*--------*

 

    The police have cleared Stephen's corpse and have been gone for almost an hour. They phoned Sahly and Damon who immediately went over. Hestie continued to stare into space.

    "I know it's not a good time, but Hes, I just want to know. Do you remember anything about the murderer?", Sahly asked.

     "I...I...I really don't know...I'm...not sure." Hestie stammered.

    "That can't be! It was only an hour ago. Hestie, you're not that dumb!" Damon, who had been quiet for most of the time, suddenly lost his patience.

    "Look who's talking! Let me just remind you, my dear, sweet, perfect little Damon, that you had a fight - and a big one at that - with Stephen just last night. He called you a sore loser, if I remember correctly." Hestie countered with a cold smile.

    "What are you trying to say, I killed Stephen?"

    "C'mon you guys. Faith and Stephen are both gone. We can't solve this if we don't get ourselves together.", Sahly pleaded.

    "And if we might justgo back a few days, you just happened to be dumped by Faith las Friday night. The next day, she mysteriously died. What a coincidence, my friend, isn't it?"

    Damon looked away to avoid Sahly's questioning stare.

    "I have to get home.", Hestie said as she stood to leave.

    "No one is going anywhere. Come on Hestie, you've got to think, think, think. Don't you remember about the killer?" Damon pressed.

    "I already told you all I know. And what I know points to only one person as the killer."

    "You know that's not the truth!"

    "Look,  I'll just get some rest. I really need it...badly." Hestie started to soften.

    Damon blocked the door. "No one is going home unless we get to the bottom of this."

    Hestie began to cry. Her sobs echoed through the room. Sahly buried her head in her hands. "Give it up, guys. Give it up..."

    Suddenly, Hestie stopped wailing. "If it's what you want, okay. I'll tell the truth. I killed Stephen."

    Sahly reised her head. Damon looked pale. Both stared at her in disbelief.

    "I know, I know. It's a hard thing to do. But of course, I'm smart, careful and far superior than the four of you put together! Hahaha!" Hestie's eyes lost their usual spark and was replaced by a look as cold as ice. A devilish grin took place of the girl's normally sunny smile.

    Sahly was first to recover. "How-what-why? Uh, I knew it, right from the start. I never trusted you. You are so disgusting!"

    "and you are so pathetic!", Hestie uttered in a Sahly-like manner. "You want to know how and why? Then listen to the master storyteller!..." Hestie walked across the room as she got to her story.

    "It all began four years ago. o you still remember your first year in high school? The four of you were walking home, glad to have entered a new phase in your life. You saw Rhea, most popular and beautiful senior in school, with a group of boys. You also saw them practically dragging her into a car, but because she was a snob, you didn't mind. You felt she deserved it. But at the end of the day, you witnessed the same group of boys throwing Rhea's dead body into a creek. Then you losers squealed. The police tracked then down. Unfortunately, one of them was my brother."

    As Hestie was telling her brother's story, blurred memories came flooding into Sahly and Damon's mind.

    "He was a good brother. When my parents got divorced, he took care of me. He was my father. But when he met his group of friends, they changed him. They forced him to get hooked on drugs. He started to go home late. He forgot his little sister. But i know, murder just wasn't his thing. He couldn't kill anyone!" Hestie started pacing faster across the room. Then she continued.

    "I changed my identity. I dyed my hair. I wanted to be with you, to be one of you. I was the perfect girl-next-door, cheerful, quiet and lovable. I was Hestie, from the Greek goddess Hestia-guardian of the home. Now I'm here to revenge for the one person that was home to me - my brother."

    "But we didn't know your brother was oe of them!" Damon cried out.

    "Would you not have squealed if you knew? In any case, I don't care. I'm here and I'm just about to finish my business..." Hestie paused, as if to relish her own victory. "The dummies were mine. I messed up with the brakes of Faith's car and Stephen was too blind not to see the knife I was hiding behind my baack. Hahaha! You guys are so easy to kill. And guess who's next?", Hestie teased as she playfully swings a sharp knife by her side.

    "Hestie! No! Why? We thought you ewre our fried. We welcomed you, no questions asked, and treated you as if we've been together forever!", Sahly blurted.

    "Haven't you heard of the word betrayal?", Hestie insulted.

    "Faith was right when she dumped you. Why would she want to go out with a nerd? Sorry guys, the word of the day is revenge."

    Sahly tried to stall the time. "how did you mange to get into our school with all that lies?"

    Hestie closed her eyes and pretended to think hard. "Of course, I'm brilliant." She said with a sly smile. "Hey-where's Damon?", Hestie demanded when she opened her eyes.

    "Right here!" Damon hit Hestie hard with a pestle he found lying on the counter. Hestie instantly fellon the floor, unconscious. Blood spurted out of her mouth and a big cut on her forehead was bleeding furiously. Her eyes were closed tight, and her lips were starting to turn blue.

    "Looks like you've killed her...I can't believe you just did that." Sahly sounded like she was to throw up any second.

    Damon put an arm around Sahly. "Don't worry, we won't get jailed. She has a murder weapon and-"

    "You don't need to satisfy. Come on, let's go home and leave it all to the police."