Ring Connections

RC

As my 12 year-old brother Kane and I walked through the colorful autumn scenery, we could see a flock of birds chirping and flapping their wings in joy and freedom in the cloudy sky. It felt like the place had a natural feeling of happiness that I wasn't feeling. At least they didn't have to worry about leaving friends behind. With one more step, I realized we were already at the door.

We walked inside and were greeted with the lingering smell of Febreeze. As I started to slide my backpack off, I saw my mom walk towards us. Her dark brown hair was covered with a purple bandana with white swirled designs on it. She was wearing faded brown pants, a royal blue t-shirt with "BEST MOM!" written in black and yellow rubber gloves covering each hand.

"Hey mom." Kane and I greeted in unison.

"Afternoon guys." Mom replied.

"What's with the cleaning?" I asked. The house looked shinier than usual.

"There is an open house taking place here in the evening. Just doing a few touch-ups." And then she added, "Once you get a snack, help me a little. Don't you want this house sold?"

I for one did not.

♦ ♦ ♦

One by one I watched strangers enter my house, wondering: was this really the most effective way to present it? I couldn't argue with Florence Yelchin, our Real Estate agent, who said we had to. That woman was unrealistically persuasive. My idea of presenting our house in 3-D on a website was clever! But she somehow convinced me it was a stupid idea. I continued to observe the future buyers roam my home. Our house looked pretty sophisticated thanks to Florence's advice and, surprisingly, Kane's creativity. For an action-loving tween, he really knew his colour-coordination.

Time continued to move slowly, until a peculiar looking man stepped into the house. The man had short, black tousled hair and stubble on his face. He had a pale complexion, which made his dark hair even darker. The cowboy hat on his head went nicely with his oversized navy blue jacket. He looked around eagerly. I walked over in front of him and introduced myself.

"Hello, my name is Akira Faiz, 14 year old girl detective. Who are you?"

"You do not need to know my name," He paused. "But you do have a mighty fine house here." He looked around again, and then gazed into my eyes. "Compared to my home, all I got is a beautiful view of the Sin River right by it." He laughed, but it sounded sinister, giving me an ominous vibe. "Pretty cozy." After that, he walked to another part of the house.

The next morning, even before I opened my eyes, I heard a frantic scream. I threw the blanket off my body, and then saw a mess of brown hair on my head in the mirror. I advanced towards the sound and found Kane trying to comfort my mother who was hyperventilating like she needed all the air in the world. "It's ok...it's ok...breathe..." Kane was rubbing mom's back and whispering gently in her ear. I studied the crime scene. The room was in a mess: mom's jewelry box was open, surrounded by shiny earrings, bracelets and long necklaces. Bed accessories were on the floor, leaving a bare mattress, clothing on the ground and a few pieces of lingerie on the dresser. It was like a category 1 hurricane passed this room.

Kane began to explain, "I just saw her like this. Asked her what was wrong and she told me the ring was gone." He was talking about the ring from our dead father. She cherished it dearly. I headed straight down stairs, and phoned the police department. Once I got a hold of someone, I explained what happened.

♦ ♦ ♦

Would it be wrong if I said the detective was hot? 'Cause this one totally was. His name was detective Wyle. I just called him Wyle. He had broad-shoulders, short blond hair and was tall (maybe 6 feet or so). Wyle reminded me of a body builder, except he was wearing a neat suit. We were at the police station and he was just finishing interrogating my mom, Kane and I.