# BEL chapter one

Author: LillyAnne Hart
Tags: Annabel, Dalton, Parents, cheerleader, dead, first, murder

First chapter of my first story, Bel. Please give me feedback, and let me know if I should post the second chapter or not. Thank you! :D

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Annabel, congratulations on becoming cheer captain!" My fellow cheerleaders gathered around me and gave me their best cheer. "Two, Four, Six, Eight, Who do we appreciate?&nbsp; Bel, Bel, Gooo Bel!"&nbsp; They all started clapping.&nbsp; I looked to my right, and the football players were clapping too.&nbsp; This was a great start to my sophomore year of high school.&nbsp; Cheer captain, girlfriend of the quarterback -also the hottest guy in school, and straight A student.&nbsp; Nothing could go wrong.&nbsp; The cheer squad separated into their own little groups, but my three best friends stayed with me.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Bel, you got it all," Emmalyn Chance, my best friend, looked at me with admiration.&nbsp; Her eyes scanned me, but stopped on my white cheer skirt. "Including your lovely gift from mother nature.&nbsp; Well, at least we know Dalton isn't going to be a father."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I looked down at my skirt and saw a little blood stain.&nbsp; "It's not what you think.&nbsp; My mother probably cut her finger pulling it out of the dryer this morning.&nbsp; Speaking of Dalton, have you seen him today?"&nbsp; I looked at all the football players on the field and couldn't see him.&nbsp; Dalton Anderson was my boyfriend.&nbsp; Every girl wanted him, but I was lucky enough to grab his attention.&nbsp; Seven months, four days, nine hours, and fifty six minutes was how long we had been together.&nbsp; And no, I was not the typical cheerleader who would accidentally end up pregnant before senior year.&nbsp; My friends just loved to tease me.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Of course I have seen Dalton.&nbsp; I never take my eyes off him."&nbsp; I followed her gaze to the bleachers where Dalton was putting a bandage on his ankle.&nbsp; He had sprained it the day before at practice and had to stay off it until it healed.&nbsp; Usually he would break the rules and run on it anyway, but for some reason, he didn't this time.&nbsp; "Sorry Bel, but he is just too hot.&nbsp; You're lucky Chad and I are so happy, or I would steal him away from you."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "You know you wouldn't do that to me.&nbsp; You love me too much!"&nbsp; My tone was playful, but it had a hint of worry.&nbsp; Emmalyn was a pretty girl.&nbsp; She could have any guy she wanted.&nbsp; If she wanted Dalton enough, it would be only a matter of time.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "How do you think I got Chad away from Sarah?&nbsp; The secret is in the perfume.&nbsp; Guys love a girl that smells good.&nbsp; If Dalton got close enough to sniff me, he would be mine.&nbsp; But you are right; I could never do that to you.&nbsp; We are too much like sisters."&nbsp; Not once did she take her eyes off him.&nbsp; I cleared my throat, and she looked away.&nbsp; My two other best friends, Grace Miller and Kaylee Ray moved into her line of vision, blocking her view.&nbsp; I loved my friends.&nbsp; I loved Emmalyn, but I didn't fully trust her.&nbsp; Especially not with Dalton.&nbsp; She has a history of stealing her friends' boyfriends.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The school bell rang, and we all headed to our first class.&nbsp; I walked over to the bleachers to help Dalton to his class.&nbsp; He had Trig first, and I had Choir.&nbsp; They were in different buildings, but I didn't mind being late.&nbsp; Besides, the choir teacher was always late.&nbsp; She never noticed.&nbsp; We hobbled down the hallways and to the elevator.&nbsp; His arm was around me and he was leaning on me.&nbsp; I had never noticed just how good he smelled.&nbsp; His scent was like something I had never smelled before.&nbsp; I could smell it for hours.&nbsp; The elevator made its _ding_ sound, pulling me out of my mini trance.&nbsp; I gave him a light kiss on the cheek and sent him off to class.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My classes were boring, as usual.&nbsp; Nothing that happened really stood out as new or exciting.&nbsp; In Choir, we sang our rehearsed songs.&nbsp; In Geometry, we compared triangles.&nbsp; In English, we read short stories.&nbsp; In Study Hall, I did my math homework.&nbsp; There was nothing out of the ordinary.&nbsp; It was just a normal Friday.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The bus ride home seemed longer than usual.&nbsp; For some odd reason, I had a bad feeling in my stomach.&nbsp; It was like I had butterflies, but they were trying to warn me of something.&nbsp; Something bad was going to happen, I knew it.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The bus dropped me off at my house.&nbsp; I walked up the steps to my front door.&nbsp; I was about to grab the handle and walk in, but my cell phone rang.&nbsp; It was Dalton.&nbsp; I answered.&nbsp; "Hey baby.&nbsp; What's up?"

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I can't make it to our date tomorrow.&nbsp; My mom wants me to stay home and do chores.&nbsp; Boring right?&nbsp; Sorry Bel.&nbsp; Maybe I'll take you out next weekend.&nbsp; I got to go, my mom's calling me.&nbsp; Bye baby, I love you."

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Love you too."&nbsp; I hung up.&nbsp; We had planned to go to dinner and a movie, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen.&nbsp; Oh well, I thought.&nbsp; He shouldn't be doing chores with his ankle the way it was, but he was probably going to do chores that don't involve much stress on his legs.&nbsp;

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I opened the front door and walked in.&nbsp; The house smelled horrible.&nbsp; The stench was so bad, my eyes started watering and my fingers instantly flew up to my face to cover my nose.&nbsp; It was a stench I had never smelled before.&nbsp; Something really bad had happened, and the mess was somewhere in the house, still waiting to be cleaned up.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On the floor right in front of me in the walkway was a crumpled up piece of paper.&nbsp; It was a letter to me from my mom.

**Annabel Lane Bronson,**

**&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I do not appreciate the way you spoke to me last night.&nbsp; As your mother, I demand respect.&nbsp; Is this the way you treat your friends?&nbsp; I am surprised they all stand by you the way that they do.&nbsp; I find your lack of respect an insult to my parenting, and I will not have it.&nbsp; You are sixteen now; you should know better.&nbsp; I am grounding you from cheerleading until you learn how to treat me.**

**&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; -Mom**

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I had no idea what she was talking about.&nbsp; I hadn't ever talked badly to my mother, and I had never seen this letter before.&nbsp; I moved my hand a little to the left, and under it was a bloody thumb-print.&nbsp; It looked almost exactly like the blood stain on my cheer skirt.&nbsp; There had to be an explanation for this.&nbsp; I had earlier thought that the blood came from a cut on my mom's finger when she grabbed my skirt from the dryer machine.&nbsp; I decided to check.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I put my backpack down on the floor and made my way down a hallway to my laundry room, but something caught my eye as I passed the kitchen.&nbsp; A tall ladder was propped against the wall.&nbsp; My parents always told me that the ladder was to never leave the garage.&nbsp; It was too dirty to be in the house.&nbsp; I wondered why it was inside.&nbsp; _Well_ I thought _Mom and dad will be home in a few minutes, so I had better get it out of here before they see it._ I walked into the kitchen, but something hit the top of my head.&nbsp; I reached my hand into my hair, and it was wet.&nbsp; I looked at my hand, and I didn't like what I saw.&nbsp; Gooey red liquid was smeared across my fingers.&nbsp; It was blood.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I was scared to look up, and I was right to be.&nbsp; Resting on the wooden rails that stretched along my tall kitchen ceiling was the bloody bodies of my mother and father.&nbsp; I couldn't believe my eyes, which were now overflowing with tears.&nbsp; They both had two identical knife wounds, one in the upper stomach and one on the left leg.&nbsp; The blood seeped through their clothes, making the visuals worse.&nbsp; The smell was absolutely dreadful in this room.&nbsp; Words cannot describe the excruciating pain my nose was in, but it was nothing in comparison to the pain I felt in my heart.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I couldn't imagine anybody who would want to kill them.&nbsp; My mother and father were good, kind people who had no enemies.&nbsp; They never fought with anybody.&nbsp; And I could tell that the letter had something to do with this.&nbsp; I just wondered what it meant.

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/Wel5rw5m