Ch.01: Heather's Death in Heath - Pt.01

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• Heather •

Just like I said, I'm the eldest daughter of the Bootheman family. I have my beautiful mother, my hardworking father, my cute little sister, my handsome little brother, and of course I have myself.

We're called a family because we have each other. I have them, and they have me.

They had me before the incident happened.

Well, ten years ago, when I was 6, My mother gave birth to my sister. They named her Farrah because my sister is indeed exquisite. Just like me, I was named Heather because I am like a purple-flowered Eurasian heath.

At age 6, on my birthday, December 23, my mom and dad gave me a camera. Before the camera was my habit, I was a diffident person who was so pessimistic about everything that I'd seen. not since I received the camera.

The camera changed my whole life. It marked a very precious thing in my life. The camera played an important role in my life.

At first, the camera never piqued my interest. And with the camera's appearance, it's a very odd-looking camera, which is why it feels disgusting to me as a girl to hold an ugly camera. Even though it's good as new, its appearance is to the contrary.

But I felt bad thinking about how I think disgustingly with the camera. It was my parents' present; it's neither ugly nor trashy. My parents are neither odd nor ugly. So I have to receive it with all my heart, even though I started doubting it.

I can say to myself that I'm insincere. I'm the trash here; I'm the odd one here; I'm the ugly one here.

After using the camera several months later, it became my habit. I took photos of necessary and unnecessary events. I've sometimes been scolded because I use too much storage. It's worth dollar a piece.

At age 8, my mother was six weeks pregnant. And times passed. On July 28, 1984, at exactly 19:28, my mother gave birth to my youngest sibling.

He was named Devland, which literally means misfortune.

It was a coincidence that my death date was my brother's birthday. The definition of his name is also interesting.

At exactly 19:28, by the time my brother entered the world, my breath had stopped and I had left the world. But regarding my death, my brother is innocent and shouldn't be doubted.

He celebrated his 8th birthday the day I died too suddenly.

Many coincidences have occurred between him and me that can be seen. He's also half my age the day I died.

He's eight, and eight has many different meanings. In Pythagorean numerology, a pseudoscience, the number 8 represents victory, prosperity, and overcoming. Eight is also considered a lucky number in Japan, but the reason is different from that in Chinese culture. Eight gives the idea of growing prosperous because the number 8 broadens gradually. And 8 sideways is infinity.

My ambition in life is to be a photographer-an experienced photographer. Capturing images is one of my hobbies, and not just a hobby; it's an important piece of my life. Without photography, until right now, I might still be the diffident person everyone knows at a younger age.

But in just a blink of an eye, everything faded, everything was lost, and everything changed. And it was the day I died. 7.28 (July 28) at 7:28 p.m.

Such a coincidence: 728 is neither my favorite nor a familiar number. But it played a big role in my life, a scary role. Such a scary as my killer.

He's my neighbor; he's old; he lives alone; and he's a psychopath. He killed me with no mercy. He murdered a young, innocent girl who was full of hope and positivity. He murdered a girl that he really doesn't know personally.

He's wise but also dumb; just like everyone knew, he's like a mathematical engineer. He thinks that he won't atone for his sins and will suffer afterwards. He committed a very forbidden sin-a sin that can't be forgiven.

His name is Oliviero Howard, like an olive tree.

He's about the age of a senior. Even though he lives next door, no one really knows about him. He's like a mysterious person living in a lonely village. But it seems like he's the only lonely person in the village.

He planned the murder inside his house. But he did the crime near the campus.

He planned an outstanding set-up. He is indeed a genius. He spent weeks setting things up. a setup that can be used only once.

Weeks before I died, me and my dad successfully made another Impossible Bottle for the 16th time. Making it was interesting, and we made the dad-daughter relationship strong.

Every single one of them is very nice to look at. Seeing a ship inside a bottle is so breathtaking. And in that moment, we made the biggest Impossible Bottle that we have.

It was a precious moment, the way my dad smiled at me. He taught me a lot of things. He is my hero, and my dad is a softhearted person, so he listens carefully to everything that I've said. He is also good at listening; he is a person who has a shoulder to lean on. I can still feel the love he gave me, even now that I'm gone. His love is still warm as always. Like mom, I can feel the love she has for me.

The day before I died, I received a scarf from my mother. It's summer, so it's not necessary to have a scarf to wear. It's neither cold nor winter, but why does my mom want me to wear it? She even scolded me for attempting to take it off.

She just smiled at me while waving at us as I and my sister were walking towards the school. Her smile made me agree with her. Even though it's unnecessary to have a scarf on, still, this one is from my mom.

This day is July 28, my brother's birthday, and my death day.

Before everything happened, I was smiling all day at school. I do not know that this will happen. I want to return home as soon as I can to celebrate my brother's birthday, but the deadline for the school work is to be done and passed by tomorrow.

If I had known that I was about to be murdered, I shouldn't have gone home until tomorrow.

While still doing school work, my classmates let me go home first because they knew that there would be a small celebration to be held at home. I didn't insist and decided to pack my things to leave.

In an empty area, there was this man, the one who killed me, who introduced his underground hideout to me. The way he talks and smiles is so convincing and piques my interest in an instant.

He said to me that just by now he's done with his underground hideout. And I'm going to be the first person to enter it.

Books, a small table, chairs, flash light bulbs, and many more things could be seen as soon as we descended the wooden stairs.

A beautiful smile could be seen on my face as soon as I entered. So many great things can be seen in both of my eyes, and the place is also small, making it comfortable to rest at.

As I sat on the wooden chair placed beside the small table, a shelf of collections could be seen directly. Most of them are jars containing something that I don't know.

He said that I'll take a rest on the chair and feel at home. He then added that he would make tea for us.

It took less than a minute to prepare the tea. He placed both cups on the center table so that they wouldn't fall off and spill on the ground. The teacup is as comfortable to hold as the place. The tea also has its sweet aroma of greenness.

I took a cup of tea and started drinking it. As always, tea is my cup of tea.

After drinking some amounts of tea in the teacup, he stood up and went forward on the shelf. He took a jar and brought it toward me.

"This is one of my collections; I collected it several years ago. I collected this because this is the heart of my one and only daughter".

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A/N: I felt bad about publishing a chapter with only one dialogue.

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