Who is she? 

 Zena kept circling back to her unknown cousin. Who was unlucky enough to have Theodore Pettigrew for a father? Annamarie was their ghost, and her daughter was their unapproved guest for months before they moved in.

Papa Juan couldn't quit apologizing for keeping the secret of Theodore's death. He knew about the gunshot. Dad arranged therapy for him, making sure he was driven into Concord once a week for as long as it took for him to deal with the trauma. Mama Rosa wept easily but continued to run the house with an iron fist. How had she ever wondered if they were okay people? They didn't have children, but she was starting to think of them like grandparents. Dad's parents had passed away years ago, and her grandmother Pettigrew was a murder victim. She was sure of it now.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask Uncle Theodore, and he was gone too. Who had pulled the trigger on him? Mama Rosa confessed to hearing a gunshot but thinking nothing of it. Theodore's death was pinpointed to the fourth of July. During the annual town fireworks display. No one had noticed the pistol shot, even though there were spectators all over the hillside below the mansion.

Aunt Deanne finally tracked down Anya's mother. She remembered their conversation after school was out. When Lace didn't have a practice and she didn't have dance class, they would hangout at the law office.

"You two will have to forgive Anya for being a bully. Her mother is a bitch!"

Lacey's eyes bugged out. "Whoa, Mom. I've never heard you use that word about anyone. You get pissed at me when I swear. What happened?"

"When I asked her why she allows Anya to stalk you and Zee, she tells me she doesn't see a problem. If you don't like it move." Deanne was pacing up and down the short hall between reception and the kitchen.

"Her idea of good behavior isn't even in the realm of decent. She says Anya has every right to anything you two have, and she should take it if she wants it. There's no harm in going after your dreams."

"Well that's a reasonable statement," Zee said, "but I get the feeling it was the way she said it that makes the difference."

"I was watching the employees at Mario's. We've never been in there over the lunch rush. She's mean. She yells at them for honest mistakes. She takes the tips and redistributes them, taking a big percentage for herself. Illegal as all hell, that. And I saw her slap one of the girls across the back of her hand when she stopped for a second to grab a sip of water."

"Why doesn't Mario stop her? He should fire her." Lacey asked.

"The women working the lunch shift are all single Moms with kids in school. I recognized a few of them. Most of them have problems with their exes and child support. We've gone to court for them a few times. They need this job. Four hours mid day keeps them from being homeless. I have enough with what I recorded to get her arrested for skimming money, but I swear she has everyone including Mario cowed. She's vicious. But what worries me most is her insistence that Anya has more right to anything you have, than you do. She's nuts." Aunt Deanne slapped her hand down on the kitchen table.

"Anya has backed off. Other than the first day of school, she's been playing head games, but nothing else. She's always in class ahead of us, and she gives us dirty looks anytime we catch a glimpse of her. Her two best friends aren't around much anymore either." Zee said.

"Exactly, that and she leaves notes on our lockers. Things like I'm watching you. Or watch your back. That sort of stuff." Lacey confessed.

"Are you going to the police?" Zee asked.

"Tomorrow. She needs to be stopped. I'll see her behind bars, even if it's a minor sentence. On second thought, I'm running down to the station now. I don't have an appointment for another hour. I'll be back to catch my client by then." Deanne grabbed her purse and went toward the door. "I've got her on video. It should be a slam dunk to get her charged."

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Zee lifted her head from her phone as she was texting Percy and ran straight into Anya.

Shit, shit. Where's Percy? He usually catches up with me before I get to English.

"Gotcha, you bitch. When are you going to leave and go back where you came from?" Anya grabbed her ponytail, yanking furiously, throwing her to the floor. The hard rubber soles of her hiking boots connected with her ribs and she felt the crunch.

"Take the warning. Get out of town. Cancel your fucking party or I'll wreck it for you. You have no right to be here!" The words came out as a hiss. "I know you had something to do with my mother getting arrested. You're going to pay."

Before Zena could turn over to say anything, she heard pounding feet, and the clumping of hiking boots as Anya ran. Taking a deep breath, she moaned. Her ribs were screaming, and the back of her head ached where it made contact with the floor. Her vision greyed and she tried to inhale again, but the pain over her kidney on her right side was more than she could take. Things were going black.

Where are you Percy. Help!

"Zee, stay still," Percy's voice was firm.

She dragged her eyelids open, looking up into his frightened eyes.

Zee gasped as she said, "It was Anya. She attacked me."

"I didn't see her, but I believe you. I'm calling an ambulance and the cops. You can have her arrested."

"It's her word against mine. She's going to stack the deck. Molly and Izzy will swear I tripped and fell, and she'll be out in five seconds flat. I heard them. They were just around the next corner." Zee forced the words out through clenched teeth. "I think she broke one of my ribs."

"Stay still. I hope there are cameras here." Percy sat down beside her and turned her on her side. "I can see the marks from her boots on your tee shirt. I'm calling 911."

"That helps," Zee sighed. "Why did I go up the back way? I should have gone through the main lobby."

"If it wasn't you, she would have gone after Lacey. They arrested her mom at Mario's when she went in to open before the lunch rush. My mom has a picture, and she sent it to me. Anya would be out to get someone for it. She's going to blame you and Lacey because that's how she is." Percy explained as they waited for his call to be picked up.

So, the little witch was telling the truth about her mother. It didn't take long for the cops to act. I hope help gets here quick. Hurry up and answer.

"911, what's your emergency?"

Zee concentrated on her breathing. Keeping it slow and shallow made it less painful. She touched the back of her head, just a small bump. She reached around to touch the agony of her ribs, and her hand came back clean. At least she wasn't bleeding. Her world narrowed to the simple act of keeping her lungs moving, and then she slid into the dark, and the pain was gone.