Betrayal

"Hey girls how did it all go?" asked Stephie while watering her plants in the garden.

"Very well" replied Mia and I nodded in agreement to her words.

"When are you moving out from that mess?"

"Soon"

"Good and what did the pastor say?"

"He said there won't be any problem. He asked us to keep this" I gave the cross that pastor David gave us yesterday "saying that this could keep the bad vibrations of the spirit away from us"

I think she believed our words.

"Can we make arrangements for moving your stuff tomorrow?" asked Aunt Stephie.

"This weekend"

"That's fine"

"So are you happy with that" Mia asked me pointing at the diary while climbing the stairs to our room.

"Of course, I am."

"We almost risked our lives there"

"No. She didn't harm us in any way. She just helped us with another clue."

"Is she good?"

"I think so"

I locked the door behind us and we sat on the bed. I turned the pages to read her past.

Happy Memories of Sofia Werner

(There was a picture of Sofia with her grandparents)

On turning the pages we found something, the days mentioned inside were not continuous. We guessed that she had the habit of registering only the happy memories as mentioned by her on the first page.

January 7, 1996

Today is my 10th birthday and my grandfather gifted me a diary. When I opened it I found that it was the diary of my mother. I read it and I was so happy to find that she loved me more than anything else in this world. The best gift ever. Why I got tears? Is that drop of happiness or a feeling of missing her or both? Memories have the power to make someone's day special. So I decided to register the happy memories of my life in a diary maybe that could make me feel better someday or the other. I wish to fill its pages with loads of happy memories.

(I was sure that the incident happened somewhere around 2000 and 2001. I turned the pages looking for the dates of the year 2000)

January 1, 2000

I celebrated this New Year with my friends Jess, Mark, and Julie. We went to the park and played well till we got exhausted. Grandma's handmade cake the delicious dessert ever.......

(Mia grabbed the diary from me as she didn't have the patience to read it page by page and started turning pages so quickly

"What are you doing?"

"Checking for George"

"Let's read it completely"

"There is no need. It's here"

She gave back the diary to me)

July 12, 2000

Today my family got a new member named George Fernandez. He introduced himself as a distant relation to my mother. He came to see her without knowing that she died years back. He was so upset. Grandpa asked him to stay with us for some time. Our family got a new member. A pastor came to our villa and Grandpa discussed with him the arrangements for donating the treasure to the charities.

("Treasure?" asked Mia

"That's why I said we should read this completely"

"Do that later. Now turn few pages back and look for the word treasure"

"This girl really had a good handwriting"

"Yes")

June 9, 2000

Today is the most important day in our life as grandpa decided to donate our family's treasure to the charities in and around Berkeley. The treasure has been preserved by our ancestors for quite a long period. As we gain enough through our businesses he decided to help the poor with our wealth. I am with him and I am so excited that we are soon going to be famous in the history of Berkeley.

("Is the treasure reason behind their deaths?"

"Maybe"

I turned to date July 12, 2000, to continue reading about George)

July 30, 2000

George is a good person and he is taking good care of my grandparents. He is hardworking and trustworthy. Grandpa is taking him to the office these days. To be frank, I suspected him at the very beginning but he proved me wrong. He even picks me up from school every day. I heard grandpa saying grandma that he is going to make George as my guardian after them. He is our family now.

August 9, 2000

My first trip far away from home, a camp to Mexico; A school trip with friends but it's hard for me to stay away from grandpa and grandma. I think they will miss me a lot.

(A few pages were filled with pictures that Sofia took with her friends at the camp

"I think she had a great camp experience," said Mia.

"She is beautiful like a princess"

"Yes")

August 20, 2000

It had been a week since my grandparents left me. I am missing them every minute. I could barely eat and sleep. I miss my grandma's bedtime tales. I am such an unlucky girl to lose all my loved ones at this age. They both died peacefully in sleep on the same night. It was hard for me to believe when George informed me about the fate of my grandparents. I cried a lot. He is caring for me like a father but still, I wish to have my grandparents back. He is consoling me that they will be taking care of me from heaven and bless me at my every step. He is true; they are always close to me in my heart.

August 27, 2000

Things are getting worse. These days I am experiencing the worst memories again and again. I couldn't trust anyone. George is acting weird. He is yelling at me often and I am afraid to leave my room. I am all alone. He is not allowing my friends to visit me and neither permitting my visit to their place. I have none to talk with as he took my phone. I am locked inside the house and I am afraid of everything. Wish my grandpa was here to get me out of this mess. My piano is my pain reliever. Staying with the hope that someone will help me to escape from here and show me happiness again. I need peace. Grandpa grandma, I miss u both so badly.

August 29, 2000

George betrayed us. He is not related to my mom and he is here to loot our treasure. He poisoned the food and killed my grandparents. He is a murderer. I think I am in danger. My grandpa didn't let him know where our treasure is and as a duty, I have to preserve them as well. I will donate it to fulfill my grandpa's wish. I am thinking of a way to get out and let the authorities know how cruel he is.

The rest of the pages were empty.

"George betrayed us. I think George killed Sofia and framed it as a suicide. Because she was thinking to get out of the villa in order to preserve the treasure" Mia said.

"He is the one she is looking for"

"How to get him here"

"There is a way"

"What is that?"

"It is mentioned that Werners didn't mention about the hidden treasure to George. I think he lacked enough time to search and get that out of the villa as Sofia's spirit began to threaten him. He will definitely come to us if we let him know that we found the treasure"

"How can you be sure that the treasure is in the villa? I mean it could be hidden anywhere"

"Yes"

"What if he already took them?"

"We have to make sure"

"But how?"

"No idea"

My phone got a notification for a mail. I opened it and surprised to find that it was from Richard