I remember how it was, standing under a detective’s shadow. It thrilled me, how my father cracked a case. His last case was ‘the barren blade. I’d been at a friends house that Saturday, playing games. I returned home after dark, I was worried that he’d ground me. The apartment was empty, “dad,” I called. No response. Dad’s profession wasn’t legal. I worried he had been caught gathering recon. I searched the house.
Finally I came to my room. I opened the dark brown door, ‘no girls’ said an enormous poster. Pictures of bugs were all over it. ‘Girl proofing’ is what I called it. I looked into the room, expecting dark blue and found crimson. my blood curdling scream hurt even my ears. I stood there, my body unwilling to move.
The skinless corps dangled from my ceiling fan. Blood dripped from the exposed muscles. The only skin that remained was his face, my father’s face, frozen in terror for all eternity. I realized an envelope had been put in his mouth; the killer left me a message. “Sorry, pa,” I slipped it out his mouth ‘I will not be beaten’ read a note in the envelope.
I turned, ran to his bed room, and ransacked his files. “the barred blade” read the manila folder. I took the papers out and shoved them in my pocket.
There was a loud banging on the door
“Police, we have a call stating there was screaming.”
“Be right there.” I called in a shaky voice. Against all my morals, I was open to help.
I’d been adopted by a wealthy British man. He brought all the things in my old home to his mansion, and stored it all in a shed.
There I met my new brother, Lucas. He was strange and nerdy but he and the rest of my family helped me through it.
Now my mind is strait, and I will even the score.