The Perfect Murder

Chapter 1: Natasha

Chapter 1: NATASHA

The yellowish orange sunlight lit up the dark bedroom of Natasha. It was quite a beautiful morning, everything was at peace. But for Natasha it is not. The whole night it rained inside her head. She thought of Stephanie, one of her best friends since third grade. She still couldn't accept what happened to her. She was horribly murdered a week ago. She was found in her room swimming in her own blood, stomach churning, skin crawling and intestines spilling outside her body. Police reported that there were no suspect nor lead to the crime.

One week ago they went to Mary's Resort in Springfield to have fun and to celebrate their college graduation. Here and there were people enjoying the rides in the carnival beside Mary's Resort. The carnival had enjoyable attractions, a caterpillar ride, boardwalk, Ferris wheels, roller coasters, bump cars, horror house and an arcade where you can shoot a balloon and when you do you can get a teddy bear as price.

On the glass cabinet beside her bed are framed photographs of their best friends memorable moments; Junior and Senior Prom, their college graduation and of course their last picture in Mary's Resort where the four of them wear bikinis while playing volleyball in a white sand beach. In the silence, Natasha thought of the past. She was interrupted by a knock on the door. Katniss poked her head in.

  "Hey Natasha. Come on. Wake up." Katniss said. 

 "Yeah. Later Kat."

 "Come on, sweetie. Fraine is already having her breakfast. Let's eat. Let's join her in the kitchen."

 Natasha waked up and opened the drawer near the window. She stared at the photos in her album dedicated just for the photographs of the four of them. "Katniss, I was wrong during that time. I don't want to remember our last conversation but it just intrudes inside my head."

 "What do you mean Natasha?"

 "About me and Stephanie having a fight." 

 "Do you want to talk about it?"

 "Not this time Katniss."

For an immediate moment of time, Natasha remembered the past that inundate on her head: the fight she had with Stephanie and the picture that Stephanie wanted to show her. She thought what if she could just have listened to her then Stephanie must not got upset and went home from the resort and meet her demise. It was just last week, not so long ago. If she just can turn back time that is the moment she would really like to repeat.

 Katniss coughed. "So, ready for breakfast?" Natasha smiled but this also faded faster as it had come. Katniss went near beside Natasha and hugged her tight. Natasha still found it comforting better than lying on bed silently and thinking of the sadness of the past. "I'll tell you what," Katniss went on while she went near the door. "Why don't we eat breakfast and I'll go get your favorite demitasse,huh?" 

 "Haha. All right. Come on. Let's go! And after that we'll go to Stephanie's burial ceremony, yeah?"

 "Of course Nat."

 At the burial ceremony, everybody was sad. From Stephanie's family to her friends and to her best loved ones. Everybody was crying. All of them weared white clothes and dresses as signs of hope for the justice of Stephanie's murder. It was also a sign of Stephanie's new life as she walks in to her new journey. There are also balloons and on it was a message for Stephanie; YOU HAVE SUFFERED FOR A SECOND BUT NOW YOU'LL FEEL PEACE AND HAPPINESS FOREVER. Goodbye Baby.

The priest blessed the coffin of Stephanie. It was a golden brown coffin designed with smooth carved angels on the side angles. On its upper cover drawn a big cross and below it "Rest in Peace" was written.

Fraine cried as she the one who first gave a message for Stephanie. Natasha was staring in to space because she can't take the heavy ambience of the burial. It was like the saddess moment in her life. To see her best friend in a coffin while everybody around her is crying including her, of course. Staring in to space, Natasha remembered again the picture that Stephanie hesitated for her to see before. She wondered about the picture, does it have something to do about Stephanie's death? Or is it about the incident when Stephanie said that there is something wrong about Katniss?

After the burial they all went to Stephanie's house to have sometime with her family especially to Stephanie's mother who cried tears of sorrow that she cannot hold back. Staring out the window pane of the car, Natasha pictured the moment when the two of them had a fight.

"Stephanie please. We are enjoying here okay? Come on. Let's just go to a caterpillar ride and feel the satisfaction. How about that?"

 "No, Natasha. Listen to me, okay?"

 "What? Why should I listen to your fictional stories and lies about Katniss?"

 "Look at this picture Natasha. Look! It is Katniss. She is with a person that possibly be her twin sister!" Stephanie explained hardly.

 "No, Steph. I don't want to look at that picture okay? Stop it! And if Katniss do have a twin sister she must have said it to us!"

"Please. Listen to me". Stephanie trying to give the picture to Natasha, but Natasha resisted.

Stephanie's hesitation about the picture was disturbed when Katniss and Fraine arrived in the room. "Uhmm, Natasha. David's calling you. He's in the pool at the roof." Fraine poked in. "Yeah. All right." Natasha answered looking to Stephanie while getting her pink towel. "Steph, come let's go swimming." Katniss went on. "No, I am going home!" Stephanie answered. Fraine and Katniss tried to stop her but she did not listen.

It was already 2:45 PM when they arrived to Stephanie's house. Some of her relatives were also there. Her instructors in college were there also to sympathized with her family including her friends in the Glee Club. Natasha together with Fraine went to Stephanie's bedroom as soon as they arrived.

Natasha suddenly remembered about the picture Stephanie insisted to her when she saw a newspaper at Stephanie's bedroom that is named, Cambridge Downtown Newspaper dated December 6, 1996. This name was also the name she saw at the back of the picture that is which Stephanie tried to show her. Natasha felt strange because she thought that there is really something wrong about this picture. But it is too late. Stephanie is already dead.

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 This is the 1st MAJOR story that I write. I hope you enjoyed the first part. Please wait for the next chapters. Please do support me :)