“Next,” called the desk worker. I walked up to the desk and told her my name, while my dad filed out the paperwork. We waited and 25 minutes later the doctor called out “Miranda Tyline.”
I told the doctor I’d had a lot of headaches, weakness, nausea, numbness, and vomiting. The doctor replied “we should run some tests.” We took about six tests before it got late. The drive home was quiet; we could hear each other breathing.
We waited anxiously for two to three days for the test results. When I got home on the third day, I walked into the house laughing at a joke my friend just texted me. I looked up and saw my dad holding papers with a woebegone look like someone just died.
“Dad, what’s wrong? Why do you look so down?” Dad looked at me with a gloomy face. He held out the papers, I walked over to him and grabbed them. The papers were the test results from the doctors the other day. I read a little bit, dropped the papers, and ran to my bedroom. I stayed up there for the rest of the day, crying and listening to sad music.
“Beep…Beep…Beep…” I moaned as I turned off my alarm clock. It took me an hour and a half to get ready for school. When I got to school, I started talking to my best friend Haylie about the test results. She knew I was panic-stricken, I was shaking really bad.
We started walking to class; we were both scared out of our minds. I was going to die, literally. We both tried not to cry all day, but it was so hard not to. We hugged then walked into class.
We had to do algebra problems. I’m usually focused and ready to learn but today I couldn’t concentrate because I had the test results on mind. Mrs. Paulsen could tell I wasn’t focused. I was staring out the window like in a sad movie.
“Miranda…Miranda…Miranda Tyline.” I replied “yes Mrs. Paulsen” thinking I was in trouble. Then I realized that the whole class was gone. “Miranda, what’s wrong? You didn’t correct people when they got the answer wrong, you were distracted.”
  I was so afraid to tell her, my palms were sweating. I sat down at the front desk and said “I went to the doctors the other day and got some tests done. I found out I have a disease. It’s a br...br..Brain disease. I…I…I only have…” I started crying. “It got so bad they can’t fix it. I’m going to die in three days.”
I am now barely able to talk because I’m crying so hard. She walks over to me and hugs me. Her hug actually makes me feel a lot better. She told me sometimes the test results are wrong. I hope my test results are wrong; I want to live a full life. “Thank you Mrs. Paulsen, I said then walked to my next class.
When the bell rang to go home, I was so happy. I just wanted to go home. “Dad, I’m home.” Dad’s usually in the kitchen, so I walk to the kitchen to check if he’s there. I glanced at the floor and saw blood. I hesitantly walked around the counter. “DAD, no please no. How did this happen?” I grabbed the phone called 911.
“Hello, 911 operators. What’s your problem?” “Hi, my dad was shot and he’s lost a lot of blood. Please come quick. My address is 7351 Rainbow Drive.”
The ambulance finally arrived. I’m sitting on the floor holding my dad’s head in my lap. I’m so scared, I almost don’t let go. I know if I don’t let go he will die, so I let go. I ride in the ambulance to the hospital. I can’t cry. I can’t be weak, not now. Not at a time like this I tell myself. The doctors take him into a room for surgery. I go call Haylie and ask her to come to the hospital.
After Haylie gets there, we have to wait two hours. The doctor walks over with a sorrow face. “I’m sorry for the words I’m about to say. I’m sorry for your lose.” I drop to the floor crying. What am I supposed to do now? Where am I supposed to go? Both of my parents are dead.
Haylie takes me home and on the way home, I just wanted to cry. I was scared, I lost both of my parents. Both were murdered, what if it was by the same person? It takes us 15 minutes to get to my house. I walk inside to my room. I grab some things for tonight and tomorrow.
On my way out, I see pictures of our family on my dad’s work desk. I walk over and take one out of the frame and put it in my bag. I go get into the backseat and then we go to Haylie’s house.
We order a pizza when we get to her house. While we eat our pizza Haylie’s mom tells me I can stay there as long as I need to. I thank her and say that I probably shouldn’t because I don’t want to bother them.
“Miranda, you won’t bother us. It’ll be like you’re a part of our family,” she said it softly and sweet. When we finished eating, we all helped out to clean up. At ten o’clock we all went to bed. We have to get up at six in the morning to go to an appointment for me, the doctors want to check on me because of the cancer.
“Beep…Beep…Beep,” I turn off the alarm and nudge Haylie. We both decide to eat pancakes for breakfast, right after that I go and take a shower. Then we get our school stuff together.
When we get to school, I go straight to class, and sit down. The bell rings and Mr. Mallard starts teaching. “Ring,” don’t forget to read pages 18 through 30 by Friday.” At 12:45, we get to lunch and I have no idea where to sit, I try to find Haylie. I go sit with her when I find her, but I just put in my headphones.
At 3:45, we get out of school. I walk to Haylie’s house, and put my bag next to the couch. I really want to know who shot and killed my dad. The detectives won’t tell me anything.
“Miranda, where are you?”
` “I’m in here Haylie.”
“There you are, why did you leave school so quickly?”
“I wanted to get away from people; I’m not in a people mood.” I put in my headphones and started doing homework.
The next morning I wake up to two detectives knocking on the front door. Mrs. Miller goes to the door and starts talking to them. I want to hear what they’re saying, so I try to get closer. I hear a little bit, and then one detective sees me and asked to talk to her outside.
It’s the third day…I’m still alive and not in the hospital. I get so happy, but scared. I could still die soon. I hope I got the wrong test results, but there’s a down side to that. I start thinking about how someone else will die soon and they don’t know it.
Mrs. Miller takes me to the doctors at 1:30. I fill out the paperwork while Mrs. Miller reads a magazine. “Miranda Tyline,” the doctor calls out. I tell Mrs. Miller that I can go back there alone. When we get to the room, the doctor is happy I lived three days. He was wondering if he got the tests mixed up. I ask him if he did. He looks at his notes, and says “I sent you the wrong paperwork.”
I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I realized something, “wait, if I got the wrong test result. Who was supposed to die today?” The doctor just gave me this look like ge messed something up. Which he did but now he looks scared.
We talk a little bit, and then I go to sign out. The car ride to school was fun, we played my favorite songs. When Mrs. Miller dropped me off at school, I walked as fast as I could to Mrs. Paulsen’s class. When I got there she was reading a book just like her students. I walked up to her with the biggest smile on my face. “I got somebody else’s test results.” I still have a brain disorder, but we can get help for it.
Mrs. Paulsen hugged me for a little bit. I then realized I still have a problem. I now look on edge because I still don’t know who killed my dad. I asked Mrs. Paulsen if she’ll take me to the police station after school.
At lunch I go sit by Haylie. “I’m not going to die today, I have a while hopefully. Looks like you’re stuck with me.” Haylie looks so surprised; she gives me a big hug.
After seventh period I walked to Mrs. Paulsen’s class. On the way I see Haylie and tell her I’m going to be late for dinner. Mrs. Paulsen and I go to the police station and ask to speak with the person in charge of my dad’s case.
When the detective came to talk to us, Mrs. Paulsen told me to go get a cup of water. When I walked away I heard her say that I should know everything going on in the case. I feel worried, but maybe they’ll let me help them with the case, I hope I can. When I walk back over, the detective takes me to a room.
When he opened the door, I saw everything they had on the case. I looked at everything amazed. Then I see the picture of the suspect and I get scared.
Miranda, do you know him?”
“Yes, he threatened to kill my dad. He thought my dad was having an affair with his wife. He might be the one I saw in a black hoodie walking down the street that day.”
The detective tells his team to get their stuff. They’re going to get the suspect. I’m nervous, but I want to go. I go get into the 1945 Navy blue four-wheel drive pick-up truck. There are two seats in the front and three in the back. The truck has brownish-red pocks of rust.
“Thomas Harrison, this is the police. Come out with your hands up,” the detective has his team in position to go in now. They broke down the door and went inside. Three shots rang out, and then I hear “MAN DOWN, MAN DOWN!!” I get scared, what if Harrison gets away?
Harrison runs outside, all the police officers put their guns up. The sheriff yells “PUT YOUR HANDS UP!”
The detective that was shot was taken to the hospital ten minutes later. The detectives interrogated Harrison when they got him back to the precinct.
I go to Haylie’s house to sleep. I am so tired, I could sleep forever. I got a little nervous when I heard Haylie say, “Miranda, where were you?” I couldn’t tell her. She would be so mad at me.
“I stayed after school to get language arts help from Mrs. Paulsen.” Oh no, I just lied to my best friend. What if she finds out I lied? I’m dead if she does.
Next morning, it’s July 25. There’s two days till my birthday. I hope Haylie doesn’t plan to celebrate it. I hate celebrating it ever since my mom was murdered on my birthday. It always reminds me how we were sitting around the picnic table at Fort Harrison State Park and she went to get a cup. Next thing I knew she was on the ground bleeding to death.
“Miranda, come downstairs.” I smell pancakes and syrup. I walk downstairs into the kitchen and sit down. It smells so good. Haylie has a really big smile on her face, she looks suspicious.
“Haylie. Why do you look so suspicious?”
“What do you want for your birthday?”
“I want the police to catch my dad’s killer.”
“Oh. How about something that I can get you or do?”
“I don’t want anything for my birthday except for the police to find my dad’s killer. I don’t even want to celebrate it, okay?”
Two days later, I wake up on my birthday. The window is open; I can hear the birds chirping. The sun is shining, there’s a cool breeze. I smell chocolate and pancakes. I walk downstairs and see a huge row of food.
“Everything looks and smells amazing. You guys have my favorite food. Pancakes, strawberries, a chocolate fountain. Wow, wait a minute. What’s this for, I told you I didn’t want to celebrate.
“Miranda, I have the present you wanted. The detectives found your dad’s killer.” She smiles really big; I know that they got him. I was there, but Haylie doesn’t know that. I make a fake surprised look, I hope she doesn’t know it’s fake.
“Miranda, why are you faking being surprised?” I am worried now. “I’m not faking it.” She gives me that look when she’s disappointed. I look down at the floor
“I know they got him. I didn’t tell you, because well I thought you would get mad that I went without you. I knew because I was there when they arrested him.”
“Miranda, I wouldn’t have been mad. I mean, I wish you would have told me. Honestly, I’m happy you went.” I look up, and she has that same happy grin on her face. I’m so happy to have Haylie as my best friend.
Three days later, it’s the day of the trial. Today they’re doing opening statements, introducing the evidence, and then probably a recess. The prosecution goes first. They use the gun, bullets, and the argument between Harrison and my dad.
When the defense goes, they talk about his alibi, no witnesses, and the argument between the two of them. I don’t think the defense will win. Their arguments aren’t that good. I hope the jury finds him guilty.
At four o’clock, the judge says we can recess until tomorrow. I saw the way one of the jurors looked at me and then at Harrison. I hope she thinks he’s guilty.
I am so hungry, I feel like I could eat a horse. Haylie’s mom is home so she makes us cheese burgers and fries, without salt. It was so good; I mean it would have been better with salt. After we ate, it’s almost nine o’clock. So I just went to bed.
The next morning, I wake up to Haylie jumping on my bad telling me to get up. It’s the second day of the trial and honestly I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m being put on the stand to talk about the argument between my dad and Harrison, also about the person I saw walking down the street.
“Miranda, can you tell the jury about the argument between your dad and Harrison?”
“I heard a knock on the door one morning and Harrison asked to talk to my dad. My dad came downstairs and took Harrison outside to talk. I was curious so I went and opened a window so I could hear them. They were talking about Mr. Harrison; he thought my dad and his wife were having an affair. Then he threatened to kill my dad. He was very frustrated.”
The prosecutor looked at me and winked. She looked at the jury and paused. I got nervous; did I just ruin her case?
“Miranda just told us that Harrison threatened to kill her dad. She gave us details about the argument. Miranda, the day your dad was shot. Did you see anything?” She turned and looked at me.
“I was a man walking down the street. He was wearing all black, except his shoes were white with red strips near the bottom.”
“No further questions,” she said as she sat down at the table on the right side of the room. The defense attorneys were sitting on the left side of the room. One of them got up and walked towards me.
“How do you know it was a man walking down the street that night?”
“The way he walked and he had the built of a man.” I got a little nervous. He’s trying to destroy our case. I finally got off the stands twenty minutes later. I was so happy I got off that stand, but everything I said the defense tried to take apart.
The prosecutor walked towards me. She started saying stuff about we’ll make sure Harrison is found guilty. We have evidence against him. We have a bullet and gun expert coming to be put on the stand. I promise we’ll get him.
“Don’t promise something you can’t keep. Don’t lie to me, I don’t want a lie. They don’t help me put Harrison behind bars, they only make me miserable.”
I walk away mad. I think she felt bad because she looked a little surprised and worried. I know for a fact she didn’t expect the reaction she got.
The rest of the trial went by slowly. I was hoping it would go by faster. When the jury made up their minds and it was the day we found guilty or not.
I was scared of today, but I’ve been waiting for it to come for so long. Haylie and her mom were sitting next to me in court. My heart was beating so loud, I could barely hear.
The jury said the verdict. I couldn’t believe it. Haylie hugged me, I started crying. The prosecutor walked over and hugged me and Haylie.
I was a little surprised. I didn’t think they would end this way. I might be able to sleep better now. I am so happy the jury found Harrison guilty. Harrison’s going to jail for twenty-five to life.