Scarlett was six miles pass Jake's apartment and fifteen minutes ahead before reaching her destination. She turned down Winnie road and waved at Zander and America, standing on the pavement, smiling.

Now with Jake gone. It wasn't that bad, hanging with her friends, living it up in the sun, no boyfriend dragging along on adventures or shopping, or would be ogling her by day and pawing her in the club at night. She could stand the thought of it. Sometimes you have to stand the fact to be with friends or alone without your signature other.

But she couldn't stop picturing this: images of her in bed with Jake, their naked, and hands locked together. That was the reason.

She took her ID out of her bag and stared at her name. God, she hated her name, hated how Scarlett and Chase sounded together. Why was I born with two names?, she thought. She'd always thought of changing it someday; something unique or for that day  to be the day she get married, that would impress Jake and her horrible name, she would take his name. But that plan wasn't been written in stones, yet. It wasn't like they had talked about, sometimes she needed space and see what the world is like without a guy 24/7.

It would be a series of minutes and hours and even days all merging into one whole mess, he wondering and stressing where she was. She being surronded with friends, stores, drinks, nightclub, living in the sun and soaking it up all in. He said, she said.  To think back, the question is: Do she really love him?

Her plans were simple, get married, have kids, then grandkids, then retirement, then their last years together exploring the world together, before dying, first him, then her.

She would survive weeks, days, hours, and years without him. Six feet under isn't far, this is another reason why she doesn't want him around 24/7, they aren't far from each other.

It wouldn't say how she died on the death certificate. Presumbly they would think a broken heart, stroke, or old age. She would died to be with her love ones. Not a broken heart or old age, just her turn to go. Everybody would smile at each other and say how lovely it was - sad, but lovely - that she couldn't stand being alone without her husband of sixty-five years and how they were one of the few with an epic love story.

Scarlett looked back up at her friends, waiting patiently for her to come out of the 1997 Nissan. She took the keys out of iginition and placed her hand on the car door and open it.

"You have that stinch I always have," America said. "How was the sex with Jake?"

"It's alright," Scarlett said. "Let's head inside. Sorry Zander."

They entered the cafè and ordered a mug of frozened hot cocolate and blueberry muffin. Under the table Scarlett's foot tapped nervously. She had to go back home and face her stepmother at twelve p.m., and she didn't like Jodie one bit. They had an appointment for wedding dresses, she couldn't believe her father is going to say I do in a few weeks. If she had probably would had cared, which was the problem. She would had liked Jodie and thought she was a OK women, OK wife, and OK stepmother, but she wasn't interesting, inspired, and great. She was eerie and interested in Scarlett's family.

"Did you heard they found two more bodies?" Zander said. "Related to the women and girl that were found dead."

"What is this town? Murderville? Slaughterville? Corpseville?" Scarlett said. Two more bodies? What next?, she thought.

"I guess you could say that. First body was stabbed fifty times and rope marks across his neck. Second body was a male as well, stabbed, and threw from a tall building."

"The news reporters trying to keep that in the grave as well?" Scarlett asked. She was shaken up.

"Keep that in the grave? What?" Zander asked.

"It means, keep it a secret away from the citizens," America said. "Right?"

Scarlett gave a subtle nodded, she couldn't think a world without her siblings, Ash and Lux. She sat her finished mug on the table. "Did you read it online or heard about it?"

"I read it online, going through my twitter an hour ago. They still can't find the suspect. He is smart and intelligent," he said. "How he kills his victims and never leave any evidence of him and prints behind...smart and unbelieveable."

"It's sounds like you are obsessed with that," Scarlett said. "Just like you were smoking too much dope, getting stoned and stare up at the stars a few years ago."

"NOT obsessed over the horrorendous deaths," he said, arms crossed and a frozen hot chocolate mustache left behind. "I'm sober now. A better Zander, I needed to show my brother I can be better, the brother he and the son of two bastards always wanted. Fit, sober, active, and so many more."

"You were still Zander when you were stoned, I'm glad you left that Z Man behind," America said. "But, be you. Be the Zander I love and know."

Zander laughed. "Be which me? I go home everyday and thoughts wander in my mind if I'm making the right decisions," he said. "But I want to be the me that is sitting right here, being me. No detective in training, no doped up Zander, and no Zander that everybody want him to be."

Scarlett smiled. "Well said, Zander. Well said."

For a while she had kept a photo of  Zander on his first day of high school on her bedside table. She took notes of his moppy sat-stiffed hair, wide-framed glasses, and flat stomach.

She never graduated from high school.

She was in Falling Rocks for ten years, for being accused of murdering her mother, Diana. Knife in one hand, blood spurred on the other one and one huge grin. She loved her mother. Why would she slaughter her own mother? Money? Thought she could get away with it? Insane? Not being the only child to get all of the loves? Who knows.

Her mother loved her, of course she did. But Diana never suggested that they would try anything new, they go camping by a lake and mountaintop view or to the seaside or to see a play. Scarlett always got what she wanted, why have a change of heart and murder her mother? She bought her the same dolls and Disney princess that every other girl her age owned. She wanted Scarlett to fit in with the other girls, that way she wouldn't be an outsider.

Scarlett was destin to live her life with two siblings, a mother and father figure. It would had been happy ever after, but more like happy never after. It was too normal for her, and for that matter, her family.

Her mother, truth to be told, a bit secretly, although Scarlett would had never told her mother that or put that way to her.

Her new quote on quote mother was like a work acquaintance that she knew but didn't really care about. The kind of acqaintance whose troubles you might hear about- did Jodie knew the women? Or do you like Jodie?- and to think it was a shame to call a stranger her mother but it wasn't really any of her business. That was how she felt about Jodie.

"You ready to go, Scarlett?" Americaasked.

Scarlett nodded. "Not yet."

"OK," America said.

"That was like heaven," Zander said. "The frozen hot chocolate and blueberry muffin were."

America laughed. "You say that about every food and drink you get. So I guess food is heaven?"

"Food is heaven," Scarlett said. "Food is love."

"You okay with your father's new fiancè?" Zander asked. "Can't believe you going to have a new mother."

Truth was, her father was a bitch, although Scarlett hadn't intended to, but when she told him years back after she returned from Falling Rocks that he'd not taken it well, and they'd spiralled into an agrument, dishes and mugs flying at each other. She'd ended up saying things she didn't regret, but once things are said they have a habit of staying the way they ended it, and all you have to do is live with the consequences.

"Had an affair with mother and look what happen to her- she'd been thinking of saying that ever since she was in the Falling Rocks sanctury- thanks to you, she's dead."

Her attempt to confront her mother's murder didn't work. Franco clenched his fist. Thanks to me? He repiled. YOU killed her, not me.

Stupidly, with two glasses of red wine caused her anged, she's nodded, she doesn't know how the knife got into her hand. Frame? Who knows. She had no memories from that night, only images of her with the butcher knife and blood covered her hands.

She said a few more things she hadn't been planning to share, like the fact that she became actually insane and that her whole childhood was kept drifting on by her mother's death. Or the fact  that she was sick of everybody treating her like a murder or piece of glass that would shatter. She wanted more, she wanted everybody to know her as the Scarlett they knew before that night situation.

You're just having an insane crisis, Franco said. Trying to fool everybody. I had affair with a bimbo, I attempt. But this is different.

And then she said the thing she really regretted.

I wish it was you, she said. I was planning that death ever since Asher was born and when I heard you had affair. I wasn't jealous, I got what I wanted. I just wanted to see what her cheeks would had looked like being cut wide open and see her heart. Kids are always so curious.

Truth came out.