Shatter

Chapter Four

Okay, thank you so much to all of you who have read this far! This is my first story and I'm very appreciative of all those who decided to read this. Thank you all again!

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502 Shadow Brook, Manhattan, NY

Tuesday, September 29, 2025

4:50 PM

Ash (First POV)

Mara stormed inside my room, fuming. Her eyebrows arched when she saw me on my phone and started screaming. "WHERE IS MY NECKLACE, YOU ASSHOLE?"

I placed my phone down on my bed and gave her a glare. "Why the fuck are you in my room? And I have no idea where your necklace is." Mara glared at me - and every time I looked at her eyes, I had a painful memory of Grandpa. Her eyes were a darker shade of green than mine, just like Grandpa's.

Mara groaned and stomped outside, slamming the door shut. Honestly, what is wrong with her? Why are nearly all of my family members like this?

The doorbell sounded, and I jumped up in excitement. I hurried down the stairs and opened the door to reveal Scarlett, looking a bit nervous.

"Hi," she said. "Um...you said you have something to tell me?"

"Yeah, come in," I replied. A moment later, Mara appeared at the top of the stairs with a scowl on her face. Once she spotted Scarlett, Mara put on a tight smile.

"Hello, Scarlett," Mara said. "How...have you been?"

"Can you give us a moment?" I shot her a death glare and grabbed Scarlett's hand before I realized what I was doing. Mara squinted at us and started twisting one of her several rings on her finger. She rolled her eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something drop from her hand onto the floor before she stalked out. Strange.

"Follow me," I said, as I led Scarlett to the attic.

We climbed up the rickety stairs to a dark room full of junk. I yanked on the rusted light string and lit up the room with a dim light. We headed towards the farthest corner of the attic, dodging suitcases and old boxes. Scarlett shrieked when she spotted a Daddy Long Legs on her sleeve, and I simply flicked it off.

"Here," I said, picking up a small, wooden box. It was intricately painted with metallic gold and blue paint.

I took off the lid and gently picked up one of the pictures inside after brushing off some dust. It was of a girl with curly blonde hair, the brightest green eyes I've ever seen, and a bright smile. Mara had an arm swung over the girl and they were giggling in the photo. Mara must have been around eleven years old when she took the photo, because she was wearing her favorite black dress. She loved that dress when she was eleven - it was a gift from Grandma.

Scarlett squinted at the photo. I sat down on another rusty box, and Scarlett squeezed onto it next to me. "Who's that?" She pointed to both the girls. "And where are they? Why are you showing me this in your attic?"

I laughed. "No need to be so skeptical. Well...maybe you should, because you barely know me." I gave her a sly grin and she shoved me off the box.

"Just tell me, who are those people?" Scarlett demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest. I settled myself on the floor and cleared my throat.

"Okay so, that girl is Mara." I pointed to the black-haired girl.

Scarlett put a hand over her mouth. "No way! She looks so different! I can see a bit of the resemblance through the hair, but that's it. Even her eyes were lighter when she was younger! How old is she in the picture?"