Screw It

Planning

       Lydia was doing homework on Ethan's bed as usual when the news came. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the time. Ethan was watching Fast and Furious while she rested her head against his legs with a computer in her lap and Riley was gnawing on a bone in the corner of the room Then, all of a sudden, Quinn burst through the door with a panicked look on her face.
" Mom and Dad need us all in the living room right now. Dad just got a call from the Woodsboro Police Department. It's something about Richie."
Lydia shot up straight. " What happened to Richie?"
" I don't know, but it can't be good."
Ethan and Lydia got off the bed with concern evident on their faces. Lydia looked at Riley and told her to stay before they walked with Quinn into the living room and found their mom and dad sitting on the couch.
" Dad?" Lydia asked, tentatively. " What happened? Why did the police call about Richie?"
The older man looked at his three children and said, " Richie was murdered by a girl named Samantha Carpenter. She stabbed him 22 times before shooting him in the head."
All of his children looked taken aback by this. They couldn't fathom that their older brother could have been killed in such a brutal way. Being stabbed so many times itself was clear overkill but shooting him in the head as well? That was just cruel.
" How is Amber dealing with this?" Ethan asked.
Lydia's stomach dropped as she thought of how Amber must be feeling. The family had only met Amber a few times and none particularly liked her, but Richie had a strong bond with her so they tried to be kind to her. She and Lydia got along the best out of them all. Whenever Lydia saw Amber the girl would always inquire about what the younger girl had been up to. They would talk about movies and school for hours before Amber went back home.
Lydia's father interrupted her guilty thoughts with a gruff cough. " Amber was killed by Samatha's younger sister, Tara, who burned her alive and then shot her in the head."
" How could they do this?" Quinn exclaimed angrily.
" The police said Richie and Amber were responsible for a string of recent murders in the town."
" Wait," Lydia interjected. " Killings in Woodsboro? Like in Stab?"
Her mom's face took on a look of horrification. " Wayne, is this what Richie was talking about when he said he was going to make his movie?"
He didn't speak or even spare her a glance.
" Oh my god!" The kid's mother stood and backed away in terror. " How could you let this happen? You're an officer of the law. It's your job to protect people."
" You're being hysterical Kristy. Stop worrying about those people and start thinking about how we are going to avenge our son. Come on, think of your baby boy."
" You're crazy!" Kristy then turned to look at her children who were standing in silence as they watched. " Come on kids, we're leaving."
" You're just going to let them get away with killing Richie?" Quinn asked her mother.
She looked shocked at this question.
" Richie chose his fate. He murdered innocent people!" She argued.
" So has Lydia, but I don't see you throwing her to the cops!" Quinn snapped.
" Quinn!" Ethan hissed at her.
" You what?" Kristy asked her youngest daughter.
" I-" Lydia gasped out.
" It doesn't matter!" Ethan yelled. " Mom, you can't just leave!"
" You're all sick! I'm going to the cops. You all need help." Their mother said, grabbing her purse.
Wayne looked at his remaining son and nodded toward his wife. Ethan looked at his Mom and then his twin who still had a look of distress on her face. Lydia and Ethan made eye contact and the girl exhaled softly before looking down at her shoes. Ethan crossed the room to the kitchen as his mother hurriedly grabbed her coat and put on her shoes. He reached toward the knife block and grabbed a chef's knife. Then he walked over to his mother as she stood from tying her shoes.
" I'm really sorry Mom." He said to her.
" What?" she asked, confused.
She started turning around only to be met with a knife in between her ribs. Kristy gaped at her son. As tears started running down her face Ethan pulled out the knife and plunged it directly into her heart.
" I'm sorry Mom, but I didn't spend all those years protecting Lydia only for you to ruin it by running to the police," He said.
Her body slumped forward and Ethan pulled out the knife. He stepped away and let her body hit the ground with a thud. At that moment all Lydia thought of as she looked at her mother's dead body was 'Thank heavens we have wood floors instead of carpet.' Her breathing got heavier the longer she looked at the woman who had raised her. She and her mother had never been very close but she was still the woman who had taken her to her first day at school every year and had taught her how to use a tampon the first time she got her period.
Lydia felt soft fur against her hand as the world started to spin. She knew it was Riley telling her to sit down as her vertigo started to flare up. Lydia pushed her back against the wall, slowly sliding down to the floor as the golden dog lay across her lap.
" E," the girl called softly as she closed her eyes.
The boy turned toward his other half. " Shit Lyds," he said, rushing toward her. " Come on. Let's get you back to your room."
He patted Riley on the head softly to let her know he had it handled. The dog got off Lydia's lap but stayed close just in case she was needed. Ethan gently picked up his sister and started walking toward her room when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned slightly to see his father.
" I need to take her to her room Dad," Ethan said firmly.
" I know. But we need to start planning as soon as she's ready."
" And we will. I just have one condition."
" Of course."
" Lydia doesn't do any killing. She stays as behind the scenes in this plan as possible."
" I don't think-"
"Dad," Quinn interjects. " Just agree. It's for the best."
Wayne let out a sigh. " Alright. Lydia stays as out of it as possible."
" Good." Then Ethan turned and carried his twin to her bed.
He knew she wouldn't like what was going to happen but Ethan couldn't risk his father going to the police now that he was aware of what Lydia had done. He wasn't worried about Quinn. She was the perfect child for the plan. It was understandable since Richie and Quinn had been closer than the others were to him.
Richie was Wayne's firstborn son and was always his favorite. Wayne always indulged Richie's interests from the moment he was born until the day he died. Quinn was his first daughter. She was swooned over by everyone as a child and spoiled rotten by everyone. She didn't need attention from Wayne but she wanted it anyway. At a young age, she found the easiest way to get it was by being near Richie. Because of this, Richie and Quinn grew close, both thriving off their father's affection.
Ethan and Lydia however were a different story. They were a complete accident by Kristy and Wayne. Already having marital issues, more kids were the last thing they needed, much less two at once. Growing up the two felt neglected by the rest of their family. Sure they got along with their other siblings but most of the time it was just the two of them alone. In some ways, it was better like this. Ethan wanted the attention that Richie got, and Lydia gave it to him. Lydia wanted someone to talk to and have tea parties with, and so Ethan did that with her. Their bond only strengthened as they got older. The two completed each other. Lydia liked to compare their bond to that of Fred and George Weasley. Every time she said that Ethan would roll his eyes but inside he was happy that they were so close.
That's why he agreed to the plan. He couldn't take that chance of losing the only person who had been there through his life. Over the next year, Ethan and Lydia would be threatened by their father with the life of the other. With Ethan, Wayne would threaten to tell the police about the murders that Lydia had committed. With Lydia, he would threaten to blame those murders on Ethan or even just threaten to kill the boy. It wasn't all bad for them though. Lydia got to practice her strategic thinking and computer skills while Ethan finally had an outlet for the violent psychotic rage that had been building inside of him. In the beginning, the twins were scared that this plan would tear them apart, but instead, their bond had become stronger. They understood each other in ways no one else could. That was how they knew that even through this horrid plan their family had concocted, they would be just fine.