Puzzle: Jigsaw's Daughter

.:1:.

Life was always easy for me. I was never short on food, frequently bought new clothes, got good grades. I was just Samara, the average girl. But here's the thing: I wasn't even close to average. It may have seemed like I am a friendly and shy girl, but on the inside I kept a secret. A dark, dark secret which I didn't even know about until I was 16. It was something I had to hide, something no one could know about. If somebody found out, there would be no choice but to kill them. We were not murderers so ending lives was not fun for us. But it's either kill or be killed.

It all started on an average day.

As I exited my school after a boring day of chemistry and algebra, I heard sirens roaring in the distance. I ignored them at first, thinking it was just some accident. What started getting me worried was seeing as police cars sped past the building, which I stood outside of, heading down the road in a very familiar direction. I followed them, not because I wanted to find out what was going on but, because that was the direction of my home. A bad feeling washed over me, like a destructive aura. I started off with a slow walk, but soon I broke into a run. This was probably just a coincidence. The police couldn't be going to my house...could they? As I rounded the corner, an ambulance rushing after me, I saw what I was hoping to never encounter.

Red and blue lights flashed in my face, when I finally reached my destination. I burst through the front door, not paying attention to the many people who were calling my name. I was horrified by what I saw. In the wide hallway, the lifeless body of my mother lay sprawled across the wooden floor. There was no blood, no injuries, but the plain sight of it made me want to throw up. I stared at the people surrounding her with wide eyes. All of them were wearing some sort of uniform.

"Wh-what happened?" I managed to stutter out in a small voice, tears brimming the edges of my eyes. A female police officer approached me, with an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry. Your mother passed away about an hour ago, from a cocaine overdose." She tried to make it sound less painful by saying it in a soft voice, and failed miserably.

How did I not know about this? Why didn't my mother tell me that she did drugs? Yes, she was pale and had dark circles under her eyes, but I thought it was because of the lack of sleep or tiredness. I would have never suspected drugs. I could have done something. I could have helped her. Now it was too late for both of us. I let a single tear escape and roll down my cheek. Only one tear, no more. I loved my mum and she loved me too. She was an amazing person and did everything to make my life joyous, to make it perfect. As I stared down at her motionless body, the woman spoke again.

"We have no choice, but to send you to live with your father. You will move to his house and he will take care of you. You should go and pack some things which you want to take with you."

I didn't know much about my father. All I knew was that his name was John and he divorced my mum. Later on she found out that she was pregnant with me, but she never told him. I always thought of John as a bad person. There was always a reason for people to get divorced and my mum was the sweetest person, it couldn't have been anything she had done. Whatever John did, it was unforgivable. Living with him wouldn't be easy, I was sure of it. I didn't even know what he looked like or how old he was! This was all a crazy change. So much had happened in one day. First I'm messing around at school with my friends, then I'm being told that my mother is dead and I have to move to live with John. Yes, to me he is John. I refused to call him my dad. He didn't deserve it after everything that happened.

I blinked, forcing down more tears, as I stepped over the dead body of the person I loved the most. I wasn't going to cry or break down. I was hurtful, but things like these happen to everyone. I thought of myself as lucky to even have someone to go to. Even if that someone is a person you have never met before, but somehow you are close to them anyway. As I reached my bedroom, I collapsed onto my bed. I sat up, placing my head in my hands. This was unbelievable. My mother was dead... I would have to leave everyone and everything behind... A new life was ahead of me.

I fished in my wardrobe and finally found a backpack. I filled it up with clothes and other necessities. There weren't many things in my bedroom which were important to me, I wasn't the kind of person to keep items which were attached to memories or had a meaning. The only belonging of mine, which I treasured, was already on me and always would be. It was a silver necklace, given to me by my mother. Loosely hanging off of the chain was a jigsaw piece. I never knew why it was there or exactly what it was, but that didn't matter to me. It was perfect and I loved it. After I packed my laptop and stuffed some more items into my bag and pockets, I was ready to go.

I climbed down the stairs and approached the same female police officer who talked to me before. My mother's body was gone.

"Can you please give me some time, just to say goodbye to my friends?" I queried in a small voice. She gave me a brief nod and I dropped my backpack onto the floor. It landed with a thud, but I didn't care. I was out of the front door and running down the street in bare seconds. I wanted as much time as possible with my friends. I reached my destination at knocked on my best friend's door. No answer. I was panting and out of breath and knocked again. Still no answer. I got out my phone and dialled Dylan's number. He was fast to answer.

"Hey, Samara. What's up?" He greeted me cheerily. I gulped, trying to keep the air from escaping my burning lungs.

"Where are you?" I managed to say.

"In the park with Natalie, Jordan and Cameron. Wanna join us?"

"I'll be there in a minute." I nodded even though he couldn't see me and took off again.

It did not take me long to get to the park. Sitting on the bright green grass were my four best friends. I wiped some sweat off of my forehead and waved at them, as soon as they saw me. They were surprised by the way I looked, with my always-happy face turned into a frown. I sat down on the ground next to them, looking down, not daring to make eye contact.

"Are you okay?" Asked Jordan, sweeping some of his dark hair to the side. I shook my head.

"I came to say goodbye. I'm leaving to live with my...dad." I forced the word out of my mouth. Natalie gasped.

"Why?!" She squealed. I firmly shut my eyes. I wasn't going to cry. I couldn't cry. I didn't want to cry. I took a deep breath before answering, my voice shaking.

"My mum is d-dead," I whispered. Looking up, I saw them staring at me in disbelief. They didn't say anything, just sat there stiff as rocks. I bowed my head again, gripping grass with all of my force and pulling it out. I repeated the process over and over, having nothing better to let my anger out on.

"Do you need a hug?" Dylan finally choked out. I immediately shook my head. I hated hugs. I hated kisses. I hated being touched. The feeling of human skin against mine sent shivers up my spine. It was a something I couldn't get over.

"I'm so sorry," Natalie breathed shakily. I would be so hard to leave these people, they were so special to me. Not being able to fold it in any more, I let a tear escape and race down my face. Only one tear, no more. My cheeks heated up. I wanted to talk to someone about it, cry on their shoulder. I wasn't weak though. I wouldn't let my inner demons take over my body and my soul And especially not my life. A few minuted had passed and we only shared a few words between us. I wanted to cherish this moment, trap it in a jar and keep it for the rest of eternity. Checking my watch, I realised that I would have to leave soon. The thought of it made me want to throw up. Everything would be gone. The people. The town. The feelings. Everything would be different just because of a single mistake my mother had made.