Inspirational quote: You never fail until you stop trying. So never stop trying.

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Lauriel genuinely wasn't taking no for an answer.

"Please?" She wailed. "Please let me go?"

"No!" Were her mother and her father's cacophonous yell back. Lauriel slammed the door irritably, thinking, seriously thinking that maybe she did have the worst parents in the world.

"Screw you guys. I hate both of you; and I wish that neither of you were alive," she cursed, swearing under her breath.

She probably shouldn't have said that. Why?

Her parents had grounded her until July.

"....and I don't want to see you sneaking out ever again, until further notice!" Her mother rasped, literally kicking Lauriel to her room.

Lauriel was supposed to go there, but she didn't.

Instead, she just stood on the second step of the stairs, badmouthing her parents to a level so extreme that her parents didn't even know what half of the words Lauriel had said meant.

"I hate you guys! All of you, you've always treated me badly, since we moved houses. No, since I was born actually. I knew you guys never liked me."

Her mother and father were supposed to feel remorse for her but they didn't, they just seemed to become even more agitated than last time.

"You guys are the worst.... Literally. Ever since I was in year seven, you guys have been torturing me non stop. How? Well, say there was a test. and I had to revise for it. Mum, you'd always say my revision methods were wrong, and that I should try your ways. So I did, and because of you I failed the test. You gave me a black eye which I still have after beating me up with a stick till blood came out of my face after that test, not realising that you were the reason I failed. And dad... Dad.. There's too many flaws about you, dad. You always yell at me because of my imperfections, but what you don't realise is that no one is perfect. I've attempted suicide plenty times because of this family, but you guys don't care enough to notice, because you all hate me."

They were all honestly staring at her now, absolutely dumbfounded.
Though Lauriel didn't seem to have finished her lecture yet.

"...So I guess, this is it," she continued, walking up to the door , opening it, not realising that a wasp just came in. "I'm going. And don't bother trying to get in contact with me. I won't reply. Well, see ya. I'm out of here. Time to live a new life, with people that actually tolerate me. Bye."

She slammed the door and left. Why Aaron was smiling, he didn't know. And why his parents were suddenly feeling sorry after everything, he didn't know either.

His parents weren't the type of people that forgave easily.

"Gotta admit, that speech moved me," his father admitted. "Just kinda wish she told us earlier though."

"She did tell you guys earlier," Aaron argued. "But you guys were too selfish to notice. This house is falling apart because of you guys. I've lost my sister I truly cared about, and now I'm stuck with the other one who I can't really stand. Thanks a lot."

Aaron stood up to go and grab an apple, before washing it. He was briefly making his way upstairs until his parents called him again, bringing him back.

"Could you at least try contacting Lauriel?" His mother suggested.

You've got to be kidding me, Aaron felt like saying. Literally, were his parents not paying attention to anything Lauriel had just said?

"I'm going. And don't bother trying to get in contact with me. I won't reply."

This phrase kept on filling Aaron's mind for a long long time, before realising that he forgot to answer their question.

"Were you not listening at all guys?" Aaron told them, halfway through his fifth apple slice. "Lauriel isn't picking up. Thanks to you guys, she's run away."

And noticing what he just said, Aaron used his hands to cover his mouth, as his parents were looking at him horrifically.

He had just told them the secret that Lauriel told him not to tell anyone, or he wouldn't live to see next year.

Crud, Lauriel is going to kill me...

"What?" His father spluttered. "She never told me she was running away. I should have known she wasn't going roller skating."

Why, Aaron, why? Aaron kept thinking to himself, as they were now having a rather massive conflict about Lauriel secretly running away.

But then he noticed.
Lauriel wasn't here, he could've gotten away with it.

Couldn't he?

He was mistaken, clearly mistaken though.

As he was about to make his way upstairs, he caught his father frantically texting Lauriel.

Knowing that he had to beat his father through texting Lauriel before Lauriel found out that Aaron accidentally on purpose revealed her secret, Aaron swiftly found himself bringing out his phone and texting her.

Lauriel. Lauriel, look. Please don't kill me. I kinda sorta accidentally on purpose told mum and dad that you were running away....

Aaron's phone beeped straight away, notifying him that his sister replied. So much for "never replying to anyone again" that was for sure.

Accidentally on purpose? Aaron! I hate you so freaking much!

Aaron smiled as he knew exactly what to type back.

:) ...I love you too. :)

Then he put his phone back in his pocket again casually.

His mother had insisted that he should go and wake up Abigail because she had been taking a nap for two hours when it was only supposed to be for thirty minutes.

Plus she had to go swimming soon, anyway.

Cautiously, Aaron headed upstairs to Abigail's room, where he knocked on the door three times.

Each time, there was no reply, so Aaron literally just went in, just like that.

Abigail was probably using headphones and so therefore couldn't hear him, though that was fine.

Abigail was eight years younger than him, physically, although school wise, she was nine.

She was currently in year six and looked exactly like Lauriel, half deceased on the outside, and like Lauriel, they both had the same flaw: they were both suffering for PTSD and were feeling suicidal.

It was like Aaron was the only normal person in his family.

He came closer to Abigail's bed, not believing his eyes at first because he never knew she could have been so tranquil and cute when she was sleeping.

"Abigail, time to wake up..."

He opened her duvet, then his eyes, before screaming uncontrollably, not believing what he was currently seeing.

On Abigail's bed, was her body, and blood, everywhere.

Aaron kept looking on for clues that she was okay, but couldn't find any.

Abigail is alive...
Abigail is alive...
Abigail is alive...

Aaron kept thinking this to himself, even though about seventy percent of him kept on telling him that that wasn't true.

And it wasn't, either.

She probably just died in her sleep... Right?

Wrong.

Aaron turned his sister's body completely, where he came across a black shiny, mysterious object.

And once Aaron realised what that was as well, he screamed again.

Abigail had not died in her sleep.
She committed suicide on her bed.

But... Why?

Aaron wanted to tell his parents that Abigail had died, but he stifled it for now because he was still hopelessly curious on why Abigail would have killed herself at such a young and juvenile age.

Eleven.

Aaron placed her dead body on the floor, realising the permanent marker stain that was on her left hand.

He couldn't believe what he was currently seeing at the moment.

The permanent marker revealed a message.

Not a very pleasant or jubilant message, mainly deceitful, conniving and well, pernicious.

Silently, Aaron read what someone had terribly handwritten on Abigail's arm.

In black sharpie, in the middle of Abigail's arm, someone had written:

Lauriel was here.

Aaron was annoyed.
Although while he was in Abigail's unfathomable room, he couldn't help but think:

Did Abigail really kill herself?

Really?

Or did Lauriel kill her?

Aaron dreaded with thought, just thinking about it.

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Moral of chapter: Do not run away from home. Ever. Your parents are bound to find out eventually, whether you like it or not. It's just isn't worth it.