Her Secrets

Prologue

Eight years ago....

The sky was gloomy, grey clouds spreading all over. And it didn't give any vibrant colours today as the sky was too mourning for the life that was lost. It started to cry as the body of the little boy was brought out on a stretcher and the white cloth that covered him reminded everyone that he was really gone.

The town fell silent, but thunder roared in the sky pouring its anger towards the people.

Everybody hung their head low seeing the little body and there was no one who had their heart broken over the tragedy that happened, except one.

She stood next to her sister and their father. She watched the body being taken out and an evil smile brightened her beautiful face.

'You should have listened to me,' She whispered.

Her father looked at her with an unreadable expression. Whether it was fear or pain he couldn't do anything at that moment. He was a father and she was his responsibility. He knew he needed to find out the truth.

"Don't cry" he mumbled to the other little girl he carried in his arms. She hid her head in the crook of her father's neck and was shaking out of fear.

"He's dead because of me" she started to cry again hugging her father tightly. He tried to soothe her by caressing her back but looked towards the house startled when he heard a scream.

"Bring him back" a woman cried, "Don't take him away from me. Give me.... my... my......"

That little boy's mother ran outside screaming at the officers, pleading with them to give back her son. She fell on the ground and was unable to get up. The man who ran after her knelt down hugging her tightly.

"It was my fault" he mumbled to his wife, "Please forgive me! please forgive me!" he rocked back and forth with his wife in his arms.

The rain poured out angrily not wanting to accept the death of that innocent life. And people didn't leave too as they wanted to witness this unfortunate death that had happened in this little town.

A woman ran towards her group of friends and stood beside them. It was raining and freezing cold. But they stood with umbrellas over their head and nothing could give them chills at this moment other than the body of that murdered child.

"What happened?" that woman asked curiously. She arrived later and didn't know what had happened yet.

"Maxwell boy is dead," one woman whispered.

That woman covered her mouth, unable to mutter any word out of shock.

"What? It can't be. I just took my kids home from his birthday party. How could he die in that few minutes?" that woman mumbled.

"Today was his birthday?" another woman asked.

"It was. His eleventh birthday. Oh my God! How am I going to tell this to my kids? They will be heartbroken" That woman sniffed, "How did he die?"

"They said someone stabbed him with a knife" a woman answered and everyone fell silent. Who could be that brutal towards a child?

"Why are there two ambulances? Who else got hurt?" that woman asked, noticing the ambulances for the first time.

"We don't know. They haven't brought any one out yet except him" a woman replied.

They were disturbed by the sound of a car and its tires screeched loudly when the driver stepped on the brake. It stopped a few feet away from the police car and a man got out with another boy following him.

"Isn't that Mr. Russell?" someone asked.

Nobody replied and the man ran towards the house shouting his wife's name, only to stop by a police officer.

"Mr. Russell, wait!" he stopped him, "You can't go in. They will bring him out" he told him.

Mr. Russell grabbed his collar, "Leroy, you better let me go. My little boy is there. I want to see him. I want to see how....." his voice broke.

Officer Leroy looked back, and seeing the other boy coming out on a stretcher he let him go. Mr. Russell's knees went weak after seeing his son but officer Leroy grabbed him quickly.

"He's alive" He whispered, "Just unconscious. Don't worry he's safe. But Maxwell boy wasn't so lucky" he said.

"What happened?" Mr. Russell asked impatiently as they were too slow to bring him out. The rain was very harsh and they had to be careful if they didn't want to injure an already unconscious boy. 

"Only your boy will know. He's the only witness" officer Leroy muttered bitterly.

That little boy witnessed his friend getting murdered. Officer Leroy dreaded the moment he remembered that this little boy would have to live through that nightmare again when he was being questioned.

"How is Alex's condition?" Mr. Russell asked impatiently.

"He had fallen from the stairs of the tree house. He had lost a lot of blood. I think that was why murderer didn't try to kill him. He thought he was already dead" officer Leroy replied.

Being the lawyer he was, Mr. Russell couldn't help but ask questions about the scene. This was a murder case and he wanted to know everything regarding it since his boy was involved.

"Any weapon?"

"Looked like a stab mark from a knife. We're still looking for it but with this rain it will be no use since it's going to erase any fingerprints " officer Leroy gestured towards the Maxwell couple, "you should talk to them" he said.

Mr. Russell looked at them, his heartbreaking feeling the pain of the loss of a child. He was relieved that it wasn't his boy but his life would be in danger when the murderer get to hear he was alive.

"Later" he muttered and walked towards his wife. He held her close to him and got into their car after they put Alex inside the ambulance.

While all these things were happening, a girl stood inside the house watching everything through the windows. Her weak body held her unbearable pain and she looked around tears rolling down her pale cheeks. Her breathing was slow and it brought so much pain when she tried to move around, but for her it wasn't as painful as losing your only loving brother.

"Collin" she sobbed, "I promise you I will get you, your revenge"