Okay... I'll admit it. I had NO inspiration at all. That's why I took so long to update. Sorry! Anyway, thanks for bearing with me, guys. And by the way, from this chapter until the end, I'm going to be focusing more on Finn's life instead of Annie's. (:

Theme 11: Blood

Finn looked up at the clock. He sighed in relief; it was nearly time to go home. "Finally," he muttered to himself. "Ten more minutes." Just as he was about to pass out and subtly sleep away the last ten minutes of the day, he heard a light tapping on the door.

Ms. Something, whose name Finn just cannot remember, opened the door then closed it. She looked at Finn. "Finn, your mother's here."

Finn's heart raced as he slowly strode to the door. What did I do? he thought. He quickly made a list of the not-so-nice things he did that week. "Mom?" he asked as he closed the door behind him. "What happened?"

Annie looked like she had been crying. "She's dead," she whispered. "Johanna… she was…" Finn hugged his mother as she began sobbing hysterically. "Murdered."

Finn's heart stopped cold. "What did you say?"

"I-I…" Clair sobbed. "I was with Mom, and it just… happened. We were about to pass a certain alley as a shortcut to school. The alley… it was dark and it smelled of smoke. Just as we were about to leave and use another shortcut, a guy stepped forward."

"Oh, Clair," said Annie sympathetically.

"That guy… he had a gun on him." Clair wiped her eyes, trying to stop the tears. But they kept on coming, so she decided to give up. "He held it up and…" Clair shut her eyes tightly as the scene played itself in her mind. Suddenly, she felt nauseous. Clair opened her eyes and saw Finn's concerned face.

"Are you feeling okay, Clair? You look sick," Annie said. She turned to Finn. "Finn, please get her a glass of water." Finn nodded and left.

"I heard a gunshot," Clair whispered. "I felt something wet on my dress… and I guess I fainted after. W-When I woke up… Mom's body was right in front of me. And blood… all that blood…"