Turn of Fate by Juniper Lee (novel24 txt) 📖

Riiiiiing!
The alarm clock rattles me awake, scattering my thoughts and dreams as always. I slam my palm onto the off button. Then, with a small yawn, I begin my day.
I dress quickly, just the usual jeans and t-shirt. I pull a comb through my short blond hair, lace my high-tops, and slide my watch onto my wrist. Out of habit, I glance into the mirror, but I don't really see myself. The warm aroma of coffee is already pulling me toward the kitchen.
On my way down the hall I peek into my sister's room. The door hinges screech, but I don't mind anymore. Living in low income apartments has its disadvantages.
"Hey, hun," I say. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"Scramf legs..." I half hear her call from inside her closet.
"What?"
"Scrambled eggs," she repeats, poking her head out, eyes wide and smiling.
"Okay. They'll be ready in ten, so hurry up!"
"Uh huh," she mumbles. She makes a face at the shirt she's holding and tosses it aside. I force myself to control my laughter and head toward the kitchen.
"In local news, another kidnapping has been reported. The victim, nine year-old Josh Turner, disappeared from his bedroom in the middle of the night with no trace left behind. No ransom has been requested. Neither Josh, nor the other two nine year-old kidnapping victims have been seen or heard from..." the radio news caster's dull voice drifts to my ears as I crack eggs into a bowl.
"Mom, why do you listen to this? It's just depressing," I sigh.
"It's important to know what’s going on in the world..." she trails off for a second, looking under the couch pillows.
"Your phone is on the table, your purse is next to the door, and your other shoe is by the bathroom."
"Thanks, Chase," she chuckles, "And your lunches are in the fridge as always."
She kisses the top of my head and rushes out the door, yelling, "I love you both!” just as Joy shuffles into the kitchen. I slide breakfast onto the table and sit across from her.
"What are you wearing?" I ask eyeing her outfit.
She gives me an adorable puppy dog smile and responds, "You don't like my tutu?"
Of course, with her brown curls and big blue eyes, she is the cutest eight year-old in the world. She looks almost nothing like me and has her own style, so who am I to judge?
"It's fine," I concede. "Just eat. You gotta go."
We shovel down the last bits of our food, grab our lunches and backpacks, and head out. Her bus pulls up and seconds later and I watch it roll away before getting into my car.

~~~~~

"Chastity!" The principal yells before I can escape his burning eyes.
I traipse back to him, force a smile, and answer "Yes?”
"I need you to give a tour to our newest student."
"Sure," I breathe. "Where is she?", but all I can think is 'Why me?’
Before he can speak, a girl steps out from behind him and holds out her hand to me.
"I'm Kelly," she states.
I decipher her personality in a single glance. From her designer handbag to her name brand shoes she is one hundred percent prep. Her voice is high and light and her brown hair straight: typical cheerleader material. Yet, somehow the look in her crystal blue eyes doesn't fit.
"Call me Chase," I say. I shake her hand. "Follow me."
I ignore everyone's glares as I make my way through the corridors. Being a loner, I’m not often expected to be seen walking the halls with anyone. I show Kelly her classes, the bathrooms, her locker, and the cafeteria. She takes it all in with silent smiles.
"Where are you from?" I inquire. I'm not a people person, but I try to be more friendly than usual.
"All over the place, really. I move all the time." She doesn't speak again for awhile, until we arrive at our shared homeroom. "Have you heard about all those kidnappings on the news?"
"Yeah, just this morning. It's awful."
"Oh, I know!" she exclaims, placing herself in the desk next to mine. "It scares me. I mean, the last one happened in my old town. I have a 9 year-old sister. What if something happened to her!?"
I don't want to think about that. For the first time ever, I'm actually thankful when the bell rings and class begins.
By the end of the day, I'm exhausted and loaded down with homework. I shove my backpack inside my car, ready to leave, but the sound of pounding feet stops me from going.
"Hey, Chase!"
I turn to see Kelly. A sheepish smile decorates her face, but the expression in her eyes remains unchanged. I still haven’t decided what her eyes are telling me, but I try to ignore it.
"Yeah," I answer. I must have been too nice, because Kelly hasn't left me alone all day.
"Umm, I don't know which bus to get on. Could you give me a ride home?"
"Sure," I sigh, "But I gotta pick my sister up from school first."
She slides in and turns to me as I start the car. "Joy, right? You said she's eight?"
"Almost nine," is the only answer I can manage. She's been talking non-stop since this morning; pestering me with questions about my life and family. I'm sick of having this smile plastered to my face.
When we pull up to the school, Joy runs up and slides into the back seat routinely, without looking at Kelly. We're already driving away by the time she realizes Kelly is even here.
"Who are you?" Joy blurts. Her tone isn't rude, but I see her quizzical expression in the rear view mirror.
"I'm Kelly, and you must be Joy."
"Yeah," Joy responds curtly.
I enjoy the silence that fills the car as we drive towards Kelly's house. She waves cheerfully as she gets out of the car. Only after she's out of earshot does Joy speak again.
"I don't like her," is all she says. Her eyebrows crinkle and her lips turn down in a frown.
"That's okay. I don't really like her either. But she's new..."
Joy cuts in, "So what?"
"So, I'm trying to be nice to her until she's settled in here. You know; the whole good neighbor act?"
"Whatever."
Mom's not home when we walk through the door. She won't be finished with work for another hour. Joy and I both shuffle into our rooms and dive into our homework. I hear her blaring Katy Perry, so I put in my headphones, play some Skillet, and quickly lose track of time.
Around five o'clock, Mom bursts through the door. Joy sprints from her room to meet her. I get up too, but when I step into the living room my heart drops.
"Hi again," Kelly says casually, as if she's not invading my home.
"What is she doing here?!" Joy asks mom. It's exactly what I'm wondering too.
Mom laughs. "Funny story. I was walking to the car when Kelly here ran up and handed me my bracelet. I dropped it and never would have found it, but she was kind enough to return it to me."
She holds out a familiar looking gold chain, but there's no way she was wearing it this morning. How did Kelly get it?
"Anyway, we got talking and somehow you came up. I found out you two were school friends. Long story short: I invited her to spend the night here."
"What?!" Joy and I yell simultaneously. It is very unlike mom to invite anyone she’s never met over, especially on a school night.
Mom just smiles and Kelly's voice greets my ears. "Your mom said I could sleepover with you guys! Won't this be fun?" She smiles at me, her eyes cold as ever. I cross my arms and smile back. Something about Kelly rubs me the wrong way. I haven't figured out what it is, but she isn't welcome here.
Dinner is a silent stand-off. Neither Joy nor I take our eyes off Kelly the entire time, and her eyes never waver from staring back at me. Mom ignores the awkwardness completely. Several times she attempts to start a conversation, but when no one answers she gives up.
"Can I be excused to the bathroom?" Kelly asks, breaking the silence.
"Of course," Mom responds. She doesn't look up from her plate, so she doesn't see Kelly walk down our hallway and disappear into the bathroom.
How did she know which door was the bathroom? All four of the doors in our hallway look exactly the same and are all closed. I ponder this question until my suspicion puts me on high alert.
"What is wrong with you?!" Mom whisper yells at me across the table.
"I don't like her!"
"It doesn't matter. She's our guest. There's nothing wrong with her and you need to change your attitude!"
Instead of voicing my real thoughts, I settle for a "Yes, Mom."
Darkness falls over the town, penetrating our windows and mixing with the fear that is growing in my heart. After Joy is asleep in her room, I find a sleeping bag and make a bed for Kelly. I slip on my pajamas and shut the light off. I don't sleep.
My mind races, full of thought. Why is Kelly here? There must be a reason she chose my family for whatever she's going to do. I have no doubt that her intentions are not good, but why us?
I toss and turn, letting my thoughts churn. She weaseled her way into my home, but she must have been here before. How else could she have gotten my mom's bracelet? How else could she have known where the rooms were?
I close my eyes and listen to Kelly's even breathing. She's asleep. Since I obviously won't be sleeping for a long time, I decide to get up.
I slip out the door and into the kitchen as silently as possible. I chug a cold glass of water and continue to wonder. Then I see today's newspaper lying on the counter and it all comes crashing down on me.
"Four Children Missing," the main headline screams in bold font. I grab the paper, but I can't read it. My hands turn white because I'm gripping the edge of the counter to hold me steady.
"No," I whisper to myself. Yet, no matter how much I want to believe this isn't happening, I can't.
Kelly, the intruder in my house. Kelly, the kidnapper and murderer of four children. How could I let this happen? I should have known when she brought up the kidnappings. I shouldn't have let her near my sister. Now she's in my house, and Joy is her next victim.
I pull away from the counter, still clutching the newspaper, and collapse into the computer chair. As the computer loads, I scan the newspaper for important clues or hints. I need to stop Kelly, but most importantly, I need to protect my sister.
The newspaper article is very vague. Other than the fact that all four children were nine years old and went missing in the middle of the night, nothing helpful is mentioned. With no choices left, I bring up my trusty friend Google to give me answers.
Night time ticks away. Yet, the more I read, the more alert I am. I read over twenty articles, all of which confirm my fears that my little sister is next. Not only did the kidnappings happen in medium size cities, but also, the targeted families were