Blood Relatives
July 8th, 2013
Anna Winters was best friends with my little sister Jenna. Anna and Jenna did everything together; they were practically joined at the hip. We lived next door to the Winters, so it was easy for Anna and Jenna to spend time together. Their favorite thing to do was to pretend that they were famous actresses receiving Oscars and Emmys. They would bring their little plastic table and chairs into our living room and have us sit and watch as they accepted their awards.
Last summer was hot, and July eighth was the hottest day of the summer so far. Because of this, Anna and Jenna were playing inside, and just like almost any other day, they dragged my parents and I into the living room and forced us to watch them accept their Oscars. I remember being agitated because Anna wouldn’t stop directing my sister, telling her what to do, where to go, and what to say. I’ve always been protective of Jenna, even though there’s a large age difference between us. So, when it became clear to me that Jenna was not happy with how Anna was treating her, I intervened. Soon things were settled, and before any of us were aware, it was time for Anna to go eat dinner with her family. She said she’d be back after dinner, so we all said goodbye, and that was that. It was just another normal day.
Until it wasn’t. Anna never returned that night. My parents sent Jenna over to check on her, and Jenna returned a minute later, saying that Anna’s parents had told her that Anna wasn’t allowed to play any longer that night. Jenna just shrugged and went up to her room to play by herself.
Half an hour later, the sirens started. An hour after that, we were told the unthinkable. My parents were crying hysterically, as was I, and told me not to tell Jenna. I thought to myself that Jenna needed to know, but I obeyed my parents. The thought of telling Jenna that her best friend was dead was the worst possible situation I could have ever imagined myself to be in.
I was wrong.
No. The worst possible situation I could have ever possibly imagined myself in happened the next morning. Police officers came to our door and had a meeting with my parents and I while Jenna was still sleeping upstairs, completely unaware that anything was amiss. The officers informed us that they had already solved the case of Anna’s murder.
Murder. It was a murder. Anna was murdered. I could barely wrap my head around the thought of it. Who would want to murder such a beautiful little girl?
My first thought was that a random person broke into the house and did it, probably some creepy child molester. As it turns out, the answer was much, much closer to home.
The absolute worst possible situation I could have ever possibly imagined myself in was when I had to sit my six-year-old sister down and tell her that her best friend Anna had been killed by her older brother, Benjamin, and that Anna and Benjamin’s parents had orchestrated the entire murder.
Last summer was hot, and July eighth was the hottest day of the summer so far. Because of this, Anna and Jenna were playing inside, and just like almost any other day, they dragged my parents and I into the living room and forced us to watch them accept their Oscars. I remember being agitated because Anna wouldn’t stop directing my sister, telling her what to do, where to go, and what to say. I’ve always been protective of Jenna, even though there’s a large age difference between us. So, when it became clear to me that Jenna was not happy with how Anna was treating her, I intervened. Soon things were settled, and before any of us were aware, it was time for Anna to go eat dinner with her family. She said she’d be back after dinner, so we all said goodbye, and that was that. It was just another normal day.
Until it wasn’t. Anna never returned that night. My parents sent Jenna over to check on her, and Jenna returned a minute later, saying that Anna’s parents had told her that Anna wasn’t allowed to play any longer that night. Jenna just shrugged and went up to her room to play by herself.
Half an hour later, the sirens started. An hour after that, we were told the unthinkable. My parents were crying hysterically, as was I, and told me not to tell Jenna. I thought to myself that Jenna needed to know, but I obeyed my parents. The thought of telling Jenna that her best friend was dead was the worst possible situation I could have ever imagined myself to be in.
I was wrong.
No. The worst possible situation I could have ever possibly imagined myself in happened the next morning. Police officers came to our door and had a meeting with my parents and I while Jenna was still sleeping upstairs, completely unaware that anything was amiss. The officers informed us that they had already solved the case of Anna’s murder.
Murder. It was a murder. Anna was murdered. I could barely wrap my head around the thought of it. Who would want to murder such a beautiful little girl?
My first thought was that a random person broke into the house and did it, probably some creepy child molester. As it turns out, the answer was much, much closer to home.
The absolute worst possible situation I could have ever possibly imagined myself in was when I had to sit my six-year-old sister down and tell her that her best friend Anna had been killed by her older brother, Benjamin, and that Anna and Benjamin’s parents had orchestrated the entire murder.