a distorted reality is now a necessity to be free

**Here it is, children. The chapters written before the chapters. The one that started it all. The revealing of the Gregory murderer. Enjoy**

Silent Eyes

"He's ready to talk, Sheriff," Elizabeth said as she came through the door. wiL shot up and walked to her. Oddly, she turned back to nod at the man before the metal door completely closed. wiL glanced up at Zachary. His eyes smoldered with a certain passion.

 "He what?" Sheriff Dalton asked, "He's ready to talk? About what?"

 "There are things he's been leaving out," she admitted, "but after our conversation, he revealed a few more details that you have to know."

 That's when wiL noticed her. Elizabeth looked dead. Her eyes were drained of any joy, color, or life in general. She was ashen faced and looked as if Casper had glided through the jail walls. Her mouth was attempting to hide a frown, yet it looked as if a frown would not express the emotion his beautiful love was feeling.

 Pain was evident. Yet her eyes said nothing. They were completely silent.

 "Elizabeth," he whispered to her and grabbed her shoulders. She titled her head to look at him and her eyes finally showed signs of life: tears.

 "I am so sorry," she choked, "for the both of us."

 Gently, she took his hand and led him back to the interrogation room. The light was already on, Sheriff Dalton waiting in anticipation as Zachary was placed at the table.

 "This is rather soon," the prosecutor said, a cup of coffee now resting on the metal table, "why the change of heart?"

 The defending lawyer looked warily at Zach. He nodded, and Zach looked back up at the prosecutor, "I need to prove my innocence."

 "Save it, we have your blood."

 "Yes you do," he nodded, "because it was placed there."

 "Oh and I assume the fingerprints were as well?"

 Once again, Zachary nodded, "Yes." He paused as the prosecutor scoffed and spoke up, a hint of anger in his voice, "Please understand my confession is a risk to my life. If the people find out I've told them they killed Ms. Elizabeth's parents, they may not be too happy with me."

 "You mean when they hear that you've helped us they're going to kill you?"

 "Are you threatening my client?" The defending lawyer asked, but a raise of the hand silenced him.

  "Of course not; I was merely going along with this idea that others are responsible."

 "It's not an idea, Mr. Dawes," Zachary said, giving the prosecutor a name, "It is fact. The same person who placed my DNA at the scene of the Gregory murder, and the same person who killed them, is the same person who murdered my parents."

 "Your parents?" Mr. Dawes asked, "Your mother died in an accident, and your father in the war."

 "According the files by Barnaby Williams, yes," Zachary agreed, "however, my name is not Zachary Gray."

 The defending lawyer immediately tried to stop the talking, but Mr. Dawes had already ordered a computer to be brought into the room. wiL cocked his head to the side.

 "What are they doing?" he asked.

 "Checking his statements," the sheriff answered, "we don't have time for guessing games anymore, so we check it out on the internet as they say it, just to skip all the formalities."

 "Then what is your name?" Mr. Dawes asked.

 "Gabriel Smudge," Zachary...or not Zachary...said, a smile crossing his face, "I do prefer my new name."

 The tech nerd at the computer clicked away instantly, "Gabriel Smudge was murdered years ago, along with his-"

 "Sister and parents," Zachary finished, "the bodies of the two children were never recovered."

 Mr. Dawes let curiosity get the best of him as he snuck a glance at the computer. wiL could see the picture of the teenage Zachary, then known as Gabriel. There was no denying it was him.

 "So you're alive," Mr. Dawes confirmed.

 "As is my sister," Zachary continued.

 "Claire Smudge," Mr. Dawes said.

 Zachary's lawyer looked at the picture and his eyes went wide. The bewilderment made the lawyer next to Zachary look at him.

 "No...Hayden Gray isn't your daughter, is she?"

 "You've seen my daughter's pictures, but this newspaper only has her as a baby," Zachary confirmed, "but no, Mr. Evans, Hayden is not my daughter, but my sister."

 "Why didn't you come to the cops?"

 "Because I knew who killed my parents and why, but with that information I knew going to the cops was pointless."

 "Who killed your parents?" Mr. Dawes asked.

 wiL realized immediately that the answer to this next question was the person who killed Elizabeth's parents. As she had believed Zachary to be telling the truth, he listened intently.

 "Barnaby Williams."

 Unfortunately, no sudden sense of relief was present.

More clicking ensued and the nerd spoke again, "Barnaby Williams, famous in Seattle for creating new identities a decade or so ago. Mr. Smudge was the sheriff. He hunted Williams for years."

 "Why would this man kill your parents?"

 "Because first they were friends. And when my father named a godfather, he named Barnaby. Except that he forgot about that and when he wrote his will and let it be known, Barnaby discovered the amount of money I would receive at eighteen."

 Zachary's story suddenly merged with the one next to wiL, and nausea hit him.

 "He was always a greedy man," Zachary kept going, "Card games never went well when he was over. He knew that my father had forgotten that if he died, Barnaby was guardian. So without a second glance, he killed my father and mother. I knew it was him, but he simply told me it was for the better and left, the bloody knife lying around. So I cut myself and my sister to leave blood. Somehow, I knew if I told, I wouldn't be believed. They had been such good buddies. Plus I knew then Barnaby would get all the money. So instead, I bit him back. I went to him a day later and told him I wanted to start over. Williams was furious, but I bluffed and said I had proof, so he had no choice but to give me a new life and never get his money.

 "My parents died in vain of even the worst of reasons to be killed.

 "Barnaby Williams, I thought, was dead. Then I found out otherwise after a few photography sessions made me find out otherwise."

 "How so?" Mr. Dawes asked.

 "The person I was photographing told me. We kept seeing each other at these sessions and finally one day we decided to talk. And after a few incidents, I found out by accident that Barnaby was alive."

 "Who told you this? How did you find out?"

 "I found out because she stalked me," Zachary began, and his voice increased volume and intensity with every sentence, "I found out because she tricked me and seduced me. I found out because we started sleeping together and she stupidly fell in love with me, though she had mentioned a fiance and told me her plans. I found out because she had heard my story and wanted me to cause the same pain to another innocent girl. I found out because when I refused, she told me an old friend wouldn't mind killing a seventeen year old child's parents again."

 "Who was she?" Mr. Dawes yelled, matching the tone.

"The devil!" Zachary screamed.

"THE NAME! GIVE ME THE WRETCHED NAME!"

wiL's stomach sank in, like he already knew the answer. Yet there was no way.

Then he remembered Elizabeth's stone gray face as she exited. He thought of the treachery of another. He recalled many memories, including one slip of the tongue his ex had made, calling him Zach. And somehow, impossible as it seemed, he mouthed the name right along with Gabriel Smudge/ Zachary Gray.

"Mandy Vaughn."

He turned his head as Elizabeth's silent eyes screamed.

**and now comes the ending... the ending that was written before it ever began...**

(so a few references above. One is fairly obvious for any devoted fan. The other is much harder to spot. Both are movies. One is a series. The other has only two movies so far, but since the AMAZING costar died, they're bringing in Johnny Depp I hear)

XOXO