After spending five years in a juvenile facility for being accused of murdering her own family, Schuyler Payne comes back to her home town with retribution. She plans to find the truth about her family's death and find the true culprit of the murder. The town's people where shocked to hear her release for she needs to finish her final year in high school. They did not recognize her at first for the "mad girl" came back as a beauty every girl's envy and every guy's dream. Well, except for one, Aram Micheal. The mystery that surrounds him drew Schuylar towards him like magnet. She can't resist him. With the goal of revenge, will Sky be able to reveal the real truth and clear her own name? Or will she retain herself and be the "mad girl" forever? But watch out people, for Schuylar will show everyone who the "mad girl" really is. Copyright

©Cristelle Mae Gille ™ 2014

Text Copyright ©Cristelle Mae Gille ™ 2014

Prologue

I hear whispers from everyone as I walked out of the court room.

    “She killed her family. She didn’t even spare their puppy.”

    “She burned them!”

    “She’s crazy!”

    “She’s a lunatic!”

    “She should be locked up in an asylum!”

    Those people doesn’t know a thing of what really happened. They’re just assuming things and they don’t have any proof. If I could just remember what really happened then I can prove them wrong. Why did I have to forget what really happened in that frightful night. What started the fire that killed my family that I don’t know.

    Everything since I was born, I remember. But that specific moment, I can’t. That’s why I can’t defend myself against the court.

    They are accusing me of murder. They said that I burned my own family and it’s not that I can’t remember what happened in that moment. I just won’t confess what I have done. The judge has arranged to send me to a juvenile facility just outside town. He said that I should spend my remaining years there until I am eighteen.

    Those damn people have no idea.

    Someone must have framed me. Someone who has a grudge against me.

    They must have hated me so much that they are willing to take everything from me. My family, my house, my childhood, my life, my freedom…my sanity.

    I woke up out on our yard the night of the fire. I saw our house burning and heard my family screaming in agony. I started crying. The neighbourhood had already called the ambulance and firemen to put off the fire. They found me laying on the ground crying my heart out. Calling for my family. Then I blacked out.

    The next thing I remember is waking up on a hospital bed with machines connected to my arms. Beeping sounds are heard. Then there was someone standing in front of the door. It was a police man.

    After I have recovered and interrogated by the investigators. They accused me of murdering my own family. And I hate that I can’t remember a thing that has happened. I cursed my unlucky life. Why does this have to happen to me? Millions of people living in this damned world and thing accident happened to me. To me.

    I was an obedient girl. I loved my parents. I loved even my annoying sister. I have straight A’s in class. I don’t skip. I pray. I even have a boyfriend even at thirteen. I loved him too. Jake was his name.

    We were childhood friends and he was our neighbour. Now he looks at me with disgust clear in his face. He was worried about me at first. Visiting me in the hospital, bringing my favourite flower, red roses. But after the judge’s verdict on me was revealed, he avoided me like I was a plague.

    Then there’s my best friend Clarissa.

    I know she really worries about me but her parents forbid her from seeing me when I was held. She too visited me in the hospital at first but due to the judge’s verdict which her parents heard, they told her to stop seeing me anymore. Told her I was a bad influence for her.

    She sent me a letter explaining her situation. She said that she was sorry if she couldn’t see me anymore. At least she said that she still cares for me and worries for my wellbeing. At least she’s not like Jake who abandoned me the moment I was entitled “crazy girl”.

    Now here I am. On my way to the juvenile facility outside town. These five years I will spend in that prison, I will be planning everything I will do when I get back. I swore on my family’s grave before I was taken that I will find whoever did this to us.

    I will show people the truth.

    They called me the “mad girl”.

    Let them wait. The moment I come back is the moment that I will show them what this “mad girl” can do.

”Roses are red..

Violets are blue..

When I get out here..

I’ll be going after you..”

    I looked at the clock for a hundred times. 8:55 am. Five minutes before I will be released.

    I’ve been memorizing poetry since I came here in this facility. I did not have much to do in this damned place anyway. Patience is really not my virtue so five minutes of waiting is really pulling my strings off. I’m a left handed person so being impatient is one of my qualities. Why won’t the clock tick faster?

    I hate this.

    The sound of the room opening is like a choir of angels to my ears. A woman in a suit came in and looked at me. She stared at me for long and finally said, “Are you Miss Schuylar Payne?” she asked.

    I just nod.

    She looked at me again for the second time. She looks like she was contemplating her thoughts well. She was looking at the folder in her hands, then at me.

     “You look different.” She stated.

    “Do I?” I playfully mocked her.

    She did not falter. She looked at her folder again and read something about it for her eyebrows creased together. The woman looked up at me again. “Your file says that you look hollow and dead and that you need to be groomed before you were let out again. But I don’t think that those are necessary.”

    I smiled at her cluelessness and stood up. “And why is that Miss-?”

    “Anderson” she added.

    “Why is that Miss Anderson?”

    She closed the folder and motioned me forward through the door. “Well for starters, you don’t look dead or hollow to me. You are so neat and well groomed. You look pretty enough to even go to a pageant yourself. So you’re all good to me.” She said. “Shall we, Miss Payne?”

    I smiled again at her. This time wider. For she is my key outside the walls of this facility that encaged me for five years. “Gladly.”

    Walking through the boring white walls of St. Mary’s Juvenile Facility out the main gates towards the black car waiting for us with the driver besides the door standing, is like my walk to salvation. I’m finally out. I’m finally free. As we entered the car and started to drive back to the main town, Miss Anderson explained to me the situation I’ll be in when I settle down.

    “Well. Firstly, you’re family has a lot of money left in the bank. They’re all yours now. Your house was burned so we got you an apartment near your school. Just a couple of blocks away. Now, you still don’t have clothes so you need to buy them the moment you settle in. Other household necessities are all bought for you and are arranged in your apartment ready for use. Food are supplied.”

    Good. Now I don’t have to do a lot. Glad to be under government care for some reason.

    She grabbed something inside her briefcase and handed to me. “This is your credit card. All your inherited money are inside. You are already enrolled in your school. All you have to do is attend. Your attendance will be monitored and I will have to check on you in your apartment once a month for supervision and record until you finish high school. And the rest, you are good.”

    Her explanations to me seemed long enough for the car stopped and we have arrives at a tall building which seemed to be decent enough. It has ten floors to it. A guard at the entrance, a park at front and a quiet neighbourhood.

    Miss Anderson stepped out of the car and I followed suite leaving the driver to himself. She started walking toward the building, waved at the guard and proceeds inside the open elevator. She swiped a card on it and we went up. We rode up and stopped at the 8th floor. The doors opened and I was graced with a wide and expensive looking living room.

    “Welcome to your apartment. Well, more than a flat than one. It’s an advantage to be rich isn’t it?” Miss Anderson said.

I gave her a sarcastic smile and sighed. “Yes it does. Glad I am one.”

She scoffed at me and murmured something about filthy rich bastards and proceeded to tour me inside my apartment. As we are now inside the living room facing a wide window which is in reality, just a wall of glass. There’s a couple of couched and a wide screen television hanging on the wall. The kitchen is in the right side of the living room which is full of complete kitchen equipment I will need to survive. There’s a bunch of cabinets full of foods. There are two bedrooms which has their own bathroom but one of them is bigger than the other. The big one, means my room.

After the tour, she handed me the car she swiped earlier at the elevator telling me that that is my apartment key and that I should never lose it at any circumstances. She gave me another her key, “This is your car key. Well, technically, they are your parent’s car but it was left untouched after the accident so they’re yours now. I tested it and it still worked quite well so you won’t have a problem with it.”

I kindly thanked her and grabbed both keys from her hands.

“That we be all Miss Payne. I will leave you to settle down.” She said walking towards the door. But before she went inside the elevator she looked back at me and said, “Good luck. And for you to know. I believed that you were framed and you are innocent at everything.” And then she left.

Taking a deep breath. The breath of freedom. I went inside my room and opened up the cabinets. All are empty except for one drawer that contains the spare bed sheets and towels. I need to go shopping.

But before that, I need to start one thing. And I need to plan.