“Happy summer!” I heard you say from behind me. I laughed as you kissed my cheek and leaned against the locker next to mine.
“Happy summer,” I returned with a smile, closing my locker.
“Got any plans tonight?” You asked as we walked out of the school on our last day with our hands entwined.
“Slumber party with Jess,” I said. I laughed as you rolled your eyes, and we began our first summer as a family. You, me, Jack, and Jess. We were a family. The only family any of us had ever known.

“Hannah?” Jessie asked as we sat in her bedroom, reading old Batman comics--or, I was. Jessie just stared at the wall, with a vacant look in her eye like her mind was far away.
“Mmhmm?” I muttered, flipping the page. She stood up and walked until she was standing directly in front of me.
“I want to go for a walk,” She declared. I slowly nodded, deciding it was better if I just agreed to go with her.

“Where are we going?” I asked as Jessie led me through the dark woods on the other side of town. I stumbled over branches and kept looking over my shoulder, hoping we could just go back to Jessie’s house.
“I have to show you something,” She said, walking with the same fast pace. We continued to walk until she stopped at the hiking path in the middle of the woods. She walked over to the largest tree and turned around to look at me with cold eyes. She gestured for me to walk over to her and look at what she wanted to show me. I did as she wanted me to and looked down at the ground. I saw a dismembered head of a girl, her eyes staring right back at me.
“Did you...?” I asked trying to hold back a scream. Jessie nodded and I keeled over, puking on the dirt.
“Her name was Eliza,” Jessie said in a sing-song voice. I sat on the ground and finally let the tears fall from my eyes.
“How could you? How could you? How could you...” I kept sobbing. I looked at the girl’s head again, but quickly looked away to avoid throwing up again.
“I thought you’d be proud of me, Hannah,” She said, her own tears falling. I shook my head repeatedly.
“How could you?” I whispered, pulling my knees to my chest.
“I just wanted you to be proud!”
“So you fucking killed a girl?!” I screamed, sobbing only harder.
Jessie and I stayed like that for what felt like a decade. Until, she grabbed me by the wrist and forced me to stand up. Jessie dragged me back to her house by the wrist, and I didn’t even try to protest.
“Jack?” Jessie said as we walked into the livingroom to see her brother and you sitting on the couch. The moment you saw me hugging myself, bawling my eyes out, you ran to me. I leaned onto you as Jessie told Jack what she had done. You hugged me tighter, as if you felt she would hurt me.
Silly, Alex. Jessie would never hurt me...ever.

“We need to go somewhere where they can’t arrest her,” Jack said later, pacing the living room as I sat on the couch with a now cold cup of teas between my palms. I stared at nothing. Thinking about nothing. Feeling nothing. You and Jack talked, but I didn’t hear your words. The only thing I saw was Eliza’s head. I knew Jessie was capable of many things, but I never thought that was one of them. I never thought she could kill someone.
I was snapped out of my thoughts by you shaking my shoulder. I slowly met your eyes. “Hey, baby,” You said softly. I stared at you, not being able to find words. “We’re gonna get in the car, okay? We’re going to Canada.” I slowly nodded, standing up with your help. I walked to the car like a puppet, not even sure if it was me controlling my body. And fifteen minutes later, we were on our way to Canada.

Notes

Mwahahah >:D