One Of Us Is Guilty

*Warning! A bit scary. Only for ‘not easily scared’ crowds! Also, there are different PointOfViews! First is Robyn, Phoebe, Olive, Benjamin, Lucas, and finally, Robyn again*

5 kids: Robyn, Phoebe, Olive, Lucas, and Benjamin.

A funny kid, a shy one, a bossy-boots, an adventurer, and a geek all come together… somehow.

3 murderers, 2 deaths, and 1 mystery . . . all to be solved by 12-year-olds.

Yawn. I’m somehow extremely tired, even after that 9-hour-long sleep. I ignore my sleepiness and come down the stairs. “Good morning,” I smile. What’s for breakfast?” “French toast and scrambled eggs,” replies Dad. “What are you doing up so early?” I yawn again. “Who knows?” I smell the delicious smell of French toast and eggs. “Mm… when is it ready?” I question. Dad looks up. “2 minutes. In the meantime, want some hot chocolate?” I nod, and sit on the couch, looking at the wall. I yawn again. And check my watch. Mm. 8am. Dad always wakes up this early. I wake up at 10. Once, probably because of jet lag, I woke up at 3pm. Or I was just that tired. We did hike there for a day, so . . . “Think Henry’s awake?” Dad asks. “I doubt it.” I say, grinning. Ugh. Henry. He’s the worst. As if I hadn’t mentioned that already. I haven’t? Wow.

“Breakfast is ready!” Dad calls from the kitchen. “Mhm, okay.” I say, and go up the stairs. “Wake…” I start, at the door of Henry’s bedroom. Only one’s thing’s missing in his room. (No, not cleanliness.) HENRY.

I sit up. My eyes are so watery. I must have been dreaming about Michael. I wipe them furiously. No. Michael’s dead. He’s gone. I don’t care about him anymore. He . . . was my best friend, though. My only family. My brother. More tears fall down. Even though I don’t have parents or siblings, I still have aunts and uncles, but don’t know them. I’m too close with my grandparents either, since my parents died in a plane crash and I was born, and they didn’t know I was alive — I doubt they know now — but one of the survivors brought me to land, and Michael was there too. He was born at the same time, from Mom’s belly. We were inseparable twins. Until he died. He got kidnapped and killed. Because he was home alone, as I was going to the movies with my other best friends, Isabel and Eli. But I’ve been home alone this whole time. Oh no. Could I . . be getting kidnapped? Just then, there’s a knock on the door. Gulp.

“WAKE UP!!!” Shouts a loud, booming voice. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” I scream. I gasp, and breathe loudly. Huh? Where’d they– “BOO!” Shouts the same voice! “BENJAMIN!” I yell. “I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR BRAINLESS HEAD OFF!” I chase him around the room. “HAHA! NEVER GOING TO CATCH ME!!!” He shouts. “YOU LITTLE–” I start. Mom enters our room, bags under her ocean eyes, and whispers exhaustedly, “Go out. Just go out.” Her silky black hair is in a messy bun and she’s wearing a bathrobe that’s the same color as her eyes, with beige, baggy pajama pants. Benjamin runs out. “NeVeR gOiNg tO cAtCh mE!!” He shouts. “YOU DUMMY! GeT bAcK hErE!” I shout back. Mom sighs.

Olive will nEvEr catch me, I’m the master of running. Even if Olive has won children marathons, races, and tag so many times, and all I’ve done is.. play chess and collect Funko Pops! and read comics. I hate sports, except if it’s running. That I love. “TGIS,” I hear Mom say, as I pass the bedroom again. “Thank God it’s SUNDAY?! WHAT?” I stop, looking at Mom. Oh. She looks so . . . exhausted. Did she say that so that we go to school tomorrow? Are we that much of a pain. YES. Oh . . .

“I’m up, I’m up!” I say, groaning. “Sleepyhead!” Eve shouts. “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I’M NOT!!!” I shout, running down the stairs. Eve comes down, looking annoyed. “No fair,” She says, slumping down. “Yes fair, you sore loser.” I pat her on the head. “MOM! LUKE’S BUGGING ME AGAIN!” I look around. “Mom?” I snicker. Eve gasps and puts her hands on her mouth. “BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” I laugh, very loudly. “Mom . . .” Brianna sighs. “Yes, we all know, Mom’s gone..” She brushes her bangs out of her toffee hair. “But you know that makes Eve sad, right?” I roll my eyes. “Mom’s not gone. She was never here,” Eve mutters, frustrated. Her best friend, Anna, has the ‘best mom ever’ so Eve’s jealous. “Ugh, she’s NOT!” I shout, almost hitting Eve, but Brianna catches my hand, her green eyes glaring at me. “Well, we’ve got each other.” Eve shrugs. “Even though that sucks,” I mutter. Brianna looks like she’s about to kill me. “Ugh, fine!” I say, storming up the stairs, almost in wet tears. I sit on my messy, unmade bed. The truth is, sometimes, I wish Mom was here too.

“Dad?” I ask, petrified. “Hmm?” Dad asks, coming up. He’s behind me. “Where’s Henry?” I ask him. His eyes widen. “Michael.” He says.

“Mi-what?” I ask. “Phoebe,” He explains. “Phoebe’s brother?” I shrug. “Phoebe?” He asks again. “Phee? Be?” Oh! Those are the nicknames I give her. “But I don’t understand . . . isn’t he . . . dead?” I say, biting my lip, confused and anxious, but also curious at the same time. “No. He never died.”

. . . To Be Continued . . .