Hello again everyone! It's been a few years and I'm still getting reviews for this story apparently. Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely I will ever get back to writing new chapters. Then what's this, you ask? Well, I found four more chapters I wrote three years ago and decided to upload them. Thank you everyone for your support and I hope you enjoy what I did manage to write, even though this story will most likely never be finished. Enjoy!

Warnings: language, violence

Part 1C Eight: Life Goes On

Elle

It's funny how quickly people move on. Just yesterday, everyone was talking about me. Today, a majority of people are back to normal: complaining about tests, laughing at each other, talking back to teachers. What I did is still a conversation starter, but it's no longer a hot topic. They've moved on.

But I haven't. In fact, I think that I just sank in deeper. Finding out that my family's death might have been murder, well, that isn't going to be leaving my thoughts for a long time, if ever. I need to find out the truth. I need to know that, if it was a murder, the guy who did it is behind bars.

If he isn't, well, let's just say I don't care as much about the gray area as I have the last couple of days.

Wednesday, December 2

I was still mad at Jasmine, but I didn't want to be. Besides, I craved the presence of someone I didn't live with. So, after putting it off until gym class, I finally apologized to Jasmine. Luckily, she accepted and apologized right back. We decided to agree to disagree. I hoped that would hold up. I didn't want to lose a friend over something like this.

After school, I went to Jasmine's house for a tutoring session. The tutoring itself only lasted until dinner time. Afterwards, the two of us and Chance played video games. It wasn't until I received a text from Bruce asking why I wasn't home yet that I realized it was getting late.

"You should stay over sometime," Jasmine said to me as I packed my bag.

"It would have to be a Friday or a Saturday," I replied. "Bruce is really into the whole 'get good grades' thing."

"Do you want a ride home?" Chance asked. I was about to say no, but when I realized just how dark it was outside, I thought better of it.

"If you wouldn't mind."

Jasmine hugged me goodbye, and Chance and I went to his car.

"Nico hasn't been giving you a hard time or anything, has he?" Chance asked. He was trying to keep his voice light, but the slight frown and how tight he was holding the steering wheel gave him away.

I rubbed my arm. "No. It's fine. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

It was quiet for a few minutes before I couldn't stand the silence anymore. "So do you have a girlfriend?"

"Why, you interested?" Chance smirked.

I let out a breath of laughter. "No, no. Sorry, but no. I'm just curious."

"Well, in that case, yes, I have a girlfriend. We've been dating for four years."

I tilted my head. "Really? How old are you, then?" I'd guessed that he was nineteen years old, maybe twenty. I didn't really believe in the 'high school sweethearts' thing, so maybe he was actually older than that?

"I'm twenty-one."

I quickly did the math. "So…you guys have been dating since you were seventeen?" Huh. I guess some people really did have 'high school sweethearts.'

"That's right."

"Are you going to marry her?"

Chance grinned over at me. "You're sure talkative today." I raised an eyebrow. "Alright, alright. I really want to propose to her, but I want everything to be perfect, you know?"

I nodded. "I'm probably the last person who should give you advice, but do something she'll enjoy. And if you've been dating for so long, there's no way she'll say no." At least, I didn't think so. I didn't even know the girl.

"Yeah, that won't be hard at all," Chance teased, but I could hear the nervous waver in his voice.

"What's her name? How'd you guys meet?" I hoped I wasn't being nosy, but I didn't really know that much about Chance.

"Her name's Melissa." A smile donned Chance's face. "We went to middle school together, and we did a couple of group projects together, but it wasn't until high school that we started talking. We started hanging out when we realized how much we had in common. We eventually realized that we'd fallen in love with each other, and that's that."

"Let me guess. A handsome guy like you went for the cheerleader? Or the volleyball player?" I teased. I wasn't being serious, but I wanted to know more about this Melissa person. Chance was my friend and I wanted to know who it was who made him happy.

Chance chuckled. "At first, that's who I dated. But Melissa's not an athlete. She's … well, she's Melissa. What else can I say?"

I grinned. "I'm going to have to meet her someday. Maybe propose to her for you, since you're obviously too shy."

"Me? Shy? Have you met me?" Chance laughed. "But okay. I'll introduce you guys sometime. But she goes to school out of state, so you'll have to wait until she comes back on break."

"I can't wait. Oh, you can just let me off here." We were coming up to the library.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's no problem. I can walk from here."

We said our goodbyes and that was that. On my way up to the Manor, I decided to text Jason.

ELLE: Did you find anything yet?

JASON: Not yet. I'll let you know when I do.

I hoped so. He'd better.

A few hours after falling asleep, I woke up from another nightmare. I was embarrassed about needing to sleep in Tim's room so much, so I was adamant about not doing so for one night. Unfortunately, I felt suffocated and terrified in my own room. I went out into the hall and sat against the wall, hugging my knees up to my chest. I just sobbed my eyes out.

"Ellie, what's wrong?" I stiffened when I heard Dick's voice. I buried my face in my knees, refusing to let him see me cry. I heard him kneel down in front of me. "Come on, you can tell me."

After some more coaxing, I finally looked up at him. He opened his arms in invitation, which I took. I sobbed into his shirt, scared and embarrassed as always.

"It's cold out here," Dick said. "Let's head into your room, yeah?"

We went into my room. I sat on the edge of my bed, Dick beside me. He held me for a while longer. Even when I'd stopped being hysterical, I didn't leave the comfort of his arms, and I was grateful that he didn't let go.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Dick asked.

I shook my head, but a few minutes later, I found myself speaking. "His name was Bobby." I took a shaky breath. "He and I didn't always get along. We fought and argued a lot more than we should have, but when it came down to it, we loved each other. We were family."

"You're a jerk, you know that?"

"Whatever, princess."

Silence.

Another shaky breath.

"He was two years older than me, but people used to think we were twins, we looked so much alike." A choked sob. "One time, we actually pretended to be twins. We got in trouble for it, but it was worth it. That was one of the few times we got along so well."

"I swear, if we get called twins one more time…"

"You just don't like that you look like a girl."

"Hey!"

Sniff.

Cough.

"My parents always argued with each other. I'd sometimes try to get them to stop. Bobby told me to stay out of it, in, well, ruder ways. Sometimes he'd get into arguments with my dad, too. But when I asked my dad, he just told me not to worry about it."

"But why, Daddy? You're the awesome-ist!"

"Thanks, kiddo. Now how about we go take those training wheels off?"

"Okay!"

A long silence.

"The morning of the fire, I'd gotten into an argument with my parents. I wanted to know why they always fought, why Bobby and Dad didn't get along. Neither of them would tell me, so I got mad."

"Why can't you tell me? I'm not a kid! I deserve to know why my family hates each other!"

"It's just grown-up stuff."

"Then why does Bobby know? What, am I too 'innocent'?"

Tears slipped down my face.

Dick tightened his hold on me.

"I was in such a bad mood and so angry that I took it out on Bobby, too. We didn't talk on the bus or anything. I spent all day feeling guilty about everything. I was going to apologize, but I had to stay after school for math help. And when I got home …"

"I'm sorry, miss, but you can't –"

"But they're my family! Let me go! They're alright, they have to be alright!"

"There…there were no survivors."

"But I never got to say I'm sorry! I never got to say goodbye!"

"…They were gone."

Thursday, December 3

Another uneventful day. At least Dick didn't mention anything about last night. He just held me until I fell asleep, and when I woke up this morning, he was gone.

In my last class, I received a text from Jason, saying how he might have gotten a lead that could tell us if the fire was an accident or not. I told Tim that I was going to Jasmine's house again, then hung out inside the school until I was sure he and Alfred had left. When I exited the building, I headed over to where Jason was waiting for me.

"I hope Tim didn't see you," I told him.

"Relax, kid, I'm not stupid," Jason replied. I put my helmet on, and away we went. We stopped by his apartment to change and then headed towards our target. I felt my mood sink as we neared the house. I was scared and angry about what we'd find out.

Jason kicked in the door to the house. A balding man came yelling nonsense at us. At least, he did until Red Hood slammed him into a wall, gun to his temple.

"Now, let's make this nice and easy," Red Hood growled. "Three years ago, a family was killed in a fire. Last name Edwards."

"I d-don't know what your t-talking about!" the man squeaked.

"You knew David Edwards," Red Hood said. "Now, what do you know about his death?"

I was confused. Who was this guy? How would he know anything? But as the man kept blubbering nonsense, I grew impatient. I wanted answers, and I wanted answers now.

"Hey, answer him or I'm going to have to ensure that you will never reproduce again," I said angrily, cocking my gun.

The man gulped. "Okay, okay! I'll tell you!"

"Tell us what, exactly?" Red Hood demanded.

"It was planned! The fire, the deaths, all of it! B-but I didn't want any part of it, you know! I was completely against it! I tried to stop –"

"Somehow, I don't think that's the case," Red Hood hissed. He threw the man onto the floor. The man tried to crawl away, but I stepped in front of him. My entire body shook with rage.

"Why?" I ground out. When I received no answer, I kicked him a few times, as hard as I could. "I asked you why!"

"I d-don't know!"

"Don't give me that shit!" I kicked at him some more. Red Hood punched him in the nose a few times.

"I-I'm telling the t-truth! I don't know why!"

"Then tell me who did it!" I screamed in outrage. The man tried to get away, but Red Hood beat him up a bit more for me. "Tell me who!"

"I don't know! I don't –"

I shoved my gun into his face. "Tell me who did it. Now."

"I don't – Derek Irwin. He was a part of it. He knows more than I do. God, please don't kill me. I won't tell anyone. I won't –"

BANG.

End of Part One.