Allison Ross opened her bright blue eyes to the loud beeping of her alarm. She grudgingly rolled out of bed and threw on the first clothes she could find. She couldn’t care less about what she wore. Kerry had just started sophomore year and she was dreading school. Making friends. Finding classes
About a month prior, Kerry Williamson was living in a four bedroom house in Connecticut. She shared a bedroom with her nine year old sister, Mairead, who was a pain in the ass that refused to take her Justin Beiber cd off of repeat. Lucky for her eighteen year old brother, Kieran and her nineteen year old sister, Clare, they had their own rooms. Being the middle child, Kerry’s sibling seemed to always receive the better end of the deal. Mairead is “daddy’s little girl” because she’s the youngest and therefore she gets whatever she wants. Kieran is the football star who will be attending Alabama State on an athletic scholarship next fall. And then there’s Clare.
Clare is perfect. Long, curly brown locks with bright brown eyes. Not only a field hockey star but she was also the salutatorian of her graduating class and made it to the national music competition in Ireland for playing the fiddle. She was currently attending her freshman year at Stanford University on an academic scholarship with an education major. Knowing Clare she would find a job the moment she moved home after college and live happily ever after. Happily ever after. Clare is the type of child every parent dreams of. But there was another side to Clare that no one really knew about. That is aside from Kerry, Kieran, her boyfriend Chad, and her close friends. Believe it or not, Clare was a party animal. Every weekend was spent with friends making drunken mistakes. Drunken mistakes. It amazed Kerry how Clare could party hard every weekend, yet keep up with her academics and athletics. Clare lived the life that makes parents proud. Clare lived the life that every teenager wants. And this, this is what drove Kerry insane. Kerry had a slight learning disability but this rarely ever held her back. Kerry was an honor student who played soccer and lacrosse. She lived the life of a typical teenager. Typical teenager. Kerry’s parents were unbelievably proud of Kieran and Clare. Always bragging to friends and family about their latest achievements. This drove Kerry insane. Insane. It wasn’t as if Kerry was a bad kid, she just wasn’t exceptional. And all Kerry’s parents expected was exceptional.

Kerry rarely went out on the weekends. She usually stayed home and watched movies. Kerry didn’t have many friends and she felt it was better that way. She wasn’t much of a people person. Let alone the type who goes to parties every weekend. She wasn’t like Clare. One Friday night Kerry was just hanging out, doing her usual popcorn and horror movie. This particular night Kerry decided to watch The Uninvited. Kerry was fascinated by stories of people with mental disabilities such as schizophrenia or paranoia. She would often volunteer at the local insane asylum. The workers would only let her help serve food to the inmates. She wasn’t allowed to speak to them, just serve. This bothered Kerry. The Uninvited ended and Kerry headed to her room. Luckily Mairead was having a sleepover at her friends house, Clare was home for winter break, but was at her boyfriend Chad’s house, her brother was at work and her parents went out to dinner so Kerry had the house to herself. Kerry was only instructed to not let anyone in the house. Kerry’s parents trusted her partly because she was responsible and partly because she didn’t have many friends to let into the house.
The movie had ended and Kerry was lying on her bed reading Shutter Island when her crappy flip phone, which used to be Clare’s, began to vibrate on her wooden desk. It was Clare. Clare rarely ever spoke to Kerry, let alone call her on a Friday night. Kerry picked up and says “Hello?” with confusion in her voice. She could barley hear Clare thanks to the loud music in the background and the way Clare was talking made it evident that she was intoxicated. “Oh my god Kerry?!?!?” Clare yelled into the phone, “Welllllll, I have a question for you! Chad had some people over tonight and I’ve had some drinks, so I can’t drive and my ride left. I told mom and dad I’d be home by midnight so I need you to take my car an d come get me!” Kerry only had her permit which meant legally she couldn’t drive alone or past nine o’clock. It was 11:30 but Kerry felt guilty and thought maybe this could be their breakthrough. Kerry has been trying to become closer with Clare and she felt this might be her chance. Kerry grabbed Clare’s keys, locked up the house and pulled away, praying that her parents wouldn’t come home before she got back. It was a risk. But Kerry felt it was worth it.
After a ten minute drive of nervously gripping the steering wheel, Kerry arrived at Chad’s house. She called Clare to come outside and impatiently waited for her sister to say goodbye to everyone and stumble in the car. By the time they pulled away from Chad’s it was 11:45 and it was at least a ten minute ride. Kerry hit the gas and accelerated through several stop signs and whipping around turns. She wasn’t concerned about speeding, being that the town became dead by 10 o’clock. “Oh my god Kerry slow down” but Kerry refused her request. Finally Kerry was forced to slow down when Clare stuck her head out the passenger side window and began to vomit. Kerry was forced to pull over and wipe the remaining vomit off the side of the car while Clare continued to vomit in the trees nearby. After five minutes of helping Clare clean herself up, they headed for home once again. Only to discover when they pulled into their driveway, that it was too late. Her parents were home. A sudden fear overcame Kerry. She knew she wouldn’t hear the end of it. Then again, it wasn’t her fault. Kerry turned to her mess of a sister. She was amazed how such a perfect girl could look so torn apart. “This is all on you.” Kerry said in a monotone. Clare stared blankly into her sister’s bright blue eyes. Clare was always jealous of her sister’s eyes. Kerry was nervously waiting for a response. It seemed to take forever for Clare to put the words together. “Fine”, Clare said, “You’re right. When they ask I’ll explain. Don’t even talk; I’ll take care of it.” Clare could see the doubt in her sister’s eyes. “I’m serious, I’ll take care of it” Clare repeated. Kerry began to relax as a feeling of relief came over her.
The sisters got out of the car and quietly opened the back door, entering their kitchen. The house was pitch black. “Maybe they’re already asleep”, Kerry said hopefully. As Kerry spoke those words the light to the kitchen suddenly turned on and the girls’ parents were sitting at the table. Kerry received a look of disgust from her father, while her mother stared at the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. “S***.” Clare whispered to herself. Kerry seemed unconcerned; she trusted that Clare had her back. “Where were you?” their father asked. Kerry went to speak when Clare cut her off, “It’s my fault, dad” she said as their mother got up and began to walk towards the girls. “Don’t be silly Clare, go to your room, we know this isn’t your fault”, said Clare’s loving father. Kerry turned to her sister expecting her to say “No, dad” or “I’m serious, this isn’t on Kerry”. But she didn’t. Clare looked at her sister for a moment. “Ok daddy,” Clare said cheerily as she skipped off to her bedroom. Kerry’s mouth dropped to the floor. “But-!” Kerry yelled after her sister. “Enough, Kerry”, her mom said angrily, finally making eye contact with her daughter.
After sitting through a twenty minute lecture on trust from her parents, Kerry was sent to her room, officially starting her two weeks of house arrest. She couldn’t believe it. Clare promised. It wasn’t that big of a deal but that just set it off for Kerry. She stopped in Clare’s doorway on the slow walk to her own bedroom. Clare was laying on her bed on her laptop while eating a bag of chips. Kerry walked into the room and slammed the laptop shut, almost taking off Clare’s finger. “Kerry!” Clare screamed “What the fu-“Kerry cut her sister off. “No.” Kerry spoke solemnly. Clare stared at her sister, silent. “What the f*** was that, how could you?” Kerry questioned her sister. Clare began to snicker, flashing Kerry her pearly white teeth, “You’re so naïve it’s actually funny”, Kerry stared blankly into her sister’s eyes as she spoke. Clare could see the hatred in her Kerry’s eyes and began to feel nervous. “Did you really think I would take the blame? Why would I get myself in trouble when I knew they would automatically blame you?” Clare asked. Kerry didn’t break her gaze. Clare looked into her sister’s eyes, waiting for a response. Nothing. “Get out.” Clare said simply. Kerry turned towards the door. Clare let out a sigh of relief, when her sister ran her arm across her dresser, knocking off all her makeup and some picture frames. Clare flinched at the sound of the glass breaking while Kerry exited the room, gently closing the door. Clare sat on her bed for a moment staring at the mess on her floor. All she could see was her sister’s eyes. Staring into her. But it didn’t look like Kerry was really looking at her. Clare had never seen Kerry that angry and was actually fearful. Clare contemplated telling her parents but figured that would only make matters worse.
Finally, Clare got up and cleaned the mess. Clare snickered to herself when she noticed the only picture that broke was that of her and Kerry, two years ago. How did their relationship become like this? They always got along so well. They used to do everything together. When Clare first got her license she took Kerry shopping. Kerry used to make Clare a cake on her birthday every year. Now she doesn’t even get a “Happy Birthday”. When did everything go wrong? Up until two years ago Kerry was practically Clare’s best friend. Two years ago. Clare stared at a picture of her and Chad sitting on the shelf mounted above her bed. “Oh my god”, Clare said to herself. It clicked with her. That’s what Kerry had been staring at.
Two years ago was when Clare and Chad started to go out. Two years ago was when everything seemed to go wrong with Clare and Kerry. Was Kerry jealous? “It all makes sense” Clare said to herself. Kerry and Clare were best friends but things changed when Clare started going out with Chad. They started spending every waking hour together. This is when Clare became the girl she is now. The party girl. Before Chad, Clare spent her weekends studying for upcoming tests. If she did anything that didn’t involve academics, Clare would spend time with Kerry. This angered Kerry. Not only did she feel like Chad was changing Clare, but Kerry felt like she was losing her best friend.
Right around this time was when Kerry changed. At first, no one really noticed. Around family and friends, she was the same old Kerry. But behind closed doors, Kerry had fallen into a clinical depression. It didn’t come to anyone’s attention, until one day when Kerry locked herself in the bathroom. After an hour, Kerry’s mom began to knock on the door, but got no response. After five minutes of knocking, Kerry’s father kicked in the door. Kerry was unconscious in the tub. Her arms were covered in blood and her face was cold and a light blue. There was a knife lying on the floor. Kerry had been cutting her wrists, in an attempt to commit suicide.
After being rushed to the hospital and treated by several doctors, Kerry’s parents were told she was going to be fine. And she was perfectly healthy. But she wasn’t really “fine”. Kerry was never the same person after the incident. She refused to tell anyone why she did it. Her parents tried to talk to her. Nothing. Kieran tried to talk to her. Nothing. Kerry’s doctor tried to talk to her. Nothing. Even the therapist, whom Kerry’s parents forced her to go to for a year, couldn’t get anything out of her.
Clare sat on her floor, in a daze, thinking about that night. Clare wanted to come to the hospital but her parents wouldn’t let her. She and Kieran were ordered to stay home and keep and eye on Mairead. Clare remembered lying on her bed, in a ball, crying. She was terrified. Kerry was her best friend. She couldn’t deal with losing her. Why didn’t I try to talk to her?, Clare thought to herself while holding the picture of the two of them.
A sudden feeling of guilt overcame her. Clare began to cry. Her whole body shaking, teardrops falling on the photo. Clare got up and slowly walked towards her sister’s room, now clenching the picture. She pushed the door open to find the room empty, with Kerry’s bed made perfectly. Clare scavenged through her sister’s stuff trying to find a clue as to where she was. Clare found a piece of paper in the drawer of her Kerry’s night stand. 15 Willow Grove Avenue. It sounded so familiar to Clare. But why? She racked her brain for a connection. Clare thought over the addresses of friends and family. Nothing. Clare quickly walked back to her room and opened up her laptop. She went onto Google Maps and typed in the address. It said it was ten minutes away. Clare examined the house and the roads around it. It clicked with her. “Oh s***.” Clare said aloud.
Clare ran to the front window and noticed her car was gone. Luckily her parents were asleep so Clare grabbed her mom’s keys and sped out of her driveway. She was still a little tipsy from before but knew she had to risk it. After a ten minute drive Clare pulled up to Chad’s house. Her car was parked on the other side of the street.
“I knew it!” Clare yelled. She jumped out of the car and ran up to the front door and began frantically ringing the doorbell. No response. Clare ran around to the sliding glass door in the back. It was unlocked. She slowly opened the door, entering the newly re done kitchen. There were no lights on, except that coming from the clock on the microwave. Clare couldn’t see anything and began to yell Chad’s name. The house was still a mess from the party. It wasn’t like Chad to not clean up right away. She slowly walked from the kitchen into the living room. All of a sudden there was a loud noise, causing Clare to jump and almost hit her head on the ceiling. It was only the cat knocking over a vase. After calming herself down, Clare continued down the hallway. She approached Chad’s room and noticed the tv was still on. Chad was a freak about conserving energy and would never leave the house without turning everything off. Clare slowly entered the room, quietly calling Chad’s name. There was a lump in the bed and Clare let out a sigh of relief. He was sleeping. “Oh thank god. Chad, wake up...” Clare said as she pulled the comforter down, exposing Chad’s eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Chad?” Clare said shaking is limp body. She removed the rest of the blanket, exposing Chad’s bloody chest. “OH MY GOD!” Clare screamed in shock, grabbing her mouth, backing up towards the door. Clare was about to back out of the door when she heard it slam behind her. She screamed in shock as she jumped around to see a figure standing there. It was too dark to make out the figures face, but Clare could tell it was a girl, based on their body. Clare backed up into the wall as the girl slowly walked towards her. “Please, don-”, Clare pleaded when the girl cut her off by shoving her into the wall. She was much stronger than Clare expected. As the girl walked towards Clare, she entered the light of the tv, exposing her face. Clare would know those big blue eyes anywhere. It was Kerry. “Kerry?” Clare became relieved for a moment. Kerry continued to walk toward her sister, not breaking her stare. “I know why you’re doing this. Please, just stop, we need to talk.” Clare spoke, trying to stay calm. Kerry continued toward her sister. Clare noticed her sister was gripping something, tightly in her hand. The object shined in the light of the television. After examining the object from a distance, Clare realized it was a knife. “Please Kerry! I’m sorry! I was wrong, I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did. I should’ve taken care of you” Clare had a sincere tone in her voice. But Kerry wouldn’t give in. “No. You’re not sorry for what you did, you’re only sorry because now you’re paying for it” Kerry said as she slowly gripped the knife tighter. Kerry could see the fear in her sister’s eyes, and giggled to herself. Clare began to pray. In her head, over and over, Clare prayed to God that she would be safe. “I’m sorry” Clare repeated, desperate for mercy from her sister. “How could you!” Kerry screamed as she lifted the knife and charged at Clare. Clare flipped her body, farther down the wall, just escaping the knife piercing the wall next to her. Clare pushed herself off the wall and turned from the door, when Kerry grabbed her brunette ponytail, ripping her to the floor. Clare opened her eyes, seeing the blurry figure of her sister, smiling down on her. Clare saw Kerry lift her arm and come down on her. She felt a sudden piercing pain in her stomach and began to feel dizzy. Everything went black.

A couple hours later, Chad’s parents arrived home to Chad and Clare laying limp in the bedroom. They immediately called an ambulance. It was too late. After months of searching, Kerry was never to be found. After finding a young girl’s body in the woods, the police declared that Kerry committed suicide, after leaving Chad’s. Clare’s parents never recovered from the loss of their beloved daughter. Kieran began to experiment with drugs after his sister’s deaths and his parents sent him to rehab after overdosing and almost losing his life. The Williamsons were never the same.
Allison Ross opened her bright blue eyes to the loud beeping of her alarm. She grudgingly rolled out of bed and threw on the first clothes she could find. She couldn’t care less about what she wore. Allison walked over to her mirror and stared at herself for a moment, before putting in her brown contacts. Allison had just started sophomore year and she was dreading school. Making friends. Finding classes. Her foster mom came upstairs, warning her it was time to go. Allison took the photo of her family, put it in her backpack, and walked out of her room.