text: Dead Mystery Dear Diary, 10/29/2001 It was a normal day at school for me. I woke up, brushed my hair, brushed my teeth, and ate breakfast. You know the normal things you do when you wake up. Except for today I didn’t because my mom forgot to wake me up so I was late which I secretly didn’t mind cause I got to miss math class. I’m not good at math! But I was going to go downstairs and ask her to drop me at school cause the bus had left but she told me to take the day off cause she had lots of work to do and had the weirdest smile on her face. I told her to wait, before you go can you pick me up my Halloween costume! She had replied with what did you want to be Esme? I was so mad I've been telling her for 2 months. I said whatever I want to be a friend of a victim. She said REALLY I’ve been waiting thank you... I started laughing as she left, what did she even mean like she sewed up a costume like that already. I was weirded out but that didn’t last long enough cause I remembered I had to take a test in civics ugh a day in the life of a 7th grader I guess! I have to finish getting ready and walk to school, with my calculations I should be there for 3rd period. It’s been 30 minutes and I’ve finally made it. My calculations were a little off but that’s beside the point I saw my mom as I was waiting in the security line. As I was watching my mom be shady. I overheard a girl's conversation saying that her mom will find her and kill her daughter's best friend. Well, I feel bad for her but it’s not true that’s such a made-up story! Now back to my mom what she is doing here she told me she had a lot of work to do. I’m getting worried I’m gonna tell my best friend Mariah about this she has to know. I ran up to Mariah as I left the security line I told her about everything that has happened so far she told me it’s a little weird but your mom is probably telling the school about your absence that isn’t much of an absence anymore we both looked each other and a chuckle escaped my lips before we knew it we were both belly laughing on the floor. After I got myself to stop laughing I said well now that I say it out loud it’s weird, well I have to go and take a test. Wish me luck! She said good luck! But I could barely hear it as I was running to my next class. After I finished all my classes it was recess and I saw my mom again but this time she was holding a knife and she had a mad look in her eyes that said death... That wasn’t even the worst part, the knife was covered in a thick red liquid dripping down so my first thought was blood and then my instinct was to RUN! So I ran to Mariah the only person who would believe me and I found Mariah just not alive. I was in disbelief. I sat there crying and crying. I called 911 in my tears but instead of a sweet voice on the phone that would help me I heard a rough static then a voice that sounded like my mom that was saying this will all soon be a dead mystery... I screamed through the phone. I heard nothing, nothing and then I heard static. I can’t believe that my own mom would do this. The person that has raised me forever and then would suddenly in a snap just kill my best friend! I wanted revenge, but more importantly, I wanted answers. I wanted my best friend back! I screamed, how come not a single person heard me. I still was in school crying next to a dead body and no one showed up, not a single soul. I was wrong. I heard footsteps. I was happy someone could help but I should have known those footsteps would be no help because they were from my mom. I turned around to see her smiling and what she said were the most horrendous words I heard, she told me Mariah is as dead as the dead mystery that will soon become. I screamed in her face and I begged her to help Mariah. I demanded her for answers but she looked at me with a confused yet smug face. She said this is what you wanted right? This is the costume you wanted right except it’s not really a costume then she said it’s my job to give you everything and ANYTHING you want. I remembered when I asked her that, was it really my fault? Was I the reason she died? Too many questions and zero answers. Then my mom said don’t think too much about useless things you won’t remember then stabbed me not with the knife but with a chip? -Signing off Esme 2hrs Later... Huh? What am I doing here in the middle of the forest!? What’s my name? Why am I covered in blood... I can’t remember anything like how old I am or my name and even how I got here. I had to find a way back home if only I knew where to go. Wait, I have a backpack on me. What's inside it? There's a pack of cranberries and a juice box, a pen, a diary. Maybe if I read this diary there might be something to help me find my way home. But should I? That’s an invasion of privacy. I wouldn't want anyone to read my diary. No, I must read it. It could give me a clue. 10 minutes later... Is this my diary? Did this actually happen to someone? I have to find whoever I wrote about, first I have to wash off this blood. I think I see a lake nearby. Ew, this smells so bad I just noticed the smell, but more importantly who’s blood is on me? I’m thinking too fast about one problem at a time. First I have to find this woman who is supposedly my mom. I can’t even call her mom. I may have forgotten everything but reading that page covered in my best friend's blood. I think after reading the diary multiple times to try to understand. Well anyways, I think I'm fully cleaned up now. Time to find my mom, let’s go! We're on our way to find- to find- ,well I don’t know what to find yet. I really should stop talking to myself. WAIT! I see my school teacher, my classmates! Finally, someone can help but why are they here? I went to ask them but they said it’s Ronnberry middle school’s field trip day. Oh yeah I totally forgot about the field trip day with everything going on. Then they said but who are you? I snorted and a giggle slipped out. It was the most I've laughed since Mariah’s death. Then they say No but really who are you and why are you laughing? I said c'mon guys we have the same homeroom is this some sort of prank? Wait, is today my birthday and you guys are planning a surprise party? The whole classroom including the teacher had a scared and confused face but mostly confused. I said how could you forget me?! I guess I said it in an angry tone because they said. Please don’t hurt us, we'll pretend we never saw you. Then they left and walked away from me and gave me faces as they left. I gave them one last face, a face that showed hope. Cause I hoped that they would remember me but no matter how hard I tried they didn’t know me they forgot me. But that’s a little suspicious how they all forgot me this had to be the work of my mom. Now I was furious she took all my loved ones away from me and I can’t do anything about it. I walked further into the forest, each step I lost more hope then I thought I should give up then I saw my mom. I looked her straight in her eyes, her beady green eyes and said how did everyone forget me you did something didn’t you! She said yes I did, your missing no one wants you but I still care come home well you have no choice anyways your either coming willingly or i’ll force you. I got scared and I knew he could sense that so I told her I will come willingly and I want no problems. Then she said you won’t be living as comfortably as before now you will live in the basement with a tracker and a chain that extends only up the stairs. I said why would you want to do this to me? She said simple I don’t care about you. I used you as free labor and didn’t have the heart to get rid of you. Then I ended up living in the basement, writing in my diary, and I was given my phone. I contacted everyone I knew and they all blocked me one by one. Mom still fed me but I refused to eat which is why if you come to my house you will feel my spirit. I’m a missing person without a poster without anything but chains around my hands. I died and had no one to care about me. I hope in the future someone will avenge me and let the whole world know about my adventure, my story, my diary. Mom was right, it's all a dead mystery...