Nothing But A Memory
written by Melody Yuan
"Over the past year, I have learned that happiness is always a choice. You either choose to be happy or you choose not to." Sophia Collins has never been a particularly "important" person, due to her shyness and nerd-like looks and actions. So when her parents are murdered in a house fire and everything close to her slowly crumbles, she's left in shock. Sophia wants everything to be back to normal that's impossible. She creates a promise, that she wants to find out who murdered her parents; even if everyone else thinks it was an accident. However, on her way there, she uncovers many clues to her family history that she never knew.
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
3
Reads
554
Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Sophia Collins stared in shock as her beautiful house exploded in hot, unquenchable, earth-scorching flames. Just looking at it, she already knew there would be no survivors. As the black-haired girl snapped herself out of her shock, Sophia grabbed the house's hose and started trying desperately to get the cold clean water out. It didn't work. Nothing came out except a small sputter of smoke. No! She thought. The fire must be stopping it somehow! As Sophia fought desperately with the hose, begging it to spray a stream of water, the beautiful white house had been burned all the way down. When she finally looked up, tears streamed down her face and choked her until she couldn't talk anymore, not that she wanted to anyways. Her long black hair covered her face and was covered in snot and tears, but right now Sophia really didn't care. She couldn't believe it and while she wasn't still in shock, she couldn't bring herself to look away from the destruction. Her mother, her father, her unborn sister! They were all dead, killed by fire; the family's favorite thing in the cold Alaska where they lived.
Suddenly, something warm and heavy hit the grieving girl in the back and caused her to double over in pain. She slowly turned around in pain and grabbed it. Sophia stared at the thing in her hands. It was a glowing staff. It was as long as her arm and the tip was burning hot to the touch, the tip shaped like a flame. Then, out of curiosity, very carefully, Sophia touched the tip to a tree. The tree burst into flame and nearly melted the girl, had she not stepped back. She screamed, staring at the tree as the fire burned out. As Sophia stared at it only one word was in her mind. Murdered. Someone murdered them. Not died. Murdered. Sophia felt a light glare on her face and looked up. The sun was coming out from behind a cloud. She laughed bitterly as she thought of how unfair that was. The sun decided to show its face when someone's world was destroyed. How wonderful. She thought.
She was snapped out of her thoughts (yet again) when a blood-curdling scream filled the air. Sophia followed in the direction, accidently forgetting the staff behind, she heard the scream come from, which was pretty far away. What she saw made her hand come up to her mouth. It was her best friend, Brook, with a knife sticking out of her chest and a dark figure holding onto the knife. No! How? My parents just died! How can she die too? She was standing and gave a pained look before falling down, which is when the dark shadow ran away. Sophia kneeled down by her and heard Brook gasp. "Ow." Sophia looked down, surprised. "You're alive?" "That's your comment? How about you go call an ambulance or something?" Brook glared at her but then gasped in pain, clutching her stomach. The black-haired girl took a deep breath and grabbed the knife sticking out of Brook's stomach. "Ow!" Brook gasped as blood spurted from the wound. Anger filled her mind, what right did the murderer have to try and kill her best friend? Sophia vowed, "I will find you and make you pay for what you have done." Suddenly, a sob escaped her. She couldn't believe her family was dead.
"Hello? Are you going to call the ambulance or are you going to sit there, cry, and watch me die?" Brook said, not even a trace of sympathy on her face. "What? I... I don't have a phone!" "I do! It's in my pocket!" "We can't! They'll think that we burned down my house." "So, you'd rather your best friend die than you are called guilty? You're so selfish."
Suddenly, the two girls heard a siren wailing in the distance. Oh, no. The grieving girl froze, but Brook just looked relieved. If they found Sophia, they would probably accuse her of setting the house on fire and injuring Brook. As the sirens approached, she turned on her heel and ran, leaving Brook behind with a hurt look on her face. Five minutes later, she found herself in a police car and Brook was in an ambulance getting her treatment. She couldn't run that fast. Or long. "Are you sure you know nothing about the deaths," The police woman started asking. "Murder." Sophia insisted. "Now, honey, it wasn't a murder. There was no evidence, no signs, it was a tragic accident." She said sweetly. "Yes it was! It was focused on my parents and my sister!" "You didn't have a sister." "She wasn't born yet! She was going to be named Jessica!" Sophia was crying openly, and as much as she wanted to wipe them away, she couldn't.
She looked uncomfortable and probably thought the poor girl was going insane. "I'm very sorry that this has happened to you." She smiled, but anyone could tell it was fake. "No, you're not! You don't care!" Sophia cried, tears running down her face. "Honey-" There was a knock on the door, interrupting the police officer. "Yes?" The door opened and another police walked in and gave Officer Dawson, she said that was her name earlier, a thin folder filled with papers. He then left the room, giving Sophia a cold look that made her shudder. Officer Dawson flipped through them and stopped at a page, shocked. "What? Is that my file? What happened?" Sophia asked desperately. "Did anyone survive?"
Officer Dawson's shocked look disappeared as soon as it came. She covered it up with a calm smile and asked, "You're in eighth grade, correct?" Sophia's mouth dropped. Out of all the questions she could have asked, she chose that?! "Yes." She answered carefully. "Still, what happened? Did you find out who did it?" She asked frantically. Officer Dawson found another page that obviously made her satisfied. "You are going to go to a boarding school for orphans," Sophia winced at this word. "That will give you an excellent education. You will leave tomorrow."
"Do I have to? I don't want to! What about the funeral? Don't I have relatives that could take me in?" Dawson's smile wilted a tiny bit, scaring Sophia. "What? What happened? Tell me!" " You'll be able to go to the funeral and I'm sorry, honey, but it seems that all of them have denied the chance to adopt you. "What?" Sophia's eyes widened, thinking she had heard wrong. "Are... are you sure?" "I'm sorry, darling. We don't know wh..." She trailed off, seeing tears start flowing down Sophia's face. "N...no!" Sophia screamed.
"I'm sorry." "Quit saying that!" Sophia snapped, her patience cracking. She looked out the window, seeing that the stars were already coming out and the sky was darkening. She sighed sadly and asked, "Can I go to bed now?" Officer Dawson smiled sympathetically and said, "Yes, you've had a long day." Sophia trudged to her room that had been showed to her earlier. It had a plain white bed, blue curtains, and a red desk that immediately reminded her of the fire. She promptly burst into tears at the sight of it, and flopped onto her bed. She closed her eyes but was plagued by images of her parents slowly burning. Sophia shook her head and somehow managed to fall into a restless sleep.
Suddenly, something warm and heavy hit the grieving girl in the back and caused her to double over in pain. She slowly turned around in pain and grabbed it. Sophia stared at the thing in her hands. It was a glowing staff. It was as long as her arm and the tip was burning hot to the touch, the tip shaped like a flame. Then, out of curiosity, very carefully, Sophia touched the tip to a tree. The tree burst into flame and nearly melted the girl, had she not stepped back. She screamed, staring at the tree as the fire burned out. As Sophia stared at it only one word was in her mind. Murdered. Someone murdered them. Not died. Murdered. Sophia felt a light glare on her face and looked up. The sun was coming out from behind a cloud. She laughed bitterly as she thought of how unfair that was. The sun decided to show its face when someone's world was destroyed. How wonderful. She thought.
She was snapped out of her thoughts (yet again) when a blood-curdling scream filled the air. Sophia followed in the direction, accidently forgetting the staff behind, she heard the scream come from, which was pretty far away. What she saw made her hand come up to her mouth. It was her best friend, Brook, with a knife sticking out of her chest and a dark figure holding onto the knife. No! How? My parents just died! How can she die too? She was standing and gave a pained look before falling down, which is when the dark shadow ran away. Sophia kneeled down by her and heard Brook gasp. "Ow." Sophia looked down, surprised. "You're alive?" "That's your comment? How about you go call an ambulance or something?" Brook glared at her but then gasped in pain, clutching her stomach. The black-haired girl took a deep breath and grabbed the knife sticking out of Brook's stomach. "Ow!" Brook gasped as blood spurted from the wound. Anger filled her mind, what right did the murderer have to try and kill her best friend? Sophia vowed, "I will find you and make you pay for what you have done." Suddenly, a sob escaped her. She couldn't believe her family was dead.
"Hello? Are you going to call the ambulance or are you going to sit there, cry, and watch me die?" Brook said, not even a trace of sympathy on her face. "What? I... I don't have a phone!" "I do! It's in my pocket!" "We can't! They'll think that we burned down my house." "So, you'd rather your best friend die than you are called guilty? You're so selfish."
Suddenly, the two girls heard a siren wailing in the distance. Oh, no. The grieving girl froze, but Brook just looked relieved. If they found Sophia, they would probably accuse her of setting the house on fire and injuring Brook. As the sirens approached, she turned on her heel and ran, leaving Brook behind with a hurt look on her face. Five minutes later, she found herself in a police car and Brook was in an ambulance getting her treatment. She couldn't run that fast. Or long. "Are you sure you know nothing about the deaths," The police woman started asking. "Murder." Sophia insisted. "Now, honey, it wasn't a murder. There was no evidence, no signs, it was a tragic accident." She said sweetly. "Yes it was! It was focused on my parents and my sister!" "You didn't have a sister." "She wasn't born yet! She was going to be named Jessica!" Sophia was crying openly, and as much as she wanted to wipe them away, she couldn't.
She looked uncomfortable and probably thought the poor girl was going insane. "I'm very sorry that this has happened to you." She smiled, but anyone could tell it was fake. "No, you're not! You don't care!" Sophia cried, tears running down her face. "Honey-" There was a knock on the door, interrupting the police officer. "Yes?" The door opened and another police walked in and gave Officer Dawson, she said that was her name earlier, a thin folder filled with papers. He then left the room, giving Sophia a cold look that made her shudder. Officer Dawson flipped through them and stopped at a page, shocked. "What? Is that my file? What happened?" Sophia asked desperately. "Did anyone survive?"
Officer Dawson's shocked look disappeared as soon as it came. She covered it up with a calm smile and asked, "You're in eighth grade, correct?" Sophia's mouth dropped. Out of all the questions she could have asked, she chose that?! "Yes." She answered carefully. "Still, what happened? Did you find out who did it?" She asked frantically. Officer Dawson found another page that obviously made her satisfied. "You are going to go to a boarding school for orphans," Sophia winced at this word. "That will give you an excellent education. You will leave tomorrow."
"Do I have to? I don't want to! What about the funeral? Don't I have relatives that could take me in?" Dawson's smile wilted a tiny bit, scaring Sophia. "What? What happened? Tell me!" " You'll be able to go to the funeral and I'm sorry, honey, but it seems that all of them have denied the chance to adopt you. "What?" Sophia's eyes widened, thinking she had heard wrong. "Are... are you sure?" "I'm sorry, darling. We don't know wh..." She trailed off, seeing tears start flowing down Sophia's face. "N...no!" Sophia screamed.
"I'm sorry." "Quit saying that!" Sophia snapped, her patience cracking. She looked out the window, seeing that the stars were already coming out and the sky was darkening. She sighed sadly and asked, "Can I go to bed now?" Officer Dawson smiled sympathetically and said, "Yes, you've had a long day." Sophia trudged to her room that had been showed to her earlier. It had a plain white bed, blue curtains, and a red desk that immediately reminded her of the fire. She promptly burst into tears at the sight of it, and flopped onto her bed. She closed her eyes but was plagued by images of her parents slowly burning. Sophia shook her head and somehow managed to fall into a restless sleep.
