Sisters for Life

“Kelly, can we please go outside already?!” Prudence had been pleading with her babysitter Kelly to take them outside to the creek. Her parents went out to dinner it was ‘date night’ and they left Kelly, the neighbor girl, in charge.
“Okay, but make sure you put your coat on. Lemme just go grab Gretchen,” responded Kelly.
“Yay!” screamed prudence. After they bundled themselves up, the doorbell rang.
“Hmm I wonder who it is?” Kelly said, “Prudence take your sister outside, I will be right there.”
“Ugh! Fine,” whined Prudence. Once Kelly was gone and they were out the door, Prudence glared at Gretchen.
“Ew. Why did my parents have you? You’re a waste of space and quite a nuisance, life would be better without you!” Then Prudence concocted an idea, a horrible idea. She glared at her baby sister the way a vulture would stalk at its prey. She picked up her baby sister, and walked down the creek saying, “Oh Gretchen. You’re curly hair is just so perfect. Oh Gretchen. You have the most adorable clothes. What a shame it would be if they got wet.” And suddenly she threw her little sister into the mumbling, rocky creek. “Oh Gretchen, you always got the attention!” she exulted. “Hahaha finally I was waiting for this day to come.” she said with a sly grin. She looked in water, once clear, now stained red.
She skipped back up the hill to her home pleased with herself singing the nursery rhyme “Jack and Jill.”
As she started coloring in her princess book, Kelly walked in and asked, “Prudence, where is your sister?”
“I dunno,” she replied,
“Did you take her outside?”
“Yeah, then I got bored and came back.”
“What? Why on Earth would you do that?!” Kelly darted outside to look for Gretchen. Just then Natalie and Frank, Prudence’s parents, walked in the door.
“Kelly? Prudence? Where is everyone?” they said in unison.
“Mommy, Daddy! I’m thrilled you guys are home!” Prudence said as she ran up to hug them. “Hello sweety where’s Gretchen and Kelly?” asked Natalie.
“Oh they’re just outside. Kelly told me to stay in here and that she was going to meet with her boyfriend Mike, and she took Gretchen because she said she didn’t trust that I would be responsible enough,” At that moment Kelly bolted in and said
“ Natalie! Frank! Come quick!”
“What is it Kelly?” Frank asked.

“ Mommy, Daddy! Can you guys come here! I drew you a pretty picture!” Prudence said trying to prevent them from finding Gretchen’s dead body.
“One moment sweety,” said Frank, “let us find out what Kelly wants first.”
“Please come quick! This is an emergency!” Kelly pleaded
“We’re coming Kelly, lead the way.” they followed Kelly out the door, and ran down the hill in her footsteps to the creek.
“I swear, she was right there,” said Kelly pointing at the creek, that was now as red as the sunset on a hot summer evening.
“Who was right there? And where is Gretchen? And why is the water red? Kelly I want an explanation right now!” Questioned Natalie.
“ I don’t know how to say this, I think Gretchen maybe. I don’t know. Fell in the water, and drowned? Or maybe hit her head on one of the rocks?”
“Mommy, where’s Gretchen?” said Prudence looking as innocent as a newborn baby.
“It will be okay honey, everything will be okay” said Natalie comforting her daughter, even though she knew how wrong this was. They made their way along the creek when Prudence shrieked so loud it could be heard by the next city over.
“Mommy! I found her! Gretchen please be ok!” Prudence stuttered through her tears. “Mommy? Daddy? What did Kelly do to my poor defenceless baby sister?”
“I don’t know sweetie. Kelly, what did you do to our little Gretchen.” screamed Natalie. Kelly was appalled at this accusation, “Me!? I didn’t do anything! How dare you accuse me of such an action!”
“ Prudence said you were going to the creek with, Mike your boyfriend and Gretchen!” Screamed Natalie.
“ Mike?! I don’t even know a Mike! I would never leave any child alone!”
“ Well Prudence said you left.” said Natalie. Who’s filled with so much anger and remorse. She could barely breath through her sobs. Her husband Frank was still in shock that his daughter was gone forever like a burned picture.
“You’re really going to believe a little nine year old instead of me!? I would never do anything to harm a child, let alone kill one!? I love children!”
“ Prudence do you have anything to say?” Frank asked his daughter to see if she was telling the truth.
“ What? Daddy, why would I lie about someone hurting my baby sister? I love her she was so pretty and perfect.” Prudence said through tears.
“You know what! No. I am going inside to call the cops! People like you aren’t meant to live here on Earth. Have fun in court Kelly, You better get used to being in solitary confinement!”
Frank turned and followed his wife and child up the hill.
Kelly’s thoughts:
Why would they think I killed Gretchen she was a great child. What if I go to jail? Wait, no I will not get blamed for this. Why would Prudence even blame me? I thought I was a good. Oh my gosh! No she couldn't have that was her little sister. But what if. What if she was jealous? what if she did not get enough attention now that Gretchen was here, but no. She wouldn't what am I thinking?
Prudence’s thoughts
Haha, finally that little brat is dead, all she ever did was bother me.Mommy and daddy gave her all of the attention. Well now it’s my turn. Finally, now I am their center of attention, I am the only thing they will focus on. Not perfect, little pretty, priss, attention hog Gretchen! I am glad she is gone!
Finally, after having to wait two grueling weeks, they arrived in court. Prudence looked at her parents who looked like they aged twenty years. Her moms hair had once been a shiny blonde is now a dull blonde. Her dads eye bags were as dark as night. Finally Prudence was starting to realize the horror of what she had just done.

She looked at Kelly, who was dressed in a nice black suit. Probably bought at some consignment store, it looked dirty and it had a couple of rips and stains.
“Mommy, I’m really tired,”whined Prudence.
“You can’t go to sleep until you’re called up,” snapped her mom, who had tear stains on her shirt.
“Sorry mommy.”
Prudence wanted to cry, not because she missed Gretchen, but because she still wasn’t the center of attention. Gretchen was even though Gretchen’s dead! This angered her, way more than you can believe.
“ Please rise, for the honorable judge Davis” boomed the bailiff,
Everyone stood up, Frank had to force up Prudence.
“Thank you everyone you may be seated.” The judge boomed like thunder, she was a thin, small, awkward women. The judges short hair barely brushed her shoulders and the black gown made her seem like an ant.
“Kelly Smith to the stand please” the judges voice boomed, it scared Gretchen.
Kelly walked up to the stand and they swore her in, her hands were shaking, but she didn’t look scared.
“Kelly, on the day of October seventeenth you were watching over Gretchen Jewels, and Prudence Jewels, am I correct?” Said Natalie and Franks lawyer.
“ Yes sir.”
“ And at about maybe 6:00 pm, you told Prudence to stay home, while you take Gretchen and go meet some boy named, what was it Mike? What made you think it was okay to leave a nine year old unattended?!”
“Sir! I didn’t do that, I was home the whole time with the girls! I got them all bundled up and to go down to the creek, the doorbell rang and I told Prudence to go outside with Gretchen down to the creek.
“Hmm, so you never left the Prudence alone..?”
“No sir, I did while I answered the door.”
“Hmm interesting, thats all the questions I have for now your honor.”
“You may be seated Kelly”Judge Davis said.
Prudence’s thoughts
Oh no...oh no! They’re going to find out I did it, if they ask me why I lied I’ll just say, I’ll just say I said it because I was mad at Kelly because, she hit me! She hit me I have a bruise on my arm from where Kelly hit me! Yeah,I’ll just lie again. And it all works out because I have a bruise from my bike. I know once this court case is over I’ll be all they care about, and their whole world.
The jury didn’t seem convinced that Kelly had done anything wrong, and Prudence knew she needed to change that.
“Prudence Jewel to the stand”
“That’s you baby,” nudged her mother. Prudence waltzed right up to the stand, and had to to be sworn in.
“ So Prudence, it was just you and Kelly and Gretchen home the night of your baby sisters death, and I find it quite odd how Kelly admitted to not seeing Mike that night. Any comments from you?” Said Kelly’s lawyer.
Prudence looked over at her parents, than over at Kelly, then back to her parents, and looked right in the cops eyes and said.
“Okay. I lied, I lied about her going out to see Mike.” Her parents were horrified and Kelly had a satisfied yet on the edge of her seat look on her, like you knew she was scared, but she didn’t want to show it.
“Now Prudence, didn’t your parents ever tell you not to lie?” Kelly's lawyer smirked.
“I only lied to hide the truth,”
“What truth were you trying to hide Prudence?”
“I saw her kill. I saw her kill Gretchen while I was stealing a cookie from the cookie jar, and I did not want to get in trouble. I couldn’t imagine what she would do to me,she...she always to hit us,” Prudence started to cry.
“What!? I never!” Kelly mumbled.
“See this bruise,” Prudence said as she pulled up her sleeve to show the jury. “she hit me because I would not do what she wanted me to. She said that I had to go to my room because I was annoying her. I’m sorry Kelly! I’m sorry for being a bad girl!” Prudence started sobbing.
“Your honor I didn’t!” started Kelly
“I object!” screamed Natalie and Frank’s lawyer.
“Sustained,” said judge Davis.
After more hours of questioning, and more hours of wicked glares. And even more hours of nail-biting suspense judge Davis finally said “Now it’s time for the jury to decide the verdict, we will reconvign when they decide.”
“Mommy, is it time for us to go?” Prudence asked.
“No, now stop getting fidgety and sit still.” Said her mother.
After waiting for the jury to decide, they finally come to an end. An overweight man wearing a too-tight shirt, and wearing too-big glasses stands up and reads from a paper.
“Your honor, we have come to a verdict, and we have decided that Kelly Smith is guilty.
“ What!, No!” Kelly cried out, two cops came over and handcuffed her, and pulled her out of the room, suddenly Prudence found a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. Kelly had to be dragged out of the courtroom, everyone was finally at peace but not happy, except for little Prudence, who had a sly smile painted on her face.