"Kareen", Dad who was dumbfounded finally yelled as he rushed to grab my sister.
"What's going on here?!", a bold voice from the back bellowed.
A large cop walked in and stood in front of dad and my sister.
"How did this happen?", he threw his question at the wind, and everyone around stared at him clueless.
"Aren't there any witnesses?", he further asked.
After a few seconds of soft murmuring, a sobbing woman responded: "I just got out of the mall, dropped my things in the car, when I heard screams. Due to how densed the cars were parked, I didn't know who was screaming."
She broke into tears as she put a hand on her mouth and continued, "I found this little girl here with blood everywhere!"
After narrating, she continued crying.
"Thanks ma'am!", the cop said and turned to dad. "Sir, is she your daughter?", he asked as he brought out a notebook and a pen.
"Ye... yes she is!", dad replied after stuttering a bit.
"In that case, I'll like to have your name and number to help my investigation. In the meantime, you should take her to the hospital!", he said and handed him the short note and pen.
With his bloody hands which the cop didn't seem to mind, dad collected the short note and pen, and wrote his name and number on it.
"Thank you, here's mine", he said and brought a card and added, "if you notice anything, please call!"
++++
We got to the hospital.
I and mom were in the waiting room, while Kareen was being checked.
After a while, dad came out with Kareen who was now on a white patient outfit.
Dad was still a bit stained with blood, but his bloody hands had been watched clean, all that remained was his stained shirt.
"Sweetie!", mom called immediately, as she picked herself from the chair.
"Are you okay?", she asked touching kareen's face.
Kareen nodded gently.
"The doctor said that there are no bruises on her, she's perfectly healthy!", dad explained.
Kareen pulled dad's hand gently and said calmly: "Dad, please let's go home, I don't like it here."
"Alright sweetie.", Dad replied and took us out of the hospital.
++++
I and Kareen sat in the back seat as usual, and while the car was in motion, I couldn't take my eyes off Kareen.
What really happened back then?
How did those men get killed like that?
I guess I and Jimmy were the only people who saw how it started, because from the distance and point of elevation we stood, we could see the men. But as we ran through the car to where they were, we didn't know what transpired.
"Why are you staring at me?", Kareen who had been looking out the window asked.
To be honest, her question made my heart skip a beat, she wasn't looking at me, how did she know I was staring at her?
"I... I... What happened out there?", I asked immediately, unable to lie or give an excuse for my action.
Kareen turned to me and said: "I was helped by a ghost."
"This again?!", I replied, "come on Kareen, tell me, I am your sister", I replied trying to hide my fear.
"I know you wouldn't believe me, but that's the truth!", she replied and continued looking out the window.
++++
We finally arrived home.
My dad is the manager in his firm and so money wasn't a problem for us. Our house, a large duplex, with a swimming pool at the back and other things a luxurious house should have.
"Sh_t!", dad muttered as he stood in front of the trunk, staring at the christmas tree.
"What's wrong dad?", I asked as I stepped out of the car.
"I forgot that I would have to get this out of the trunk, all I thought about was getting it in, now who's going to help me now?", dad said and then turned to mom who just stepped out of the car rubbing her tummy with one hand as she smiled at dad.
Dad couldn't help but smile back, "don't worry Monrow, your son is on his way!", she said to dad.
On hearing this, I couldn't help but feel useless, but then I remembered, this was a perfect opportunity to get dad to call Jimmy without revealing my secret agenda.
Just when I was about to pitch the idea, Kareen quickly interjected: "We can't wait for him mom. Dad, why don't I and Katie assist you."
"No!", I replied immediately.
As soon as my voice fell, everyone turned to me as we experienced a moment of awkward silence.
"What's wrong Katie, afraid to flex a little girl power?", Kareen said with a smile.
I didn't want to explain why I yelled 'No', so I had to go with this.
"You know what, dad, let;s do this!", I said and walked closer to dad.
"Alright! Girl power!", dad said in amusement while mom laughed.
We all put our hands on the tree and began to pull, for some reason the tree felt a lot lighter than I expected.
With ease, we carried the tree out of the car and inside the house and placed at a side of the living roommate where it always sits every year.
"Wow girls, I didn't expect you to be this powerful! It felt easier with you guys than with Jimmy even!", he said.
"3 is better than one!", Kareen immediately said as she laughed.
Dad laughed as well and corrected, "You mean 3 is better than 2!"
"Oh! If you put it that way, then it's 4 is better than 2!", she replied laughing.
"Sweetie you still having problems with numbers", dad added laughing.
Kareen chuckled awkwardly and said, "I am off to my room, I am sick of this hospital outfit!"
After saying that, she walked upstairs.
What's up with this girl?
"Hello!", I heard dad say, when In turned back to see who he was talking to, he was on the phone.
"Yes, this is Mr. Monrow!", he added.
"Oh, Mrs. Bell! We are fine, thanks for asking.... I invited you and your son over dinner, did he tell you?", dad continued.
On hearing this, I got excited in an instant, I tried so hard not to make it obvious. It seems to be Jimmy's mom!
"Yeah, 6 is fine!", dad replied.
I better go get ready.
Dad hung up the phone, turned to me and said, "our good friend Jimmy and his mom will be here by 6, let's get things ready before they arrive!"
I nodded and rushed up stairs to my room.
"Katie, won't you help your mom in the kitchen?", dad said aloud.]
"I'll be right there!", I yelled as I continued running up the stairs.
My room is a mess, I better get it arranged before he comes! Who knows where the night will lead?
*5:06*
I am done arranging my room, now to help mom out in the kitchen.
Sh_t! I stink, but it be best I help mom out first before going to take my bath.
I was walking through the hallway towards the staircase, when I heard Kareen's voice, seemingly in a deep conversation with someone.
Who is she talking to?
"Thanks for today! If it weren't for you, I probably be some dead little girl on the street mugged by those bandits.", she said.
Uh?
"But you shouldn't have gone that far...", she added.
Like a conversation, she kept quiet as though the other person was now talking and said: "I know you care about me but that doesn't make what you did right, it is also dangerous for me, cause now the police are going to investigate the case and my end up concluding that I had something to do with the kill!"
"Oh, okay, hope you didn't do anything rash!", she added.
Just as I stood there puzzled, I heard her voice call, "Katie!"
It felt like my heart began to skip and run aorund in circles. It pounded against my chest as though about to come out.
How did she know I was here?
"Kareen, who are you talking to?", I asked immediately as I opened the door.
"Would you ever believe me?", she replied.
"Kareen please! Can you stop this? I know you saw me coming, or knew I was going to pass and so you decided to talk aloud so I would here you, acting like it was a ghost? Right?", I said solving the mystery.
She stared at me and asked: "Do you want a lie?"
"No! I want the truth! Tell me that you aren't talking to any ghost and you would stop the acting!", I replied.
"I am not talking to any ghost and I would stop the acting!", she replied with a straight face.
"Good! Now please, get ready, Jimmy will be coming soon!", I added, shut her door and walked away.
++++
I got down the stairs.
"Sh_t, it's 5:16!"
"Mom!"
"Yes sweetie!", mom replied as I walked in.
"Where have you been?", dad asked not smiling.
"I was.... I was.... ", I stammered not wanting to tell them that I had been arrangeing my room. Else they'll figure out why.
"She was with me!", I heard Kareen's voice say from behind me.
She walked into the kitchen and added: "giving me some sisterly advice!"
"Katie... That's so sweet of you! Honey, please don't get mad at her, I really enjoy your company in the kitchen, we don't want our baby boy thinking men aren't supposed to be in the kitchen now do we?", mom said and dad's face immediately lit up as he laughed.
Suddenly, his laughter stopped and he turned to me.
Dad can be very friendly, but he still has a little dark and cruel side that sometimes surfaces when he is unpleased and wants to give a cruel punishment. It is usually played out in form of sarcasm.
"He should also know that, men watch TV! Your mom and I are done cooking, Katie, clean up!", he said affirmitively, smiled at mom, and pulled her to the living room.
On seeing the mess they made, my expression became ugly. I know he deliberately did this to punish me.
One by one, I placed the plates in the dish washer, swept the floor, and took out the garbage.
As I walked passed my parents watching TV, I heard dad call: "Katie!"
I turned to him still keeping my ugly expression to show him how angry I was.
He didn't even look at me, his eyes remained fixed and TV as he said: "Isn't the cop that met us at the mall?"
I took a look at the TV screen and replied: "yes!"
"He was killed the same way those men were killed, slaughtered beyond recognition!", dad added.
"Who could be doing this?", dad asked.
I couldn't help but turn to Kareen.
She just stood there without an expression on her face.
To be continued.....
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