Ana sat in the waiting area of the police station, her legs jittering nervously under the table. Sophie had just finished her questioning, and now it was Ana’s turn to face the group of detectives once again. But as much as she wanted to jump back in and get the answers, something felt off. The weight of Ella’s death was too heavy to ignore. It was like a thick fog, clouding her thoughts and making it hard to breathe.
She looked up at the clock. It was nearly midnight. The quiet of the station felt suffocating. Her mind kept running through the possible scenarios—was it an accident, like the police said? Or was there more to it? And who could have been involved? Ella had seemed so… normal lately, even though she had been pulling away. Why hadn’t anyone noticed anything?
Ana’s thoughts were interrupted when Detective Harris appeared in the doorway again.
“Ana,” he said, his voice firm but not unkind. “We need to ask you a few more questions. This time, we’ll talk about your family.”
Ana blinked, confused. “My family? What does that have to do with Ella?”
“Sometimes, Ana, the people closest to us can know things we don’t,” Harris said, his tone measured. “We’ve already spoken to Sophie, and now we need to understand the bigger picture. Your parents, your siblings—everyone who might have seen something unusual or heard something that could shed light on what happened.”
Ana sat up straighter. She hadn’t thought about her family. But now that Detective Harris had brought it up, it made sense. Everyone was looking for something—anything—that could help solve the mystery. Ella had been her best friend, but her family had been there for her longer. They would know if something had been off, even if Ana hadn’t noticed it.
“Okay,” she said, standing up. “I’ll talk to you. But I don’t know how much help I can be.”
“I’m sure anything you tell us will help, Ana,” Harris said kindly. “Just follow me.”
Ana walked down the hallway again, this time to a different room. The door opened to a small office, where a large desk sat covered in files and paperwork. A few chairs lined the wall, and Ana sat down, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. Her family. What did they have to do with any of this? But as she thought about it, there were a few things that came to mind. Her brother, Max, had always been protective of her. Maybe he’d noticed something she didn’t.
Ana stared at the detective across from her. He didn’t say anything at first, letting the silence linger. Finally, he spoke.
“We’ve already spoken to your parents, but I need you to tell me what you know. Has anything unusual been going on at home? Anything that might give us a clue about what Ella was up to?” he asked gently.
Ana frowned. Her parents? She’d been so focused on her friends that she hadn’t even thought about how much Mom and Dad had been involved in her life recently. They were always there—always supporting her, always caring for her. But still, there had been small changes.
“Well, my parents…” Ana began, her voice quiet, “They’ve been super protective. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my friends, and with everything happening at school… I think they’re happy for me, but they must have been worried about my health as well. But they’ve always been supportive. I know they care about me.”
Detective Harris nodded slowly, writing down notes. “Okay. So, no signs of anything strange at home? No issues with Ella that you might have noticed?”
Ana shook her head. “Ella and I talked all the time, and my parents were always welcoming to her. I know she didn’t have any problems with my family. We’re close. My parents love having her around.” Ana smiled sadly. “I never imagined anything like this could happen.”
Detective Harris leaned forward, his gaze softening a little. “Good. That’s helpful. You see, sometimes, with tragic events like this, there’s tension between friends and family. But it sounds like your parents were exactly what they should be: caring and present.”
Ana breathed a sigh of relief. It was a small thing, but hearing the detective say that made her feel just a little bit less uncertain. Her parents weren’t involved in any of this. They were good people, just like she always knew. No secrets there.
As Ana stepped out of the office, she spotted Marcus sitting in the waiting area, looking just as lost as she felt. He looked up as she walked past, his eyes dark with worry.
“Ana,” he said softly, his voice shaking. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” Ana said, her voice barely a whisper. “Nothing’s okay.”
She was walking through the halls of the police station, her heart heavy with grief and confusion. Sophie and Jenna were still inside, likely being questioned as well. But there was something that Ana couldn’t shake—something that kept gnawing at her mind. Why did Ella go to the creek? Who was the last person to see her? Why hadn’t anyone noticed the signs?
And then there was the nagging feeling that someone, someone in their circle, was hiding something.
As Ana left the police station with Sophie, the night felt colder. The city lights blurred as they made their way back to their cars, but there was one thing that felt painfully clear now.
Ella’s death wasn’t an accident.
And someone—someone close to her—was responsible.
ns216.73.216.240da2
and then Add to home screen.