Shadows Of Betrayal

2025 Write Now Winner - Grades 5 & 6

I looked through the drawers of my mother’s desk, hoping to find something to explain what I had just found. The sound of my dad’s truck roared through my ears as he pulled into the driveway. I quickly slammed the drawers shut. 

I ran to my room after making sure everything was in its place. How could this be happening? My whole life, my parents had been telling me that they were astronauts. 

I was determined to find out the truth. But… what if they found out? What if… what if I was their next victim? I skipped dinner that night. I told them my head hurt and I needed to sleep, but really I was Googling anything that would help me understand why they would keep me in the dark about this. 

Finally, twenty minutes later, I found something.

Monday, October 12, 2015
Bonnie and Karlos Ander are the two prime suspects in the murder of Liam Rossers that happened by poisoned tea in a coffee mug. 

I heard footsteps approaching my door quickly. My mother opened the door. She saw my half closed computer and the look on my face.

“What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously.

“Oh, um, nothing,” I said quickly.

Then I realized she was holding a red coffee mug. 

She saw me looking. “I made you some tea.” She held it up.

I shook my head. 

She rolled her eyes and left.

The next morning, I went to the kitchen. 

“I made you some coffee!” My mom said, handing me the same red coffee mug. My dad shifted a bit to conceal something on the counter. I caught on in an instant, but played it cool. 

“Oh, no thanks… I’m not really thirsty,” I said, putting the mug down on the table. “I’m gonna head to school.” 

I grabbed my bag and got out of there as soon as possible. 

So… My parents are trying to kill me now. And they know I know. 

Betrayal. The word rang in my ears.

My phone dinged in my pocket, scaring me. 

Sleepover tonight? 

My best friend in the whole wide world, Evalina, texted me.

Sure! I texted back.

Evalina… How was I supposed to tell her all this? Oh, hey girl! Oh, by the way, my parents aren’t actually astronauts! They’re killers! Oh, yeah, and they’re trying to kill me now! Isn’t that cool?

I finally got to school and there was Evalina, waiting for me!

“Hey- what’s wrong?” she asked, concerned.

“What? Oh, nothing!” I said, trying to brush it off.

“Okay…” she said, but she still looked suspicious. 

During science, I glanced out the window and saw a creepy guy dressed in all black, staring at me. He saw me looking, grinned eerily, and held something up to his mouth. 

Great, now they’re stalking me, I thought. 

After school, I walked with Evalina to her house. I glanced behind us, looking for cars, but instead I saw another muscular guy following us. 

“Um… who’s that?” Evalina grabbed my hand. 

“I don’t know,” I said quietly. 

So my parents told the other killers that I knew… and now they were all working together to get me. The very thought of it turned my stomach into a knot. 

Suddenly, my phone rang. Unknown number. Evalina’s eyes went wide as I answered it.

“Hello?” My shaky voice answered.

“Alessia?” a familiar voice said. Carter Browns from school?

“Carter?” I asked, surprised.

“Hey, listen. I want to help you. I know what happened.”

“Is that why you were staring at me during science today?”

“Yeah. What street are you on?” he asked.

“Uh- why?”

“Just tell me! What street are you on?” 

I glanced at the sign. “Eighth.”

“Okay. Good. Uh, I don’t have much time. Do you see a dark blue house with a white door?”

“Yeah,” I said. The house was to the left of us.

“I need you to go inside it. And Evalina. If she’s with you, she’s in danger.

“Also, don’t run. You’ll look suspicious. Just walk like normal.”

We went inside the house. “Okay… we’re in.” I whispered into the phone.

“Okay. Take a left then go into the smallest bedroom.” Carter said.

Me and Evalina did as he said. There was Carter, sitting on the bed. I hung up on my phone. 

“How did you know what happened?” was my first question.

“My parents are in the same… thing as yours,” he answered.

“Same what?” Evalina asked.

“You can tell her,” Carter said.

“Killer group. Whatever the heck it’s called,” I said.

“Um… I thought your parents were astronauts,” she said quietly.

“All the kids-me, you, a few others- we were all kidnapped from the victims to be trained to be the next murderers,” Carter said.

“They’ve been lying to me my whole life.” I whispered, looking down at my hands.    

It had only just occurred to me. After all this, would I even have a life? It seemed like the only one I would ever have would be Evalina.

“Carter… what…” I had been about to ask, What happens after all of this, but I decided against it. “What is this place?”

“It used to be Liam Rossers’s.”

“The guy-”

“That your parents killed, yes.”

I sighed and shut my eyes. Maybe tomorrow I would wake up and none of this would have happened. Maybe I could just sleep and all the troubles would go away. 

If none of this happened, what would be going on in my life right now? Would I be happily watching a movie with my parents? Would I be laughing at a slumber party with my friends? Or would I just be reading in my bed?

All of this happened because of a document and betrayal.

Later, me and Evalina were looking around the house. I looked on the dining room table and saw a red coffee mug.