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Family Misfortunes

It all starts with a flash back. A memory. My parents and I moved to Gotham when I was young. I was only five at the time and just about to start kindergarten. We moved next door to the Napiers. At first they where normal, your average family but as you may know , thing aren't always as they seem. I befriended their son Jack and we grew up together. Jack had amazing blue eyes and dark hair. He was always skinny and dorky looking as a child but as puberty hit he became muscular and actually quite handsome. We became best friends despite Jack being secretive about a lot of things and keeping me and his home life very much separate. Jack would never let me past the second step of his porch and, if ever his parents tried to talk to me, Jack would cut them off ushering me away from them. I never understood why he was keeping me away.

Jack and I soon turned 18 and were about to graduate high school. Prom was just around the corner and neither of us had found a date.

We where sitting outside under the big oak tree studying for our final examination. Jack suddenly closed the book which I was reading. I looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" I asked tilting my head slightly, curiously looking over his facial expressions. Jack opened his mouth as if to say something before closing it again. I looked at him puzzled.

He opened his mouth again, this time managing to project his words: "You know prom's coming up right?" he said, looking down at the floor, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Yeah, its next week... did you find a date? Is that what you wanted to tell me? Who is she? Is she pretty? Is she...?"

Jack placed his finger over my lips. He smiled and a small laugh escaped his mouth.

"If you stay quiet long enough for me to get a word in then I will explain," he said rolling his eyes and shaking his head slightly.

"Sorry" I mumbled, his finger still pressed against my lips. "I don't have a date, if you don't either then ....."

Jack paused. "Then?" I said questioning him. "Then Jessie... will you do me the honour of becoming my date to prom?"

I smiled, nodding my head " yes please" I said in a shy voice, smiling up at Jack. "Great " he said smiling back at me.

It was soon prom night. I had gotten ready and was waiting for Jack out on my porch. My dress had a full sequinned sweetheart top. The bottom of the dress started at my waist showing off my figure. It was a dark blue tutu that started short at the front and became longer creating a trail at the back. I had on my matching dark blue converse and a silver choker necklace that Jack had bought me for my sixteenth birthday. My long dark brown hair was lightly curled with my fringe slightly covering my right eye as it always did. I checked the time having been stood out in the cold night air for a while now. Jack wasn't there yet. I walked round to his house. I paused when I reached the second step of his porch knowing Jack wouldn't want me to go any further. I heard screams and commotion coming from the house and ran in not thinking about what I might find on entering. I pushed open the door . what I found changed my life forever.

I walked down Jack's hallway quietly turning in to his living room. My eyes scanned around the room when they set themselves on the floor. Following a trail of blood. There was Jack's mother. Dead. On the floor. I froze.
I hear another scream: "Jack!"

I ran to the room at the end of the hall, again pushing open the door, Jack's father was on the floor. Blood poured from his lifeless body. I stood in shock, suddenly a pair of hands grabbed me and wrestled me to the floor. They pinned me down sitting on top of me. I was just about to scream I realised it was Jack. "What the fuck happened?" I cried out as I noticed the two cuts either side of Jack's mouth. His hands where covered in blood. Who's I wasn't sure of. He just starred in to my eyes. "Jack?" I breath out heavily.

"You need to leave!"
"What's happened, who did this?"
"Jessie you won't believe me, just go"
"Jack listen to me, I trust you of course I will believe you. Just tell me."

Jack took a deep breath

"My father is... was an alcoholic, he beat my mother all the time. Sometimes me too. Tonight he came home drunk again, he tried to hurt her but this time she fought back, he didn't like it so he took a kitchen knife and killed her. Then..."

"Keep going."

"No, you'll hate me."

"I'll never hate you Jack, tell me."

"He looked around and noticed I had seen the whole thing. He asked me why I looked so serious. "

"Then he pinned me down and cut a smile on to my face. I managed to wrestle the knife from him... I stabbed him. Not just once either. So many times. And. And I laughed."

"I killed my father and I laughed."

He stared blankly at the wall telling me the story. I was shocked. Suddenly I realised that we couldn't stay here.

"We have to go Jack."

"What?" He said, snapping out of the trance he was in.

"We can't stay here you'll get life for this. We need to run."

I said as I stood up and walked towards the door, Jack grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"No Jessie, you need to go home and pretend you never met me. I'm going to hand myself in."

"Jack don't, it's not your fault "

"That's for the judge to decide."

Jack picked up his phone and called the police. I sat looking at him crying and shaking my head.

He put down the phone and pulled me towards him, I looked down at the floor but he lifted my head with his finger.

"Look at me, and listen for once please. I love you angel. Always have, always will.

"Now I want you to do something for me. Go home. Live your life. Forget about all of this."

We heard the police sirens coming from outside. Jack pulled away from me.

"Go" he said.

"No, I'm not leaving you!"

"GO!" This time he shouted.

"Jessie, if you love me as much as I love you then go."

"Don't do that to me, I do love you, why do you think I'm asking you to run away with me?"

"If you love me, go" he said again.

I ran back to him, kissing his bleeding mouth.
"Goodbye " I whispered
"Goodbye, angel," he said before pushing me out of the door.

And that was the last I saw of Jack .