Saving Justice

Chapter Sixteen

DIE NOW!!!

I can't take my eyes off those two words. Using a red-tinted marker with those three exclamation points adds intensity and conviction to the words written. Fear is creeping into my heart and seeping through my bones. My pulse rate is getting higher.

Did she really kill her brother?

"You're really here, Venice!"

My heart drops when I hear the voice I do not want to hear right now. Fear and anxiety heighten. I want to run away, but all I can do is turn around and face her. If I can't avoid her, I might as well confront her. It's time to know the truth.

Slowly, I turn around and bravely face her, hiding the polaroid inside my palm by clenching my fist.

Looking so fragile and innocent, like she always does, Justice looks at me with the sweetest smile she can give. It's really hard to believe that she's capable of doing evil things.

"J-Justice..." I stammer while saying her name.

"Just like what I expected..." She keeps the smile attached to her face. Not knowing what's behind that smile makes her look creepier to me. TI feel like that look on her face cannot be trusted. "I knew that you'd come back here."

I gulp down my nervousness. "W-what do you mean?"

"I kind of eavesdropped on Cole and Aunt Eleanor the other night..." she says, casually putting all the pictures and letters back on the box. "I heard him asking aunt to give you Aunt Belinda's contact details because you need it. Also, it just so happened that I was beside Natalie earlier when you called her, asking what time our shift will end today." After closing the box, she also put the stack of textbooks on top of it. It looks exactly how I found it earlier. "It's easy to predict your next move."

Tightly gripping the polaroid in my hand, I bite my lower lip hard. I have nothing to hide now. She already knows what I'm up to.

"Now, did my Aunt Belinda tell you what happened between my best friend and me?" she asks and turns her face to my side, taunting me with her brows up. "It was such a heartbreaking story, right?"

"Your best friend?" Belinda did not tell me anything about her best friend or maybe...

She smiles wider. "Francine," she says. "Actually, she's my cousin, but she's also like a best friend to me."

I'm right. Justice really treats Francine as her best friend.

"Though I'm not sure if she still considers me as her best friend." She suddenly pouts her lips, looking so pitiful. For sure, if I have no idea what really happened to her and Francine, I might even sympathize with her right now.

She's very cunning. I underestimated her.

"I'm sure Belinda told you how her daughter decided to leave me behind so easily. She didn't even care about my feelings."

"Care about your feelings?" I'm starting to feel angry. She even has the guts to lead me on and fool me by twisting the story. "You hurt her, Justice!"

She looks so offended and wronged when I accuse her of that. The way she acts so innocent makes me feel more enraged. I just want to shout at her and tell her what she did wrong. I want to stop her from throwing a pity party for herself.

"You physically hurt her! She bled in your own hands!" I tell her, trying to wake her up. "You even threatened her!"

"I-I just didn't want her to leave me..." Tears pool inside her eyes so quickly. Her lips are twitching. "I begged her not to leave me, b-but... She said she had no choice. She would still leave even if I begged her not to, so I had to threaten her. I thought if I scared her, she might not want to leave me anymore."

It is unbelievable how twisted her thoughts can get. Her reasons don't sit well with me.

"Justice, you're a smart person," I say. "You really think using threats will stop her from leaving you? You only pushed her away even more. And did you even feel guilty about it?"

Her brows furrow and creases form on her forehead. "Why would I feel guilty about it?" she asks me, showing ignorance. "I was hurt, too! She was leaving me at that time! She only got what she deserved!"

I can't believe it.... I really can't believe it.

"How can you say that, Justice?" She's making me feel so frustrated. "You think it is okay to hurt someone?"

"It is not my fault!" she argues while her tears are already falling down her cheeks. She keeps on shaking her head. "I-I just wanted her to stay... I didn't want her to leave... She was trying to get away. I had to pin her to place or else she would run away..."

If I didn't know better, I would be comforting her right now. But since I know that she's the one to blame, I just stand in front of her and watch her cry. I will never try to make her feel better, knowing that she did something wrong.

Suddenly, she stops crying and lifts her head, staring straight at me. "Did that scare you?" she asks, out of the blue. Her mood swings creep me out even more. "Are you going to shut me out because of that completely?"

I unconsciously take a step back when Justice advances. She notices how I'm being cautious of her, which stuns her for a fleeting moment.

"No, this can't be happening..." She cries again, bows her head, and messes her hair like she's about to lose her mind. "No, please, Venice... I'll behave... No, don't leave me... I... I will do anything..."

Justice is having a hard time controlling her emotions. She suddenly breaks down. It's very obvious that it's taking over her.

When her attention isn't on me, I take that chance to manipulate my phone to speed dial Cole quickly. Trusting that he will answer the call, I place the screen down on top of the study table, even when he's not answering yet.

"Then, I want you to tell me something, Justice," I seriously tell her. "I want you to tell me the truth. If you do, I won't leave you. I'll stay here with you."

Without hesitation, she starts nodding her head. "Yes! Yes!" she answers frantically. "I will tell you the truth! I will tell you everything, just don't leave me again, Venice... Come back here with us..."

She advances once again, so I have to place my hand between us to set a distance.

Showing her the polaroid I got from her box, I open my palm and raise it in front of her. "I found this from your box. What is the meaning of this, Justice?" I flip the crumpled polaroid to let her read the words she had written down on it. "I want you to tell me the truth..." My heart is hammering down my chest as I'm getting closer to the truth. "D-did you kill your brother?"

Lacking any hint of emotion, Justice stares at me. But then, suddenly, I see a ghost of a smile on her lips when she reaches for the picture. I let her take it.

"Die now..." She reads what she wrote. "I really wished for him to die. I hoped for it. I turned it into reality."

"Y-you turned it into reality?"

Without any signs of remorse, she smiles and says, "I did kill him."

My breath hitches in my throat, and then I exhale consecutive short breaths. "B-but the car accident..." I can't even finish my words. I'm being held back by fear.

"Oh..." She chuckles like she's enjoying our conversation. "We really did meet an accident," she tells me. "I didn't directly kill him, but I think what I did comes close to that."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You know―my brother practiced safe driving all the time. One thing he never forgot to do when he was still alive was to wear his seat belt," she says. "I could still remember it..." She drops her eyes back on the polaroid. "I unbuckled his seat belt before I tried to take control of the wheel. Exerting too much force, my elbow accidentally hit his head. He felt the pain, so his hands left the wheel, and he lost his focus. Fortunately, a van came charging ahead of us. I got full control, so I abruptly turned the car. The tires screeched on the pavement before we got out of the highway." She smirks and raises her eyes back to me, telling the story like she was reading a narration. "Let me mind you―I don't know how to drive. But I aimed the car perfectly at the tree. I made sure that his side would be more wrecked. I made sure that the impact would lead to his death."

I shake my head, can't get myself to digest everything. "Y-you could've died that night, too. Why did you do that?"

"I don't care if I die... I just don't care anymore," she says like she's spitting poison. "All I want to do is to eliminate him. I don't care if I risked my life. I just want him to die whatever it takes."

"You're out of your mind..." I whisper absentmindedly.

Justice laughs like a witch, losing her sanity. "Out of my mind?" She laughs again with no humor. "Is that what you think of me now, Venice?" She steps forward, closer to me. "Are you scared of me now?"

To increase the distance between us, I take a few steps back. But after my third step, I can almost feel the cold wall against my back ― that's my last step.

"Now..." Justice reaches for my wrist. I can feel my whole body shivering because of her touch. "I finally told you the truth, Venice. You can't leave me now. You will stay here with me."

"Argh!"

Just like what she did to her cousin, I can feel her nails slowly digging through my skin. She's putting too much strength on her grip. I want to free myself from her hold, but she is unexpectedly stronger than me. She is also pinning me to the wall. If I want to escape, I need to get past her, which is difficult due to our position. I'm at a big disadvantage.

"You promised me, Venice! You promised me!" she says every word with a hint of threat in her voice. "You can't go back on your word! You promised me."

Out of fear and feeling the pain on my wrist, tears trickle down my face. I look at Justice with my eyes, pleading for help, but her eyes are clouded with anger and frustration.

"You're hurting me, Justice..." I cry out quietly. "You're hurting me..."

I don't know if that will work, but I see her eyes look down on her hand, holding my wrist. When she looks up to me again, this time, it's filled with concern.

"Does it really hurt?" she asks softly.

With my lips pursed, I nod my head.

Little by little, I can feel her grip loosening. "I'm sorry," she apologizes. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just don't want you to leave me, Venice." She reaches for my head, and her fingers start to comb my hair, trying to soothe and comfort me. "I'm sorry... Please, don't hate me..."

Justice is really not in her right mind. She's very easy to manipulate, especially because she's emotionally vulnerable and mentally unstable. And if there's anyone who can control her emotions well, that would be me. She's dependent on me.

If I tell her that I don't want to stay with her, it will trigger her to show madness. She will direct her anger on me. She will hurt me. But if I tell her that I'm hurting, she will sympathize with me. She will try not to make me hate her.

"If you stay here, I won't hurt you..." she bribes me with my safety. "Just stay with me, Venice. I promise you. You won't get hurt."

Tears won't stop flowing out of my eyes. I'm so, so scared. But then, it's like the heavens hear my silent pleas when I hear Cole's voice outside of the room.

"Venice! Justice!" He pounds his fist hard on the door. "Open the door!"

"Cole―" My voice becomes muffled because Justice immediately covers my mouth with her hand.

"What's happening, Cole?" I also hear Natalie's voice. "What's wrong?"

"Natalie, get the spare key of the guest room downstairs." Cole sounds so worried and frustrated as he keeps on knocking.

"But what's―"

"Just do it, Natalie!" His voice explodes.

I can hear Cole trying to open the doorknob like he's about to break it anytime soon.

Justice is threatening me with the look in her eyes. "Don't speak," she orders me in a whisper. "Cole will take you away from me. He will keep you all to himself." She shakes her head. "I can't let that happen. I have to hide you, Venice. I have to take you far away from here."

"Cole, the spare key of the guest room is not on the key cabinet." I hear Natalie informs her brother.

"What the f**k?!"

I look at Justice, and she's smiling.

She then leans forward to whisper. "I have the spare key with me," she tells me. "They won't be able to bother us."

My eyes widen. No! Driven by the adrenaline rush, I forcefully push Justice away from me. She doesn't expect that coming, so she loses her balance and falls on the floor.

"Cole, I'm here!" I shout for help and take that chance to flee and run towards the door, but then Justice's hand gets a hold of my ankle. I end up hitting my knees on the wooden floor. "Aw!"

The tingling sensation makes it hard for me to get back up my feet right away.

"Venice?!" I can hear the panic in Cole's voice. "Venice!"

"Cole, help me!"

"What's happening inside?!" Natalie is also panicking. "Should I call the police?"

"No!" Justice is about to get up to stop me completely.

Not giving a f**k, whether I'd hurt her or not, I use my foot to kick her away. It hit her. She loses balance again, and I see her hand clenching on her tummy.

Even when I can't walk straight because of the pain in my knees, I stand up by holding on to the study table. As soon as I'm up, the door bursts open. I have no idea what Cole did to open the door, but he immediately comes to my aid.

He cups my face. The frustration, worries, and fears are brimming in his eyes. "Are you okay, babe? I'm sorry, I'm late..." He soothes me with his words. "I'm sorry." He kisses my head repeatedly and hugs me gently, scared that he might hurt me.

"I already called the police!" Natalie enters the room as well, and she is stunned to see Justice's current situation. "What happened?" The question escapes her lips unconsciously.

"S-she killed Justin..." My voice shudders. "She killed her brother."

Cole's jaw clenches and his eyes are pitch black, while Natalie drops her phone on the floor in disbelief.