Murder in the woods

Chapter 16- The End

It's been a ridiculously long day. Lara was rushed to hospital for her head injury and I went straight to the police station to answer some questions. My parents met me there and my mum sobbed as I told everyone the truth about my friend. The investigation is going to be reopened about Sheila's death and Chloe and Ruby may face additional charges of murder and perverting the course of justice on top of their charges for assaulting Lara, attempting to assault me, possession of a weapon and holding me against my will. That's a lot of charges- she'll be locked up for a very long time, I smile to myself.

But is that what I really want? The girl who I've stuck by for years, going to prison. Stuck in an old, dingy cell for her to rot away in. We've had so many fun memories together, how can I just throw that all away without any second thoughts? I know she's done something seriously wrong, but the Chloe I know and love would never want to hurt anyone. She would always take me or Lara to the medical room if we'd grazed our knees on the playground. We didn't see the point as all we got was a wet paper towel, but Chloe would do anything to stop us from being in pain. She was so caring and selfless. What happened to that lovely, sweet girl I used to know? Because it feels like that girl is gone at the moment. But is it too late to bring her back?

Surely something must have gone seriously wrong to make her behave in this way. Ruby must have influenced her somehow.

"Please can I speak to Chloe?" all eyes in the room turn on me then, shock plastered heavily on their faces like thick layers of cheap makeup. "Darling, she's not who you thought she was." my mum soothes, rubbing my back sympathetically, her eyes wide.
"But she is, she was - is - my best friend, nothing can ever change that. I mean it."
"I don't think that that's a sensible idea Miss Young..." an officer warns.
"Please!" I beg, "Plus, she's more likely to tell me anything than you."

After a bit more convincing, I am led to a holding cell where Chloe is to stay until court. There's a tiny window with bars on, only letting a few defiant rays of light wind their way into the dusty room. A harsh bench with a thin sheet over it appears to be her bed. There's a tiny, disgusting toilet that has an old, cracked seat and there is no toilet roll. How can anyone possibly live like this? The people in here must go mad- well, that's if they aren't already.

"What are you doing here?" she croaks, her throat hoarse from crying. Red splotches coat her raw face and her eyelashes clump together, sticky from the tears. She is slouching and her shoulders are hunched as if she's trying to make herself as small and invisible as possible. The scared little girl in this cell is nothing more than a hollow shell of the fun-loving girl I know and love. "Because I know you, Chloe. You wouldn't do this if you were in your right mind. What happened, Chlo?"
"You- you still- you still trust me?" she asks, her voice hopeful.
"No, that will take time, but I've known you for most of my life and you are not a violent person."
"What if I am?" she sniffs, her voice cracking as she speaks.
"I don't believe that." I reach out to hug her then, but an officer shakes his head at us. I sigh and Chloe looks up at me, "I am going to tell you everything. Even if it means I'm in here longer. I owe you that at least, after all the pain I've caused you- and, well, everyone."

And she does. She writes down everything in here, which I guess was kind of like my diary, but it's hers for now. Some things she admits surprise me and it certainly changes my whole perspective on everything that I thought might have happened on that fateful day. So, here's what happened from Chloe's point of view, and it all started a week before summer camp...

Hey, so that's the end of this book...but don't worry, I will write a sequel containing Chloe's version of events. Thanks to all my readers, please feel free to vote and comment if you liked it! Thanks also to Beth for being amazing as always, so please follow her accounts as she's a great author! bella6evans Rogers_Romanoff