A Poem Of Lies And Folly

I always wonder when god manufactures us, he must have an expiration date. It's only fair. So, when someone fortuitously decides that he is going to kill his friend today, does god have it all planned? Or is it, oh child, I'm so sorry! It surprised me. You could've lived 50 years more if not for your friend. It depicts the circle of life to say that everything has an end. The mystery of Cassandra Brills's disappearance. A normal elite high school girl.

December, 2018

"How long has it been snowing?" Cassandra questions her twin sister, Ruanah, who's busy carving a small snow flake. Ruanah has been quite the sculptor of Brills family. 

"I guess, um around 5 or 6? Why do you ask?"

"Dylan's arriving tomorrow. I don't know any more. It's a squall out there. Urgh!" 

"Right, your off-vibe, weird boyfriend." 

"Don't start again Ruanah, I've told you so many times he is just a private person."

"Why would you date a college guy in the first place? You're a junior in high school, date boys from our school. You know a senior? Some athlete?" 

"Have you seen them? They're baboons!" Cassandra exclaims

"Besides, he wouldn't let me break up with him." Cass continues which piques Ruanah's interest. 

"Why not?" She stands from her table and plop on the armchair near the bed. 

"There's something um, something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Yeah? Go on, I'm listening"

"Well, you see it's Dylan, he um…" Cassandra's phone rings through, cutting off the conversation. 

"It's him, um I’ll be right back." She looks at Ruanah apologetically.

"Speak of the devil." Ruanah rolls her eyes at her sister. Even when they're twins they have never been that close to tell each other everything unless and until it's something important. Ruanah is more of an ambivert, she doesn't hate crowd but does not particularly fancy it. Whereas, Cassandra is your cliché, egoistic attention seeker. Something is always up with Cass, this isn’t any news Ruanah concludes and gets back to her work. Cassandra has always been a delinquent but she manages her way out at the end. Little by little the snow ceased hiding all the roads and landmarks dawning a dark night ahead. 

Post midnight Cassandra stumbles through her dorm, minutely drenched by the snow. Ruanah looks up to her pasty-faced twin, registering her state Ruanah she hurries to her aid.

“Hey, hey, Cass? Are you alright?” Ruanah’s anxiety hikes watching Cass gaze blankly into distance.

“Cass, what happened? You gotta tell me something, hey?”

“He…. He, Ana?” Cassandra whispers lightly 

“Yes Cass, he what?”

“W… water please.”

“Okay wait” Ruanah pulls the water bottle lying on her catalogue.

“Here.” She watches Cass ploddingly neck the whole bottle. 

“First, let’s get you changed into dry, warm clothes and then if you want to tell me something I’m here, okay?” Ruanah whispers carefully taking the bottle from her hand. 

“I want a hot shower.” Cassandra lightly moans.

“Oh yeah, right. Let’s… let’s do that.” Ruanah helps her sister into shower. Till the time they’re done Cass has her eyes drooping into sleep. Ruanah surmise it’s better to get her to rest, whatever it is, can be done in the morning. Though she will get her to speak tomorrow, Ruanah has never seen her so chipped. She knows this has to something with that weird ass boyfriend of hers. Let’s hope she is not pregnant or anything. She cleans their dorm thinking of things that could’ve gone wrong with Cassandra and Dylan. 

Cassandra wakes up to the crisp of dawn, where the sun is hiding behind dusky clouds promising a bleak day. Sighing she looks for her phone, only to smell out empty wet pockets. Panics mode sets in, ‘There were proofs in it! Damn it, I cannot lose it, not now!’ 

“Ana!, Anaa. Have you seen my cell phone? Ana?” Stupefied Ruanah wakes up.

“What?”

“My cell phone Ana?”

“I don’t know. Didn’t find anything last night.” There’s a deep knock at the door. They both look at each other thinking who it could be? It’s roughly six in the morning.

“I’ll get it.” Cassandra murmurs. She sloppily opens it wide to her worst nightmare.

“Cassandra Brills, you are under arrest on suspicion for Dylan Pierce’s murder. You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police.” A lady lieutenant clasps handcuffs over her wrist. Ruanah runs to them, still buzzed she plummets down. Cassandra quavers in fear, a drop of tear runs down her red cheek. 

“H… he’s… he’s dead?”

“Dylan? Dylan’s dead?” Cassandra breathes aghast. The cops start retrieving with her. 

“Ohmygod, Cass. I’ll call mom and dad don’t worry. I’m here, Okay?” Ruanah shouts following them closely. 

Cassandra’s cell phone is found near the dead body where she met him last night according to the surveillance. Both families occur equally powerful thereupon, the case is at length for days. Days deftly change into months. All proofs pointing towards Cassandra like a well set trap. Round about four months later Pierce family abruptly withdraw the case against Cassandra. A person named Harry Rod is claimed to be guilty, who accepts all charges of the court. Everybody thought it was Mr. Brills who used his connections to get Cass out of this. 

Cassandra is sent to spend the following summer on their Maldives beach house with Ruanah and her best friend Brooklyn to accompany her. Well, they say murders, deaths and heartbreaks could do things to you. Some people, who are strong, get over it, while some people just seem to shut their emotions out. And of course, Cassandra chose the latter. Rebounds, funny little things aren’t they? You enjoy them until they fall for you or it’s the other way around. Brooklyn rather has an eye candy for a long distance friend. Koi Gayyoom, heir to fancy colossal resorts of Maldives. Also a six foot caramel skin hunk sporting an athlete body. Who by the way isn’t just Brooklyn’s friend but also her first love. Ah, what’s a good romance would it be without some love triangle now? Cassandra is quite a charmer when she’s reckless. 

Koi and Cassandra instantly hit it off, without Ruanah or Brooklyn knowing. Late night secret make outs turned into something more. Cassandra relish being high on him. It takes away her pain, she needs someone to distract her. Koi is a perfect distraction, she does not know how he feels and she won’t dare to ask. Koi invites the girls to a cocktail party his brother is hosting for his birthday. Cassandra affirms to join them a little later, but never does. 

Koi receives a message from Cassandra.

Goodbye Koi

He finds Ruanah first, “Ruanah, would you give me a minute, please?”

“Oh hey, Koi what’s up?” She notes his impatient face.

“Do you know where Cassie is?”

“She said she’ll be a little late.” At her response Koi sighs.

“See this.” He shows her the message. All colors from Ruanah’s face dissipate.

“What does she mean by ‘goodbye’? Oh my god this girl is going to be the end of me.”  

“Koi, I’m going home. Don’t tell Brooklyn about this. One more thing, can you give me keys to your car?” 

“Wait I’ll come with you.” There is no trace of Cassandra. A missing complaint is filed in the local police station. Ruanah’s parents take the next flight to the island. 

“Ruanah I… I was packing your luggage. And um I found this. By any chance is this yours?” Brooklyn face’s Ruanah with a pregnancy test in her hand.

“Oh my god Brooklyn, you… you” Ruanah sighs. At very same time Koi walks in on them. 

“What is going on in here?” Brooklyn snaps her face in his direction, jarred she quickly hides the test. 

“She found the pregnancy test.” Ruanah exhales.

“Shit” Koi swears under his breath. He rubs his both eyes with his fingers in frustration. 

“You know?” Brooklyn inquires paralyzed.

“Of course he knows.”

“So it was you people! At night, and I used to think it was Cass and some guy. But Oh my god it was you!” Brooklyn cries.

“You knew what he is for me, then too you went behind my back, you little slut.” She slaps Ruanah. 

Present Day 

The infamous elite family of Brills was now known for their daughter’s scandals. Cassandra, murderer of Dylan Pierce, the lost girl and Ruanah, the one who chose abortion instead of taking up responsibility for her actions. The police still don’t have any clues on Cassandra’s unforeseen disappearance. Ruanah’s grown to hate her twin over the year, as all her family’s reputation, business deals and relations were destroyed. Brooklyn’s still heartbroken over Koi. Ruanah and Brooklyn left their friendship in Maldives, while Brooklyn has despised Ruanah since that day, Ruanah didn’t bother much with her. 

I fix the white mask on my face, today is our graduation party. A masquerade themed party for the elite graduates of Seattle. As Ruanah and Koi have become good friends she’ll bring him as her date. I wonder who’ll be Brooklyn’s date. Well let’s find out.

Rich is the word I’ll use to describe the party. The stage is lit up in different kind of lights. There is a rectangular black box vertically stationed beside the wine counter, tied up in a silver ribbon. Its rather strange. And apparently Brooklyn has decided to strut with Rob, the quarterback, for the night. Well I’d say safe choice. We’re halfway through the party when football players take it on themselves to unlatch the black box. 

It’s like we’re all in a lumbering pace. The box’s top shifts to one side revealing dead body of Cassandra Brills. Looks like she has been shot right in her heart. The body is tied up so it doesn’t fall off. She is wearing a white dress which is now soaked up in dry blood. From her pale skin it seems like she has been death for 2 or 3 days now. 

Quite a party, this is. 

The screaming begins, some student rush out of the door. I scan the crowd, Ruanah has toppled over, gasping for air. Flow of her tears surge. Koi quietly trudges towards the box. A drop of tear goes down his cheek. I hear the police sirens and in minutes the place is swarmed with police officers asking us to back up. Josh Brownstone introduces himself as the leading detective on the case. I look at Cassandra one last time before walking out.

We are in the endgame now.

The burial is next afternoon with no more than 20 people. Cassandra has always been close to her mom, whatever she did was always over looked by Darla Drills, and while others had given up hope her she believed Cassandra will come back. This is was quite terrible for Darla. Compared to her parents Ruanah was handling her twin’s death pretty well. 

Three days later, a proper funeral is held at the church where four letters are sent out. The letters are rather fancy, with a symbol on behind. A symbol of sepow. One by one the letters land up at their desired location. 

Dear Ruanah,

There are people who perpetrate foul acts, furthermore darling

There are people who watch them do that.

You loved your sister so much that you pretended to be pregnant on her account. 

You knew Cassandra was pregnant with Koi’s baby, however Brooklyn didn’t need to know that.

Better yet, you were caught at the wrong timing. 

The only loophole was Brooklyn ratting you out, but nevertheless Brooklyn wasn’t a complication.

It was Cassandra, it always had been Cassandra.

Your dear mother forced you to be fake pregnant, you had no choice. 

Owing to that fact you lost everything.

Your hatred outgrew your love for Cassandra,

To the extend where it hypnotized you into killing her.

So tell me love who got to her first?

~Ammon

Dear Koi,

There are people who perpetrate foul acts, furthermore darling

There are people who watch them do that.

For you

Loving Cassandra was a drop of blood in a pool of tears.

Your love for her consumed you, but the tragedy was you were a mere distraction for her.

Cassandra managed to twist the knife in the wound further,

You know Cassandra wanted to have the baby, ergo she ran away.

Cassandra had become quite a problem for you, and

Words do not solve problem, actions do.

By now I’m positive you have the baby with you.

I guess Cassandra gave your baby the love she could never give you.

So tell me could you get your hands on her first?

~Ammon

Dear Brooklyn,

There are people who perpetrate foul acts, furthermore darling

There are people who watch them do that.

Oh love, aren’t you the darkest of them all?

Dating the devil, huh

Who knew Dylan Pierce could be alive?

Nothing sharpens sight like envy, 

Your envy and malice assisted you with the truth, shaped you astute.

You date Dylan because he gives you the power,

Power to wield your envy into something more,

He helped you find the truth about Cassandra, didn’t he?

So tell me did he help you shoot her?

~Ammon

Dear Dylan,

There are people who perpetrate foul acts, furthermore darling

There are people who watch them do that.

So dark, so deep 

These secrets that you and I keep.

Well, I don’t suppose you faked death to simply frame Cassandra, 

However, Cassandra had to be punished for she had been apprised of your disguise. 

A side mafia business, no one should know of

But love here’s the thing about secrets,

The value of a secret is it’s ability to be disclosed.

And your paranoia is what led you to kill your darling Cassandra.

So tell me how’d you manage to find her?

~Ammon

There are three things in this universe that cannot be long hidden, the sun, the moon and the truth.