I was cleaning room nine today – I’ve probably cleaned it a hundred times – but for some reason it made me think of Jiao. It feels like just yesterday when Norman let me borrow Jiao’s journal. I wonder how many kids our age would have seen beyond the art to find that there was real horrors happening right here at Bates Motel. I remember thinking, who is this girl? And what is this book?

The manga. The artwork inside it was so disturbing and violent. How could someone do such horrible things to these girls? Finding this book gave me more of a purpose, and put my life into perspective. No matter how bad life can be at times, there is always someone out there who has it worse. I wanted to help Jiao. I knew she had potential in life. I mean look at the artwork. Sure, she drew some pretty sad stuff, but the artwork was amazing. So real. So lifelike. Seeing how detailed all the line work and shading was – she captured the exact look and feel of the motel rooms and Norman’s house.

And then we actually found her. She was real. It was just crazy to think I was involved in this poor girl’s story. I felt like I knew her already. Her characters in the manga felt so real to me. Like I knew their struggle, their pain and sorrow. It was almost like I was living her life while reading her story.

I can’t help thinking what could have become of Jiao if she wasn’t murdered that night. Would she be a famous manga artist? Would I see her work in comic book shops and books stores around town? Would she be doing book signings and be this famous writer who showed up to comic book conventions with numerous fans screaming her name? I guess we’ll never know.

A part of me feels the need to continue Jiao’s legacy. I want to see her vision come to fruition. She’s inspired me to finish her manga – tell her story. People need to know what happened to Jiao. Hmm… I wonder if I could get it published?

I should probably learn how to draw first.