Hope
I've never buried a body before.
And I never thought I would be burying one myself at eighteen.
I dig the muddy ground, tears blinding my eyes and choking my voice as I cry out loud with the thunderstorms.
As much as my uncle deserves it, I still didn't mean to be the one to kill him. I planned to report him to the police on my way back from school today, but I was already so bruised from the bullying by Vanessa.
I didn't want to report her again and get myself punished both by the school and the police.
As usual, we are now living in a world where the rich and powerful are favored over the poor and weak and the rumoured apocalypse has made everyone more crazy. The police now need to lick the ass of the wealthy so they can be carried along in their stupid survival train.
I gulp hard, hot tears slipping down my cheeks as I watch the lifeless body . I just can't stop myself from crying.
Now that he's gone, I'm left with no family. But isn't that better than having a family that beats you almost to a half-dead state and tries to sexually assault you?
I couldn't control my frustration today. So, while he pulled his trousers down, still pinning me on the hard, cold floor, half-naked, I grabbed the nearest object within my reach and jammed it on his head.
I ruin my father's first gift to me because of that. My favorite snow globe.
He fell heavily on me, and that still fucking irks me. God!
I push his body off me with a scream that tears through my throat. The weight of him, the smell of his alcohol, the blood—it all clings to me. I stumble back, my chest heaving. My mind is blank. I blink in bafflement.
I didn't mean to. I didn't mean honestly to. I didn't—oh God! I check his pulse with my panicking hands, and even his breathing is gone.
He's dead.
And no one's coming to save me or believe that it was self defense.
The storm outside rages like it knows what I've done. Lightning cracks across the sky as I drag his body out the back door, my hands trembling. The mud swallows my shoes, and sucks at my skin. But I don't care. I dig. With a rusted spade I found by the store. I dig until my fingers bleed, until I can't feel my arms anymore.
I whisper sorry over and over again because the guilt if killing someone is eating deep inside me.
I drop his body in the deep hole like the trash he is.
And I cover him with dirt.
Each scoop feels like a piece of me going with him. The scared, quiet girl who flinched at every sound. Who cried herself to sleep. She's dying too, right here in this backyard grave.
I had dug all night. Deep enough far more than seven feet so there was no possibility the heavy downpour would dig up his body again.
A flash of wild grief rips through me as I head back to the mistake of a house we live in after my uncle had sold my parents' house and gambled all the money away.
Thanks to his mistake, no one could have heard me digging until past midnight.
I fetch some of the raining water and wiped his blood off the floor.
I can feel my glowing youthful happiness finally fading, just like everyone wanted.
I crouch in a corner of my room in lonely silence, pain squeezing my heart as I think of him.
My uncle never really cared about me or my sister. He just wanted everything my parents owned.
When my sister suddenly stopped texting or sending me pictures of hot and handsome guys from her new school, I told my uncle something was wrong. This wasn't how Annika behaved.
I called her number several times and it was immediately directed to voicemail for the first two months. Now the number doesn't even exist.
What has Brookshigh done to my sister?
My phone chimes for the third time, and I feel an instant squeezing hurt as I read the message from Vanessa.
"You scholarship trash don't deserve to go to Brookshigh. Make sure you respect yourself and don't bother. I mean, you won't like it if I hear you applied—even though I'm sure a loser like you can't be chosen."
I pause and continue crying in sinking tones. Going to Brookshigh was the only way I could reach out to my sister and know exactly what happened to her.
But Vanessa thinks I don't deserve it.
Every year, a student is selected from my school to attend Brookshigh Academy on a full scholarship with monthly stipends.
It is the only opportunity I have to even ever go to college. My uncle was never planning to pay a dime for my schooling, and now he's gone. I have to survive all on my own.
I sniff, heaviness centered in my chest as I go through the school's application form.
Deadline is in thirty minutes, so I have just that time to determine the outcome of my future.
The tick of the huge wall clock, which is mounted on the wall facing the table, is now torturing me. Every tick vibrates through my skull. Every second scorches my veins with a pulse of need.
I visualize the many ways I could kill Vanessa and happily spend the rest of my life in prison. Slitting her throat? Shoving her off the school roof? Poisoning the drink she makes me buy without ever giving me a dime?
"Jesus Christ! I'm losing my mind."
I stare at the application form again and at the clock. Twenty minutes to go.
I drag my sleeve across my wet cheeks and click Start Application. The screen flickers for a second before loading the first page.
Name: Hope Kendrick
Date of Birth: September 16
List any living relatives or emergency contacts:
I hesitate. My fingers hover over the keyboard. My breath catches in my throat. I search anxiously for the meaning behind those letters.
But maybe I'm just overreacting. No one cares enough to be watching me. I feel my heart pounding as I type "None" and press Next.
Why do you want to attend Brookshigh Academy?:
A faint thread of hysteria comes back to me. What do I say? To find my missing sister would probably get me flagged. I type:
"For the academic opportunity and to contribute to the academy with my potential."
I press Next.
What unique qualities do you believe you'll bring to Brookshigh?:
I stare at the blinking cursor. None? No, I can't say that. I grit my teeth and type:
"Resilience. Adaptability. Smartness Killing?"That sounds stupid. I move the cursor backwards, select killing, and delete it. I'm good with science and tech stuffs so I add that before pressing Next.
Do you have any supernatural abilities? If yes, describe.
I pause again. What is this? A prank? I scroll back up — this is the Brookshigh Academy form. Why would it ask about...
I shake my head and select No.
As the final page loads, the clock on the screen says 4:53 PM. Seven minutes left.
I hit Submit and exhale sharply.
The screen goes blank.
For a second, I think the power's out. But then, glowing silver text appears:
Submission received.
Candidate: Human.
Clearance: Pending further review.
"Lineage inconsistency detected. Activating secondary scan…"
What the hell?
The screen flashes white, and a strange low hum vibrates through my fingers on the screen. Like it's taking my fingerprint. How is that even possible? I try to pull my hand away but I can't. It's like my skin is glued to the screen
Panic flares in my chest. I tug harder then suddenly, the glow vanishes.
The screen returns to normal.
"Thank you for applying to Brookshigh Academy. Final results will be sent within 24 hours."
I yank my hand back, shaking. My palm tingles like I've just touched a live wire.
What kind of school scans your fingerprint through a smartphone?