Because I Want to Know

Prologue and Chapter 1

Prologue 

 Thirteen year old Bela sat on her couch and screamed in horror. Her mothers screams stopped and her lifeless body sat on the floor in front of her. Her father held the bloody knife in his hand staring at what he had just done. In shock, Bela just sat there, tears filling her eyes. Realizing what her father had just done, he had killed her mother. Her lifeline, her number one supporter, gone with a few stabs to the chest. Bela shifted her eyes to her father, horrified but at this point wishing he would take her life too. He had a gun in his hand pointed to his head. One shot rang through the neighborhood and just like that Bela Accardi was an orphan. 

The police sirens wailed and Bela just sat on the couch. Blood everywhere, she didn’t know where to go or what to do. Neighbors ran to the house, screaming in horror at the scene. A police officer, hair gray with age and sympathetic blue eyes picked Bela off the couch and brought her outside. They tried questioning her but, Bela couldn’t hear a word. The only sounds going through her head were her mothers screams and her fathers heavy breathing as he was murdering her. Her whole life jumbled in an instant and all the authorities are worried about is a statement from her. She could not speak. 

Bela didn’t remember falling asleep but apparently she did, maybe passed out from the stress of the events she had just gone through. She woken up in what appeared to be a hospital room. The monitors of neighboring rooms echoing in her ears. A nurse approached her cautiously. Introducing herself trying to stay calm and act as if Bela didn’t just watch both of her only living family members die. Bela didn’t listen. Instead she wondered if the nurse had parents, if they were alive, if they got along, and how it felt. The nurse soon realized she wasn’t listening and left the room shortly after taking Bela’s vitals. 

The next person to walk in was the officer that carried her out of the house last night. He introduced himself and Bela interrupted, “Why all of the formality, there’s nothing formal about this situation”. He sighed and apologized for her loss. “Just like everyone else, say something different for fucks sake”, Bela complained. The officers name was Ben. She didn’t remember his last name. He said it she just wasn’t listening. He explained to her that she passed out and she was just at the hospital as a safety precaution. He asked her if she would speak in court which she very quickly rejected. He asked her if she had any other family, she also told him no then. His face drooped. He looked truly sorry for her but at this point everyone did. 

One year later Bela was staying with Ben and his wife Cheryl. They had welcomed her into their home after her “unfortunate incident” as everyone liked to call it. Bela didn’t leave the house and only left her room for dinner. She didn’t talk, hadn’t spoken a word since that horrid day her mom was murdered. Bela’s homeschooling and being a hermit was working for her. Ben and Cheryl thought it’d be good to get Bela a grief counselor. It didn’t work. Bela just sat and listened to the couselor never saying a word. No one could really blame her. They couldn’t imagine what they’d do if this happened to them. 

One night as Bela was in her room the horrific sound of sirens ran down the street. She jumped onto the bed and curled herself up into a ball. Normally Cheryl would come up to comfort her but, the couple had gone out to dinner. The sirens stopped and the door was being abruptly knocked on. Bela now curious and scared due to the last time she was under this circumstance went to the door and opened it. “Hello Bela, I’m Officer Russo. I’m afraid I have some terrible news. Would you like to sit down?” Bela couldn’t function. She was scared to even hear what they had to say. Turns out Ben and Cheryl had been in a terrible car accident, both dead on the scene. Did everyone around her die? She just nodded her head, knwoing that this wasn’t her fault. But was it? Did death follow her wherever she goes?