Summer Nightmares

Seventeen

Emily 'Em'

I stood there in shock.

What had just happened?

Did he run away?

Why did he say he was sorry?

Why did he say sorry so many times?

And all my thoughts stopped when I heard the answer behind me.

"Julia must be proud of you, huh?"

It was a freaking trap! Miguel had brought me here because of Aunt Gabriela, the one person who caused every pain to my mother you can never expect from a sister.

"Giving your whole life to a worthless orphan?"

"She's my sister!" I shouted.

"She won't be any longer," she smirked, "After all you do know what I did to your father right? You're old enough to read your mom's diary now."

And that's when it struck me as all the questions I would ask my mother after my dad disappeared were answered.

"Why isn't dad coming home?"

"I thought he'd be here on my birthday! Why isn't he here?"

"Why doesn't he ever call?"

"Is he never coming back?"

"How much longer should I wait now, mom?"

"He was never coming back, was he?" I whispered as everything inside me started to hurt. "It was you. You killed my father!"

Gabriela smiled proudly. I wish I could, honey but he ran away. I never found him. I don't even know if he's dead.

"But I can help you find him." With that said, she took a step closer and took out a knife. "I told Sebastian to marry me but he never listened. Now you're going to pay for it! All of you! I told Julia I wasn't going to sit back and watch. She ignored me. I told her I'll take everything away from her, but she ignored me. So I took it all. I took her husband, her daughter, her own life," she chuckled, "and even her best friend!"

The only thing I could think of was what was going to become of Sydney. I had to keep her safe. I had promised mom. Gabriela was going to try and kill Sydney next! I knew it!

That's when she jumped on me with her knife and I closed my eyes shut but nothing happened. I didn't die. I opened my eyes to see Miguel in front of me. The knife in his arm as tears fell down his cheeks. Ms. Warren came running and held him as she looked at Gabriela in terror.

"You're paying for this!" Ms. Warren hissed. " For both of my counselors!"

And then it all happened in a second. Gabriela ran into the forest before Ms. Warren could catch her, Sydney hugged me and Miles helped me get up. Ms. Warren told me to get the kids and myself back to the camp safely and she took Miguel with him to the hospital I suppose.

Miguel didn't come back for five days. There were so many things I wanted to ask him. Why'd he take me there if he wanted to save me in the end. I mean, he knew what was going to happen! He knew it, didn't he?

Sydney asked me a lot of questions about Gabriela and I told her everything. Everything I wanted to tell her and everything that she was ready to hear. She decided to sleep in my cabin and I let her. She had to know now. Afterall, Gabriela could come back any day.

Gabriela was my mother's sister. And she had hated my mom for the longest time. My mom was prettier than her and the whole town looked at my mom when she passed by like Malena. Every boy wanted to ask her out, every woman wanted her to marry their boys. It didn't turn out as great as my grandmother was thinking it would.

My mom met my dad when he had nothing. Not even a roof on his head yet he was the most charming man she had met. She'd often tell about him. He was everything she could ask for. He'd sneak her out of her house in the night and they'd laugh and kiss and sit around for an hour in the sunflower fields my abuelo owned.

When my aunt figured out what was happening she told abuelo about this expecting him to be angry at mom. Afterall, Abuela was having high hopes that mom was going to marry a rich man. But, Abuelo didn't scold mom. He asked her to bring dad with her the next day.

He was good. There was no denying the fact. He was handsome and kind. And they got married. The town accepted its destiny and my mom was no longer stared at by the boys in town. Later Abuela accepted dad too. She had to. He was too kind to be mad at. She had told my mom.

Gabriela disappeared one day. And then the attacks started. It was pretty clear that someone was trying to kill mom. Abuela and Abuelo thought it must be someone from town. Everyone wanted mom to marry them or their kids. But they couldn't find out who it was. The sheriff gave up. And one evening, abuelo asked dad to take mom away from the cursed town and the mysterious killer. Dad promised abuelo that he'd keep my mom safe and sound forever and always.

And he did.

"Do you miss him?" Sydney asked.

"Yes, of course I do!"

"I wish I could meet him!"

"He knew you, Sydney. He met you once when you were one. You had puked on him." I laughed. "How can I ever forget that day!"

Sydney hit me playfully and sighed.

"Good night, Em."

"Good night, Sydney!"

And with that I pulled the blanket on our bodies.

Sydney, luckily, didn't hear Gabriela talk about how she killed her mother. She wasn't ready to know the truth yet. And some things are better if they're kept untold.