He sat in his favorite chair with his feet curled up beneath him. He was, as usual, reading. The book was the newest in his favorite series by his favorite author. Nothing could make this day any better, he thought as he turned the page. He'd missed lunch because of chapter thirty-four. He'd missed dinner because of chapter seventy-seven. The good part always came around chapter eighty or so. What?!? Maribella Catalina Santiago, a murderer?!?! No, that couldn't be right! Why would she kill her sexy roommate-turned-lover-turned-stalker? Gasp! Could it be because she—?
"Little brother, alias Lemony Snicket! Look at me!" Kit. Charlotte. Snicket.
"What?" he asked irritably. It was bad enough to be interrupted whilst reading a new book, but being interrupted at the good part was considered the worst of sins in his opinion. He closed the book over his finger. Maribella was not a murderer. If she was the murderer, then Beatrice was moving back. So no, it would never happen, not in a thousand years.
Beatrice. He had quite a crush on her. He would say he loved her except he hadn't seen her in close to four years. You can't love someone if you don't see them.
They'd meet when they were five at a VFD gathering their parents had attended. They'd been friends ever since. When puberty hit him like a ton of lead bricks, he'd started to notice things about her body—her hair, eyes, hands, lips, breasts, and hips… She'd been the subject of many dreams. He shook his head. Maybe it was simple lust. He hoped not.
She had moved away five weeks after his thirteenth birthday. She'd told her best friend Kit she was never coming back. Never.
Kit was still rambling. "…Dewey and I have a date on Saturday, and we're going to stay here…alone. Take the hint and make some plans, okay? Umm, anything else I was supposed to tell you…? Oh, yeah," she waved her hand dismissively. "Beatrice is moving back. She's gonna be here in two weeks, around the fourth or fifth." His head snapped up instantly. Beatrice? Coming back? Never.
Jesus Christ! he thought, looking at the book in disbelief. Maribella is the killer!