Roses And Daggers

The Big Reveal

Victoria had been doing a little stalking of her own. She googled Zeke Brand and found his old Facebook and Instagram pages. She scrolled down the photos, but she only saw pictures from school excursions, or with Luke and Peter. In the dark of her room, she was sitting up in her bed, the glow from the laptop lighting here face. The clock in their room ticked quietly. It was one o'clock in the morning. Asleep, Amanda lay beside her and she made a soft snoring sound in her sleep.

Victoria swiped down to some of the older posts on his Facebook and saw a picture with Zeke, his father and a little girl. Zeke's parents were divorced, that's why they didn't live together. 

But Victoria knew the girl. She had seen her in school, around a year ago. She had seen her at the cheerleader tryouts. She had seen her before the traditional sleepover for the cheerleading team to clear the ice. And she never saw her again.

What was the girl's name? Victoria wracked her brain. Pieces of conversations and news readings swirled in her head. 

Celeste. That was her name. She could not be Zeke's sister. She just couldn't. Yet, the resemblance was obvious. They had the same dark hair and the same blue eyes. The picture was probably taken a year or two ago, on a camping trip. Celeste was sticking her tongue out and making a peace sign. Zeke had his hand on her shoulder and was trying hard not to laugh, but failing miserably. Victoria had tears in her eyes, but she smiled at how happy they looked.

This was all her fault, wasn't it? No wonder Zeke hated her so much.

The night was quiet. Occasionally, a car went by, and the sound of a horn tore through Victoria's thoughts. She should have checked on Celeste when she didn't come back. She should have told someone. Victoria looked at Amanda, sleeping peacefully. She considered waking her up, but then thought better of it. She didn't need to ruin her night as well.

Victoria couldn't think. Her mind was scarily blank. She kept reverting back to that day, when the news showed that Celeste had slipped in the rain, and fell into the river. The police came that day, and Victoria was appalled. Amanda and Victoria couldn't stop crying. Mrs. Rocher made them answer all their questions honestly, and the police left. 

The school had held an assembly for her, and everyone had mourned her death for a few weeks before moving on. Victoria and Amanda had pushed that day to the farthest corners of their minds, and told everyone that Celeste never turned up.

Tears were now flowing down Victoria's face. She held the palm of her right hand against her mouth as she let out a sob. Amanda rolled over to face her and opened her eyes. "What happened?" she asked, sleepily, slightly annoyed at being woken up. 

Victoria didn't answer her. She tried to, but her voice didn't work. Amanda sat up, now genuinely concerned. "Hey, what's up?" Amanda glanced at Victoria's screen. 

Why is she crying over Zeke's Facebook? Did he dump her or something?

Amanda looked at the picture for a few moments, and froze. "Is that-"

Victoria nodded. "That's his sister."

~.~.~.~.

The next morning, Mrs. Rocher was greeted by two bleary eyed girls. She raised an eyebrow at them. "What is up with you two? You look like you were up all night!"

Neither of them answered her, and she huffed. Victoria and Amanda slumped into the chairs at the dining table. "I made pancakes. Since you are up on time today, have breakfast before leaving for school."

Despite herself, Victoria smiled. Pancakes always made her feel better. She looked at Mrs. Rocher. "Are there blueberries and maple syrup?"

Mrs. Rocher grinned, brandishing her spatula. "You bet."

After they were done eating, they waited outside for Zeke and to get some fresh air. Zeke stopped their car in front of them. "Hop in, girls."

Victoria couldn't meet his eyes. How was he so nice to her when he knew what she had done? Zeke knew something was up. He looked at Amanda, who had an equally sulky expression. He shook his head at the sisters. "Did I do something?"

Victoria smiled at him, as best as she could. "Nah, Amanda and I stayed up all night. We are just sleepy." At least that was partly true.

Zeke sighed. "I'll tell you what? If it would help brighten your moods, I will buy you both coffee and maybe a Big Mac after school."

Amanda smiled. "Hey, thanks. It is kinda difficult to remain sad after you make such a generous offer."

"It's a talent." Zeke shrugged.

Victoria put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Zeke shifted to make himself more comfortable and to free his hand to change gears. Victoria really liked him, and as she slowly drifted off to sleep, she vaguely recalled his words the day they had made the deal: "Alas, who ever loses won't have anything to give up..."

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I'm sorry, this chapter was going to be a lot longer, but this seemed like a good place to end it. So, the rest of the tale will be continued in the next chapter. There are only a few chapters left, so kudos to you for making it this far!