Brief Summary: This is supposed to be a mystery story. I'm not sure if it is, but it is a form of gothic. Chelsea is deeply in love with a man named Derek, but how far will she love him?
Word Count: 2783 (about 9 pages)
I had hidden myself underneath my father’s coffee table. Watching, I saw how my father yelled at Derek, my lovely Derek. Mother stood farther off, watching the spectacle, her face full of concern, but also hatred. Derek looked so small, so unevenly matched. He stood no chance against them, and I could do nothing to protect him.
He was going to leave me.
“Go,” father told him, pointing towards the door. Derek’s face was grim, and he turned slowly, and began to walk towards the door. I gasped quietly, and shook in sadness. I curled up into a little ball, holding my knees next to my face. He was going, forever. I would never see him again. How could mother and father do this to me?
I looked up when the door slammed. Tears began running down my face, and I wiped them off with the back of my hand. I felt the emptiness well up in me, and I let out the cries that I had held off before. With loud sobs, I lay underneath the table, wishing that Derek would hear my animal like screams, and come back in to comfort me. Instead I felt my mother’s arms around me, holding me close to her chest.
“Hush now. Everything will be better. He won’t come back, I promise you, Chelsea.” She didn’t get it. She thought I was scared of him, crying with joy and relief that he was gone, when all I really wanted was for him to stay. She pulled me up off the floor, holding me in a cradle position as she would a baby.
“I…I…I want to go outside,” I cried. My mother seemed to understand, and let me go. With tears still streaming from my eyes, I ran past my father, who wouldn’t look at me, and burst through the door to our front yard. Derek’s car was already gone, and with a scream I threw myself down onto the ground. The rocky terrain tore against my skin, but the pain felt good, going well with my broken heart.
I felt something light on my skin, and I looked at the top of my hand. On it sat a butterfly, a beautiful blue with red spots. Its little legs tickled my skin, and made me giggle. I watched it crawl around my hand before it took off into the air, soaring on the turbulence in the wind. It reminded me of Derek, how he had made me smile, and then left without looking back.
I got up off the ground, and chased the butterfly, trying to catch the beautiful bug that was so swift on the wind. I didn’t look back at my house; I knew my father was watching me with a careful eye. Don’t worry, I thought, I wasn’t going to run away. He was more perspective than mother; he knew I loved Derek.
I spent an hour chasing the butterflies, running around and around the huge Maple tree that stood in the front of our lawn. It had been about an hour-and-a-half since Derek had left, and already I was forgetting his face. I spread my arms, pretending they were wings, and took off. I raced toward the house, and threw open the door, still flying. Giggling, I ran into the kitchen, wanting to get my own supply of nectar that the butterflies wouldn’t share with me. My bare feet slipped on something on the ground, and with a little scream. I put my hand to my hip, feeling that I had bruised it when I fell. And saw that I was covered in blood. My whole body was red, my clothes stained and soaking. Some had dried on my hands, and with a scream, I pulled away, scraping my skin with my nails, trying to get the blood off me. I saw that my whole body was covered in it, and looked around the room. Then I saw where the blood had come from. Lying on the ground in a pool of blood, side by side on their stomachs, where my parents. Their faces were on their side, looking blankly at nothing. In my father, a butcher knife stuck out of his back, covered in blood. My mother had a gash in her back in almost the same spot.
I stood up, my mind numb. I couldn’t feel anything, just the horror that my parents were really dead. I walked toward them, slipping on the blood that pooled around their motionless bodies. I stood over them, and then I felt the tears come to my eyes. Howling, I threw myself on top of their bodies, tears again streaking down my face. All the horror in my life could not top this; not only had I lost my beloved Derek, but now my parents lay dead. If only Derek hadn’t left, none of this would have happened.
“Chelsea?” I heard a voice behind me, one I have always loved and welcome with all my heart. I twisted around, and saw Derek standing there in the doorway. He had a shocked look on his face, surprised to see me. His hands were covered in blood.
“Derek!” I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I looked up at his face, which was still taken aback. It was hard for me to see past the tears that fell from my eyes, but all the joy in my life had returned.
I felt his bloody hands grab the tops of my arms, pushing me away from his body. Shrieking, I clawed at his hands, trying to make him let go of me. His left hand let go of my arm, and gripped my neck. I choked for air, and fell back down to the ground when he let go of me. I lay there, crying silently, gasping for air. My neck hurt, and I could feel the bruises already forming.
“Derek?” I looked horrifyingly up at him, trying to understand why he would hurt me. In the background, I vaguely became aware of sirens, getting louder and louder.
He backed up slowly, pressed against the wall. I looked down at the ground, where my parents lay, and then back up at Derek. He wouldn’t meet my eyes. I felt myself faint, and fell to the ground next to my father. Derek rushed over to me, shaking my body. Through my cloudy eyes, I saw that he was still hesitant to touch me. I couldn’t understand why. Didn’t he love me?
I heard doors slam outside of the house, and people shouting. My eyes couldn’t focus on anything, but I felt Derek let go of me. The front door crashed open, and the shouting was suddenly much louder, booming in my head. It woke me up a little more, and I tried to get up onto my feet. The back door slammed open.
“Hey, that guy just jumped into the pond! Go get him!” Ordered someone in the room. Soft gentle hands touched my shoulder. “Is she alive?” Fingers touched the side of my throat, feeling for a pulse.
“Yeah, she is fine. That’s not her blood that she is covered in.”
“How did it get all over her face? That blood has got to have been there for at least an hour.”
“You don’t think she did it, do you?”
I finally opened my eyes. “Derek…” I whispered. A police officer was leaning over me. A helmet covered his face; his lips were set in a hard line. With a gasp, I suddenly sat up off the ground. “Derek!” The police officer backed off a couple of steps.
“Looks like she’s ok…”
“Here we go!” A group of officers entered the room with Derek hanging between them, his feet dragging on the ground. He was so helpless, his eyes were almost lifeless. He was completely soaked with water, but it was a reddish look, still stained with the blood of my parents. I felt my heart ache, and a hatred that I didn’t know was deep in me burst. “He almost got away, but thankfully that pond isn’t very big.” The group all started laughing, and with a growl, I stood up off the ground.
The policeman nearest me put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry miss; we will take care of him.” Another policeman walked over to me, and tried to pick me up in his arms. “Let’s get this blood off you.” I struggled with him, trying to see what they were doing to Derek behind the huge man.
“Stop! Derek!” I finally got a glimpse of him, and screamed at what they were doing. One of the police officers had Derek’s hands behind his back, and another was about to put handcuffs on him.
I felt my whole world stop. With no thought of mind, I slammed my elbow into the huge gut of the policeman, sending him gasping to the ground, clutching his stomach. With only revenge in my mind, I reached down and grabbed the knife out of my father’s back, and rushed at the policeman holding Derek. I slashed at his face, and sliced his cheek open. “Shit!” he screamed, dropping Derek and gripping his face. The other policeman with the handcuffs dropped them and pulled his baton off of his belt. I turned around, stretching my arm out, and cut his shirt. A bullet-proof vest showed through, but my knife didn’t seem to have an effect on it. His arm came down, and his baton smashed against my head. I fell to the ground, limp. I couldn’t move again, just like when I had fainted. My hands were pulled to my back, and handcuffed.
Derek stood up, dripping wet. “Don’t hurt her.” I looked at him through eyes that were groggy. He would save me.
“Hang on there. Don’t you just get up and walk away.” Another policeman walked over to him in a cautiously way. “You have blood on your hands. Get down on the floor, and put your hands behind your back.”
“No, no. I didn’t kill them. When I came in, the mother was still barely alive. I was attempting to save her, but it was too late.” Derek gave him a school boy smile. The policeman looked a little skeptic, and was still watching Derek with a wary eye.
“If that’s so, then could you tell us the story here?”
“Her name is Chelsea. She’s mentally insane, and I was her psychologist. She thought I was her lover, so her parents fired me today. She must have just gone insane, for when I came back for my wallet, both of her parents were dead.” He looked at me, and our eyes met. I couldn’t believe that he was doing this. He was supposed to love me! “She finally snapped.”
I saw it then, all of what had happened. Derek was gone. My rage was overpowering. My mother had been cooking; my father reading his newspaper. I had just walked in; they paid no attention at all to me. They thought I was fine by now. I reached into the utensil drawer, and pulled the knife out. My mother was closest. I plunged it into her back. She screamed, and fell to the ground, shaking while she died. Father screamed, stood up, and ran to mother. His back was to me now. I lifted the knife high over my head, and with all my strength, sunk it into his back, straight into his heart. He fell over, instantly dead. My mother was still gasping, trying to get away. I left them, and returned outside. Now my Derek could return to me.
The policeman had a pad out, and wrote that all down. “Very well then. You’ll have to stay here, and then come back with us to the station, just until we know that you are innocent.” He turned to the man holding me. “Why don’t you just take her in?”
I was screaming; the pain of what I had done now pulsed through my body. The policemen dragged me out of my own home, none to gently. I couldn’t feel their hands on my arms; I couldn’t feel the handcuffs, so tight around my wrists that they bled. I could only feel the anger, the guilt, and the emptiness inside of my body. A huge hole was where my heart had been.
Through my tears, I saw Derek standing in my doorway, watching me. His hands were still bloody, and on his face was a look of triumph. I fell silent; my whole world was being dragged away from me. I didn’t look away from Derek, even as he disappeared as the police car drove away.
I was unaware just how much time had passed since I had been locked up. The cell I was kept in was a dark gray, where no sunlight ever had a chance to reach. I sat in a corner, my arms wrapped around my knees. I didn’t cry anymore. There didn’t seem to be anything to cry for; everything was dead. Even my own Derek had left me. I was now an empty shell of what I had been before.
Voices seemed to whisper in my head, saying my name over and over. “Chelsea,” they would say, and then seem to fade into the gray. I ignored them. “Chelsea...look over here.” Strange, how the walls seemed to talk to me. “Chelsea!” I was startled out of my stance then, and blinked my eyes. They were dry from staring at the wall. I turned my head slowly, and saw Derek looking at me through the small window. I stood up, but didn’t rush. My heart was going to hurt after this illusion was over.
He just seemed to stand there, a pleasing look on his face. He was glad that I was here, in this gray world. I vaguely remembered the butterflies, and how colorful they were. “Derek...” I whispered. He would disappear soon. I was going to be alone. “Derek, how could you leave me? I’m all alone here.” I reached my fingers out through the wire, trying to touch his heavenly face.
He smiled at me, and twirled his fingers around mine. “You know, you didn’t really kill your parents.” He smiled at me, a sweet forgiving smile. “I did.”
“How?” I was confused. I remembered everything. Their fresh red blood had been on my hands. And his, I thought back. “But...I...”
He leaned in closer to the window, and whispered, “You were hypnotized.” He was smiling at that, too.
“What?” I looked deep into his eyes, trying to find whether I could trust him or not. I saw nothing. His eyes seemed just as dead as my parents were.
“It’s amazing what you learn in psychology.” He stroked my fingers, trying to calm me. It was a wasted effort; I honestly didn’t care anymore.
“But you had blood on your hands…” I couldn’t comprehend this at all. I just couldn’t understand why.
“Your mother was still alive when I walked into the room. I simply finished her off.” Again he smiled; he was so happy about how well his plan had worked out. “The reason why I had you kill your parents was so that you could be free.” He paused a little bit, letting me think that over. “I have a proposition for you, my dear Chelsea.” He got so close that his face was touching the wire now. “You’re free from your parents. Tell me where to find your family cup; the one with the horse crest on it. I can sell that; get millions of dollars for it.” He smiled a sad smile at me, full of pity. “With that, I can free you from here. We can run away together.”
So that had been what he had been after, the whole time. He didn’t love me, just my family’s money.
I’m not sure why I told him. It just kind of slipped out. Deep down I knew I couldn’t trust him, but even deeper down, I was still in love with him. I belonged to him. “Trojan horse,” I whispered.
“Ah, yes, of course. The one next to the tall lamp shades?” I nodded my head. “It is inside, isn’t it?” Again I nodded. “Thank you, my dear Chelsea.” His fingers pulled away from mine. I watched as he disappeared, seeming to fade into the grayness around me. I loved him.
I walked back to my corner, already waiting for Derek to return.
But he had already left me.