matter what, I swear on my life, I will solve the mystery of Richard’s death. I have to. It is the least I can do, but I can’t do it alone.

Quickly, wiping the tears off my face with the sleeve of my sweater, I call my best friends up.

The phone keeps on ringing until I hear Briana and Kathy both answer it at the same time.

“Guys,” I say, getting their attention.

“Yeah,” they both say at once.

“Richard’s death…let’s figure it out.”

“WHAT?! Are you crazy! We’re only a bunch of 17 year olds…what can we do?” Kathy complains.

“Everything,” Briana replies, “matter of fact I say we start this right now.”

“Good,” I say. “But first we need to start with the basics…You know…”

“Fine, I’ll help,” Kathy breathes out exasperated. “But only on one condition.”

“What?” I and Briana both say.

“Once we figure out Richard’s mysterious death…buy a red rose.”

“Huh,” I question. “If it’s a red rose you want I can get it for you now…,” I reply.

“No,” Kathy says flat out. “When it’s all over is when you will buy the rose.”

“U-uh…ok…” I stutter…still kind of clueless as to what she means.

“Well,” Briana interrupts the silence, “If we are to finish this within the next three days before the funeral I suggest we start.”

“Smart idea, Kathy. I need you to go back to the scene and try to find the driver that ran into Richard, information on him would be nice. Briana, I need you to be the genius you are and hack into Richard’s files online…And me, I’m going to talk to my parents.”

With all of this said, we hang up the phone.

I walk down the giant tall hallways that lead to my parent’s room.

I knock on the door slowly…No answer. I knock again…still…no answer.

“Kendra? What are you doing?” My grandmother asks curiously.

I turn my head to take a look at who is calling my name. “Trying to talk to mom and dad.”

“Oh sweetie, right now they’re in Taiwan on a business trip.”

Right. I should have known that. I haven’t seen my parents in months.

“But I thought they were coming back from France last week,” I say to grandma.

“I know, but from France they went straight to Taiwan,” My grandma explains to me.

Sighing, I pull out my cell phone. How many times am I going to have to use this thing today?

The phone rings…they don’t pick up. What if maybe they knew that I was going to call and deliberately decided to ignore my calls? What if they knew about Richard?
“Trying to call them?” my grandma asks, watching me, very amused.

“Yeah, but they’re not picking up.”

“Come here, here’s their emergency number.”

My grandma hands me a card.

I take a quick glance and dial the number on my phone while saving it, who knows…I might need it for later sometime.

“Hello?” A gruff voice comes through the phone. Cool, sounds like my dad.

“Dad,” I say.

“What do you want? I’m busy.”

“Richard…he’s dead…and we don’t know how he died…”

“And?” He says carelessly, “What do you want me to do? I’m all the way in Taiwan for goodness sake’s.”

“You don’t have to do anything; I already know what you did.”

“I didn’t kill him and I had nothing to do with it.”

“LIAR,” I yell through the phone.

“I’ll find out and you’ll pay! I swear.”

Angry I put my phone away and go to answer the door as it rang.

Both Kathy and Briana are at the door.

“I’ll start,” Kathy says. “Apparently, the guy that supposedly ran into Richard and his family while they were in the car was named Simon Richmond.”

“Wait- Did you Richmond. If it’s the Richmonds then my parents must have really nothing to do with it. Unless he was a traitor, but I doubt that; The Richmonds are very loyal to their family.”

“And if you think that weird,” Briana says “I was looking up some top secret information on Richard’s profile and you wouldn’t believe it. Richard’s a Richmond; he was supposed to be the real heir of the infamous Richmond Company. “

“But he was normal, lived in a townhouse with his mom and dad, a middle class in society, and his parents worked under my family. My parents wouldn’t even consider an interview with a Richmond, they despised them all. “

“So, then how did Richard’s parents work under my family?”

“Here’s the catch…they weren’t Richard’s parents…matter a fact…the current Richmond heir, which is actually the nephew of Mr. John (the current owner of the Richmond Company, he’s in charge of everything). So, before you interrupt me and ask why not use his son. I’ll tell you right now, because even though that was his son…it wasn’t his wife’s son.”

“Are you serious…So your saying…” I soon get cut off.

“Yes, that’s right, Mr. John Richmond cheated on his wife and doesn’t want her nor the media to know about it and so decided to cover it up by bribing Richard’s so called parents with money so they could keep their mouths shut. Now this comes to Richard’s death…His adoptive parents realized that Richard was turning 18 this Friday, November 23rd and he would one day learn the truth eventually. Scared, they knew what they have gotten into was way too much trouble and wanted to escape and so used the excuse that they were moving out of town. Well, it was more like, running away from town. Of course, Mr. John being the successful man he is, figured it out and thought it was easier just to wipe them out clean and so he did. Having no heir and no one to realize this sin he has committed he was safe. He didn’t have to worry about losing his power to his son either when the time came,” Briana finished explaining.

“Oh my goodness…” I say.

Kathy steps in, “Richard, his whole life was fake, he was living a lie from the start and sadly, to the end.”

Too shocked, once more, we leave without making a sound.

The next morning I turn on the news only to hear the accident, about how a drunk driver ran into their car. Lies, they were all lies, the driver was never drunk. He was just a hungry man, trying to cover up someone else’s mistake. This is what money does to people.

Money ruined my relationship with my family.

Money had Richard living his whole life as a lie.

Money has kids in Taiwan dying in factories probably cause of my parents.

Money had Richard’s parents lying to him every day.

Money had the media lying to these innocent people who believe every word they say when they turn on the television.

Money brings war.

Money has my best friend dead.

If you ask me, I think everything in this world all comes down to money and it’s sickening me to the core of my stomach.



~*~





After eating my breakfast, thinking about how helpless I’ve been on trying to solve Richard’s death. I change into all black ready to go to the funeral, but before I do so, I stop at a flower shop.

“Give me a red rose please.”

Once, I have it in my hand, I leave for the funeral. When I arrive, the rose petals have almost all fallen off, for there is only one more petal left.

I see friends of Richard’s from school, including Briana and Kathy. I don’t see Mr. John though. How sad that you can’t even be there for your own son, your own flesh and blood’s funeral – Pathetic, just like his stupid company. I look at my watch and realize it is November 23rd…

Happy birthday buddy, well…that’s what I was supposed to say…

I watch as the wind blows the last petal away from the fragile rose. A red rose, truly a significant flower, so fragile, but lovely to look at.

“You know why I asked you to bring a red rose?” Kathy says to me.

I only glance at her, indicating that I am listening.

Kathy sighs, running her fingers across his coffin. “Richard had a grandpa that died at sixteen, he said. Why? He didn’t know, but all that was left behind was a thorny stem of a rose tainted in blood. He said the worst thing was, was that his grandpa died on his birthday. Except I have a feeling Richard knew he was a Richmond because his grandpa that he was referring to had the last name Richmond and so, I thought if you brought a red rose, it would show he died with the same tradition as the Richmonds, with a red rose, well, now a stem lying on his coffin.”

“That’s a stupid reason,” I say flat out.

“Hn.” Was the only sound Kathy made before she left, leaving me alone outside.

I let the wind blow my hair across my face, as I look up into the sky. What a dishonorable way to die and I almost pity him for it. But instead I just shove my hands in my pockets and stroll out of the grave yard. Time to say goodbye, but I promise you Richard the next time you wake up, you’ll know the truth and all the beautiful lies will fly away, like petals on a rose.