February merged in March, and winter faded into spring. Snow turned to apple blossoms floating to the ground, and icicles to green ivy on the eaves. My private tutor came and went every day, my art and music teachers kept their weekly appointments to the house. Jayson was busy working, trying to get a better paying job, and I saw him every two weeks at the most. Uncle Todd and Aunt Bethany argued over finances and whatever else they could find to quarrel over, and friends and neighbors visited the house regularly to see “Beth and Todd’s little orphan niece who hasn’t a soul left in the world to take care of her but Todd and Beth, poor child.”
I hated their pity.
Aunt and uncle never asked me about my previous life or what I enjoyed doing; it was always “Lillian this” and “Lillian that”. They worshipped their deceased sick daughter as if she was an angel. They seemed to expect me to be just like her, being utterly shocked whenever I didn’t like something she’d liked or acted how she would of acted. They were trying their hardest to conform me to the image of their dead little girl, sometimes succeeding when I was to sick of it to protest, sometimes losing when I was full of fresh rebellion.
All these weeks, I’d been hoarding the murders of my family in the back of my mind. You may wonder why I hadn’t cared to avenge them and attempt to solve the case myself, or you may of thought I started to forget and not care; neither of these things were the case at all. I certainly remembered it, I had dreams and nightmares about it all the time. And I assuredly wanted to avenge them, but I had to find something to work off of first, and finding something the police couldn’t find without the crime scene isn’t an easy thing. All the possible suspects’ alibis added up; even Mr. Stein had gotten cleared. But I was going to find out who did it.
With March came Spring break- I didn’t even know aunt and uncle observed the week-long absence of tutors and teachers- and I finally had a week all to myself to relax and recover from Algebra, watercolors, and tiresome piano scales.
My cousin Eric came home for his Spring break, arriving on a Saturday evening an hour before dinner. He stepped through the door and promptly kissed his mother’s cheek. He shook hands with his father and handed Lucile his baggage. I secretly watched the proceedings from upstairs, peeking around the corner to observe my cousin.
He was the same height as my uncle, and slender but not sickly. He had jet black hair, the same color Uncle Todd and my dad had before they went gray, neatly parted on the side and smoothly combed. His eyes were a murky hazel like his mother’s, and his skin was just as pale and flawless. He wore a tailored suit of a black color, with a dark green tie and emerald tie pin. His face had a certain smug look to it, and something else that made me slightly uncomfortable that I couldn’t place.
“Cora Lynn! You’re cousin Eric has arrived! Mind your manners dear and come down to greet him.”
I banged my head on the wall and inwardly groaned.
“Coming Aunty.”
I rounded the corner of the stairs and walked right down without the assistance of my crutches, which I had prematurely ditched, much to my aunt’s disapproval, and I could feel my cousin’s eyes locked on me. It made me strangely nervous, and I reached the bottom, I found myself face to face with him.
“Ah, cousin Cora Lynn, so good to see you. You look very well, might I add.”
I met his gaze unfalteringly, his eyes seeming to stare right through my soul.
“Good to see you too, Eric.”
My cousin stooped to kiss my cheek, and I felt once more uncomfortable. As his lips touched my skin, I noticed a familiar scent envelop me.
“Eric, your old room has been all cleaned and fixed up for you. Right beside Lillian’s old room, where Cora Lynn is staying.”
Great. He was going to be right beside me for the week to top it all off.
“Yes mother, thank you. I shall go wash up for dinner.”
“Your cousin Jayson, you remember him? He is just dying to see you darling so he is coming to dinner as well. Be sure you both fresher up, we’re having plenty of guests over tonight in your honor, Eric.”
“Wonderful mother; I cannot wait to see my cousin and old friends as well.”
I knew the fact that Jayson wanted to see Eric was a lie and I knew the fact that Eric wanted to see Jayson was a lie. They despised each other.
A few minutes after Eric had retreated to his room, I went to mine. I sat down idly at my vanity and began removing my old makeup. I opened my eyes and saw my cousin in the mirror leaning on my doorway behind me. He had a crooked and smug smile on his face again.
I haughtily ignored him, pretending he wasn’t there, but after a couple more minutes of applying my makeup, I stood and faced him.
“Excuse me Eric, I have to get dressed.”
I grabbed my door and swiftly closed it on him, but he held it open to a crack.
“You act like you aren’t happy to see me, Cora.”
I pushed the door shut the rest of the way, locking it behind me. I closed my curtains and rummaged through my wardrobe to find the formal dress my aunt had bought me. I felt my hand touch something of a silken material and pulled out a cream gown with black lace overlay. I carefully put it on, then zipped up the back and looked at myself in the mirror.
“A silver necklace would look good with this-“
I snapped my fingers in remembrance, then ran into my small study, searching through my endless volumes of classics to find my journal. I hadn’t written in it the whole time I’d been at Aunt Bethany and Uncle Todd’s having nothing to write about besides horribly boring and monotonous daily routines. I found it and slid it out, then opened it up to the back. I carefully lifted the small flat pocket in the back, then gently fished inside. I pulled out a sterling silver chain on which was a single silver heart. I opened the locket and stared at a teeny picture that rested inside of Rachael, Jayson, and I. It was my mother’s locket us kids have got her for mother’s day one time.
I sat down in the easy chair, locket still resting open in my palm, and let my mind drift back to that day.

- - -

“Hey Jayson, how much money do you have?”
My brother grabbed a screwdriver and popped open the bottom of his plastic piggy bank. He violently shook it, coins scattering all over his bedroom floor. He stuck his finger inside the hole and felt around for the dollar bills resting inside, then pulled out five wadded up and wrinkled pieces of green paper.
“I got five dollars and… and…”
He thoughtfully counted his change.
“Five dollars and seventy five cents.”
I stared at him in awe. My big brother was rich! Why, imagine having five dollars all your own! Twelve year olds were really quite amazing.
“I have this much!”
Rachael raised her chubby 4 year old hands and held up 6 fingers.
“I got that much coins!”
Jayson laughed and scooped up Rachael’s change in his hands. He carefully counted out four quarters and two pennies.
“How much do you have Cora?”
I bent my head and counted out my money. Counting money isn’t something a nine year old can do very quickly, you know.
“I have… a dollar and ten cents.”
Jayson rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“That SHOULD be enough to get mom that locket we saw at the jewelry store. Let’s go talk to dad and see when he can take us to get it!”
- - -
I stared into the distance, at nothing in particular, unaware that my eyes and welled up with tears at my bittersweet memory. We wanted to get my mother a two hundred dollar locket we’d seen in a jewelry store window, but our small savings just weren’t enough. So we ended up purchasing one from Walmart that was on clearance for five dollars. We even had some money left over. My mother was so happy to receive that small little locket, and she immediately got a picture sized down to put inside of her children.
“Miss Cora, Mrs. Cook says dinner in five minutes.”
I jumped at the sudden rap on my door, and with a sigh, I fastened the necklace around my neck.