killer, m.clifford/a,irwin

2

PICTURE: SYDNEY LUKA

"How was your last first day of school?" My mum asked robotically as soon as Sydney and I walked through the door.

I chucked my bag onto the couch and dragged my eyes into the kitchen were mum was preparing dinner. I was suspicious about this already. Mum never cooked. She usually just ordered take-away or something. She was also never home this early, being a lawyer meant long hours in the office.

"It was just like every other day of hell." I said, refusing to call that school anything but it's true nature. "Why are you home?"

"Whatever you're cooking smells good, Mrs C." Sydney groaned happily, walking into the kitchen after me.

"Thank you, Syd." Mum smiled happily before point the spatula at me. "At least someone is pleased to see me."

"She's pleased to see food, not you." I teased, before propping my eyebrow up, wondering if she'd answer my previous question.

"I took the night off." Mum shrugged. "We have new neighbours and your father invited them over for dinner."

I rolled my eyes. My father was an agent and he liked to network. Inviting the neighbours over was probably a strategic move. He was rather friendly though so perhaps there wasn't anything work-related to this dinner.

"So you came home and started cooking a home made meal in attempts to pretend like we're a normal family?" I asked, loosening the tie we were forced to wear to school.

"We are a normal family." Mum rolled her eyes, the action matching my previous one just as her blue eyes matched mine. "Just because we have pizza more nights than most doesn't mean anything."

"I wish my family had pizza." Sydney pouted. I shot my best friend an apologetic smile. Sydney's parents were health-food addicts, which meant she barely got to look at chocolate let alone eat it.

"Besides, I heard they had a cute son. Maybe you can break your dry-spell of boys." Mum wriggled her eyebrows.

"I'm not sure we'd be friends with the neighbours for long if I killed their son." I said blankly, causing my mother to scoff.

We all knew the reason behind my dry spell, and although Sydney and my mother didn't believe I was the reason behind the sudden death of three of my classmates I did.

"Anyway, go freshen up. Dinner will be at 6 o'clock. Sydney, you're more than welcome to stay." Mum explained but she didn't have to. We always ate dinner at 6 o'clock, and Sydney always stayed.

"Actually, it's mum and dad's anniversary so we're having some massive family gathering. Jake and Lily are even coming home for it." She scrunched her nose up.

Sydney had a massive family, made up of seven siblings including her. Jake and Lily were the eldest kids of the Luka family and neither of them lived in the family house.