Kenhardt - Secrets 17

‘When you first heard the news…you thought she jumped?’ ‘I didn’t know what to think. My sister and her two friends found dead outside of the school? Fell off the roof of the building? Everyone was saying they jumped. It wasn’t even a question of murder or not. How can people just conclude a situation without even knowing the full story?’ ‘The people here aren’t used to death,’ Joe said. ‘They feel more comfortable with the idea of suicide. It’s less scary.’ Chloe nodded her head. ‘It just doesn’t make sense. If Anya was depressed or suicidal, why wouldn’t she tell me? And why would Haddie and Kiera jump as well? There must have been something going on. Something only the three of them knew.’ Joe thought back to his conversation with Oliver Harris. He too said he noticed a behaviour change in Haddie, back in February. Then he started seeing Kiera Barnes the following month. Could something have happened back then? Something drastic and monumental that altered all of the girls in one way or another? ‘What did Anya want to do when she finished high school?’ Joe asked suddenly. Chloe was caught off guard by the question. ‘Um,’ she adjusted in her chair, sitting up straighter. ‘She wanted to be a photographer. Or a journalist. She loved that kind of stuff. She was always so artsy and unique. I never understood why she hung out with those girls.’ ‘Haddie and Kiera?’ ‘Yeag. Don’t get me wrong. I grew to love those girls like sisters. But the three of them were so different. First you have Haddie, who is the majestic butterfly of a human being. She’s extroverted, popular, beautiful. So full of confidence and life. Then There’s Kiera, who’s sort of like Haddie, but not. She’s like Haddie’s shadow, almost. But Kiera had her own traits too. She was daring and brave. Bold and quirky. She always spoke so fast and was full of energy. Everyone had trouble keeping up with that girl. And then you had my sister. Quiet, peaceful little Anya. She was an introvert, loved her alone time. But she also loved spending time with those two. They did everything together. She spent more time with them than she did with me. And I always felt like Anya was sort of like an outcast who accidentaly got pulled into their loop. Like their friendship happened serendipitously. They met when they were young, so they grew together. But who they became - who they were when they were on that rooftop on Tuesday - I don’t know how the three of them maintained it.’ ‘Maintained what?’ Joe asked. ‘Their friendship.’ Chloe led Joe down to the basement. It was finished, with drywall and carpeted floors. She opened the door to a room and walked inside. Joe followed. It looked to be a spare room of sorts. Or a lounge room. There was a bed made up against the far wall, bean bag chairs on the floor, stacks of paper, paintbrushes, and art materials. A pink mirror propped against the wall. ‘This was Anya’s creative space,’ Chloe explained. ‘Before my parents divorced, it was a spare room. But once all of my mom’s things were cleared from the house, this room kind of became Anya’s. She would come down here to get away. To just be alone and let her creative juices flow.’ They both looked around the room. ‘Why are you showing me this?’ Joe asked. ‘Because,’ Chloe said, walking towards the far wall where the bed was. ‘I was down here a few weeks ago, trying to tidy up the place,’ Chloe knelt down to the floor and reached underneath the bed. She pulled out a cardboard box. ‘When I found this,’ she lifted off the lid and pulled out a small, zip - lock baggy. Joe took a step closer to get a better look, but he didn’t need to. The bag’s contents were obvious. It was marijuana. ‘You’re saying that belonged to Anya?’ he asked. Chloe nodded. ‘I told you , I suspected she was hanging around with a new group of people. Maybe they were druggies.’ Joe reached forward and Chloe handed him the bag. ‘Marijuana is hardly anything to be worried over,’ he said. ‘But I’m going to have to take this.’ She nodded. ‘I know. I just thought I’d show you. So now you know.’ Joe examined the zip - lock bag, then surveyed the room once again. Anya’s space. The place Anya came to be Anya, ‘Now I know,’ he said. So Haddie was pregnant, Kiera was seeing Haddie’s boyfriend and Anya was smoking weed. Guess it’s true when they say there’s more than meets the Eye….