Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Why me?

AJ's POV

[Edited]

He walked through the threshold with a worried expression on his face but when he saw his mother's expression his entire demeanor changed and he rushed towards her and held her shoulders.

"What happened? Are you ok?!" he lead her away from the glass shards and then his gaze shifted to me.

"W-wh-what-what ha-happ-happened?" Mia's trembling voice asked me as she cuthced on to her son.

"I... I- I dont-I just found them. I don't, I dont kn-know." I managed to say before my body racked with sobs and I could not get anything out anymore.

"What happened, Mom. Tell me." Ashton asked her after looking away from me.

She began shaking her head frantically. "No! Don't-don't look. Go-go outside. Call the police. Just... let's go. Let's g-go..."

She pulled on him and they both walked outside with Ashton still asking her questions. I could not stay in the same room as my fathers corpse any longer and I ran to my room. Tears blurred my vision but I managed to get to my room and lock the doors. Loud sobs escaped my lips as I stumbled through my room and collapsed on my bed. My pillow muffled the screams and sobs that continued to come out. I hugged it for dear life as if it was the only thing I had left as if I could lose it too.

I hoped and prayed that this wasn't real. This this was all a dream and that I woud wake up and see Andy again and we would do all our favorite things together. But it's not, I lost my parents, my amazing, crazy, parents, who loved me with all they had. I lost my twin, my sister, my other half. Andy was the world to me, the good to my bad, the calm to my storm. Now she's gone. What the hell. Why? Why did it happen? Why? For what! For what...

I can't believe someone would do this? Who would do this? Why? What is going to happen to me? Will I live here by myself or be sent into the system until my eighteenth birthday? Will the police find the person behind this? Am I going to die too? Will they come back for me?

......................................................

"Adajante!" A voice said while knocking on my door. The voice was Ashton's.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. My throat was too raw to even produce noise and why would I even want to. What's the point of life anymore.

He called a couple more times and by the sixth time I was ready to smash his face in. So I finally answered.

"What!" I croaked in pain, wincing after.

"The authorities are here, they-they want you down now," he said quietly.

My body was still trembling slightly and I was reluctant to move but I wanted the police to find the person responsible for this. "Ok,"

I up slowly and took a few socnds to centre myself before I walked to the door and opened it, not caring what I looked like and forgetting that I didn't have my disguise on.

"Oh um... I- by the way I'm Ashton." he introduced awkwardly himself as the door opened.

"I know who you are," I said with hostility and walked right past him.

"Alright then," he shrudged.

I saw policemen and women, some familiar to me, swarming my house. Some were inspecting furniture and the floor, wearing gloves and holding bags. Others were jotting down things on notepads while looking around the house. I looked at where my father was and saw that his body was in a white body bag, being lifted onto a stretcher. I tried swallowing the lump in my throat and tears slid down my cheeks. Mia was talking to the police chief, both with solemn faces.

The police chief was a tall man who radiated authority. In his late forties, grey streaks in his hair and a tired, slightly wrinkled face, he looked like he was at this job for a good while. He wore his uniform with pride and it had several badges on the chest. I had met him a couple of times. He was a respectable man.

"Adajante dear, this is the police chief." she gestured to the chief as I walked up to them.

"Hmm,"

"Hello AJ, sorry for your loss," he paused, " I will be taking this case myself and will do everything in my power to find the person who did this. I'll get right down to it so firstly, we'll have to search the entire house."

"The entire house," I repeated absentmidedly. I knew that my Triple Dare stuff was up in my room and them finding it would just make my life all the more difficult. I had to get it.

"Yes, we cannot miss anything in this investigation and every detail, even the small ones, matter." he said.

"Ok, sure." I turned away and walked away.

I headed to the stairs, almost walking into Ashton who was directly behind me, went into my room and locked the door. At the back of my closet was every Triple Dare related item, all stuffed into a spraypainted backpack. My spray paints, hoodie, art journal with Triple D designs and my skateboard.

I looked out my window and saw some police walking around my house. I backed up and put it under my bed, scared that it will be found but not knowing where to put it. I'll be back for that.

I went downstairs and met Mia without the police chief. I asked her what they discussed and what was going to happen to me and she said that I would be staying with her and Ashton. What? With two complete strangers. What sense does that make? I don't have any immediate family anymore and all my relatives live either on the other side of the continent ot or a completely different one. I'd rather go in the system than live with complete strangers. But I guess it's not up to me. I am the minor in this situation.

"Alright," I nodded.

"You'll be moving in with us today so you should go and pack your stuff," she stated. "I'm really sorry sweetie."

I gave her a weak smile and went back to my room and put all my clothes and toiletries in two suitcases, a travel bag. I put my Triple D bag in the travel bag to hide it. I dragged the bags downstairs, outside, and put them in the back of Mia's car. There was police tape outlining my house and my neighbors watched with curiosity and shock. People still came in and out of the house, taking pictures, recording evidence, finding clues.

Before I left, I was questioned by an officer about what happened and I relayed all that I saw. He nodded and took down what I said. I tried to keep in my tears and when we were done he gave me hug and hoped that everything would be ok. By the time everything was done it was already starting to get dark outside.

I went to Mia's Toyota where she and Ashton were waiting and got in the back. I looked out of the window for the entire ride, lost in thought of everything that happened. It was completely silent. When we slowed down it was in front of a big, brown, stone house with a garden to the left and a driveway to the right. Mia went up the driveway and into the garage and we got out.

Mia told Ashton to help with my luggage and he did while I held on to my travel bag. Through a door in the garage, we entered the house and they led me past the kitchen and living room to a set of stairs. On the second floor were mine and Ashton's rooms and her's was on the third floor. The two last doors opposite each other were ours. mine on the left, his on the right. Mia said that there was a bathroom next to my room but there also was a connecting door.

I got my luggage and set it down on the floor, I took off my shoes and climbed on the bed to take in the room The room was dark blue and had white curtains on the windows. The bad was in the middle of the room and to my right was the door and next to the bed was the connecting door. On my left, there was a window, a desk and chair, and a big wardrobe. The entire room had blue carpet, which was very soft. I took out my art journal and started to draw Triple D's symbol: it's a capital D inside another, inside another and there's a three outside it like it was cubed. I drew for a while, getting lost in my head until I heard a knock on my door.

I answered it and saw Ashton standing there.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Well, my mom went out for pizza," he said.

"That's great" I said and then closed the door.

I went back on the bed and continued to draw the symbol. Then Ashton burst through the door.

"What!" I snapped shocked, hugging the journal to my chest.

"What was that?" ha asked.

"Nothing that's your concern. Now leave."

I jumped off the bed and tackled him from behind. He landed with a thump and groaned. I crawled off of him and got the book and clutched it to my chest.

He reached for the book but I jerked back instantly. "Gross, don't touch me! My family just died and that's what's on your mind! You disgust me." I used all my strength to push him off and out of the room.

After he left, I sat back down on my bed and finished the design for my next target and then I noted on the bottom:

Make paint bombs for school attack TONIGHT.

I slipped the book in my bag and took out my paint. I made sure to lock the door and got to work on the chemical reactions of the bombs with my trusty chemistry set. As a school nerd chemistry is one of my strong suits! It took some trial and error but I finally got it. I put them in a plastic bag with a total of 38 bombs. They were like water balloons but enhanced and I put them in a plastic bag before putting them in my bag with my skateboard. I put it under the work desk and went out of the room and went downstairs and into the kitchen and saw Mia with the pizza.

"Hey Adajante I got pizza for you guys, so if you want to come and eat with-"

"No thanks, I'll be upstairs, and I'd love some privacy please" I shouted cutting her off as I took a slice and ran back upstairs.

I closed the door and took off the disguise and put it in one of the table drawers. I changed my clothes and put on my hoodie. I went to the window and opened it, feeling the breeze on my face I smiled.

"Triple D's in action," I said to myself.

I needed a distraction. And a good one. This is the only way I know how. Although the initial shock had me a complete mess I still can sometimes become foreig to emotions due to my high IQ. Andy is usually different and gets really emotional and can express herself really well. She has both high IQ nad EQ. Literally the perfect person. Bu I on the other hand, got a high IQ (although it's lower than hers) but a below avergae EQ. Some times it takes a while for emotions to kick in or I can express them all in one moment and recover quickly. It's not how I would want to live my life but that's how it is.