Present day
Riker’s POV
“Don’t you get it? They faked her death to get her away from us!” She protected us.” Ross said. I was angry, I said, “But we didn’t need protection.” He said, “We do, or at least she thinks we do. There are some bad people after them, so they all ‘died’. Now the threat is gone as long as they aren’t found.” I said, “What are you saying? Don’t you want her here?” He said, “Of course I do!” I said, “Then why are you letting her go?” He said, “Because we need to.”
Ross’s POV
I went back to my room and opened my window. I saw Renee, she read something on her phone, then she grabbed her bag and ran out the door. I ran downstairs and walked out the door, Renee was running down the street. She couldn’t hear me so I followed her. We ended up by the park. It was so super dark outside out. She began walking towards the big oak tree that was in the center of the park. Sky walked out from behind it.
I dropped down on my stomach. The grass was high enough to hide me and it was dark so they wouldn’t see me. Sky picked her bag up and dusted off the mulch that lingered on the leather. She slung it over her shoulder. Sky said to Renee, “You know you can’t have him.”
Renee said, “Who?” Sky said, “Ross.” Renee looked confused. She said, “I don’t want to ‘have’ him.” Sky signed, “You know you do. I know you do. Little siblings always want what their older siblings have. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” Renee got mad, “Do you realize how stupid you sound? When you were gone I was just your replacement, I know he meant that. But anyways, now that you’re back, I’m gone. Why would I want something I don’t have the chance of getting? I just want to be his friend. And you say you know me? You don’t You have never been in my life! How can you even say you’re my sister?”
Sky said, “Renee, calm down. I know it’s been tough. I’ve had to live another life for an entire year.” Renee was in disbelief, “I have been doing this for my entire life. You can’t even imagine how it feels, just knowing that the life you’re living really isn’t yours. Sneaking around corners with Charlie and Dylan. I finally made friends that I could be close with, and then everything goes downhill. Sky, I can’t do this anymore. You win.”
Sky said, “Renee, Ross is the only other one who knows I’m alive, he’s the only one who can. I’m not taking anyone from you. What about Riker? He’s super sweet. Or Rocky?” Renee said, “What about Riker? What happens when he finds out?” Sky said, “He’d be upset.” Renee said, “No, he’d be more than upset. He’d be crushed. Sky he loves you. He thinks you died in his arms.” Sky said, “So what do we do?” Renee laughed, “We? No, there is now more we. I’m out.” She turned around and started walking back.
Sky yelled her name, knowing she couldn’t hear her, she threw a stick at her. It hit Renee in the back of the head, she immediately turned around. She stormed up to Sky and slapped her in the face. Renee yelled, “Leave me alone!” Sky quickly tackled Renee, she sat on her torso and held her wrists beside her head on the floor. Renee struggled, Sky said, “You can’t quit now! You are coming with us!” Renee stopped fighting her, she just stopped and started crying, “Please, just let me go. Just let me go. Leave me alone.”
Sky said, “No, I am your sister, maybe a bad one, but I still am your sister.” Renee said, “Oh yeah? Does that mean you still think Michael is still our dad? He’s a bad one but he’s still our father?” Sky said, “That man will never be our father.” Renee swiftly pushed Sky off. She said, “And you will never be my sister.” Renee ran.
Sky was about to run after her, I stood up and said, “Don’t.” She turned around, “Ross?” I said, “That, that was not like you.” I started walking past her. She said, “Ross, wait.” I stopped and spun around. I said, “We were better off when we thought you were dead.” And then I went to Renee’s house.
I knocked on the front door, her brother opened it, I said, “Hey Nick.” He said, “Ross.” I said, “Is Renee home?” He said, “What? I thought she was hanging out with you?” I didn’t want to worry him, “Right, she said she had to grab her purse, she’s probably already there.” He said, “Ross, please don’t mess with her, she’s been through a lot. She told me. A person can only take so much before they break.” I said, “I know, that’s what I’m scared off.”
I didn’t know where to go. I got in my car and called Rocky, “Hey man, is Renee at our house with anyone?” He said, “Nope. We’re all watching a movie in the living room, she’s not here.” I called Ratliff, he said, “what’s up?” I said, “I can’t find Renee.” He said, “Oh, she’s right here.” I said, “What?” He said, “Yeah, She’s pretty upset about something.” I said, “Can I come over?” He said, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea?” And he hung up.
Then my phone rang again. It was Sky. I answered, "What?" She sounded like she was running. But there was also a tremble in her voice. She said, "Ross?" I said, "Yeah?" She said, "Tell Renee I'm sorry, tell Riker I'm sorry. Tell everyone I'm sorry. Ross I'm especially sorry to you though. I love-" then I heard a gunshot. My hand began to tremble. My lip quivered.
There was silence, then footsteps. A man's voice said, "Sophie's next, then Charlie, then that other kid." Another man’s voice said, "Dylan." The other one said, "oh yeah, wait, she was on the phone. Hey, don't touch the body, you'll leave prints. There's no name, it's just a heart." The other guy said, "Well, hang up." And the line went dead.
My phone fell from my hand. I think I just heard Sky die. It was bad the first time, but now, she had been murdered. I called Riker, he said, "Hey." I couldn't speak though, he said, "Ross? What's wrong? Are you okay? I'm coming to get you." My screen lit up with a different screen. He was tracking my phone.
He ran outside and looked at his phone, the over to me in the driveway. He got in the passenger seat. I signed, "D-e-a-d." He said, "Dead?" I nodded, I signed, "S-K-Y." I knew he knew the letters at least for Renee, but no one else had learned the words. He said, "Again?" I signed, "g-u-n" he said, "I-I think I heard a gunshot by the park, we all thought it was a firework, but it was just too loud." He buckled his seatbelt, "Drive."
I sped towards the park. Then I parked the car and we ran towards the park. When we got close we saw someone laying on the sidewalk. I knew it was Sky. I kneeled down next to her and grabbed her hand. Then Riker pushed me away, I said, "What are you-" he took off her shirt and underneath she was wearing a bulletproof vest over a tank top. He opened it and she gasped and sat up.
She breathed until she had a normal pace again. Riker said, "I saw that she looked a bit lumpy, had to be a vest." Sky said, "Where's Renee?" I said, "She's with Ratliff. How did they find you?" She said, "I think they are tracking our phones." I looked over at hers, I was going to take off the back to see if there was a chip, but she said, "Don't move that phone. If it moves they'll know I'm not dead and they'll come back for me. They found Charlie and Dylan. But the boys got out of there in time. They ditched their phones and know where to meet up.”
She grabbed my shirt, “We need to get to Renee, she doesn’t know what’s going on. We can’t call her because they probably have her phone bugged. Tell Ratliff to take her phone and drive, then chuck it out the window and get out of there.” I helped her stand up, “Riker help me get Sky to the car.” He walked away to the car.
Sky whispered to me, “He’s mad at me, I can’t blame him. I ‘died’.” I picked her up, the vest may have stopped the bullet, but she still felt the impact. Riker was sitting in the back seat of the car; I got Sky in the passenger seat. I drove to Ratliff’s house. Sky had my phone trying to get a hold of Ratliff. I rang the doorbell and Ratliff’s mom opened the door.
She said, “What are you boys doing he-“ She saw Sky, “Oh my stars! Skylar, sweetie!” She gave Sky a hug. She said, “Skylar, I thought you had passed away.” Riker muttered, “You’re not the only one.” Sky said, “Is Renee here with Ratliff?” She said, “No, they went on a walk, into the city I think.” Sky said, “Thank you so much, it was great to see you again.”
