One of Two // JJ Maybank

the bell tower: three

though the day was long, we couldn't help but stay awake. life outside the bubble wrap just got interesting and we were being ripped away from it, leaving us to wonder how our friends were doing. luckily, a certain brunette knocked on sarah's window lightly.

i looked up from my sketchbook and glanced at my sister. "did you hear that?" i asked, only receiving a questioning look. "i think someone knocked on my window."

we hurried over to the glass, our friend coming into view. "kie." we both sighed in satisfaction. us three worked together to pull up the window, but it didn't budge. i groaned in annoyance.

kie pulled out a piece of paper, reading, wanted. it was for john b. sarah's face fell before the carrera girl finally spoke. "are you guys in on it?"

my mouth dropped slightly as me and sarah looked at each other with disbelief. "did you think we were?" sarah quizzed back.

kie shook her head vigorously. "no." she answered with a small chuckle.

sarah smiled weakly, placing her hand on the glass that divided them. i followed and kie added a hand on her own to match us. a booming voice interrupted the sweet moment.

"girls?" dad called out, causing the us to shoo kie away. "sarah, spencer. you in there?" just as he opened the door, we found ourselves sitting on the bed with notebooks in hand.

"yeah." sarah replied. "where else would we be?"

i didn't hesitate to add. "you locked us in here." i huffed, rolling my eyes.

our father glanced at both of us, his breath short and erratic, before leaving the room. with the click of the door into place, a key locked it there. sarah sighed, falling over into my lap. silence ensued for some time. we ended up leaning on the side of the bed. me and sarah listened as dad and rose yelled and screamed at each other about the situation at hand.

'its crazy how shitty situations brings out the shittiest in people.' i thought throwing my hair in a ponytail.

a door slammed as a light bulb flashed in sarah's mind. "wheezie." she repeated from the conversation we just overheard.

"wheezie?" i wriggled my way down to the vent of the floor. "wheezie?" i whispered again, opening the vent now.

"the cups." sarah reminded me, just as the she grabbed the cups from the other side of the bedroom.

"wheezie." sarah said into the cup, hoping it would get out little sister's attention. she held it up to her ear, waiting for a response. "wheezie, are you there?" wheezie? damn it, will you stop writing in your diary, please? wheezie, please, talk to us, sos. please answer me. hello?" i rolled my eyes, waiting for wheezie to answer.

"sarah, spencer?" wheezie asked, her voice curious.

i sighed in contentment, placing the cup to my mouth, sharing a smile with sarah. "wheezie, hi." i placed the cup between us, listening to wheezie speak.

"can you believe it? i mean, you think you know the guy, but it turns out he's a killer? i mean, living in our house. it gives me the total creeps."

sarah's hand shook as she tried to control her every movement, but was too tired to do so. "wheezie, we need to talk to you."

"-when you see on tv, and they're like...and the neighbors are like, 'oh, he's a perfectly normal guy.' it's crazy. i mean, my sister dating a killer."  she gasped at her own statement, it being too hard to believe.

i nodded at sarah when i saw the idea pop into her head. sarah sobbed, falsely of course and i gave her a thumbs up, biting my lip in anticipation.

wheezie started up again. "you don't still have feelings for john b, do you?"

"of course i do!" sarah whimpered with a facial expression than quickly went back to a regular face.

"like... like women who fall in love with guys on death row?" wheezie kept rambling about john b.

"it's just so horrible!" she sobbed more, to really sell the performance.

"are you crying?" wheezie scoffed.

"no shit, i'm crying." sarah shot back. "we just really need our sister right now. can you please come in here?" i rubbed my eyes as wheezie spoke again.

we heard her sigh and shuffle around. "well, dad told me not to open the door to your room." she explained.

"okay, well, if you keep the door locked and you don't say anything, he won't know." she suggested before sobbing once more. "we really need you." it went silent. moments flew by as we for awaited wheezie's arrival. we were hiding behind the door and closed it as soon as our youngest sibling walked in the room. i shushed her before saying. "we need you to listen to us." in a hushed whisper. "john b is not a killer. he didn't kill anyone. we were there."

she furrowed her eyebrows. "well, then, who did it?"

sarah and i glanced at each other before looking at wheezie, shaking our heads from side to side. sarah finished what i was saying. "we need you to stay quiet about us for as long as you can."

"okay."

me and sarah smiled slightly and sighed of relief as sarah spoke again. "john b needs our help." she reiterated, grabbing our sister's hand. "can we count on you?"

wheezie drew back her hands. "pinky swear." she told us, holding out both her pinkies-one for each of us.

each of us wrapped our pinkies around another, kissing the other side of our hands. just as the we were about to leave, sarah turned back to hug wheezie one more time. maybe because she thought it was going to be last time she saw her. i thought the same so i joined in. i wrapped my arm around wheezies neck and sarah's back. we held each other tightly for a few seconds, before me and sarah managed to get out of the house and grabbed our bikes to make an escape.