CityMates

19 year old Sophia had came to the City with big dreams thinking of the busy streets, the beautiful skyline and all.

She came here to start earning her own money. What she did not know was it would change her aspect of looking towards this city, a terror she’ll always remember.

Sophia was standing in the elevator as calm elevator music chimed in. The elevator reached her floor and she stepped out. She dragged her bag around to find the apartment no.808. She waited outside the door as she ringed the bell. After a few bells, a girl with short blonde hair and hazel eyes opened the door.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Uh…hi. I’m Sophia” Sophia Replied

“Oh, right Sophia. Hi I am Emma. Nice to meet you. Come in” Emma said with a cheerful smile on her face.

Sophia went in dragging her bag behind her. It was a small but spacious apartment. Emma showed Sophia her room. Emma seemed a cheerful girl. While talking she always had a smile on.

Sophia slipped into much more comfortable clothes and sat on the couch next to Emma. “So, what do you do…you know like a job?” Sophia said trying to start a conversation. “Well…” Emma started “I am working a part-time job at a café nearby and doing a course in arts. What are you going to do? I mean what job?” “I am going try to get a job at hospital as a nurse…. I want open my own clinic.” Sophia replied. “You want to watch Netflix?” Emma asked. “Sure” she said. They were trying to decide what to see as Sophia did not have any idea what was on Netflix. Emma kept telling suggestions. Finally, they decided on something.

The week went fast. On Sunday they were watching Netflix and talking about things

 DING. Emma checked her phone and smiled. She looked at Sophia and said “Would you like to come to my friend’s party, it will be treat. It would be your first party in the city.” Sophia hesitated. “But it doesn’t seem right to walk into someone’s party without an invitation” Emma held back a laugh “Chill. It works here. Hopefully you have nice dress.”. “Umm…. I don’t” Sophia replied. Emma got up and went to her room and brought a sky-blue dress. She put in front of Sophia and said, “You are coming”.

Sophia smiled. She liked how Emma treated her. She felt like she had known Emma since a long time. “Thanks” she said.

“Now come on. Let us get ready” Emma said as she tried to pull Sophia out of the couch. Finally, Sophia got up and went with Emma to her room. An hour later they were ready to go. They walked to her friend’s apartment.

The party was full. Boys and Girls Sophia’s age were talking to each other drinking fruit punch. Loud Music blared through the whole penthouse. Sophia followed Emma who was going to introduce her to her best friend Olivia. Soon they were talking to the red-haired girl. She seemed to be just like Emma, but she rarely smiled.

“Hey, you want to do some karaoke?” Olivia asked Emma. “Sure” Emma looked at Sophia “Hope you’re okay with this…. Why don’t you go meet Ava? She is the host you know and she...” she never got chance to finish as Olivia dragged her towards the Karaoke.

Before Sophia could find Ava, Ava found her.

"Hey! You must be Sophia. Emma told me about you. I 'm Ava" said Ava. "Hi!" replied Sophia. Soon they both were talking about common interests. “Oh" replied Sophia as Ava told her about her course. Then something or to be more exact someone caught her eye. A girl with wavy black hair just like Sophia’s was angrily shouting on a boy and dumped a glass of fruit punch over him. “Who is She?” asked Sophia. “Oh her? She is Ruth. She is a psych. She gets mad over the littlest things. Once she stabbed at Bill with a pen just because he spilled his coffee over her and said it was her fault. Emma hates her and Ruth hates Emma. Sometimes I wonder if she could murder someone because of some silly thing” Said Ava. “Then why did you invite her?” asked Sophia. “Well, I didn’t invite her, I invited her sister Rebecca. She is very friendly. Ruth insisted Rebecca to bring her along.” Replied Ava.

At that moment Emma came and said “Looks like you guys are having some fun. Come on let us have some Punch" They drank, took selfies and pictures and talked all night until it was midnight when Sophia and Emma decided to go Home. When they started walking, Emma told her about a fight she had with Ruth. Sophia wasn’t listening. She just wanted to go and crash on her bed. While a block away Emma gave Sophia the keys and said “Hey take this and go home and sleep. I left my Phone at Ava’s House. I will back ok”. “Yeah sure” Said Sophia. She went home washed her face and crashed on the bed.

The next morning woke up to the ringing of her alarm. She brushed and went to the living room expecting Emma to be there, but she wasn’t. Then she checked the  kitchen. No. She must be still sleeping thought Sophia. She went and checked her room. No not there either. She checked everywhere inside the house and even the surroundings of the buildings in case she went out. She called Ava to check with her if Emma came to take her phone. “No. Once she left with you she never came back here. Why? What happened?” said Ava. Sophia told her what happened. “Hey chill. She may have gone to Olivia’s house. I am coming at your house. Ok?” said Ava.

Soon, Ava was at with Sophia as she told what happened. “Ok. So why don’t we just walk to my house to see if she went somewhere else. She has habit of going anywhere to explore shops” Said Ava. “Yeah. Let’s go.” Replied Sophia.

Few minutes they were walking to Ava’s house. As they were one block away from Ava’s house. Sophia saw a someone’s legs with shoes that seemed familiar. “Wait Ava. Come with me” said Sophia as she walked towards a small alley nearby. She peeked behind the dumpster saw the most horrifying sight of her life. She screamed.

Lying there was Emma, her eyes wide open, her skin all pale and a knife in her stomach, blood smeared all over her off-shoulder top.

Ava fell to her knees from the shock. Sophia trying to digest what just happened shakily took her phone from her pocket and dialled 911.

Soon, the area was filled with sounds of sirens. Inspector, Mr. Jones asked Sophia about what had happened last night in details. His assistant, Julia was writing everything she was saying and soon after Sophia finished Julia went checking on the surroundings when she finally said “Sir, There is CCTV camera there. Maybe we can check the footage?”. “Yes. Sure” said the inspector. They soon found the nearby shop whose camera was there. They clicked yesterday midnight.

Sure, there was the footage of Emma being killed but the most shocking part?

The camera showed it was Sophia who killed her.

“No….no it can’t be. I went straight home. How?” Sophia begged. “Well…we have to believe what the camera showed…it is an evidence we can’t deny. I have to arrest you mam.” Said the Inspector gruffly. “She didn’t do it” said Julia. Julia then pulled in him in the corner and said something in to the Inspector who checked the footage again and nodded grimly and said to Julia “You’re in”. He then turned to Sophia and said “Miss you are innocent but still a suspect so you will have to stay at home until further investigation and you can’t step out of the house. You can only have Miss Ava and Miss Olivia as your visitors. I am placing Julia in charge.”

“Uh…ok” replied Sophia now relived though she wondered what made Mr. Jones change his mind.

Few moments she was home while one police guarded the door. She went and took a shower digesting all that happened since morning. Maybe she should have never let Emma go alone. Maybe she should have never come to this city. She could have stayed back helped her dad in his little business. She spent her day overthinking and digesting everything.

The next day she was in the living room thinking, overthinking everything when the bell rang. She opened the door to find Julia standing outside with smile. Her caramel hair was tied in ponytail and she seemed to be ready for a chat with a old friend. “Hey” she said “I wanted to talk. May I?”

“Yeah. Sure” replied Sophia.

They went and sat on the couch. “So I want to hear the conversations at the party. Talks can give away the biggest secrets.” Said Julia opening the book she was writing earlier this morning. “You’re right” replied Sophia and so she told her about every conversation she had in the party.

“So, this girl Ruth had anger issues?” asked Julia. “Apparently” replied Sophia. “Do you think she could kill Emma for some reason?” asked Julia. “I am not sure. I mean they did have an argument at the party. But you should ask Olivia and Ava. They were close friends” closed Sophia.

“I am going to call them” saying so Julia picked up her phone and called them both.

Soon, four them were sitting in the living room sipping on a cup of hot coffee.

“So, Olivia what were Ruth and Emma fighting about yesterday?” asked Julia. “Oh, It was one of the usual You are so mean arguments but it had more insults than ever. They would’ve almost been on each other’s neck until Rebecca and I pulled them aside.” Replied Olivia. “Did she go home after Emma and Sophia left or...?” asked Julia. “Yes. Ruth went after they went home.” Finished Ava.

Julia asked a few more questions like who were at the party etc. Soon it was afternoon. “I should go. I told my mom I’d be home by now” said Olivia “Me too” said Ava as hurriedly got up but tripped and fell on her knees while her purse fell open. A few cards fell across the floor. She hurriedly picked them all and went home.

Sophia sat on the couch and asked Julia she’d been longing to ask, “So how did you know it was not me?”. Julia smiled and said “Let’s save this for tomorrow. We have lot to talk about”. 

She picked her phone and walked away.

The whole night she was wondering if Ruth could have murdered Emma. They were on each other’s necks that night. Ruth also went away after they left.

 The next day Julia came to have lunch when Sophia asked her question again.

“Well, when I looked carefully I saw that the video had been edited. The watermark had the editor’s name. As if the murderer killed her and realized that there was a camera. So, she/he called an editor edit you into it.” Said Julia. Sophia confused asked “Wait how could they have my pics to edit me into it?”.

“You must have taken pictures at the party. So, it must have been someone at the party” sain Julia. “Right” said Sophia. They sat in silence for a few moments. She was just standing up when something caught her eye. It looked like one of the cards of Ava’s. She picked it up and read-

Video Prank Editor

(VPE)

Edit your video to prank your friends and family!

Edit someone into your video, cut, trim and lots of stuff

Contact me at-

xxxxxxxxxx

Could it be…...? No She can’t do anything like this Sophia turned to Julia and shakily asked “What was name on the footage of the editor?”. “Well, it didn’t seem like a name but they were initials- VPE” replied Julia.

 Sophia sat on the couch and took a shaky breath and said, “Well I think Ava was in contact with the editor” and she gave the card to Julia. Julia eyes lit up she looked up to Sophia with excitement which faded soon when she saw the expression on her face. “But we should check first with this editor” said Julia.

Soon Julia was on the phone talking to the editor asking him about Ava. Julia hung the phone, turned to Sophia and said “Ava did contact him and told him to edit a footage with a girl killing another girl which he thought was a prank” said Julia.

“I just can’t believe that Ava could do something like that. I mean Why would Ava want to kill Emma? They had no rivalry but were close friends.” said Sophia in disbelief. “You know what I am gonna go talk to her.” Said Sophia as she picked up her phone and walked towards the door. “Sophia wait” Julia called behind her. The policeman outside stopped her "Let her go" said Julia hesitantly. Sophia went walking to Ava’s apartment with Julia trying to follow her. She stormed inside to find Ava and found her crashed on the couch reading a book.

“I can’t believe you did this to Emma” said Sophia with disgust. “Did what” Ava asked innocently. “Oh you know what you did. You murdered Emma. Why would you do that? You were such good friends.” Said Sophia with disappointment.

“BECAUSE I WANTED REVENGE!” she screamed “You want to know right. My sister died three months ago, and Emma’s father giggled during her funeral saying it was the most stupid death ever. I avenged my sister and my father by letting that stupid man understand the pain of losing a daughter.” She said with anger.

Sophia was dumbstruck. She didn’t know what to say. She left without a word. She crashed on her bed picked up her phone booked a ticket to her town.

Now whenever the name of this city comes up she remembers the most complicated people and the most friendly people.