Katana's Revenge

Stop Pretending

Song: Don't pretend anymore By Anne Jasmin

He says two weeks and I'm moving out of here, two weeks. Hell I still won't be able to do much; I freaking broke a few ribs along with my right leg. He is keeping me home from school as well. To heal he says. To heal...whatever.

The wreck was in the paper. I don't know how many people have came by to check on me and my phone keeps going off so much that I just turn the damn thing off. I can't think with everyone pestering the hell out of me. The article states that I'm eighteen and was drinking and driving. It even mentions that I was on drugs but doesn't state what kind. I was highly intoxicated and whoever wrote it states that I must be trying to cope with everything that has happened to me. And of course it mentions who my father is. I figure this is why he is trying to get rid of me because I am the sheriff's daughter and I shouldn't be acting the way I am.

Anthony's house was also on the front of the newspaper. Brunt to a crisp. Hell I wasn't even thinking about if anyone was in there or not. A part of me wanted all of them to die. They all knew what happened to me. They watched him shut the door that night; heard my cries for help. They all watched Anthony take me out, naked...like I was trash. I wanted them all to die. Is that mean of me?

I knew Anthony was not there because he was at Blake's and I knew I would have to get him back somehow. Not to mention his dad, who is sitting behind bars still. I so want to kill that man and I plan on it once I find a way to him.

At least the house was gone. Not only did the cops find out that...but while doing investigation at the house they stumbled on the well. The headlines read... 'Multiple bodies discovered at the Harper's Residence: The Harper's were home the night that there house was caught on fire. Mrs. Harper (45) and her daughter Stella (19) died in the fire. The only one to survive was a young toddler age 2 and the older son, Anthony (17) who was not home the night of the fire. Mr. Joe Harper (47) is currently in jail for the rape and attempted murder of Katana Harlow (18). Was it arsonist or pay back...who are all the bodies that were found in a nearby well?' I skim through the rest of the article and set the paper down. I knew I was not the only one.

"Anything worth reading in the paper this morning?" My dad walks into the kitchen.

 I watch as he walks across the tile floor to retrieve a cup out of the cabinet. He pours himself some coffee and then sits down at the table across from me. He looks down at the paper and sees what I was looking at.

 "Damn news reporters, no one can just keep their mouths shut around here. Everyone always up in other people's business."

"Yeah...the wreck is in there as well." I turn it over so he can see the bottom part of the first page.

"Well that's just great."

"Dad, I never meant for all this to happen. I know I should have not been drinking. I really am sorry."

"Katana, why were you over there anyway?" he asks again.

I roll my eyes at him, trying to figure out what to say to him. "I don't know. I'm trying to get over what happened. I...I'm just not thinking straight. I guess I thought the one drink would drown out the pain. But one led to another."

"And ecstasy, did you take it on your own or did someone give it to you without you knowing?"

I sit in silence thinking back to that night. Blake was helping me drink; he kept pouring me a drink and then I remember for asking something stronger. Somewhere between drinking I do remember taking some kind of pill but I never asked what it was. So I guess I took it on my own free will.

"Katana...I asked you a question?"

"I don't remember alright," I snap at him as I stand up trying not to moan. The pain in my chest radiates through my body. I pick up the crutches to walk away...apparently not quick enough.

 He stands up and walks over to me. "I need to ask you something else. Did you have anything to do with the fire?"

I can't believe he is accusing me of the fire. Why in the hell would he think I had anything to do with it? I bite my bottom lip and look him dead in the face. "No! I had nothing to do with the fire." I push past him and go to my room shutting the door behind me.

Sheriff Harlow:

The house in surrounded by investigators. So many people looking into what happened. Apparently the fire started on the outside of the house before spreading and burning the whole house down. The well on the other hand was almost missed but one of the younger detectives stumbled on it. Who knows what gave him the idea to look into it...the smell coming from it was rank.

Through the night they had pulled up at least ten bodies. They have to take them in to do more determination of who they are, which will takes weeks maybe months. That could have been my little girl down there. I wonder why they didn't throw her in there. Why did they leave her out in the middle of nowhere? I'm glad they didn't throw her in there. I wonder how many others had actually made it out alive. This is like some kind of horror movie. I can't believe this happened right under our noses and we never knew anything about it. I wonder how long this has been going on.

I am about to head out when I happen to notice tire tracks to the side. I walk over and look at them. On the ground beside it is a thin red and black ribbon. I pick it up to look at it and even though I should give it for evidence, however I put it in my pocket. I've seen it before. She wears them in her hair on game nights. I know it's hers because her scent is still on it. Was it from the first time she was here or did she come out here again...did she start the fire?

I should ask her when I get home but she is in her room sleeping. In the morning she is already up which I am shocked to see her up this early. Usually I have to beg for her to wake up. She is sitting at the table drinking what looks to be coffee, since when does she drink coffee.

"Anything worth reading in the paper this morning?" I ask her as I get myself a cup of coffee. When I walk back over I glance at the headline on the front of the paper. "Damn news reporters...no one can just keep their mouths shut around here. Everyone always up in other people's business."

"Yeah...the wreck is in there as well." She flips it over for me to see it.

"Well that's just great." They have the damn fire on the same page as her wreck. I wonder how many people will try to connect the two.

"Dad, I never meant for all this to happen. I know I should have not been drinking. I really am sorry." She tries to apologize again.

"Katana...why were you over there anyway?"

She rolls her eyes at me. At first she seems lost in thought before saying, "I don't know. I'm trying to get over what happened. I...I'm just not thinking straight. I guess I thought the one drink would drown out the pain. But one led to another."

"And ecstasy...did you take it on your own or did someone give it to you without you knowing?"

She sits there in silence...well I guess that answered the question, she took it. "Katana, I asked you a question?"

"I don't remember alright." She reaches for the crutches, trying to stand up.

I walk over to her and get in front of her. "I need to ask you something else. Did you have anything to do with the fire?"

 "No...I had nothing to do with the fire." She glares back at me. I know she is lying to me as she walks to her room. I know she had to have something to do with it. The tracks in the mud matched her tires. Her car had mud splattered all over it from where she was there. Of course the car is at the impound due to the crash. Before coming home last night I had went by there. The owner was still there at the odd hours and he has instructions to demolish it the rest of the way today.

I sit back down at the table and hold the ribbon between my fingers in my hands. Only the cheerleaders wear this kind in their hair and I know it is hers. Why in the hell would it be there right by the tracks, the tracks that matched her tires from her car. Why does she insist on lying to me?