Chapter 114

My brother interjected, "Oh, that's our family photo. You should recognize everyone. Remember, you used to spend time with my sister, right? She..."

Before he could finish, Ann shrieked. Pointing at the photograph, her face was a mask of shock and despair. "Dead… Dead!"

I spun around. If my calculations were correct, she had been abducted a couple of days after I died. Could she have witnessed something?

Excitement surged. Ann might hold the key to this mystery.

"Ann, please, tell us what you saw," I urged, trying to elicit the truth.

The Kennedys turned to her. Ann's mother apologized, "I'm so sorry. She shouldn't have said that. It's bad luck."

My ever-superstitious mother grumbled, "Seriously, what nonsense is this?"

"I'm truly sorry," Ann's mother continued. "She was recently kidnapped, and it's affected her. She seemed better, so we brought her to thank you. We're so sorry."

"It's fine," my mother replied, concealing her annoyance. She still considered Ann bad luck and wished they would leave.

My father stepped forward, his gaze intense. "What do you mean, dead? Who's dead?"

Ann pointed at the photo, repeating, "Dead. Dead…"

"Who died? What did you see?" my father pressed.

As he approached, Ann crouched, clutching her head, trembling. "Don't hit me. I won't run away. I promise…"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kennedy. My daughter is in a terrible state. We'll take her home now. We won't intrude further."

As the Hammonds departed, Ann remained distraught. Frustration gnawed at me; the truth felt so near, yet Ann was not herself, still shaken from her time in Shadowmoor.

Her parents dragged her away. As I watched the swirling snowflakes, I heard her murmuring, "Snow. Dead. Dead." "Kiddo, who died? Stop that scary talk." "Don't worry, Mom and Dad are here; we won't let anything happen to you again."

Watching the family huddled together in the snow filled me with envy. Once, I had a family like that, until Nicole shattered it.

Even in death, I was alone.

I sighed, more convinced than ever that Ann had witnessed something the night I died. If she ever recovered, could she reveal the truth?

Back in the living room, my mother still grumbled, her face a picture of dissatisfaction. "How dare she talk about death on New Year's Day! What a downer. If she's unwell, she should stay home. Don't come out and spoil everyone's celebration."

My father looked somber, staring at the family photo where Ann had stood. He focused on the image of me and Nicole, his voice low. "Who did she say was dead? It couldn't be Amanda, could it?"

"Oh, come on, it's a holiday. Don't say such things. Even if Amanda's a bit erratic, she wouldn't do something like that," my mother interrupted, dismissing him.

My brother attempted to ease the tension. "Yeah, Amanda's always been a bit of a free spirit. She wouldn't do anything drastic. Chase left her at the altar, but would she really go that far?"

My father lost his appetite, sinking into the couch and lighting a cigarette, his eyes fixed on my picture.

Chapter 115