Wicked Sins

II. Perception

A/n: Text will be italicized when a character is in a flashback.

             Three years had passed since that night and not much unraveled between then. I was ruled an unsolved homicidal death. Signs of a struggle between my killer and I were present but because of insufficient evidence I eventually became just another dusted, forgotten cold case. Some speculated I may have even been attacked by a rabid wild animal and left to die in the woods.

             But of course that isn’t how it happened; not at all.

             Most of my friends left shortly after my death. Andrew was sent to a Christian camp where his parents currently taught religious subjects in. Rosaline permanently went back to her home country, Italy to live with her older brother while Sharon’s family relocated to the west after her father received a promotion. Only Demetrius and Eloise stayed (with the exception of her summers which were spent in England).

            But now, during their senior year in high school they’ll be coming back to face their sins.

            And my killer? Why that person will be sure to make their life a living hell.

            Even more than I did.  

            Eloise

            Present day

            “What did you just say?”

            Seventeen year old Eloise Harrington sat shell shocked in front of her family.  Hoping she had heard wrong she swallowed thickly and squeezed her shaking, petite hands. Her mother, who was next to her sighed, patting her hand affectionately. Her father, who was smoking a cigar, continued to read the newspaper, unfazed.

            “We aren’t going to England this year,” He repeated clearly before folding the gray paper into its previous intricate crease.

            “B-but why? We a-always leave during this time.”

            For the past three years it'd become a necessary tradition to leave for Europe for atleast one month on the last week of June and this year should've been no different.

            Her parents exchanged one single nervous glance. Her father sighed, facing her. “I’ll be very frank with you, Eloise. Our finances have changed considerably for quite a while now. Harrington Co. hasn’t managed to receive any assets within the year, not to mention there's been a considerable lack of merges in over four months and because of that the oil company has recently been through a moderately difficult bankruptcy crisis which has begun to affect us as well.  It’s a miracle we’ll be able to keep this house but to make ends meet our Vienna in England has been sold along with the other properties. I’m sorry, but we simply couldn’t afford it.”

            Eloise, who hadn’t expected things to change so drastically within a year, numbly nodded, glancing at the window in front of her. Across the graphite road was a familiar abandoned grand two story brick house with a white picket fence, though mostly covered by a cluster of tall oak trees and fresh, green grass. She knew beside a set of glass doors on the first floor of the house was an outside large pool and matching Jacuzzi and just beyond that area was a stoned fireplace her and Lauren would constantly make s’mores during the summer in the year before she died. The memories were like a distant dream now, especially with the nightmare that ruined it all. She stiffened as a series of images flashed before her eyes.

            Lauren, dead with a stream of crimson blood draining from the back of her roughly cut throat. Her gaping blue eyes glowered at Eloise in contempt and seethed at her.