Alexis Night "Animal I Have Become"

While Lexi and Blake head off to school, Serenity and Kassie are still talking with Chris. “Chris, there’s got to be something you’re not telling us.” There was fear in all of their eyes as Serenity spoke. “Most of the time when someone kill someone,” she swallows her fear loudly. “Most of the time, its 25 years to life.” Serenity doesn’t even lok near Chris’ eyes. Both girls are afraid of the outcome. Maybe Chris didn’t even get put in jail. Was she a…”1

“To answer all your little random thoughts in your head, yes I went to jail. I’m not some convict.” Chris chuckles a nervous laugh. How is she supposed to tell them? “Umm you guys, there actually is something I’m not telling you.” Serenity and Kassie’s heads shoot up in unison. They look directly in her eyes as she speaks. When she does speak however, her words become so soft it’s like she’s speaking to a sleeping child. “Something went down that night. Something happened, but the truth is, I didn’t do it.”2

Confusion overcomes the girls when they hear what she has told. “But Chris, that doesn’t make any sense.” Kassie stunned and tries to recall everything that happened that night. The replays of the stabbing wash over her just like it was happening again. Kassie looks over at Serenity with a look of fear and disbelief in her eyes. She whispers softly, “She didn’t do it.” She repeats, “She didn’t do it, Serenity.”3

“What do you mean damn it? We all saw Stacey get stabbed, and we all saw Chris do it!” She’s practically screaming now. Looking over at Chris, tears start to build up in her eyes, but she tries holding them back. That night flashes back into her mind. Every detail comes back harder and more distinct. Chris didn’t kill Stacey.4

Chris looks into Serenity’s eyes, “I didn’t kill her, Serenity. She stabbed herself.” Even in those few words stun her. She feels that she needs to continue. “When I told her not to take friendship personal, she whispered in my ear that she didn’t and wouldn’t anymore.” Chris started to become uneasy. “Stacey placed her hands over mine, the switchblade slipped through my hands, and she killed herself.” Serenity’s face became washed out like she just saw a ghost.5

While Serenity tries to cope with what has just been said, she glances over at Kassie. She has curled up on the couch and fell asleep. “I’ll put a blanket over her,” whispers Serenity. Chris hands her the blanket next to her and slowly stands up. “Look, we both need to head to school.” Glancing at the TV’s clock, she notices they just missed first period and part of second. After leaving a note for Kassie telling them they went to school, they headed out the door.6

A few hours passed when Kassie finally wakes up. She checks the time then finds the note left for her. Not worried about when they’ll be coming back from school, Kassie searches the house for a secret stash of cocaine. She tears through the house like a lion on the hunt for its dinner. The house is flipped upside-down by the time she reaches Serenity’s room. Kassie frantically searches the untouched bedroom. Finally finding the stash of cocaine in the nightstand by the bed, Kassie pulls the baggy out slowly like she just found gold.7

By the time Serenity gets back home from school, Kassie is flying high. Not just the typical high you get from one line, no, Kassie snorted the whole baggy. Serenity walks into her bedroom to find her room trashed, Kassie trashed and passed out on her bed, and blood dripping from Kassie wrists. “Kassie, what the fuck?!” she screams outraged and very frightened. 8

Mumbling something Serenity can’t understand, Kassie tries to wake up, but can’t seem to get herself to it. She picks Kassie up and throws in the shower, cold water on full blast. Serenity slips off Kassie’s shirt as she falls to the floor. “Help me, believe it’s not the real me,” she quietly mumbles out. Water is falling on her as she falls in and out of consciousness. “Help me,” is that escapes her mouth for the next 30 minutes.9

When Kassie has exited the shower and put clean, dry clothes on, they bandage up her arm and sit together on the couch watching TV. “Kassie, you have to stop this.” Neither one of them look at each other. “I’m serious Kass; I’m not going to lose another friend to drugs and suicide.” In the corner of her eye, she sees her head nod up and down. “I know what we just found out was shocking and unbelievable, but we have to stay strong. Stacey would’ve wanted us to be strong and not get into this again.” 10

“Damn it, Serenity! We all get into things we shouldn’t!” She’s screaming now and it startles Serenity at first. “All of us, and I mean everyone of us has done something that would tick off Stace, but guess what. Stacey did every damn thing we did. We looked up to her, and wanted to be like her ya know?” Kassie takes her eyes off Serenity and focuses her attention back to the television. 11

“Kassie,” she chokes on her words.12

“Ya know what, Serenity?” their eyes meet and fire is in one. “Save it, I’m done with this shit. I know you, I know how you act. You do a line, and you’re done for the night. Yeah right! I’ve seen you go into the bedroom at night and do a few more lines. So what if I had a problem, you do too. We all need Stacey back, but damn it we’re not getting her back!” and with that Kassie left the house. 13

That night, nobody saw her. Nobody looked for her. For one week, things went fine. Everyone thought she just found another dealer and joined that gang. What nobody knew except for Lexi, she was in the hospital on her death bed. Not even the doctors knew if she would survive. Lexi is in the hospital chair next to Kassie’s helpless body. Studying her without saying a word, she notices words carved into her arms.14

“Help me,” escapes her mouth as the doctor walks in.15

“Excuse me?” Doctor Watson overheard Lexi. “What do you need help with ma’am?”16

“Did anyone notice the call for help on her arms?” Doctor Watson didn’t say anything. She knew she would get in trouble for what she was about to do. Since Lexi was family of Kassie’s, Watson decided it was somewhat safe.17

“Since you’re family, you are allowed to look at most of these files, but not them all. I am allowing you to see these.” Doctor Watson left the room to leave Kassie asleep on her bed, and Lexi with the files that explains Kassie’s behavior. Lexi thinks it’s rather funny how the doctor bought the family story.18

As soon as Lexi reads the first page, she finds out so many things about Kass. She was more suicidal than anyone thought, she was in counseling but refused to get medicine, and the most shocking news ever. “Kassie Elizabeth Night?!” The files drop onto the floor, and the loud drop woke up Kassie. She looks over at the moving body on the bed. “Kassie?” She makes a noise to let her know she’s listening but in pain. “Why didn’t you tell me?”19

In pain she lets out, “Tell you what, Lex?” barely opening her eyes she sees files on the floor. “You know those are confidential babe.” Alexis scoots the chair closer to the bed. 20

“Why didn’t you ever tell me you were my sister?” A tear tries to escape her eyes, but Lexi stays strong and fights it back.21

“Alexis, we have different mom’s. I’ve known my whole life that you were my sister. Why do you think Dad left your mom? Martha found out right after you were born that Dad was cheating on her.” She rolls over and lets out a gasp of pain. “We’ve been friends since we were little.” Kassie laughs out a little pain, “Mom thought you’d find out and all hell would break loose.” Lexi takes Kassie’s hand and gently squeezes. 22

“I’ll get you help. I’m not losing my girlfriend and my sister all in one year.” Lexi can’t be strong anymore, tears are falling out of her eyes as she holds onto dear life. Soon enough they both are crying. An hour passes and Kassie is asleep, facing the wall. Alexis falls asleep in the chair, then after some time, Lexi hears the beeping. She then hears the gasping of Kassie trying to breathe. Running to the door, Lexi screams for help, “Somebody help! She can’t breathe!” Nurses and doctors run into the room and as they do, they push Lexi out.