Vanished

         The last few lines of "Living on a Prayer" played as I stood in line at the checkout of the local general store. I was in a hurry to get back home to Chris, but the elderly man in front of me was taking his time digging through his wallet to find the exact change to pay for his items.
         I looked down in my hand at the instant coffee I was buying. Coffee was pretty much the only thing Chris and I had been drinking for the past few weeks since Alex had gone missing. The man in front of me was still counting out his change, one nickel at a time. This was getting ridiculous.
         I went back to reading the label on the blue canister when I got the feeling I was being stared at. I glanced up and sure enough, the two local gossiping biddies were seated at the wooden bench in the front of the store talking and looking at me. I knew exactly what they were talking about.
         It was the same with everyone. Chris and I were crazy. Even our parents thought we were insane to believe something malicious had happened to Alex. No crime ever occurred on Davenport Island. That's the reason why we had one sheriff and two deputies. Nothing bad ever happened here. Until now.
         "I can help who's next? Hello?"
I snapped back to reality to see the two women really staring at me and realized I was staring back. I glanced back over to the register to see the old man was finally gone.
         "Sorry. I was kind of spacing out."
         "Its fine, ma'am. How's your father doing these days? If it wasn't for him, my dad would've had to sell the store."
         "He's fine. He's just getting back to the firm from vacation."
         "That's good. Your total comes to one dollar and fifty cents"
         I dug into my wallet and pulled out two crisp dollar bills.
         "Keep the change, and I don't need a bag, I can just carry that. Have a nice day."
         As I was making my way past the two gossiping hens, one of them spoke up.
         "You should be ashamed of yourself. Your brother's friend left on his own doing. No one forced him to go anywhere and no one's harmed him. You and brother are causing a stir on this Island. We have had petty crimes such as theft, but abduction? You two are crazy and you two are ruining your family name."
         The thing about Davenport Island was everyone knows everyone. Well at least everyone knows my family. My great-grandfather had colonized the town on the small island off the coast of Maine back in the 1930's. My grandfather opened and operated The Davenport Law Firm in the 1950's, and my father had kept it up and running.
         Everyone knew us, and everyone knew our parents. The fact that we all looked alike didn't help either. Chris and I both had our mother's auburn hair, and we had our father's emerald green eyes. Mom and I were shorter, barely making it to five foot one, while dad and Chris were a bit taller at five foot ten.
         I got in my small blue Toyota Corolla, threw the coffee in the passenger seat out of anger, and started making my way home. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Chris and I weren't crazy. Someone took Alex. He wouldn't just leave on his own without telling Chris or me. Then again, for all I knew, he was back on the mainland with his family, pissed at Chris.
         Or maybe things had moved a bit too fast for him between us that he just needed to go back and see his family and get some space. If that were the case, he definitely wouldn't tell me, because in female language "I need some space" means, "I'm breaking up with you. Obviously he wouldn't have been able to tell Chris that either, Chris would kill Alex if he knew his best friend was dating his sister.
I just kept thinking about how I got into this position. Two weeks ago, everything was normal. Two weeks ago, I was lounging by the pool. Two weeks ago, I never thought that this would be how I was spending my summer. Two weeks ago, Alex was here.

***

The sun was hot against my back as I stretched out in a beach chair by the pool. I could hear Chris and Alex bickering as they made their way through the sliding door that led to the kitchen.
"Sam! Go get Alex and I some beer!"
"Are you fucking kidding me? You were just in the kitchen, go back in there and get the damn beer yourself." I rolled over.
"Uh, that's not how it works. I'm the big brother, I tell you what to do, and you do it."
"Uh, you can go fuck yourself and get your beer while you're at it."
"Seriously Sam? You can be such a bitch sometimes."
I sighed and got up from my chair and started walking towards the house. I knew I wasn't going to win this one.
"I'll go with you Sammie. I can get my own beer thank you very much."
Alex opened the sliding door for me as we made our way towards the fridge.
"I'd like to apologize on behalf of your brother, he needs to learn to respect a women. Especially one like you Sammie."
I couldn't help but giggle. Alex was the only person in the world I would ever allow to call me Sammie. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an eye on him, but he and my brother had been friends since first grade, which meant he was off limits for me.
"So when do you and Chris go back to the firm with dad?" I asked.
"Next Monday. So we have a little over a week left before we go back."
Chris and Alex had both recently graduated law school and my father offered both of them an apprenticeship at the firm. By the end of the summer he would pick one to stay with the firm, and the other he would send to one of the law firms on the Mainland.
"Don't tell your brother I told you this but, he's starting to get a bit cocky. I think in his mind he feels since it's your dad, he's a shoe in for the job."
"Oh that doesn't surprise me at all. He's always been that way. I remember one time, I was eight and Chris was twelve; our grandfather said he only had one extra ticket to the Sox game, so he said he would pick one of us at the end of the week to go with him. Well, Chris thought he was top shit because he was the oldest so he thought for sure he was going. He didn't do any of his chores that week and he got in a lot of trouble at school. I on the other hand thought I had a chance, so I did my chores and never acted up. Grandpa ended up taking me instead."
"Do you think he'd get pissed if he didn't get the spot at your dad's firm?"
"Eh probably, but he's been wanting to get off the Island for years, I'm sure he wouldn't mind being sent to the Mainland."
"Hey, I thought you guys were getting beer? You better not be making out!"
I just rolled my eyes, opened the fridge and pulled out two Blue Moons.
"Oh I wish we were making out." Alex grabbed one of the beers from my hand and made his way back towards the pool.
I just stood there in disbelief as to what I had just heard.
"Sammie, you coming?"
I hadn't realized I was still standing with the fridge open.
"Uh, yeah. Hold on." I quickly grabbed a bottle of water and followed Alex.
"Hey, before we get back out there, I hope I didn't come on too strong with that comment. I just thought you should know that, if you are interested in me, I'm interested in you. And I have been for a while."
"Well, I'm sure you already knew about me. I'm mean, Chris used to steal my diary and read to you all my "I love Alex" entries." I replied laughing.
"Haha yeah, I do remember those days of pigtails and braces Sammie."
"Oh, please do not remind me of that!"
"I'm kidding! But in all seriousness, would you like to grab dinner tomorrow night?"
"Yeah, I would definitely like that."
"Awesome! Just do me a favor, and don't mention it to your brother. This is just one date, and I just want to see where it goes. I don't want to jinx anything."
"Oh trust me, I would rather not talk about my personal life with Chris. When you tell him something in private, it's front-page news the next day. He's almost as bad as those two old hags that hangout by the general store."
"Hello? My beer is probably room temp by now, and I hate warm beer."
I rolled my eyes.
"Chris, will you calm the fuck down?" I replied as Alex and I exited the house.
"What the hell were you two doing in there? Obviously you didn't fuck because I'm pretty sure I would've heard you."
"Chris, you're a pig. Like, get that thought out of your mind." I replied disgusted.
"Gladly, I don't want to think about my little sister's sex life, and I definitely don't want to think about you doing it with my best friend."

****

As I drove myself home, I thought back to my date with Alex. If I could describe what my perfect date was, it was my date with Alex. I didn't know what to expect from it, and to say I was nervous was an understatement. I honestly had never seen Alex around his previous girlfriends, but if he treated them the same Chris treated his, I was in big trouble.
         However, that was not the case. Alex was perfect. I know it's a far fetch to describe someone as perfect, but he truly was. He picked me up at exactly six o'clock. His curly brown hair had been neatly groomed, and the purple polo shirt he was wearing brought out the color of his deep blue eyes. He had definitely dressed to impress me.
The date was simple, but elegant. Dinner at the best Italian restaurant on Davenport Island, then again, Mama Anna's was the only Italian restaurant on Davenport Island. But what truly made the night perfect was the fact that it was so easy to keep a conversation going with him. As I drove closer and closer to home, I played back the dinner in my mind.
         "So, you're getting ready to go into you're final year at MIT. Exciting isn't it?"
         "It really is. You would know, I mean you and Chris only Graduated from Harvard three years ago. And now you're done law school. That must be exciting, you've finally got your foot in the door."
         "Well, you have it a bit easier. You'll have your degree in Business Administration and Management and you'll be able to start working with your mom, managing all the small businesses in town. So you're set. You're brother and me; we had to do three extra years plus this apprenticeship. But you're parents must be extremely proud of you and Chris."
         "I guess so. I mean, Chris was never the college type, so when he decided he wanted to go into law and work with dad at the firm, it kind of came as a shock."
         "You're choice, not so much?"
         "Definitely not. Apparently I've been bossing people around since I could talk."
         "Oh, I remember those days. Sometimes when Chris and I were playing baseball, little four year old Sammie would come out and order us to play dress-up."
         I smiled to myself as I thought back on how perfect that night had been. It ended with a goodnight kiss, which to be honest, I could still feel on my lips. The joy I had quickly turned to sorrow as I pulled into my driveway, as I came to the realization that that had been our first date, and if Chris and I didn't find Alex soon, it might be our last.

***

         Chris barged through the front door early Sunday morning, two days after my date with Alex. I could tell something was off just by the way he flung the door open. He ended up knocking one of our priceless vases off the table in the corner of the entryway, which dad was not to pleased with it.
         "Christopher, what is the meaning of this?" Dad barked.
         "Where's Sam?" he asked.
         "Tell me what's going on right now?" Dad ordered again.
         "It's something to do with Alex, I need to see Sam."
         "What would your sister know about Alex? He's you're roommate." Mom questioned.
         My heart started racing as I listened to the conversation from the dinning room table. Alex told Chris about us, and now Chris was pissed.
         Mom and Dad continued to question Chris, but he got fed up and walked straight through the foyer to the dinning room and marched over to me.
         "When was the last time you heard from Alex?"
         Mom and Dad followed swiftly behind him.
         "I, I don't know. Yesterday afternoon maybe? We had been texting and he mentioned he had to go somewhere and that he would text me later, but that was it. I haven't heard from him since."
         "Samantha, why on earth were you texting your brother's friend?" Mom asked.
         "Because they were going out." Replied Chris.
         "Ok, it was one date, so I wouldn't really call that going out. Chris what's going on? And how did you even find out about that?"
         "Alex is missing. I came back to the apartment after going to the gym, and I found his phone, his keys, his wallet, everything was still there. Except for him. So I checked his phone to see if it might have told me where he was, and I found texts between the two of you."
         "What do you mean he's missing?" I asked puzzled.
         "He's gone. I haven't heard from him. I called his parents out on the Mainland, and they haven't seen or heard from him. I figured he'd be back at the apartment this morning, but nope. His room's been untouched."
         Horrible thoughts filled my mind of Alex being taken, hurt, or killed. I looked to my parents hoping the same look of fear and concern covered their faces. Instead, they didn't look amused.
         "Christopher, you're overreacting. You know nothing ever happens on the Island, nothing bad anyways. Alex probably went back to the Mainland to visit Anne and Ted. He may not show it, but he's probably really missed them since they moved."
         "Mom, you don't understand. He would've told me where he was going. He wouldn't have left his phone, key's and money. That's not like him. If he went to the Mainland, how did he get on the ferry?"
         "Christopher, listen to your mother. Alex probably walked over to the ferry and he probably only brought enough money to pay the fare. I guarantee you he will be back at the Firm by next Monday. Now go back home and try to relax, everything is fine." And with that, Mom and Dad walked towards the kitchen.
         "Sam, you know something's wrong. Especially with how you and Alex felt about each other, if he didn't tell me, he would've told you."
         "Chris, he wouldn't have told me anything. We really just started talking. We went on one date, it wasn't anything serious."
         "Oh cut the shit. You both have been in love with each other since we were kids. You know he would've told you. You know someone did something to him."
         I didn't want to accept that Chris, for once in his life, might actually be right. Alex would've told me if he was going home, that way I wouldn't have panicked when I couldn't get a hold of him. We may have gone on one date, but there was definitely a lot of chemistry between us.
         "Maybe, we could go down to the station and talk to Sheriff Barnes and see what he thinks."
         "That could work. That could definitely work."

***

         I parked my car next to Chris's black Toyota Camry and thought back to when he and I went to see Sheriff Barnes and how well it went over. Apparently our parents weren't the only one's who thought we were crazy.
         "You kids are trying to tell me that someone took Alex Brooks?" he asked in disbelief.
         "Uh, yeah. We know it sounds crazy, but Alex wouldn't have just gotten up and left without taking any of his stuff with him or telling someone." Explained Chris.
         "Sheriff Barnes, we aren't asking you to arrest anyone, we are just simply asking that you make an announcement to the Island to keep an eye out for him in, case they see him." I intervened.
         Sheriff Barnes just stared at us like we had three heads.
         "He probably went to see his parents on the Mainland. You know he's missed them since they moved."
         "I called them, and they said they hadn't seen or heard from him." Remarked Chris.
         "Mr. Davenport, I know you two are roommates and I've known you long enough to know the type of person you are. My bet is that you did something to piss him off, he went back to the Mainland to blow of some steam, and he told his parents, that if you called asking about him, to tell you that they don't know anything so you can't bother him."
         Sheriff Barnes had a point. Chris was always finding a way to piss someone off, mainly just because he thought he was privileged since our family owned the Island. He thought he could get away with anything and everything, which was why it was such a shock that he and Alex were still friends after all these years.
         "Sheriff you better watch what you say to me or I'll have my father..."
         "Okay Chris, it's time to go. Thank you for your time Sheriff, we will contact you if anything comes up." I interjected.
         We walked out to the small five-car parking lot and Chris kicked the tire of his car.
         "Were you seriously going to play the "My daddy will fire you" card? That is so typical of you and one of the reasons why not too many people like you. You act privileged all the time, it honestly wouldn't surprise me if Alex just got up and left."
         "You know what? Fuck you Samantha."

***

         I blink backed to reality. Chris had been so pissed at me he actually made me walk back to my house. But that was then, this was now. Now it was time to find Alex.
         I grabbed the coffee and made my way into the house, put the coffee in the kitchen, and ran upstairs to Chris's old bedroom. I found him seated on the blue-carpeted floor with a notebook full of Chris's chicken scratch, his cell phone and an empty coffee cup. Old pizza boxes littered the floor and his bed was covered in trash.
         "Chris, when was the last time you went back to your apartment?"
         "About a week ago." He replied not looking up from the notebook.
         "Are you fucking serious? If Alex left on his own, he could've been back for a week, and you wouldn't even know!"
         "I've called his phone. If he were there he would've answered. Plus, we were supposed to be back at the firm Monday, and he didn't show up. Obviously, he didn't leave on his own because he would've called or texted you the first chance he got."
         "I know, and I'm sorry for flipping out. I just don't want to think about someone hurting him, or worse. And the fact know one believes us just makes it worse." I slumped to the floor as I began to choke up.
         "Hey," Chris said finally looking up. "It's going to be okay, we are going to find him. He's going to be fine."
         I nodded and Chris came over pulling me into a hug. It was a rare occurrence that we would show any signs of affection towards each other, but at this moment, it was well needed.
         "Alright, so what did you found out from everyone?" I asked pulling away.
         "Okay, so I called Mr. Anderson today and he said he saw Alex leaving the flower shop with a bouquet of pink lilies."
         "Oh my god."
         "What? Does that mean something to you?"
         "Those are my favorite flowers. Alex was getting those for me." I said shocked.
         "Ok, so he left the flower shop, then I asked Old Widow McNally if she saw Alex. She told me she saw him walking towards the apartment building, then she said it look liked someone caught his attention and that was it. Everyone else that I've asked just told me to not worry and move on with my life. They said he'd show up sooner or later."
         "I've been getting dirty looks from everyone in town. They think we're crazy. But after what Old Widow McNally told you, we should go back over to your apartment and do a real good sweep of it, and see if maybe there was something you missed." I said while starting to get up.
         "That's not necessary." Chris snapped.
         I stopped in my tracks, frightened by how angry he got.
         "Sorry, it's just I've looked everywhere and there's nothing I missed. I looked through out the apartment a hundred times."
         "Chris, I can do it myself too, there might be something that you missed."
         "Samantha, it's fine." He was getting irritated.
I always knew Chris was mad at me when he stopped calling me Sam and went to Samantha.
         "Okay, I'm sorry. We won't look at your apartment, but I definitely think we should check the shed and the woods behind your apartment."
         "That's fine. I can check both of those tomorrow after I get out of work."
         "I can go with you."
         "No."
         I just stared at him. What had gotten in to him? Maybe it was just the stress from not knowing where Alex was, plus it had gotten really hot, so the heat probably wasn't helping him.
         "Sam, you've been a huge help, but he's my best friend and my roommate. I'll check those areas tomorrow. You just stay here and relax. Have a beer, sit by the pool, or call up some of your old friends and see if they want to hang out. Do anything to get your mind off Alex."
         "Are you sure Chris? I don't mind helping."
         "It's fine. You need to rest and relax. There are bags under your eyes from not getting any sleep. No offense."
         "Well, if you're sure you don't need any help, then okay."
         "Good. Now why don't we call it a day? Mom and dad will be home from the store soon and I have to go to work tomorrow."
         "Yeah that's fine. I'm exhausted anyways. Oh! That reminds me, I bought another canister of coffee. It's on the island in the kitchen."
         "And I didn't even have to ask you. Sam, you think of absolutely everything."
         "No problem, Chris. Are you staying here again for the night?"
         "Yeah, I probably won't go back until we find Alex. I actually haven't been able to sleep in the apartment since everything happened."

***

I was lying out by the pool the following day around noon. I had barely been up for an hour, since I was finally able to sleep in, and was enjoying the time I had to relax. Although as I started thinking back, Chris had seemed a bit too eager for me to rest.
I sat up and began pondering this thought. Was I just being paranoid, or was my brother actually hiding something? But then, why would he hide something if it had to do with finding his best friend.
I was definitely being paranoid, but this didn't stop my curiosity. I ran through the sliding door and into the kitchen over to the key rack, praying that what I needed was still there.
Sure enough, the small gold key with a small piece of tape with a "C" on it was hanging up next to my car keys. Even though Chris felt certain that he had searched everything in the apartment, I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a second look.
I ran upstairs to throw a pair of denim shorts and a purple tank top over my bathing suit, grabbed my keys and the apartment key and made my way to Chris's apartment.
I made my way up to the third floor and down the hall to room 3B. I put the key in the lock and hoped that in some twist of fate, the locks hadn't been changed. There was a small "click" and I knew I was in.
My sweaty hand was on the doorknob ready to open the door, with my heart pounding in my chest. I knew by going here, I may find my brother hiding something I didn't want to know about, but at the same time, I could find something that Chris missed, and be able to find Alex.
I finally turned the knob and pushed open the door. At first glance everything seemed normal. The kitchen area was clean, then over to my right the living room with old newspapers neatly stacked on the coffee table. Behind the kitchen I could see that the doors to both of Alex and Chris's rooms were closed.
But then something struck me. This was the apartment of two young twenty-something-year-old males. I knew Chris, and he was the messiest person in the world. And the last few times I had visited him and Alex, it looked like a tornado had gone through the entire place. Something was off.
I locked the door behind me and I made my way to the small kitchen table and saw Alex's phone, wallet and keys were neatly laid out, right next to each other. My gut instinct told me, that Alex didn't leave it like that, someone else did.
I went to make my way to the living room, when something caught my eye. I crouched down to get a better look at the dingy, hardwood floor, and noticed what looked like a few dead flower petals. I got up and went over to the trashcan, and sure enough, the bouquet of flowers Alex had been seen buying the day he disappeared was sitting at the top.
I didn't even bother with the living room. I walked straight to Alex's room and opened the door. It looked like a war zone. Things from his dresser had been thrown off; his desk chair had been turned over. There had definitely been a struggle or someone was in a hurry to leave. Alex was the opposite of Chris; he always had his stuff in order. There was no way Alex would've left his room like this.
I heard a car door slam. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Chris's car parked behind mine. He looked pissed. Fuck. What was I going to do? I couldn't just go down the stairs because he would see me for sure, and there was no back way out. He was going to kill me. I was fucked.
I ran out of Alex's room and slammed the door shut; my heart was about to explode out of my chest and my mind was racing. What was I going to say? What could I do? Chris said he hadn't been at the apartment since Alex went missing, so there was no way he did something to Alex, right? Right, of course not. Chris loved Alex like a brother and wouldn't do anything to hurt him.
I heard Chris turning the lock, so I dashed over to the sink and opened one of the overhead cupboards as the door swung open.
"Samantha, what are you doing here?" He was pissed.
"Sorry, I was at home and I was looking for the small baking pan, and I couldn't find it. I remembered I brought you guys some brownies a while back so I thought it might be here."
"It's not. Go home now."
"Sorry Chris. I literally just got here. I honestly didn't think you'd be home until later." I replied trying to stay calm.
"Dad let me out early. Now go home. I need to get some extra clothes. Then I'll be back at the house."
"Have you checked the shed or the woods? I can do that for you know if you'd like."
"I will be doing that in a minute. Go. Home. Now."
"Yes, sir."
I ran out of the apartment and down to my car as fast as I could. I can't remember the last time I had seen Chris that pissed before. I went to put my key in the ignition, when I noticed something that made my heart stop.
The graduation charm my parents had gotten for me was missing from my charm bracelet. Fuck. It was in the apartment somewhere, and Chris was probably going to find it. I needed to leave now.

***

I was half way back home playing back everything that had happened and trying to make sense of it. I knew for a fact someone had taken Alex, and they took him from inside the apartment. But who would do that and how? My phone ringing interrupted my thoughts; I pulled over and saw it was Chris. Oh fuck. I was dead.
"Hello?"
"Sam, you need to get back here now. I think I saw a body in the woods. I think it might have been Alex." Chris was actually crying. Holy shit.
"Chris, did you get close enough to it?
"No, I, I, I couldn't Sam. Please hurry back. I need you." And with that he hung up.
         I made it back to the apartment in less than five minutes and probably broke every driving law the Island had. I parked horribly behind Chris's car and ran behind the apartment to find him on his knees crying.
         "Chris!"
         "Sam. Thank god!" he said while getting up.
         I ran over to hug him and try to calm him down.
         "It's okay, let's go in together and take a look."
         "Oh my god, Sam. I'm pretty sure it's him. I think he's dead." He said choking on his tears.
         "You don't know that it's him. Let's just go in and look. Now show me where you saw the body."
         Chris started walking into the woods and I followed behind him. But I noticed something strange about him. His entire demeanor had changed. He wasn't shaking anymore, the crying had stopped, and he seemed, confident.
         Finally, about twenty feet in, he stopped.
         "He was right here, this is where I saw it." He sounded surprised.
         "Chris, are you sure? The ground doesn't look like it's been disturbed. If there was a body here, you'd be able to tell."
         "Not if it had just been put there! I know it was here!"
He was really freaking me out. I stepped away from him and start piecing together everything. Chris had told me that Alex's room was untouched and was exactly how Alex had left it that morning. When I was in Alex's room earlier, it was a mess and nothing close to how Alex would've left it. Chris was fucking pissed when he saw me in the apartment, and now he was freaking out because the body wasn't there anymore.
         "You did it." I said turning to face him.
         Chris was now giving me a malicious smile.
         "Oh Samantha, you are a smart one. Well obviously, you were the smarter child. Mom and Dad where always so proud of you, they've always liked you better." He sneered.
         "What are you talking about?"
         "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Perfect, innocent, Samantha. Always followed the rules, top of her class, and all around perfect example of the Davenport name. I on the other hand, was the rebel. I broke the rules, I couldn't have given two shits about my grades, and I was tarnishing the family name."
         "So why would you take Alex? He was your best friend?"
         "Because he was the son Mom and Dad wanted. He was going to get the job at the firm unless I did something about it. And of course, when you two got married, Mom and Dad would finally have their perfect son. That's why dad was sending the loser to the firm on the Mainland, to get rid of me. I wasn't going to let that happen."
         "What the fuck are you talking about? Alex and I went on one date! We weren't even a couple!"
         "Oh don't play stupid. Everybody knows you two have been in love since you were younger. Even I saw it. I didn't have to listen in on your conversation to know he was going to ask you out sooner or later."
         "You were listening to us?"
         "Of course I was. How do you think I knew for a fact Dad was going to keep him over me? That's when I got the idea to get rid of him. It was perfect; no one on the Island would believe that someone took him! Nothing bad ever happens here. You were just ruining your perfect image. It was only a matter of time until you would get disowned for being crazy."
         "How did you get rid of Alex, Chris?"
         "When he got home from buying your precious flowers, I confronted him. He put up a good fight, but I knocked him out. I kept him tied up in his room for the time I was staying at Mom and Dads. I would occasionally stop in and give him food and water. But my original plan was to get the job at the firm and to have you keep going around the Island like a mad person looking for him. By the time the Island community was tired of you, they'd be sending you to the Mainland and I'd be making it look like Alex killed himself."
         "What changed your plan? You could still make me look crazy and kill him."
         "You, you bitch. You caught on, and you caught on fast. The story I told you about Mr. Anderson and Old Widow McNally was a bunch of bullshit. I never talked to them. I was hoping it would make you go see them and ask them more questions, but no. You had to investigate more around here. I thought by telling you to relax for the day you would stay home. But just to be safe, I moved Alex to the shed. I messed up his room after to make it look like he left in a hurry. When I got to the apartment my plan was to kill him, until I saw your car."
         "I told you, I was only there looking for the baking pan."
         "Oh, cut the shit. I found your charm in Alex's room. I'm not stupid. I knew you would figure it out sooner or later. I thought I had choked him out in the shed, so I brought him out here, and I was going to show you, but apparently that didn't work."
         "What do you mean Chris?"
         "Well, I obviously didn't kill him like I thought, because he's not where I left him. So I'll have to take care of something before taking care of him permanently."
         "What do you have to do first?" I asked nervously.
         He started laughing nefariously and I saw him reach into his pocket. My heart was pounding and I was trying to think of my best option out of here, but I couldn't think of any.
         "Well first, I have to kill you." He said while pulling out a knife.
         My eyes widened as he started walking towards me. I turned around and sprinted. I had never been the fastest runner, but when it came to this situation, my adrenaline was pushing me forwarded.
         I needed to get out of the woods, back to my car, and calling 911. I knew I was faster than Chris, so when I got a chance I took cover in some bushes, and pulled out my phone. What a shock; no signal. I lay in the bushes trying to slow my breathing and hoping Chris would be dumb enough to run past me.
         "Samantha, come out, come out wherever you are."
         I could hear him getting closer and I just kept praying he would walk by my hiding spot and give me a chance to escape. I peered through the branches and could see him feet from me.
         "Please don't see me." I kept thinking.
         Almost as if he could read my mind he turned towards the bush and started marching towards it, with the knife ready to attack. I jumped up, screamed, and ran some more.
         I had no idea how far into the woods we were, but I prayed I wasn't to close to the edge. The woods elevated until it reached the edge of the Island, and at that point it just dropped off into the ocean. If you fell, you were dead.
         "Samantha, stop running from me. I don't want to hurt you. I want to hug you." He called from behind.
         "Yeah," I thought to myself, "that's why you are chasing me with a knife. Because you want to fucking hug me."
         I started to run faster and cut through the trees hoping to lose Chris in the process, but of course, the universe was against me today, and I ended up at the edge of the Island.
         "Oh fuck." I said while looking down.
         It had to have been a fifty-foot drop and the water was rough.
         "Samantha, you can't run from me, I've outsmarted you! You have no where to go!"          
         "Chris, listen to me, you don't have to do this!"
         "It's the only way Samantha." He said while stepping closer to me.
         I looked at him and realized he had put the knife away. Holy shit, he was going to actually push my off the edge of the Island. When did my brother become so fucked up?
         "Samantha, you can just jump now and make it easier on both of us. Then I can go find the backstabber, and finish him off."
         "He didn't stab you in the back! It's not his fault you can't do your job right!"
         I realized I shouldn't have said that after the words left my mouth. But it was too late, Chris was charging at me. I went to step back, but lost my footing. I reached for anything I could, hoping to save myself from a watery grave.
         I barley grabbed onto a root sticking out from the side of the Island; I was really fucked now.
         "Oh Samantha, I wish it didn't have to come down to this,"
         Chris kneeled down to be face to face with me, his hands gripped on top of mine.
         "But you knew too much. And now it will look like the two lovers killed themselves together, if they even find your bodies." He grinned and started laughing again.
         This was it; my own brother was about to throw me off the side of the very island our Great-Grandfather created. What a way to die. I didn't know whether to look at him or close my eyes to prepare for my fall.
         Before I could make up my mind, I saw Chris's eye's bulge, as he flew over me, head first and into the ocean below.
         "Chris!" I screamed.
         Oh my fuck. What just happened? I looked up and saw a bruised and dirty hand reach down for mine. I just stared at it, not knowing if the hand would pull me up to safety, or throw me into the water with my brother.
         "Sammie, grab my hand!"
         Without hesitation, I grabbed Alex's hand with one of mine and he pulled me up.          
         We both collapsed on to the ground, trying to catch our breath. Then, as if I woke up from a bad dream, I sat up and peered over the edge, hoping to see that Chris had actually survived. Yes, he just tried to kill me, but he was clearly sick, and if he survived he could get the help he needed.
         "Chris! Chris! Chris!" I screamed with tears rolling down my cheeks.
         "Sammie! He's gone." Alex had his arms around me pulling me from the side.
         I quickly turned around and buried my face into his chest crying. Relieved to see he was alive, just badly beaten, but devastated to know my brother was dead.
         "Sammie, it's ok. It's going to be ok. We need to get out of here and to Sheriff Barnes. We need to tell him exactly what happened, and hopefully he can get some of his men to find Chris."
         In shock, Alex and I stood up and made our way out of the woods and to my car.

***

         Sheriff Barnes was shocked to see Alex and I walking in to the station, and even more shocked to hear what happened. By the end of the day, everyone on the Island knew. Sheriff Barnes and his deputies took a boat out and searched the water for Chris's body, which was never discovered. However, after my parents found out, they weren't all that shocked.
         Apparently when Chris and I were younger, Chris would beat me up and found enjoyment in killing any small animal that could make its way into the backyard. They didn't want to admit that he was turning into a mini Jeffrey Dahmer, minus the cannibalism, and they knew it would tarnish the family name. They hoped he would grow out of it, which he obviously didn't.
         Chris had problems and needed help, but our parents were too focused on image to even care about that. Once I found that out, I packed up my things and moved to the Mainland with Alex. I still have yet to return to Davenport Island, and I don't think I'll ever be able to. I not only lost my brother that day, but I lost my innocence in seeing him die. I hope my parents are proud, because in the process of refusing to help Chris, they not only lost their son, but they lost their "perfect" daughter as well.