Lineksa Pegado

Drama Tragedy

4.0  

Lineksa Pegado

Drama Tragedy

Better Place

Better Place

8 mins
307


She was sitting in a corner, sobbing, rubbing her face every now and then. Tears welled up in her eyes as she heard the conversation going in next room.

"She took my fucking earrings and she put on my fucking lipstick!" 

"For God's sake Elijah," Mom had her calm tone despite of Elijah's use of language. "She's your sister."

Tears flowed from her eyes and Lucy rubbed them away. Her mascara was smudged due to tears and they were black. She only realised it now, as one drop fell on her knuckle.

"She looked like a fucking slut." Elijah kept shouting.

"Do you mean to say that you're a slut? Cause those are your things."

"She stole them mom!" 

"Listen Elijah," mom suddenly stopped from whatever she was doing, " I'm having a very hard time raising you both after your father died. Don't make it harder than it already is!"

And mom left to wash the clothes.

Elijah remained in the same room but kept shouting, " What am I supposed to do then? Huh? She keeps stealing from me and I say her nothing?" There was a pause. After a couple of seconds Elijah spoke again. 

"Do you think I'm not having a hard time after dad left?" She shouted to make sure mom would hear her. " Do you think I'm okay? That I'm all moved on?" 

Lucy could notice her change of tone, how she was trying to hold back her tears. Mom didn't reply.

Elijah returned to her room, where Lucy was crying in a corner. She looked up at Elijah as she entered. Elijah's gaze, in return, was cold. 

"Get the fuck out of my room." She said

Lucy stood up and rushed out of the door. Elijah slammed the door behind her. She didn't come out after that, not even for dinner. Her mom knocked the door several times, but Elijah won't reply. 

"She must have fallen asleep." Mom assured Lucy. Although that was no need for her assurance. Lucy didn't pay attention to what was happening. She, already lost in her own thoughts, was wandering, about how to make things peaceful.


***


The next day, Elijah left early for her College, skipping her breakfast. Lucy paid no attention to the classes. She looked out from the window and wondered at the floating clouds. After the class was over, teacher called her.

"Is something bothering you Lucy?" Teacher's face showed worry. 

Lucy was silent, but there was an agreeing look in her eyes. The teacher understood at once.

" You weren't attentive in class today," teacher said, " You know you can talk with me about anything. Is it something about your family?"

Ms. Jessica knew that Lucy had recently lost her dad and there can be different effects on her mental health. Due to her closeness with her family, she personally looked into this matter. 

" I know what loss is," she continued. Lucy was still silent, looking on the books on desk.

" I was about your age when I lost my younger sister."

Lucy's gaze shifted from desk and immediately met the teacher's eye. 

" She was really pretty, you know," teacher continued.

" Did you love her?" Lucy asked.

" Of course, I did. Nothing hurt me more than to know that she left me forever." Ms. Jessica looked down as if lost in a memory.

" What would you do if she was still alive?" Lucy asked calmly.


Ms. Jessica met Lucy's eyes again. 

" I would try my best to make her happy and the best elder sister she would have." She took a pause and continued, " But, you know, that's not the case right now. She's not here, she's dead and I know she's in a better place. And from there, she is watching me, watching me miss her and love her. And I know she loves me too and wouldn't want me to get upset. And that is what I'm not upset. You understand me Lucy?"

Lucy nodded.

" Also, she's praying for me, for my mom and dad."

" Is she?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

" Of course she is. You know whoever goes up there, prays for those who are down here."

" And what if they don't?" 

" My dear, they are our loved ones and they do pray for us." she smiled. 

" Thank you Ms. Jessica." Lucy left.


***


Elijah was unpacking her college bag in her room. Under the books, some kind of roll touched her fingers. She took it out and realised that it was her lipstick, the one Lucy wore, to go to a friend's house. 

Elijah kept looking at the lipstick. 

" I was too harsh on her... I guess," she thought.

" It hasn't been easy after dad left." She looked at a photo frame in which her dad hold her and Lucy in his arms. 

" Everything seems different without him," she thought, " and we don't even talk like before."

She looked down at the lipstick. " I think I should be more careful now onwards."

As she was peacefully gazing at the lipstick, something hit her hard on her head from behind. The hit was not hard enough to make her lose consciousness, however it was hard enough to make her lose her balance. She fell down and her head hit at the study table beside her. She laid unconscious on the floor.

After about 5 minutes, she slowly opened her eyes. Her eyesight was blurry. She could see someone sitting in front. Gaining her strength she called out, " Lucy?"

Lucy was silent. Elijah tried to get up, but realised that she couldn't move her left arm as it was in sharp pain. 

" Is it.. broken?!" she thought.

As for her right hand, it was bleeding. Lucy sat right next to it. Only now that Elijah realised that Lucy was sitting calmly next to her, without even trying to help. Her mind filled with fear.

" What have you done Lucy?!" she said with all the energy she had left.

" Shh," Lucy said calmly," I'm sending you to dad."

Elijah didn't know how to react to her words.

" It's a better place you know," Lucy said after a pause, " Ms. Jessica told me."

Lucy's eyes were bright as she continued," And you know what, you'll pray for us, for me and mum, along with dad. You'll see us from there, up there." She pointed her finger on roof.

" You won't be like you're now, you won't shout on me and pray for us. You would want to see us happy and we would know that you're in a better place." she added.

Elijah, not being able to understand Lucy, began to cry. " Lucy please.." she said," I'm sorry, please don't do this."

But in return Lucy said, " Shh.. the pain will go away."

Having said this, she sat calmly besides Elijah while Elijah kept crying until she was unconscious again.


***

Half an hour later, mom returned from the market. She was holding a heavy bag of groceries. Lucy was sitting on the sofa watching tv. Mom kept the bag on table and wiped the sweat from her forehead. 

" When did you get back honey?" she asked Lucy.

Without taking her eyes off, Lucy said," I went to Amanda's after school, I came just now."

" Have you and Elijah talked since last night?" 

" I think I'm not allowed in her room anymore. She told me to get out yesterday."

Mom sighed as she went towards Elijah's room. She pushed the door and Elijah's cold body lay in front of her. Her eyes widened and she wailed in horror. 


***

After the funeral, the police commissioner, personally met Elijah's mom. He gave her his condolences and discussed further more about the investigation.

" I don't know," mom was weeping, " I don't know what could have happened. All I know that my daughter was laying cold in front of my eyes and blood spread across her hand."

" We've also found out that she got a hit at back of her head." 

Mom raised her eyes to him.

" It can be after or before she fell down, it can also be the reason for her to fall down or to lose consciousness. However, we do not seem to find any drug in her body that may have made her lose consciousness, so it was definitely the hit on head."

They walked a few more steps and then stopped.

" I can't really say if it was an attack or suicide. There's no suicide note or traces of stranger in the house. Your younger daughter wasn't home either."

He paused and thought for a while.

" I don't know what to make of this Mrs. Smith." 

He took a small pause again and continued assuring her," However, our forensics team is looking into it and I assure you that we will find out our answers."

"Answers," she smiled with deep sadness," The question isn't how she died, but why she died. Why did she take her own life? Why would someone want to kill her?" 

She burst into tears. The commissioner hesitated a bit, but put his hand on her shoulder to calm her. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the commissioner.

" I'm sorry."

" That's alright." He nodded and left.


***

Meanwhile, Lucy was sitting with Ms. Jessica, who was also crying for Elijah's death. Lucy sat pale, she didn't shed even a single drop of tear. Ms. Jessica noticed her and said, " Sometimes crying is the strongest thing you can do."

" Is she in a better place now Ms. Jessica?" Lucy asked.

Jessica smiled, knowing that Lucy remembered her words. She nodded at Lucy's question.

" Will she pray for us- me and mum?"

" She will, she will." Ms. Jessica nodded as she hugged Lucy.


***

Few days later forensics reports came in.

" They've found Lucy's fingerprints on the knife," the commissioner said.

Lucy was interviewed, but she chose to remain silent for most of the time. The police also found out that Lucy lied about staying late at Amanda's house. The police kept interrogating Lucy but she repeated a single sentence.

" Did you do it Lucy?" the lady officer asked raising her voice.

" I sent her to the better place." Lucy said as she kept looking down.

However, Lucy's mother completely denied that Lucy was capable of such actions. But when police informed her about Lucy's confession, she was broken into pieces. 

" She confessed that she hit Elijah with a baseball bat and when she was unconscious, she managed to slit her wrist."

Lucy, was then, taken to juvenile detention center for imprisonment. The last she met her mom, her mom said, " Today, I lose my whole family."

Lucy was imprisoned for a long time, but all she kept telling herself was, " I sent her to the better place."



Rate this content
Log in

More english story from Lineksa Pegado

Similar english story from Drama