Lost Lies

“See, Winter, there is a reason for you being here,” my psychologist sighed and placed a hand on both of my shoulders.

She was a small, freckled woman in her sixties with silvery grey, long hair. She always wore homemade knitted jumpers and long skirts that match every jumper. Not forgetting those out of date big, thick black rimmed glasses that she wore. They made her eyes look huge.

Today, she had her hair in a neat crown on top of her head and wore a white suit so clean I had to look away from the blinding silk. Apparently after my two hour therapist lesson she was going to her daughter’s third wedding this year. Which was pretty stupid, I thought.

I rolled my eyes in frustration. I shouldn’t be here; what happened that Friday night three years ago wasn’t my fault. I wasn’t the one who brutally killed my family.

Though the only problem is, I can’t remember who did kill them all.

All I can remember was my argument and two screams; then my mind went blank after that. But when I told the story of what happened and what I could remember, no one believed me. They all thought I was crazy, that I killed them and tried to kill myself too, all because there was an argument between me and my family. Well they were all wrong, very wrong.

**********************************

“No, Casey, I told you over and over again you are not having a car yet. We don’t have the money, not if you don’t get a job, earn some money and buy one. You’re twenty two for crying out loud.” My dad bellowed.

“And, Winter, the same goes for you. You can’t have a new laptop; like I told your sister: get a job, like a paper round or something, and get one yourself. You’re fifteen now - you can get a small job!”

My sister screamed in frustration and my mother slapped her across her face. Casey’s face fell and tears began to flood her eyes. I couldn’t help but scream in horror. My mother never hit any of us, not once. I screamed again when my dad knocked me to the floor with a swift slap. When I got back up I quickly slapped my dad back so hard he gripped his face and staggered back.

My mum grasped at my hair and tugged me over to the sofa; Casey grabbed our mum by the hair and tried to pull her of from me. After a while my dad came over, snatched at Casey and pinned her arms to her sides. He began to squeeze her.

Casey was my only sister and we both loved each other so much we did everything together, from shopping to the very smallest thing. If anything happened to each other we would be heartbroken and devastated.

I turned, ignoring the searing pain in my body, and scratched at my mum's face, digging in deep and leaving trails of blood. She screamed, let go and placed her hands over her face. I ran into the kitchen, rummaged through the cutlery drawer and pulled out the sharpest knife. Running back into the living room with the knife in my grip, I screamed for this madness to stop.

My dad let go of my sister, and she placed her hands on her knees, coughing and panting. My dad batted the knife out my hand, sending it skidding across the floor, and pinned me up against the wall.

Suddenly two shattering screams rippled through the house. My dad let me go and turned.
And there stood a figure, dressed in black from head to toe, with only their chocolate brown eyes showing; they glared around the room at all four of us.

He bent down and swiped up the knife I’d held, grabbed Casey around the waist and stabbed her in her chest and then straight into her throat.

I let out a high pitch scream that was so high, the windows shuddered on the brink of smashing and the glass cups we had all been drinking from shattered and the rest of the surrounding glass cracked. My mum and dad had to cover their ears but for some reason the figure weren’t affected.

I watched in horror as my sister collapsed to the ground in a bundle of bloodied mess as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. I glanced away, and looked back I watched as my sister whispered her last words and was then left a ragged motionless mess on the floor.

“I love you Winter.”

I watched one by one as my mum and dad were brutally killed. Both of them whispering their last words.

“Run, Winter,” my mum whispered as my dad breathed, “Don’t just stand there.”

Their eyes rolled to the back of their heads and they collapsed to the floor.

I was next to die.

The figure crept closer to me as I backed up against the wall behind me, trying to put space between us, but it was hopeless. The figure stopped half a meter away and pulled off his mask, smiling a deadly grin. My heart began to thud against my chest as I drank in every detail of the man’s face.

He was tanned a deep brown with blond golden locks that touched his shoulders. Not a single facial feature was out of place, except the disfiguring scar slicing through his right eye brow. He had a perfectly shaped nose and lips that looked so sweet and innocent with a smile that could make girls fall hard for him.

His hazel brown eyes shone as he stared onto my own blue eyes. I flinched and looked away but looked straight back again when he sighed and mocked, “Well, well, Winter Alexandra Bloom. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

He lingered on the ‘you’ for so long that I thought he would never carry on.

“Well, it looks like I won the bet,” he quoted. He sighed and looked away out the window. “You know, you’re just that unlucky girl that ended being part of a very big bet simply because of who you are.”

He turned his head slowly back towards me, a smile plastered across his face.

“What are you talking about? How do you know my name? What bet?” I sobbed.

“Oh, sweet, sweet Winter, so young, so beautiful, so innocent,” the man reached out and placed a hand on my cheek; I instantly batted it away. “But already on the wrong side of the wrong people.”

He shook his head and sighed. “Such a waste; I could use you for all sorts of things,” he tutted and shook his head again before smiling, “But since I am such a kind hearted man, I wouldn’t let you die so fast and so brutal. I’ll just let you die a slower, more painful death, how about that?”

I gulped back a scream in my throat, knowing there was no use.

“Ok let’s get started, where to cut?”

The man reached for my right hand, but I quickly ducked and ran to the other side of the room, where the bloodied bodies of my family lay.

“Oh, Winter, you can’t run from me,” he laughed.

“W-who are you?” My heart began to race even faster, sweat beginning to trickle down my face as he unfolded midnight black wings.

“Your worst nightmare, my friend,” he began to laugh so loud the whole house began to shudder and I fell to my knees. “Let’s get this over with.”

“You’re sick, you know that? Sick.”

“Yes,” he replied dryly and raced to the other side of the room.

He grabbed me by one arm and slit my wrists, one by one. A silent, choked scream escaped from my mouth as the man held me by the neck and pinned me to the wall.

I dangled from his grip as he whispered in my ear, “If you live, you will not remember a trace of what happened and only your pathetic little family argument up to your mother and sister screaming…and, well, if you do die, let’s just say Alex and Danny boy owe me a lot of things, but even then I won’t let that happen.”

He let go and I slid down the wall, slumping against it with no strength to move. I was losing a lot of blood, quickly…and painfully.

“Here’s a present,” he placed the knife in my hand, then turned and made his way into the kitchen, out the back door and into the night.

My mind slipped in and out of consciousness; a few screams and voices came from in front of me and several figures ran over towards me.

“Winter, can you hear me? What happened? Winter, what happened? Oh god, get an ambulance quick before she dies! Can you hear me? Don’t close your eyes. It’s going to be ok, please just don’t close your eyes.” a female voice begged and cried. I could not tell who she was, my vision was a blur and after five minutes of cries, unknown voices, hugs and shakes I finally fell into complete darkness.

When I woke in a hospital bed chained by handcuffs, I was confronted with several police officers and my crying grandparents. They turned and hugged me tightly, asking so many questions like, “what happened are you ok?” and “why did you do it?”

When the 'why did you do it?' came I couldn’t help but scream and cry that I never did it.

I told the officers all I could remember, I watched as they considered my story and when they finished they turned round, one said, “Winter Alexandra bloom, I am arresting you on suspicion of murder. You do not have to say anything, but anything you do say will be given as evidence in court.”

They classed me as mentally ill in court and I was placed in a psychiatric hospital for two years before I finally got free and went to university. Not one soul would talk to me, not even my best friends Christina and Bethany. Everyone called me crazy, a murderer, mentally ill and everyone was afraid to go near me.

It was strange how an argument ended so brutally.

**********************************

“No, you’re wrong. I am here for no reason. Do I look like a killer to you?” I hissed.

“My dear, they all say ‘oh I never did it’ and ‘it wasn’t my fault’. You certainly don’t look like a killer, my dear, but I have to listen to what the court tells me to do, so please come and sit down”

“Exactly! And no, I won’t sit down. I can’t endure another two hours of Torture,” My eyes began to water, my throat beginning to tighten and burn. “Ever since I started this university not a soul would come near me, talk to me or even look at me because they all listened to lying news reporters who believe officers. I just hate them so much. Do you know the only people who will talk to me are my three friends who didn’t care who I was or what I apparently did.”

I screamed in frustration, watery black mascara trails beginning to tumble down my cheeks and drip onto my shirt. I turned, scooped up my bag and raced out the door into the empty corridor.

Everyone was in their lessons, so I had the advantage of an easy escape. All I could think about was: what happened that night? The night my life completely changed forever.

The night is a clear picture in my mind. The glass shattering screams. That stupid argument. Getting arrested for the murder of my own family, that I don’t even remember, but know I’d never do a thing like that. What happened? The constant thoughts haunting my mind never leave; never fade, always there, always clear.

I ran towards the nearest exit and straight into a new student, sending us both tumbling to the floor; books and papers flew everywhere around us.

“Whoa there, watch where you're going.”

I lay dizzy and dazed on the floor as the new student got up off the floor and offered a hand to me. But I just simply waved it away and got up on my own. I wasn’t in the right mind for help. I rushed to scoop up my belongings.

“S-sorry,” I sniffled as I picked up the last of my books, shoving them back in my bag, and began to help pick up his belongings. “I-I'm in a bit o-of a hurry.”

Shoving his books and papers into his arms, I took off running down the hallway. If I didn’t leave soon, I would be dragged back to the last place I wanted to be.

As I ran, I heard footsteps clattering behind me; I must have caused a stir somewhere. I began to run faster, putting as much energy as I could into getting away from this hellhole. Barging through the fire doors, claiming my freedom, I headed for the river bank nearby to calm down.

I couldn’t just walk off and leave my degrees. Salford University was the closest to home (sort of, anyway) and provided everything I need; a museum next door, a river bank to calm down by and the nearest town was only up the road if I wanted to take a trip or research something.