And the moral of the story is (be careful what you wish for)

[abetterlie]

If you had asked me last week what I wanted most right now it would have been for this trip to bizarro world to be over, both for Harry and me. That the cops would somehow realize they made a mistake, or something.

(Okay, so I wanted to break some people's bones as well, but not as much.)

Now half of that has come true. And I haven't felt less like celebrating. Guess that makes me the most ungrateful whiner ever, but here are the facts:

1.) Last week I broke out of jail. There were reasons. Det. Yoon showed me some photos of Harry and what they did to him in prison. After I dealt with them, I came back. I sort of hoped that would prove I was - welll, that I hadn't done what they thought I had anyway. Didn't exactly work. I got back into solitary again.

2.) Today, they told me a few days ago some guy named Vernon Pritchard who is already serving time for drug possession, robbery and homicide confessed to having killed Lawrence, Colleen and Mere Riley. My family. They probably didn't believe him at first, but he sticks to his story. So today, they told me I was free to go but should stay in L.A. for a few more days, "for formalities".

3.) The hell?

Because I know how they died. I mean, I found their bodies. Nobody shot them or knifed them or - well, okay, that's not what this guy Pritchard says he did. He worked in a hospital at the time, so he had access to narcotics and said he just wanted to render them subconscious while robbing the house and misjudged the dose, or something like that. No way. Not the way I found them. Plus I have a pretty good idea what killed them, and it wasn't Pritchard.

Except why would he say he did? And now I'm wondering about two possibilities. One is that I was completely wrong back then about the cause, that I just freaked out because I found them all dead. I was completely wrong about why my first father died as well. And that this Vernon Pritchard did kill them. Actually, I want to believe that. And that makes me a bit sick, because the reason I want to believe it is that it would mean I didn't cause it with my request about the memories, that it wasn't my fault. I'm so good at believing lies. Lies that make everything easier. I want to.

The other possibility is that Pritchard says it because it gets me off the hook. He doesn't know me, so there's no reason why he should feel all self-sacrificial except if someone is making him to. The way they tried to make me confess. Or maybe some other way. And there is a sort of limited circle of people who'd do that. Either way, he's now in for life with no chance of getting released, and is damm lucky if they don't retry him with the death penalty in mind. For something he didn't do.

My parents and my sister - the dead ones - they lived. They existed. I'm sure they were pretty happy and would have been for the rest of their lives if I hadn't completely screwed up and Angel hadn't needed a perfect family to place me in. Then they got their brains messed with, and then I screwed up some more. And this guy Vernon Pritchard, he lives. He exists. Okay, so he was in jail before for something he did do, but that doesn't mean he should be the next one to pay the price for me.

But if he did it. If by some crazy chance he did it.

Last week I just wanted this to be over. It was so good to be out of jail again, even for a few hours, and I wanted the open sky back and to fight again, don't care whom my life back. Except I forgot my life comes complete with lies and at other people's expense, and anyway, it's just half my life until Harry can go where he wants to as well and if someone did fix this, why didn't you do it for him instead?

Guess that proves you've got to be careful what you wish for. Especially if you're a hypocrite who still hasn't figured out how to run his life without causing damage left, right and center.

I need to find out more about Vernon Pritchard.

Comments

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

Obviously they're going to sentence him, Connor, they don't just go: Oh, well, he's already here, let's move on and get some ice cream. But - whatever. It's not your problem. It's his problem. You should just, like, try not to think about it. Seriously.

I mean, it's worked out, it's over, do you have to MAKE MORE PROBLEMS?

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

...You know, it's weird. That's sort of what I said to Angel when Fred - anyway. I need at least to talk to him. Hear him say it in person. Until then, it is my problem.

I just checked on your lj to see what happened to you while I was in jail. That's - there won't be any flashbacks to sex romantic scenes with Angelo and Dayla, right? Because that would be gross.

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

You make things your problem and when you do that you make problems for other people. >:-0

And you don't get a say in MY artistic vision.

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

PS - You can't call HETERO sex gross just because you're part of some STUPID minority now. YOU WERE BORN BECAUSE OF HETERO!SEX, Butt!Monkey.

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

I'm not calling hetero sex gross. If your artistic vision has any stuff about Angelo and Billiam and Lesley, I don't want to read it, either!

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

You don't have to read it. I put it all under a cut, anyway.

Anyway, congratulations on being out of prison. We're all SO happy you're a free man.

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

Sure you are.

I'm a free man trying to find out what the hell happened with everyone, and what is that about Angel's jacket on Ebay? That's... actually kinda cool.

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

Right. So, prison changed you and now you care about someone other than YOURSELF?


...Angel and I have an understanding about the jacket, I broke my collarbone and cried so he shut up about it so please don't bring it up to him and get him mad again. He threatened to report me to EBAY! It was all a misunderstanding.

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

No, Kara Marie, I'm just checking because I need to get my monthly statistics of how often other people mention me in order.

Sure it was. Girls have it so easy. Typical. Why on earth didn't you start with the Barry Manilow cds?

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

...

I was just selling stuff I didn't think anyone would want. He loves his Manilow CDs. I would never, ever sell those. Never in a million gazillion years!

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

I get it. Nobody offered for the Manilow. Figures.

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

For the record that wasn't it at all. But whatever. My arm hurts. You're upsetting me. My arm hurts and you're upsetting me.

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

Kara, I upset you just by breathing. But why does your arm hurt? Seriously? Some Uberdemon in Boston you got into a fight with?

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

Yes! Three of them! With scales and horns and GREEN SKIN!!!

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

...they didn't sing, did they? Because that totally sounds like Lorne. Okay, stupid question, forget it, they must be another type. How did they manage to hurt your arm?

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

They were like... The Hulk! Which I just watched last night...

They... tried to bite it off.

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

I hope you slayed them. You did, right? But Kara, if they got close enough to bite - that's serious. Doesn't Angel train with you anymore? You so shouldn't get sloppy. It could get you killed! And how many hours ago was that?

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

... I'm not sloppy. I'd like to see YOU fight the HULK.

Besides... Happy Birthday!

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

Savage Hulk, Grey Hulk, Merged Hulk or Devil Hulk?

Thank you. And you didn't say how many hours ago.

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

Huh? THE GREEN ONE, STUPID.

Well, I don't know what time you were born...

Anyway, I was trying to order you a present and Darla cut off my wireless like a crazy person. But I've redone it now and HOPEFULLY it will come through soon! I think it's PERFECT.

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

That settles it. You're getting Best of Hulk trade collections for Christmas. He's got multiple personality disorder, K.M., he turns into various hulks, not just one, and they're totally different in their fighting power.

Anyway, you didn't tell me whether you slayed it, either. Is it still around? Do you need help?

Um, thanks - what is it? And why did Darla wig out on you? Did you sell her stuff on Ebay as well?

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

Oh, puh-lease, MPD is a total myth! PLUS, there is ONLY ONE MOVIE. >:-O

Poor Hulk, he was just scared and they deliberately made him mad and then killed him as soon as they had the excuse. Or tried to. That might be a spoiler...

Poor Hulkie Hulk. I CRIED. His dad was VERY mean.

Darla is VERY highly strung, something about an UNGRATEFUL CHILD SHE GAVE HER LIFE FOR AND SHOWS HER NO LOVE.






[As these highly intellectual tidbits are being exchanged Connor's present has, indeed, been processed and he should soon receive a confirmation email. A gift certificate from a company called Red Balloon Days for a deluxe Hot Balloon Ride in New York. Deluxe seems to mean you get a glass of cheap champange and some digital photos, but whatever, that present cost the proceeds of several pairs of Darla's shoes AND a couple of bags Kara made AND an old something or rather that Kara found lying around.

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

You're definitely getting the trade collections. At least of the Peter David run. The movie wasn't worthy.

Don't worry, she probably thinks that about me, too. Join the club.

Wait a minute, I just got an email from a Red Dragon or something, back in a minute.

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

... I liked the movie. But it made me cry. :-(

And, I don't care what Darla thinks - she basically said I shouldn't eat eggs when I'm not working out so much and now I feel so fat. Besies, I'm moving in with Lex and he'll work out what a GREAT wife I would be and THEN we are getting married and THEN everyone will be SORRY.


RED BALLOON DAYS.

[abetterlie.livejournal.com]

You're just on the better side of a skeleton and what do you mean, moving in with Lex? You're seventeen! And he's so not the right guy for you! I don't trust him.

....Oh. Um. Wow, thank you. You know, I was always sort of envious of Peter because he has that webslinging building jumping thing, but now I'll be able to know what it's like to fly over New York anyway. That's a cool present.

[kara-marie.livejournal.com]

Darla told me I shouldn't be eating eggs and toast.

And, yes, I am. And yes, I am. He wants to have a FAMILY.

... You're welcome. I figured after being in prison and all you'd like being up so high but not closed in. Closest you can get to flying, I guess. Besides, my eBay biz is going well, I can afford to be a little generous - and I buy the BEST presents coz I actually CARE about the only person so I THINK IT THROUGH unlike other people who only ever really think about their boyfriend.