Disclaimer: Don't own a thing =(

Chapter 14: Understanding The Motive

Understanding someone's motive to kill is easy; all you have to do is find out what relationship they had with the victim. Did they owe the murderer money? Did they go behind their back and do something? Did they steal their partner? Something like that. Getting into the head of the murderer is also pretty easy if you know what you are dealing with. The common questions (Who? What? When? Why? How?) come to light when thinking about this topic. You know exactly what to do. All you have to do is look at the kind of person who did the murder and see what kind of life they had.

But this all changes when the murderer and the victim is the same person and the person you are dealing with is your best friend.

What do you do in that situation? How on Earth do you get into their head? You release that you don't know the person and thus you cannot really understand them and why. The common questions apply differently and you are standing there unable to do anything because all around your world is crashing down before you.

That's how I felt when this ordeal happened. I felt like everywhere I go I am reminded of it, it will never escape me. Never.

I needed to understand this. But how do you understand something if you don't understand the person? If you can answer that I'll give you a million dollars.

I was pacing my room, trying to figure out the kind of person Lilly was. The words 'happy' 'fun' and 'awesome to be with' somehow don't apply here anymore especially the first one. If Lilly was so 'happy' why did she do it? Maybe she was happy once but not anymore it seems. Like I asked before: What made her go to from 'Happy Lilly' to 'Wanting to Kill Myself Lilly'

Nothing is ever as it seems huh?

I wish I could get into her head. Argh! That's when I couldn't take it anymore. Suddenly I just burst out of my room and ran out the front door.

I had no idea where I was running or why. I just let me feet take me wherever they will take me. I couldn't stand being in my room, all cooped up. Everything was a blur, I had no idea where I was but all I could do was keep running, keep running. Eventually I came to a stop at the most unlikely of places.

Coremin's Park.

It was the park where Lilly and Oliver use to play everyday when they were little. I had never been there myself but I had heard so many stories from my two best friends. Everyday after kindergarten, they would come here.

The park itself was a large semi circle shape. It had two sets of swings, slides and a playground complete with a firemen's pole and a rope ladder. I also noticed a sand pit on the other side as well.

I walked over to the swings and sat on it. I let my thoughts wash over me as I sat there, swinging slightly.

"Hey." Said a voice right next to me.

Funny I thought the park was empty…..wait I know that voice. I turned around and there sitting on the swings was Lilly's ghost.

"Are you going to keep following me? Because it really freaks me out that a ghost, spirit or whatever is following me."

"I don't know, something is keeping me here." Lilly said.

"Unfinished business?" I asked and Lilly nodded.

"Maybe it's to do with me understanding why you…." I let me sentence trail off. I kinda didn't want to finish it.

"Commit suicide?" Lilly supplied.

"Why did you do that? Please tell me! So that both of us can move on and I can understand." I pleaded.

Lilly sat in thought as she swung slightly back and forth. Don't ask me how a ghost can swing on a swing. Hmm, Ghost flashback.

"You know about Damien and my Dad's girlfriend." Lilly stated.

I nodded. "Tell me about them."

And so Lilly told me the truth about them. Damien had turned rouge against her. She figured that he was into drugs and that's why he had gone from a sweet, loving brother to her worst nightmare. Damien bulled and beated her until she was both physically and emotionally destroyed. She was afraid that if she told her Mum, everything would change and not for the good either.

Tears started to form in my eyes as Lilly told me story after story about how Damien would inflict pain and suffering on her. Next Lilly told me about her evil step Mum. Typical, there's one in every story. Cinderella, Snow White, you get the picture. Her evil step Mum would blame her for everything even when it wasn't her fault and soon her Dad began to turn away as well.

But somehow I knew that wasn't the full story; there must have been other reasons as well. But perhaps that is all too it. My quest for the truth was finally over…..or was it? Something kept bugging me, telling me there's more too it. If so, what?

"So that's it." Lilly finished.

"No it's not." I muttered. "There's more."

"That's up to you to figure out." Lilly smiled.

"But what else was wrong?" I wondered out loud.

"People really are oblivious." Lilly said. "It's no wonder how they couldn't figure it all out when I was actually alive."

I looked down in shame.

"You're right, if I was a better friend I could have noticed what was going on and fixed it but instead I let it slide."

"Company at two o'clock." Lilly said out of the blue.

I looked quickly up to see Lilly fade away and in the distance Jackson was running towards me in a state of panic.

"Miley!" He said in a voice of relief and shock. "There you are!"

"I'm okay Jackson." I answered. "But what's with the search party?"

"Dad's worried, he thought you ran away."

"Just needed to get my head clear." I said.

For the mystery I'm about to face I added in my thoughts. Jackson didn't say anything about it, he was to busy calling Dad to tell him that I was safe and sound. I saw him close his phone and look at me.

"Better get into the car." He said.

For a while we sat in silence. I was too busy going over what Lilly had told me. First she had told me she was telling me nothing and then she explained the bits I had found out. Hmm, she did admit there was more to it.

I must have overlooked something. Something obvious. Lilly's diary had told me half the tale but what was the other half? Was it just as simple as black and white? Or was it a shade of gray?

That's when I knew what I had to do.

"Turn the car around Jackson." I said.

"Where too and why?" Jackson asked looking at me.

"We're going to Lilly's house instead."

I needed to solve this once and for all.

A/N: So, chapter 14 is done! I hope you guys liked it =) I have an ending in mind (two in fact) but I don't which to choose! AH! So anyway, please keep those reviews coming! I do love hearing your feedback =)