Ava: After killing Justice   It goes on to say she’s a resident of the elite Circle so I backtrack, wondering why they’d state that in the registry, but then I notice the familiar colours of the national news station and almost let go of the device. Justice’s story has made national news and to escalate it further, the police are going to treat it as a murder investigation. All talks of runaway Justice are going to cease now, and so my time to find out who’s behind this has dwindled.   The sound of mum reprimanding my sister bleeds out of the room and there’s only me and the nightmarish news staring back at me. Wordlessly, I place it on the counter with a loud thud, which is unintentional, but Asia springs at me and snatches it away.   “My God. I know you’re upset about the news but no need to break my iPad.”   “Oh honey,” Mum says and rounds the kitchen island to read it too. “Poor Justice. I can’t

Ava: After killing Justice   For a fleeting moment, I can tell she believes me, but she glances back at whatever text message she read earlier and the mistrust resurfaces. “Winona Cho just texted me, asking if I knew Victor was cheating on Justice with you. She says you were out with him the night Justice disappeared.”   “She’s lying.” For once, that’s the truth. She’s lying. I helped him back up that lie so he wouldn’t end up in jail because I’m ashamedly the stupid lovesick fool who hasn’t yet clarified if he was really at the arcade that night. That’s one thing about truths, it’s hidden behind layers of lies which only makes it much more tenuous to find.   “Her dad is the chief of police,” she explains.   “Isn’t he not supposed to discuss the case with his family?” I deflect, “someone should really call him out on it. It’s unprofessional.”   “Unbelievable,” she mutters under h

Ava: After killing Justice   Victor or me.   A choice that was more than Justice ever gave me. She didn’t deserve either of us, but she was keeping us hostage like dolls, always pulling the strings, always blending the truth with her lies. We could only get out if she opened the door or if we could see past the darkness she brought. She was the only light source we could see, always blotting out the other lights, pulling us into her gravitational field because she believed she was the centre of everything. Don’t believe me? Ask Odette. Oh wait, you can’t because she’s dead. Justice made sure of it. Just like she made sure I came out as a drunken fool when I proposed she choose between her best friend and her boyfriend.   With Odette, the choice was clear. In Justice’s eyes, she became a liability. A thorn in her side she needed to pluck out.   It was five months ago at our midnight rendezvous in the

Ava: After killing Justice He shrugs. “Nothing. It’s just been a while since you texted me for a ride. I bet if Justice was here you wouldn’t have.” I filter out the mild disappointment in his tone and hold on to it, hoping it’s real. Or maybe I heard wrong and it’s just wishful thinking on my part. Again. You’d think I would’ve learnt my lesson by now from that night out in the arcade. It’s my turn to choose: Victor or Justice. It isn’t a hard choice to make because, after everything that happened on Friday, I owe Justice a lot. Victor pulls out of the driveway, looking through the rear mirror to navigate the curve. Without looking my way, he asks, “Are we picking Cece up? From what I remember, she also doesn’t own a car.” “I think she’d rather die than breathe the same air as me,” I say stiffly, annoyed that I’ve someh

Ava: After killing Justice   Then my breath catches when a picture of Justice and I on the sand, arms wrapped around each other, backs hunched because we were shivering from the cold that was setting in. My eyes are fixed on Justice, frozen in time, forever eighteen. Victor took the pictures and I feel him stiffen beside me. Her laughter haunts me. The image of her shoving me deeper into the salty water and of her kissing Victor as I tried to dunk her too. I remember how she pulled away from him and hugged us both, shouting in our ears. “I’ve got my two most favourite humans in the entire world with me. We’ll always be together.”   I remember how naïve we were. How stupid. How we had to grow up faster than humanly possible. Things changed when Odette came to The Circle. My train of thoughts comes crashing to a halt when I feel Victor trace the scar on my right hand.   The light tracing of his finger over the scar sends a