Chapter 6

The house was quiet. McKinsey sat in her bed, thinking about everything and pondering about it. She kept thinking of the what if game. What if she wasn't being targeted? What if Sidney hadn't been around in the first place? What if she hadn't met Lindsey? What if? Everything around her was tumbling down. Her life seemed to be slipping away by the minutes. She wasn't the happy, cheery person that she once was. How did Sidney do all of this? Was she once a happier person before all of this? She had to talk to someone before more dangerous thoughts crossed her mind.

The next day, McKinsey drove up to Sidney's house and stopped the car. She sat there, staring at Sidney's house for a couple of minutes. Her house was big and secluded out here in the woods. How did she live like this? It was so lonely. She got out of the car and walked up to the house. She knocked on the door and a few seconds later, Sidney opened the door laughing.

"Oh, hi McKinsey. What's up? Is something wrong?" Sidney asked.

McKinsey answered, "No! Nothing's wrong, I was just wondering if I could…if I could talk to you about some things."

"Oh, ok, well can you wait for a minute or so. My friend, Hannah was just about to leave."

McKinsey peered inside the house and saw the tall, slender woman sitting on Sidney's couch. She had dark red hair and bright green eyes. It was stunning. She was beautiful. There wasn't a flaw wrong with her…and that kind of scared her. Hannah got up and walked over to McKinsey in the door way. She extended her hand and smiled saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you."

McKinsey put on her best fake smile and took the woman's hand replying, "Nice to meet you too."

The air was uncomfortable for a moment before Sidney started talking again.

"Does anyone want anything to drink?" She asked.

Hannah answered, "Yes please, I would like a glass of ice water."

"No thank you. I'm fine," McKinsey retorted.

Sidney sauntered off towards the kitchen. McKinsey looked up and down Hannah, trying to make out any imperfection. Nothing, absolutely nothing. It was like Hannah was perfect in every which way.

McKinsey finally asked, "So, how long have you and Sidney known each other?"

"Oh just a couple months. We met in the Wal-Mart where I work and we just hit it off. She is a great friend and a great listener. I just lost my husband to cancer you see and I really needed a friend," Hannah explained.

McKinsey instantly felt like shit. This woman had just lost her husband and she was trying to find something wrong with her. How low was she? McKinsey smiled at her genuinely and said, "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that things are going better for you now. My mother had cancer when I was six. She died a couple months later. After that, my dad couldn't handle the pressure and he just sort of…blew his head off if I put it bluntly." Hannah stared at her in confusion and astonishment. Why did she tell her that? McKinsey was even confused why she told her that. She hadn't told anyone that. It was always either that they were out of town for business or vacation.

Hannah's eyes grew cold and sad and she said, "I'm so sorry. I know how painful it is to lose a loved one to something like that. But having both my parents die when I was just a child, I couldn't even think of it."

McKinsey just nodded. Sidney entered the room with Hannah's glass of ice water and handed it to her.

They all sat there for another hour or so just talking about random things or anything that came to mind. McKinsey liked Hannah. She was easy going and fun to talk to. She had so many stories to tell. She had lived in Europe, Africa, and Japan before she moved to Woodsboro. Well moved back. She had lived there as a child and when her father and mother were too old to take care of themselves, her and her husband, Kipp, took care of them…or at least until Kipp got sick. Her mother and father died a few months after Kipp got sick and shortly after, Kipp passed away. Now, she was all alone in a huge house.

"Well, I better go. I have to work later on tonight," Hannah said.

"Ok, let me walk you out," Sidney replied.

They got up and Sidney walked Hannah out of the house. McKinsey sat there, looking at all the photos on the walls and tables. She came to the two pictures on the coffee table in front of the couch. She saw Sidney and was guessing the first picture was of her, her father, and her mother. The next photo was of her, her father, and two other people. She looked closer, trying to make them out, but she couldn't tell who they were.

When Sidney came back in, McKinsey asked, "Who are they?" She pointed to the picture.

Sidney's looked down at the floor and mumbled, "That was Ellie and her mother Andrea. They were my stepsister and stepmother."

That's when it hit her. Lindsey had told her many times about Ellie and how Ellie was so much like McKinsey, pure, honest, kind, caring, always being happy.

"I-I'm sorry if I brought up a sore subject."

"It's fine. It's just hard to talk about them. So, anyways, what did you want to talk to me about?"

McKinsey was now the one to stare at the floor. She began, "Well, I have been really depressed since this all started and I was wondering how…how you got through all of this. I mean, you seem to be so confident and calm and smart and happy about everything and…I don't know, I was just hoping you could help me."

Sidney looked at her with mother eyes. McKinsey missed that look. She missed the way her mother would look at her.

Sidney retorted, "Well, the main thing is, that even though your life is turning to shit and you will never be able to forget any of this and most of the time after this, you will have crazy, vivid nightmares, you just got to remember that you are still alive. You still have something to live for."

The last words Sidney spoke caught McKinsey's attention. They were touching. She smiled at Sidney and said, "Thank you Sidney. That means a lot."

"You're welcome," she replied.

McKinsey got up and was about to walk out the door when she walked back over to Sidney and hugged her. It caught Sidney off guard. The child's embrace was comforting. Sidney always wondered what it would be like to have a child. To raise a child. To have those precious memories. But that never happened. And probably never would. McKinsey let go over her and smiled before running out the door, leaving Sidney standing there.