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“Do I have to go?” Melinda says in a whiny voice. Acting like a spoiled child as she stomps her feet. God, why did Mom and Dad make me try to get her ready.
“Yes, you have to go.”
“But I don’t want to! Mom and Dad didn’t even listen to anything I said. I wanted a rainbow, bubble-theme party, not a unicorn bubble plush party. It looks like a party for a 10 year old not a 15 year old.”
I turn around and see her crossing her arms and pouting as she stood in her soft pink fuzzy room. I sighed, walking back towards her. Now I understand why Mom and Dad made me do this.
“Melinda, Mom and Dad spent this money on your birthday party, be grateful you’re having one.” Not knowing that Mom and Dad took money from me to throw Melinda’s 15th birthday party. Now I only had $100 left of my $3,000 I saved all these years. Just one more year and I can leave this place.
“ But Lucy.” As she says while she’s throwing a little temper tantrum. She’s the only person in the world I allowed to call me Lucy. Right now though, it was getting on my nerves.
“Melinda enough. Be happy and be grateful. Wear the pink sequin dress. I’ll see you downstairs.”
In a defeated sigh while walking away I hear her say “Yes, Lucy.”
I love my sister, but man sometimes she can drive me crazy. I go down the metallic stairs to see Mom and Dad setting up. Guess that means I’ll be working in the kitchen.
On top of the marble countertop, I see the food there. Waiting for me to get started. I see all of Melinda’s favorites. Strawberries, cream cheese, M&M’s, Hawaiian Pizza, and chocolate mousse cake. It’s not a lot but I guess that means there won’t be any other relatives coming. I started washing the strawberries when I heard Mom’s voice.
“Lucius!”
Just one more year.
“In here Mom!”
I hear the heavy click clanking of her heels coming to the kitchen.
“Lucius, your father and I need to talk to you.”
This is never good. I shake the rest of the water out of the strawberries.
“Sure, what about?”
“Brian, come in here please.” I hear Dad’s footsteps coming.
“Hey Barb, Lucius.” He gives a little nod towards me. Something seems off. He is looking between us, and I can see he is nervous about something. This is bad. Whenever he can’t maintain eye contact with someone his eyes are always shifty.
“ Well Brian, I was telling Lucius here how we needed to talk to him. Since Melinda is upstairs, now is a good time.”
I see Dad running his hand through his hair.
“I don’t think now is the time Barbra.”
She stops him and puts her hand up.
“No! Now, Brian. We already talked about it and we can’t keep pushing it. We need to tell him.”
Oh, no it’s about me. Something bad is going to happen to me. Dad finally takes a deep breath.
“ Lucius, buddy. I don’t know how to tell you this but you need to go.”
“What are you talking about Dad?” The look of shock eminently on my face. Don’t get me wrong I was already planning on it, but what is he talking about?
“ You need to move out. Your Mother and I have been talking and we think it’ll be best for you to move out after tonight.”
“What? Why?! Best for me or best for her? You know, I knew you guys didn’t like me but this is an all-time low!”
“Lucius! Keep your voice down. We don’t want Melinda to get upset.”
“Melinda! Melinda! Melinda! It’s always about her! What about me?”
Mom scoffs “What about you?”
“I’m the one who gets the leftovers! I’m the one who gets chipped out on everything!”
“Apparently not on everything, if you had $3,000 stashed away.” Dad says as I was glaring back at them. They don’t want me around? Fine. I turn to walk away. At least that’s what I told the police.
Melinda is curled up right next to me in our room, in our bed. She knows what happened that day and she was the happiest girl I have ever seen when she came down those stairs. She looked so beautiful in her pink sequin dress. Wearing the shoes and earrings I bought her. It made her look soft and gentle like a princess. Then again, she’s my princess. I always loved watching her sleep, looks so peaceful. She starts to move and I hear her little moan escaping her full lips that I want to kiss.
“Lucy.” She says in her groggy voice.
“I’m right here Princess.” Tucking a hair behind her ear.
“ What you doing?” She reaches out and places her hand on my cheek.
“ Thinking about your 15th birthday.”
“What about it?” Her lips forming a small pout as she let her hand fall off my cheek.
“Don’t give me that pout. You know what happens when you pout like that.”
She starts to giggle and a small blush forms on her cheeks. She tries to hide it as she tries to bury her face between the cracks of a pillow and my arm.
“Don’t hide, let me see my Princess's face.” I try to move her so I can see.
She giggles more and I know from the sound of the giggles she is smiling like a Cheshire cat.
After our little fun, she places her head on my chest, as I caress her face.
“Can I ask you a question, Lucy?”
“Always.”
“When did you find out?”
“That I wasn’t your brother?”
“Yeah.”
“When I was 16 years old and you were 14. You were in the hospital and needed a blood transfusion. Doctors needed us to donate and that’s when I found out I was not your brother. But I got to ask you a question though?”
“Yes, Lucy?”
“How did you know about Mom and Dad embezzling money and me not being your brother?”
“I overheard Mom talking to Dad about how Aunt Agnes wanted you back but didn’t want to let you go. Not caring if you weren’t theirs or not. Because if you were gone then they wouldn’t have someone to frame for their greedy little scheme. But when they found your money they needed you gone or else it would tie all back to them. That’s why they wanted you gone that night. They wanted you to take the fall.”
“You are amazing, you know that?”
“I do, but I love to hear it.” She starts to laugh a little.
“Before I forget, Happy 18th Birthday my Princess.” I place a gentle kiss on her forehead. Then her eyes, and on her lips.
“What do you want to do today?”
“ I want to dance on Mom and Dad’s grave.”
I start to laugh. “We can’t do that, but we can dance here and have Mom and Dad’s picture on the ground. Does that work?”
“ I guess. We don’t want the police to figure out it was us who killed them.”
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