-------------- I typed this short suspense story in my English class. The assignment was to find a newspaper clipping and make a story out of it. So the title does belong to a published book, and Vivian Maier is a photographer from the 40's and 50's. I used one of her photos for the picture. The rest of the characters I made up.-------------

The date was March 22, 2017. I hate remembering that day: it wasn't a pretty day tobegin with. There were grey clouds coating the blue sky that you knew was underneath. There was a cold and brisk wind that rushed through my grey hoodie. I clearly remember it, her running with her blue dress flapping wildly behind her, as she screamed, so much screaming. 

Now the days flash by, forgetting that terrible moment ever happened. As though the one person I cared about isn't gone. The days move forward but I'm stuck on March 22, trying to forget. It's happened before, this time though; it's different. 

"David we need to talk about Vivian, this is important. We need to find the root of
the cause.' I look up at the tall spindly woman sitting across from me in her large, worn,
dark blue, leather armchair that squeaks as she shifts. This is my shrink, Dr. Pritchett.
She says she's taken many cases like mine.
I shrug and sigh, "what do we want to talk about this time?"

Dr. Pritchett shuffles her stack of papers that are sitting in her lap. "Well David,
you never answered my question about Vivian at our last session, two weeks ago."
This is the question I hate, but Pritchett notices everything. I mean, it's her job.
So I can't show that I get nervous, I can't let her know. She can't know about Viv.

I know everything about Vivian Maier. I know her favorite color; sky blue. Her room
was that color and so was her favorite dress. She loved her language art classes that
we took together at the public high school. She loved books, her room was full of books
and magazines. She always had a novel grasped in her hands. She read to escape
the constant noise that surrounded her in her home. Her older brother moved out
three years previous and left Vivian on her own with her drunk father and absent mother. I know all of this plus more about Viv, I heard everything, I was constantly at her house. So I couldn't help but hear and see what happened there.
"So, David. Are you ready to talk about it?' I look up and Pritchett is staring at me,
I then glance at the clock to her left and notice that I had been totally zoned out for
a solid five minutes or more.
"Uh, no not today. I'm not ready." I try to calmly gather my backpack, but I can't
help the fact that my hands are shaking and starting to badly sweat.
"thank you Dr. Pritchett, I'll see you next week.'
"No problem David. Be ready to-' I shut the office door cutting her off before she
could finish, I don't want to think about having to tell anyone what happened to Viv.
When I get home I rush into my small and cluttered bedroom and find my camera

in its hiding spot; exactly where I left it. I breath with a sigh of relief. I delicately grasp my
faded and old blue shirt that's under the bed and pull it out along with the camera that is
wrapped inside.

With familiarity, I open the camera, take out the memory card and easily slip it into
the tiny slot in my computer. I then open the files and begin looking at my beautiful
photos that I took. Most of them are too blurry to see any fine detail because I couldn't
get close enough, but there are a few that focused quite well, and they are outstanding.
I gaze at her face and her beautiful long dark hair. Her striking features, most commonly
noted are her green eyes. The way they shine and contrast with her dark hair. Viv was
the perfect subject to photograph.

I was so enveloped in one photo of Viv; where she had just gotten out of the
shower and her long dark hair was splayed all across her pale skin, that I didn't hear my
mom come up the stairs.
"Hey David, how was your session with Dr. Pritchett today?"
I quickly shut my laptop and whirl around to face my mom who's standing in the
doorway. "Uh, it was good. We talked more about Vivian Maier today. trying to figure out
why she would have ran away." "Oh ok, thats good. I just came upstairs to tell you that it's almost five, and getting dark.You might want to go out and take some photos of the trees and flowers you like. You know the ones down by the Maier's house. Maybe you can do a nice photo for the family. Since this terrible incident happened. I can't imagine what it would be like having a child go missing. This is the third girl, it's terrible. Absolutely terrible.' With that, she turned and solemnly walked back down the hallway.

I quickly pulled out the small memory card from my computer and placed it back in the camera. Grabbing my camera bag and haphazardly throwing my things in there. I didn't bother to organize it or make sure my camera was fully charged; it's not like I'm going to use it anyways. Not until I have another subject that is. I briskly walk along the shortcut through the densely green forest that leads to the Maier's house. The path spits you out on the west side of the housed right under Vivian's window. This is typically how far I go, just to the end of the path. From there I would set up my camera and angle it through her window. With the sun just beginning to set, the light filters perfectly through her window and her opaque white curtains to make a beautiful lighting in her sky blue room. 

But March 22 was different. I was running late, I wasn't going to make it before sundown. I had to get there, it was a Wednesday. Wednesdays were when Vivian typically
showered. As I was running a figure stepped out from behind a tree and I ran full
speed into that figure. My camera and bag went soaring through the air, and I
landed right on top of Vivian Maier. She looked up at me in horror as realization flashed through
those amazingly green eyes. This was the closest I had physically been to her.
"You! You're the one I've been seeing standing here! Get away from me you creep!"

Vivian frantically got up from the ground and began running. It hurts to remember the
fear I saw in her eyes as she began running from me. I had tried catching up to her so
that she couldn't tell anyone, but before I could she tripped. I remember hearing the snap, it sounded no more significant than a branch snapping. But to me it meant my world, my everything had just been snatched from me.

I wiped the tears from my eyes remembering that moment makes me emotional. I
stood up from the end of the path where I was sitting. I begin to make my way back down
the path from where I had been. When I reached the gnarled tree root that stuck out
of the worn path. The insignificant tree root that had snapped Vivian Maier's neck at that
atrocious angle. I veered off into the dense trees.
I took a couple paces into the dense forest to where Vivian is. I go into the small cut
out from a rock that leads into a decently sized cave. Tall enough for me to stand in and
wide enough for at least four people to lie down in. I would know, There's currently three
in here. Angela, Megan, and my favorite, Vivian. I step over the other two corpses
I have been keeping here and I walk up to Viv's cold body. I lift up my grey hoodie that I
use to protect her delicate features, to reveal her now dirty and faded favorite blue dress.
.