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Authors: Amanda Austin
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ions were right; Kenzie's Mom was the same girl from Alessandra's pictures.
"I hate her hat," Alex murmured more to herself than Kenzie.
Kenzie laughed, "That was my Uncle Omar's hat. He used to work there when he was in high-school." She pointed to a guy on the other side of her Mom with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth; he was making a crazy face and holding up three or four bottles of liquor. He was wearing the exact same hat as Alessandra. "I guess they had like an off and on thing."
"How did she die?"
"She drowned," Kenzie said matter-of-factly as she was rounding up the photos off the floor and putting them back in the album. Alex froze in mid swallow. She must be mistaken, or gotten the story confused with another.
"Drowned? How"
"I don't know I never asked. It's kind of a sore subject."
Alex's head hurt, she couldn't take any more surprises. Nothing was making sense anymore, she needed to talk to somebody who was alive when Alessandra died that would tell her the truth. She was starting to loathe her parents. Why was it turning out everything they had brought her up believing wasn't what happened at all? No wonder her Mom and Dad didn't want to let her out of their sight, someone might tell her the truth while she was gone.
"Hey, are you all right?" Kenzie looked at her with a concerned expression.
"Yeah, I just feel a little weird. Your Mom just thought I was a dead girl."
Kenzie laughed, "Really, I'm sorry about that. That's why I wasn't even going to introduce you guys. She mana ges to make everyone she meets feel uncomfortable in some shape or form."
"Anyway s! What are we doing tonight?"
"I don't know, it's kind of cold and rainy so there's no bonfire. Karter said him and his friends are going to have a little get together in one of the empty boxes. It's got to be low-key though because we're not supposed to be in there."
"An empty box?"
"Yeah, not like a REAL box. One of the buildings has an empty apartment in it, and it's unlocked."
"Isn't that trespassing?"
"Uh yeah, that's why it's got to be low-key. VERY low-key, Karter is on probation if he has any police-contact he's going to jail."
Alex tried to block out her paranoid thoughts. In the back of her mind she was visioning the cops coming, and everyone leaving her there t o get arrested. Then they would laugh hysterically at her because they set her up, just to embarrass Mayor Raker. She might have to sit this party out. Besides, her parents thought she was at Camryn's house for the night, she might as well use this free time constructively and try to find some answers.
"It's only six o'clock, I'm go ing to run to the library and get my resources for my paper, it's due on Monday."
Kenzie started to pull her shoes on, "You want me to come with?"
"No, I wish. They're not go ing to let you in the building without a student ID because it's after hours. The library is only open until eight, I won't be gone long."
Alex gathered her stuff and Kenzie walked her to the door.
"Text me when you’re on your way back, I might be at the other apartment with Karter."
Alex crossed back over to the other side of the tracks and headed through the parking lot to Leighton Prep. The school's library received almost ten thousand dollars in donations every year; they had some of the most modern research equipment available for their students. Last year they used their donations to fund one of the most extensive newspaper databases in the state. Someone had scanned and uploaded literally every newspaper in the state dating back to the early 1900's. It was time she found some unbiased facts about what really occurred in the Raker family before she was born.
The library was empty when she arrived except for the librarian who sat at the front desk with a laptop. She had kicked off her pumps next to her chair, and looked up startled when Alex came in. She seemed startled by her arrival, was
"I hate her hat," Alex murmured more to herself than Kenzie.
Kenzie laughed, "That was my Uncle Omar's hat. He used to work there when he was in high-school." She pointed to a guy on the other side of her Mom with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth; he was making a crazy face and holding up three or four bottles of liquor. He was wearing the exact same hat as Alessandra. "I guess they had like an off and on thing."
"How did she die?"
"She drowned," Kenzie said matter-of-factly as she was rounding up the photos off the floor and putting them back in the album. Alex froze in mid swallow. She must be mistaken, or gotten the story confused with another.
"Drowned? How"
"I don't know I never asked. It's kind of a sore subject."
Alex's head hurt, she couldn't take any more surprises. Nothing was making sense anymore, she needed to talk to somebody who was alive when Alessandra died that would tell her the truth. She was starting to loathe her parents. Why was it turning out everything they had brought her up believing wasn't what happened at all? No wonder her Mom and Dad didn't want to let her out of their sight, someone might tell her the truth while she was gone.
"Hey, are you all right?" Kenzie looked at her with a concerned expression.
"Yeah, I just feel a little weird. Your Mom just thought I was a dead girl."
Kenzie laughed, "Really, I'm sorry about that. That's why I wasn't even going to introduce you guys. She mana ges to make everyone she meets feel uncomfortable in some shape or form."
"Anyway s! What are we doing tonight?"
"I don't know, it's kind of cold and rainy so there's no bonfire. Karter said him and his friends are going to have a little get together in one of the empty boxes. It's got to be low-key though because we're not supposed to be in there."
"An empty box?"
"Yeah, not like a REAL box. One of the buildings has an empty apartment in it, and it's unlocked."
"Isn't that trespassing?"
"Uh yeah, that's why it's got to be low-key. VERY low-key, Karter is on probation if he has any police-contact he's going to jail."
Alex tried to block out her paranoid thoughts. In the back of her mind she was visioning the cops coming, and everyone leaving her there t o get arrested. Then they would laugh hysterically at her because they set her up, just to embarrass Mayor Raker. She might have to sit this party out. Besides, her parents thought she was at Camryn's house for the night, she might as well use this free time constructively and try to find some answers.
"It's only six o'clock, I'm go ing to run to the library and get my resources for my paper, it's due on Monday."
Kenzie started to pull her shoes on, "You want me to come with?"
"No, I wish. They're not go ing to let you in the building without a student ID because it's after hours. The library is only open until eight, I won't be gone long."
Alex gathered her stuff and Kenzie walked her to the door.
"Text me when you’re on your way back, I might be at the other apartment with Karter."
Alex crossed back over to the other side of the tracks and headed through the parking lot to Leighton Prep. The school's library received almost ten thousand dollars in donations every year; they had some of the most modern research equipment available for their students. Last year they used their donations to fund one of the most extensive newspaper databases in the state. Someone had scanned and uploaded literally every newspaper in the state dating back to the early 1900's. It was time she found some unbiased facts about what really occurred in the Raker family before she was born.
The library was empty when she arrived except for the librarian who sat at the front desk with a laptop. She had kicked off her pumps next to her chair, and looked up startled when Alex came in. She seemed startled by her arrival, was
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