Revenge!

by Chelsea

Chapter 1 Thunder Storm Lightning flashed overhead, thunder rolled, and one look at the stormy black clouds, you’d have known there would be a thunder storm. Cold, icy rain splashed down from the sky, people on the catwalk sprinted towards the nearest buildings, trying to cover their heads while running. All except one. A man in blacked watched, amused, by the people hurrying to the shelters, the rain is going to soak through anyway, why bother running? It was hard to tell what the man looked like, for he was covered from head to toe with a long, black traveling cloak. He raised his head, and stared at the second floor window of an apartment, his once warm chocolate brown eyes was now cold and hard as a rock. //Finally//, he thought, //revenge//.

Chapter 2 The news Grace stared at a headline of the newspaper, and it seemed to stare back at her too: EIGHT-TEEN YEAR OLD GIRL FOUND MURDERD IN HER OWN BEDROOM. She was too stunned to speak, no wonder her mother had fainted when she saw the news. What kind of person would go and kill an eight-teen year old girl? She remembered her mother’s blue eyes widen with horror, her face as white as paper, “No, no. It can’t be. How? Why?” then she fainted right where she stood. Her father had acted as though nothing special happened, “Shh…” he had whispered when he told Grace was all right, “She’s just shocked, and she’s worried about you, Gracey, but one day you will go to college and leave her and all. Be a good kid, and don’t go bothering her.” But Grace could tell by the anxious expression on her father’s face that he was worried about mom, too, and he doesn’t know why mom has fainted, either. In fact he asked Grace about that, his face full of worry and concern, “Gracey, tell me. Do you know the reason why your mom fainted? Emerald is so fragile right now, always waking up and screaming in the middle of the night. I’m not your real father, so I don’t know what happened before, you know…” he trailed off at the expression on Grace’s face. Grace doesn’t like the topic of her real father at all. She resented him for abandoning her and her mother; she resented him even more when her mother goes out with her step-father(she flinched at the thought of the word), Tam, paying Grace so little attention; she hated it every-time when her mother look at her sadly and whisper: “You have his perfectly serious face, smiling so little. Oh, and his beautiful brown eyes.” which was the only thing Grace got out of her mother’s mouth about her dad; she hated it when her class-mates discussed her behind her back. She wished rather that her real father never existed, that Tam was her actual father… Grace examined the newspaper, ever sense she was seven, she had had an interest in crimes and mysteries and murders(which scared her mom), //Sherlock Holmes// was the book she read again and again while her class-mates were reading //Harry Potter//. According to the paper, the girl was murdered in her own bedroom yesterday afternoon during a thunder storm in Seattle, the door had been locked on the inside, and the windows were locked, too. Hmm, that’s wired, thought Grace, how did the murderer escape? She couldn’t help thinking the murder had some connection to them, the way her mother fainted because of the news, and the murderer was in Seattle, too near to Grace’s hometown, Forks. She continued examining the newspaper, the girl’s name was Malinda Johnson, her picture smiled up at Grace, those golden brown curls, the orange freckles that spread across her face, and those sky blue eyes. Grace couldn’t help feeling that she knew this girl, like a long time ago, but that’s impossible, Grace told herself, you never know any girl like that, you don’t have many friends at school, and none of your class-mates look like that. You don’t even know the name Malinda, and you’re only twelve, she’s sixteen. But still, Grace couldn’t shake off the reorganization she had on this girl. Just then, the door bell rang, Grace jumped, and went to open the door.

Chapter 3 The mysterious business The door opened, and a tall, bold men stepped in, he wore a police officer’s uniform, “Hello there, miss. I wish to speak to Mrs. Emerald Meyer, could you take me to her?” Grace looked uncertainly up at the officer, her mother still hasn’t fully recovered from the news yet, “I’m not sure, sir. She’s resting right now, can it wait…?” “No, I’m sorry, miss. I must speak to her right now, I have important business. Please, if you wouldn’t mind taking me to her?” though he was asking her, Grace was sure that he was determined to see her mom no matter what. “I guess,” Grace shrugged, and lead the way.

The officer had shooed Grace and her father out, and he had talked to “Mrs. Emerald Meyer” for a long time, so that Grace got bored and trailed out of the house. Grace could pretty well go anywhere she wants as long as she’s in the United States, since her mother never cared as long as she came home. Tam, on the other hand, had always given her freedom, and encouraged her to do things on her own. Ever-since her mom “accidentally” fainted because of the news, Grace’s curiosity have been growing, why had Tam asked about her father, how come the murdered girl looked so familiar to Grace, and why had the officer wanted to talk to her mom, it all had to be connected to the murder in Seattle. And that’s where Grace is going to go.

Chapter 4 Broken clues The taxi stopped in front of a tall building, and Grace stepped out. The noises of the rushing cars, hurrying people, and impatient honking filled her ears. //Seattle//, Grace closed her eyes and let the smell of the the city flow in her nose, //so this is where the murder happened.// Grace had done a serious lot of research of where the murder had happened, and she remembered thinking it was a great place for murder, so many people, if the murder had been in Forks, the murderer had bond to be caught by now. She had searched up the exact address of the place of the crime, and people that had something to do with Malinda Johnson, and she stumbled over the video of a interview for the victim’s girl friend, Jessica Black or something. Jessica’s eyes were puffy from crying and was sobbing uncontrollably, “M-Mali was a real friend, she w-was so friendly, I-I can’t believe s-somebody murdered her, I-I could never imagine her g-gone…” Apparently, the interviewer was getting impatient with her, “That’s quite right now, Jessica, we all know Malinda is a great person, but what I meant was that, what Malinda had often talked to you about, like important things she said to you.” Jessica’s red eyes grew round with understanding, “Oh! Oh, um…S-she talked to me a lot a-about h-her self, her hobbies and stuff, a-and about h-her family, s-she told me she e-envies me, she w-wished she had a normal family. M-Malinda told me her parents divorced long ago, and her father left her when she was six. Her mother never cared about her much, and her father never visited, s-she doesn’t even remember what he looks like, and sometimes she cries about it, too…” //Another broken family, another unwanted child… another dream that never came true,// Grace looked up at the pale gray sky, a tear trickled down her face. Suddenly, she felt angry, a flame of bitterness burnt through her, //if parents never leave their children, never leave a broken promise, never leave a broken heart, if they'd just do it for their children, then there will never be the cause of sadness and hopeless.// “Don’t worry, Malinda,” whispered Grace, “I’m going to find out the truth.” and she disappeared down the dark ally, towards the building where the murder happened.

It didn’t take much time for Grace to find landlady of the apartment Malinda lived in, Mrs Brown. She was a short and puffy women about fifty, her warm brown eyes twinkled with kindness. “Hello, my dear. Can I help you with something?” looking into those kind eyes, it’s as though Grace saw what her mother could be for the first time, she choked back a sob, “Um… I sort of know Malinda, and I wander if I could ask something about her, and see her room…? I mean,” she quickly added, seeing the confusion on her face, “I’m not a detective or something, but maybe I can help by knowing her better, and, you know….” Grace felt as though she was doing a very bed job. But Mrs Brown understood, she looked at Grace sadly, “Of course I understand, Darling. I know how it is for you, I see Mali as my own daughter, it was so hard when I heard…” that didn’t help Grace’s feeling as she followed Mrs Brown up stairs, Malinda found a mother in her kind landlady? Jealousy crept up Grace’s heart. //There you go again,// thought Grace glumly, //stop thinking about that and concentrate on finding out the truth.// Malinda’s room was small, with sky blue walls and feather colored carpet, Grace closed her eyes, she could almost imagine this as her little bed room, not small nor fancy, but warm and welcoming that gave Grace the impression of the soft summer breeze. There was a small neat bed in the corner, and a drawer near it, a study table at the other corner, and a big mirror placed on top of it, at the end of the room a white door opened to reveal a tiny bathroom with shiny white bricks. “That was where it happened,” said Mrs Brown, nodding slowly to the bathroom, “she was spotted clutching her throat, laying on the floor with her eyes wide open. They buried her just this morning, that was about the time people were allowed to visit…” she trialed off gazing into the distance. But Grace wasn’t listening, her eyes landed on a silver ring beside the sink, it was a wedding ring, she realized, and it looked … kind of familiar, but she couldn’t remember when or where she’d seen it, just like she thinks Malinda looks familiar but couldn’t remembered how she’d known her.

Chapter 5 The lost memory Grace went through the doorway of their house, her mind racing, she had the feeling that she would find something at home. To avoid her mother’s expressionless stare, Grace slipped into the big bed-room. She sat on the floor, lost in thought. Slowly, Grace focused on the scene of the silver ring glinting in the sun-light, she had seen it before, she was sure of it! And her thought turned to Malinda Johnson, what does the ring has anything to do with her? In her mind, Grace saw Malinda’s face smiling at her, her blond hair shining in the sun, her blue eyes shining with happiness… another face came to her mind, the face of a young woman with blond curls, looking down at her, “ Grace, Grace.” she sang softly, her sky blue eyes full of love, it was her mother! Grace gasped, //it can’t be! It just can’t be!// Grace opened the drawer, and fumbled inside, this was where her mother kept old photos. At bottom, there were the oldest photos, the ones Grace was forbidden to see, and a silver wedding ring, identical to the one she found in Malinda’s apartment. She pulled them out, there were only two photos. The first one was a wedding photo, the beautiful blond woman in a white gown was her mother, she was holding hand with a handsome young man with dark hair and lovely chocolate brown eyes… Grace’s eyes. Grace shook her head and flipped up the second photo, it was of a happy family on a picnic, her mother was clearly recognizable in the picture kissing the baby in her arms, //it’s me!// Grace realized in a jolt, on the left a men and a little girl about five were laughing hard on the bench, the man was the one in the other photo, but the girl… Grace looked closer, the girl had golden blond hair like her mom, and a pair of shining blue eyes. Grace was looking down at the face of Malinda Johnson.

Chapter 6 The final truth The door of where Emerald Meyer rested burst opened, Grace stood there, standing in the door way, panting hard. Her mother looked at her with an expression so grief-stricken, Grace had to look away, “Grace, you found out. I knew you would.” her voice was full of sadness as deep as the ocean. “Why?! Why did you leave dad? Why did you sent Malinda away? Why did you got married with Tam? And why, why didn’t you tell me all of these!?” In the end, Grace was screaming. Emerald dipped her head and choke back a sob, “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry, Grace. What I did to you all these years, what I did to Malinda. It was all to protect you, your father turned bitter when I left him, h-he wanted revenge for what I’d done, so I sent Malinda away, nut I couldn’t bear to leave you, you were so little, you didn’t understand anything, so I had to pretend I don’t care about you. And I didn't tell you all this is because it would only cause you sorrow…Please forgive me, Grace. I-I didn’t know he would do such a thing, I thought both of you are safe…” she end up sobbing uncontrollably. Grace went forward and put her arms around her mother, “I forgive you, mom. But why leave dad in the first place?” Her mother looked up, “Oh, Grace. I was so stupid. There was a time when your father came home late every night, drunk. We had a lot of fight because of it, but he was still the same, he didn't change at all. So I thought, I thought he doesn't care about us anymore, I told him that, and he got so angry, I began to worry. The next morning, I got you and your sister and the things we needed and left the house. He begged me to come back, but I was too stubborn to listen. After Malinda, I met Tam, and I thought I’d give you a normal life, like the other kids…” Grace frowned, “But, mom. Why is it that Malinda never wrote a letter, or contacted you in anyway?” “She did, Grace,” her mother said gently, “I just kept it from you, and from everyone else to protect her. In the beginning, Malinda didn’t contact me was because she was bitter, she hated me for sending her away. She grew up, and she understood me, she started to write me, she asked a lot about you. Then I suppose your father found out somehow, so he…I never knew he’d really do it.” Emerald closed her eyes for a moment and sighed, a tear trickled down her face, “You saw the silver ring, Grace. He placed it there to warn me, he would have the final revenge.” “Too right.” said a voice near the door.

Chapter 7 Reunited Grace jumped, she was so concentrated on her mother's story that she did not hear the door turn. A man in black cloak stand in the door way, short-gun raised, his cold brown eyes glinting with hate. “So you came.” said Emerald calmly. The man grinned, “Of course I came, Emerald. For you, as always. I came to full fill a promise.” Grace stepped forward, she couldn’t stop her-self from trembling, how can this bloody murderer be her father who once loved her and cared for her? She looked into those chocolate brown eyes identical to hers, “Father.” Grace said icily dipping her head, “Thank you so much…for ending my sister’s…miserable life.” The man flinched. He looked down at Grace. “Grace. My…daughter.” for once, his eyes weren’t full of bitterness and hate, they were full of regret. “How could you? Your own daughter!” Grace shouted. Her father’s eyes turned on her mother, and they narrowed with hate, “Malinda. She reminded me too much of your mother. Still, I did not say it was not hard to watch the life drain out of those pretty blue eyes,” his mouth curved into a cruel grin, “At least she knew what one of her parent looks like before she died.” Emerald looked like she might faint. Grace screamed at the top of a lungs, “At least mom is not a murderer! At least she wouldn’t murder her own blood! How could you! How dare you! How... I hate you!” she broke up in sobs. “Grace,” His father put his hand on her shoulder, but Grace shook it off, “Grace, listen to me. I’m sorry for what I’d done, I was trying to hurt your mother, I thought you wouldn’t know that it’s your sister, I thought you were protected.” “Excuses!” screamed Grace, “I don’t care what you think! And I never will! That’s the second time in the day someone thought they’d protect me, but in the end, it’s you who gained what you wanted! You hurt us beyond repair! We were the victims!” “Grace,” her parents said together, they glared at each other for a moment, and her mother continued, “Grace, I’m sorry for what you’ve been through, I know what you feel. I tended for you to be safe, I swear. I love you.” she put her arms around Grace, and hugged her gently. Emerald glared at her dad once more, “Your dad’s intention is the same, though he doesn’t have any clue how to protect you.” “Hey!” her dad protested. Then, suddenly his knees buckled, and he slumped forward onto the floor, he stared at his wife in horror, “Emerald, what have I done? I’ve bring nothing but sorrow onto this family, why did I blame you? And why? Why DID I kill Mali? S-she was a perfect child. Oh, what have I done!” suddenly, it was he who needed comfort. Emerald stroke his cheek and kissed him on the forehead, “It was partly my fault, Jack. I should never have left you, I was too stubborn. And I should never have ignored Grace and Mali, their bitterness and wound are all my fault. Mali never knew what having a real mother was like, but I’m going to make Grace know. Come.” she beckoned to Grace, and the three of them huddled together like a real happy family.

Epilogue It was a sunny afternoon, nobody could have seen a bluer sky, not a cloud in sight. The grass were so green, you’d believe that if you suck them, they are sweet. In fact, this was exactly what a girl dared her dad to do. In the ocean of green grass, under the shadow of a sky oak, a family was having a picnic. A girl with a wicked grin over her face, she leaned over and tapped her dad on the shoulder, her chocolate brown eyes glinting with excitement, “Hey, er, dad,” it was still a little weird to call him dad after two month of practice, “I dare you to lick that grass in front of you!” Her dad, not afraid of anything, accepted the dare without a question. He bend over, and licked the grass, then he made loud satisfying sounds, “Aw, come on, Grace. You can do better than that. See for yourself, it really is sweet.” he turned and grinned at her daughter, and Grace grinned back, their identical eyes twinkling. “Mom, go and lick the grass, I dare you!” Grace shouted at a blond woman sitting near the tree, reading a book, she looked up in bewilderment and raised her brows. The man laughed, “Come on, Emerald. You always have been the scary-chat!” “Shut up, Jack.” The man and the girl laughed so hard at the expression on Emerald's face that they teared up. It was the best day of Grace Johnson’s life. She has finally found the family she loved and would do anything to protect it. This was the happy ending, this wasn't just her fairy tale, who knows if her darkest days are behind her? Whatever happens, time soldiers on. All she knows was, it was real, every moment of it, happiness was everywhere.