Chapter 1
The memory of my parents’ death still haunted my memories. I was so shocked. My parents were good people, and they never tried to hurt anyone. My parents were both heart surgeons and a few weeks before they died, one of their patients died in surgery. The murderer was the patient’s brother.
I stood behind the closet door, as the light in their eyes disappeared. The blood glistened in the moonlight and it was enough to make any person scream, but I knew I couldn’t scream because the voice inside me vanished with my parent’s lives. The blade plunged many times into each of my parents until their screaming turned into final breaths. They were almost awake, and my mother had seen me run into the closet and as she took her dying breath, she mouthed, ‘I’m sorry’ as her heart stopped beating and with the last of her energy, she closed her eyes.
The sound of the door unlocking pulled me from my memory. I turned toward the door to see my sister, Veronica, walk in the door carrying a box of pizza. She smiled and said, “Hey Karina, I got dinner!”
Veronica was two years older than me, but somehow I always came off as the older sibling. Veronica was childish, but loveable. And she looked like our beautiful mother, while I took after our father. Her hair was a flowing waterfall of gorgeous blonde hair. It fell a little past her shoulders. It had small highlights of light brown. Her eyes were deep green and were always sparkling. All of her features were small. Her figure, her legs, her torso, even her cute little nose. Her skin was soft and flawless.
I on the other hand, had curly brown hair that came down to my mid back. My eyes were green and blue mix, but mostly blue. I was about 5’8’’. I had long legs, and long arms. My skin wasn’t flawless, just pale, with lots of signs of skin damage from the sun. My features weren’t small. And my fashion was nothing compared to my sisters. She dressed like a fashion model and I dressed like someone had just rolled out of bed and thrown some clothes on. My sister wore shirts that suited her figure and jeans that complimented her legs. She had accessories and shoes. Purses to match outfits. And a smile that made every guy fall for her. I used to hate her when we were little. Because all the kids at our school used to say, “That’s Karina’s sister?! You’ve got to be joking. But this girl is gorgeous, and Karina is well…” their voice would trail off when they saw me glaring at them. Then one day, when I was sixteen, and she was eighteen, I came home to Veronica crying. I walked in to find her crying in my room. She had told me that my boyfriend, Chris, had tried to make a pass at her. I was furious at Chris but for some reason, her not participating in that made me not hate her. And I love her with all my heart.
I smiled with Veronica, “Pineapple and extra cheese?” I asked because that was always our tradition.
She smiled wider, “You know it girlfriend!” she replied.
For some reason every time she smiled I smiled, and every time she cried, I wanted to punch a wall.
She sat the box down on the glass coffee table that was in front of the couch. She sat down next to me and asked, “Are you looking forward to your trip?”
“Yeah but I’m worried.” I responded.
“Yeah, but I hope you have a good time,” she said looking down at the pizza box.
“You could of come with me,” I said, because I did offer her to come with me but she denied it.
“You know that—“she was cut off by her phone ringing.
She answered it then said, “Hello. Oh, hi, Jeff. Yeah, I’m just at home right now. No I’m not alone, I’m with my sister, yeah, Karina. Yeah, the tall one. Ok, bye” she hung up the phone.
Jeff had recently started going out with my sister and from what Veronica has told me, they have a good relationship. I want my sister, no, wait I know my sister can do better than him. Jeff is a complete idiot and couldn’t try to work hard if his life depended on it.
“What’s his problem,” I asked snidely.
“Look, I know you don’t like him but he really is a nice guy once you get to know him.” She said. Famous last words, I thought.
Veronica put the phone back in her pocket and smiled at me, “Karina, you need a boyfriend.”
“Why? I’m about to leave for Scotland and the last thing I need is a guy weighing my mind down.” I responded, “Yeah, and I think guys will go out with me just to by with you.”
Veronica smiled but didn’t comment as we ate our pizza and watched Law and Order.
§
The next morning, I woke up early to catch my flight. I quickly changed into dark denim jeans, and a grey collared shirt. I threw a bagel in the toaster oven and grabbed my suitcase, making sure not to wake up Veronica. Once my bagel was done, I spread cream cheese on it and ran out of the apartment to the elevator. I rode it down to the lobby where I got into a cab that I had called to arrange yesterday. I rode down to LAX where I was going to catch a plane to Atlanta then Edinburgh. The city was very different at night. More lights illuminate the city than the stars and moon do. The city at night always felt more….damp to me at night. The lights and the dark sky all seem to blend together at night, and I always felt night was a magical time.
I paid the cab driver and walked into the airport, where I checked in and went through security. I was walking to my gate when I thought I saw my parents at a Starbucks. I turned and realized it was just some random people. They looked at me, and I smiled and they smiled back. It was just a friendly gesture. They probably didn’t remember it in an hour, but I did.
At the gate, I sat down and watched the news. I remembered the melancholy of they days that came after my parents’ death. I remember watching them, and the life disappearing from their eyes. It was a scary feeling. Veronica wasn’t there the night of their death, she had been at her friend’s house for a party and hadn’t come home yet. I had stayed home, and when I heard the door opening, I thought it was Veronica, so I went into my parents room to try and wake them up to see her. When I saw the reflection of the blade, I panicked and hid in their closet and watched the entire scene. I remembered watching the news in the days that followed. When they finally convicted the murderer, I didn’t feel any safer. Veronica simply went on living, but I still felt their lives vanishing within me. Even two years later, I was still in a depressed mood most of my life. And that’s when I received a letter from my grandmother on my mother’s side. She wanted us to come visit her in Scotland, but Veronica was to involved with her relationship to go, so I went by myself instead.
As I sat there in that gate I felt tears start to form in the corners of my eyes. I blinked a few times and looked at my boarding pass. Then the gate agent called up my section and I stoop up to get in the line for the airplane.
§
In Atlanta, I quickly had to rush to the next gate to meet my flight to Edinburgh. When I got to the gate they had just called my zone. I was so relieved that I had made it. After I put my luggage in the over head bin, I remembered that I promised to call Veronica once I got to Atlanta. I pulled out my phone and dialed. The phone rang and rang but she never picked up, so I left her a short voicemail, telling her that I was in Atlanta on my way to Scotland. I buckled my seat belt and fell asleep.
§
When I woke up I heard the pilot saying that we were cleared to land. I was confused about how I slept the whole way over here but I did and I was here in Scotland. When we landed, I practically ran to customs and immigration. It went by fast and I was walking to an exit when I saw an older woman holding a sign with ‘Karina Duncan’ written on it. I walked over to her and said, “Hi, I’m Karina. I’m your granddaughter.”
My grandmother didn’t say anything just started to tear up and then hugged me. She was short and skinny. She was wearing a purple cardigan and a plain blue shirt. She was wearing a long black skirt and ugly brown slip on shoes with white socks. Her grey hair was pulled up in a bun and her eyes sparkled with the same deep green happiness as Veronica’s eyes did. She started to mumble very quickly, then she took my hand and pulled me to the exit where she parked her small silver car. I put my suit case in the trunk and sat down in the passengers seat. Then my grandmother sped off to the city.
You wouldn't dump a whole amount of salt in food, right?
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