The Dark Side by Rachael B

Everyone thought that I had the perfect life. My brother was an all-star shortstop for our school team, my dad loved his job, my mom stayed home to take care of us, and I was a straight A student. School was a fun for me because my classes were simple and homework was a breeze. I did have one friend named Sarah. We were best friends since second grade. She was much more outgoing and popular than me and she always tried to help me gain more confidence, but it never worked. Everything had been going smoothly for me.

The whole town had been in fright ever since there was an emergency announcement stating that someone had been murdered in the town. People were acting more paranoid than normal. They didn’t say who was killed, but when our phone rang I prayed that it wasn’t someone we knew. The word was out, my best friend Sarah was murdered. The police said that she was lying in her room with knife wounds. They said that they couldn’t find any trace of evidence on the body or in the bedroom. Everyone in school was in complete shock from the news. There was a moment of silence for her after the school announcements. On my way home I saw flowers in front of Sarah’s house for her parents out of respect.

Eli came home around five thirty from practice. He is very popular in school. As a result from that everyone calls me Eli’s sister. For dinner we had green bean casserole, which I never ate. My parents think that I love it, but I just slide the food into the flowerpot behind me. After dinner I went upstairs to lie on my bed. Something sharp had poked my leg when I sat down. I pulled out my sheets and I found a bloody knife.

My hand was trembling at the sight of it. When my mom knocked on the door, I had to act fast so I hid the knife in my drawer. All she just wanted to know was if I wanted any apple pie for desert, even though she knows that I hate apples. I said no thanks and she went back down stairs. The whole night I was contemplating on what to do with my situation. I was trying to think if someone were trying to frame me, or if they were giving me a sign that I would be the next victim.

I didn’t get any sleep that night because I was so paranoid. I thought that maybe it was all a dream and was imagining things, but when I opened my drawer I realized that it was reality. That morning when I walked down stairs something seemed wrong. I couldn’t hear my mother in the kitchen cooking breakfast, or my dad yelling at the TV about they’re being too many commercials. It was so quiet I could hear a church mouse. When I reached the bottom of the stairs I saw blood smeared on the wall. My legs went numb, but I had to find the courage inside of me to find out what was going on. As I walked into the kitchen I saw my mother lying on the floor dead.

My body went paralyzed. I panicked and ran back upstairs to my room. I was trying to think if someone broke into the house, but I couldn’t stop crying so I wasn’t thinking straight. I some how calmed down and began to walk to my dresser and held the knife. When I looked into my mirror I began to talk to myself. Then I saw myself moving in the mirror, but I wasn’t the one moving. “Do you really think someone broke into the house?” “What is going on?” “Like you don’t know, I’m you.” “How is that possible? I know who I am.” “Oh please, we are two different people living in one body.”

“What are you talking about?” “I mean that we share a body. See you lost control of your life, so you pretty much created me to help cope with everything.” “ I have a great life. I get straight A’s, my mom loves me unconditionally, my dad is supportive of me, and Eli is my best friend.” “Yeah right, nobody knows who you are in school, your mom doesn’t even recognize that you hate her food, your dad ignores you, and Eli is the golden child. Did I hit the nail on that one?” “Yes.” “You have always been jealous of Sarah too. She always got the attention and everyone loved her, but not you.” “That is why we killed your mother and Sarah.” I heard the front door close. It was Eli. “So you know what we have to do now to make it all right.” “Yup.”

I heard Eli scream since he saw our mother’s lifeless body. He ran upstairs to be surprised that I wasn’t there. The echo of his voice began to fill the house. “Anna? Ann? Where are you?” I stepped around the corner and starred at him with my black lifeless eyes. “I called the police and I checked the house, but nobody is here. Thank goodness you’re okay.” As he stepped toward me I pulled out the knife. “What are you doing with that?” I began to walk his way at a slow pace. “What’s wrong Anna?” “Nothing is wrong. I feel fantastic, and I’m not Anna. She’s gone. You know, she cared about you more than anyone.” His face turned white with fear. He darted for the door, but I caught up to him and hit him in the back of the head with a lamp. Eli fell unconscious, but when he woke up I was hovering over him holding the knife.

“What happened to you? What happened to my little sister?” he said in a weakening voice. “I told you that I am not Anna. My name is Natalie. She created me in her mind because of all of the crap in her life that she could barely handle. She was a ticking time bomb, but before she exploded I came along, and she had no idea. Oh and just so you know I am the one who killed your mother and Sarah. By the way say hi to them for me.”

Where am I now? I am in a mental institution where they treat me like I am in jail. Apparently one of the neighbors heard the ruckus and walked in after I killed Eli. The court decided that since I have a split personality disorder it was a difficult decision, so they decided to send me here. I lost my friends and my family. The only person that has not deserted me is Natalie.