I hated Fridays. Every Friday meant a test in every stinkin’ class. Math test, English test, History test — like the teachers held a secret meeting and decided to torture us all at once. Friday was supposed to be fun day not torture day. Why couldn’t we use laptops and turn our tests in that way? Hello, modern age. But no. Paper and pencil. Ugh.

The only good part was that Mom and Dad were always out on Fridays, which meant pizza and a Netflix movie. There had to be something I didn’t see yet. Walking home, the theme song from that lame old show Dad always turned on got stuck in my head. Emergency! I think the last time I half‑paid attention, the lab next to the hospital blew up. Firefighters fighting the fire, paramedics rescuing everyone… still boring.

Nowadays the action was right there. Oh man, and the underlying story is so much better. They dealt with real life stuff like PTSD and addiction. Dad’s show never did.

Netflix had a good movie on, though. I loved the part where she tried to punch him in the stomach and oops — missed. Classic.

After cleaning up the pizza and turning off Netflix, I changed and went to bed. Of course, that damn dog started barking again. Was it illegal to give him an alarm clock and teach him how to use it? Good golly Miss Molly. I shoved a pillow over my head. “Right back atcha.”

Saturdays were shopping days. Food, clothes, and the necessities of life. I grabbed my tablet and checked my messages. Yup — both parents worked late last night. Uh‑huh. Sure. Other than that, nothing. TikTok was better anyway. Ooo, a super hot guy popped up with dark hair and blue eyes. He worked at his dad’s company who manufactured surgical instruments to help revolutionize the medical industry.

I remembered that weekend as plain as day. I kept thinking maybe I should’ve paid more attention. Maybe I should’ve given him a better chance. The maybes never stopped. When I thought they did, another popped up from somewhere. Every time I thought about them I cried. Sometimes I never stopped. Things turned different when I was taken out of that house and put into Aunt Gayle’s house. Mom and Dad got killed in a car accident. The funeral was awful. Aunt Gayle kept hooting and hollering as if something funny happened. Nothing funny happened. Mom and Dad were dead and your over there laughing. Bitch!

It got to the point I missed Emergency! That other show too… oh uhm… MASH. They were Dad. God.

Mom was head nurse in the trauma unit at the County Hospital. We’d have a vid-conference when she could with a cup of coffee of course. She used to tell me she could always tell it was the weekend. The number of emergencies that came in and the category they fit in.

Nobody seemed to care at school. They didn’t know because it didn’t make the news. Alexander Grisham was hot news on social media and planned to move to town and was going to enroll in the local high school. My school.

The posters on the wall for school choir was supposed to entice people to join. I lost interest. Nobody would be there for me.

I remembered Mom and Dad talked to me about enrolling me into a private school. One that centered on the arts. They knew I loved to sing. Together with a good education, I could reach for the stars and go for it. Yeah. Something happened to the money that was supposed to be set aside though. Aunt Gayle told me the money was lost. Sure it was and I was Mariah Carey. Yeah right.

I didn’t believe her for a second. Every time she got drunk there was always something. She would call me by Mom’s name and yell at me for taking attention away from her achievements. How I took Brian Menster away from her. How I took everybody’s attention away from her, because she was mean and rotten. I lost track of who she was talking about. I got Mom’s name, but after that, I got lost. I stopped paying attention.
It had been like that for about two years. She never cooked with me. She never watched TV with me. She never tried to have a conference call with me. I was insignificant. I had a feeling it was all about her and Mom, but I didn’t have a clue.

Alexander asked me out about midway through my senior year. I didn’t care about Aunt Gayle anymore. It was all about Alex. That’s what I called him. He was my Alex.

It was on prom night. I didn’t have a dress. Aunt Gayle spent it all on alcohol. I never saw a penny of what was supposed to come to me. Only the IT girl did. I only wanted to look beautiful for the prom. So that Alex could see me when I looked my absolute best.

When I got there, I saw him talk to the number one senior girl Frangelica Houston. They looked a little too close between the slip of the hand and the brush of the lips against cheeks. He was supposed to be mine. He sat next to me in math. He talked to me during lunch. He never picked on me. Never. He always seemed to know how to comfort me.

I dreamed about our future together. I would go to the local theater and he would be off to a top notch neurological hospital inventing new surgical techniques and equipment. Two kids with a cat and a dog to complete the picture. That was us.

As it turned out, he somehow got his sister to get me a dress. It looked sort of odd. I mean I’m sure it was taken into consideration against other choices, but with the green top and yellow skirt it made me look like a pineapple. I showed up to the prom and everybody laughed at me. Even Frangelica pointed at me and laughed.

I ran out of the room and made it as far as the front steps. Alex grabbed me and told me he would take me home. We went in another direction though. It was the opposite end of town, the business end.

I banged on the door while I tried to open it. It wouldn’t budge. He laughed. “Go ahead. Try. You won’t get out. You’ll be lucky number thirteen.” He laughed some more. “Did you really think that I would go out with a complete loser like you? You’re delusional.”

That was when I saw the building. Big and shiny and it looked like it was one big mirror. When he stopped, I tried to get the door open but it was still locked. He unlocked the door and grabbed me to pull me out of the car. We went all the way up. I couldn’t remember the floor number but it felt like a long way up.

As soon as we got into the elevator, he pulled my arms together and tied them up with zip ties, and stuffed a sock in my mouth before putting duct tape over it. He grabbed my arm and kept pulling me into an office. He ripped off that awful dress and cut off my underwear. I knew it was coming. It did. The most horrible experience of my life.

In and out, in and out. I couldn’t tell how often it happened. I had a weird sensation go through my body. Did that mean I had a reaction to this? I always pictured me and my husband loving each other through the night and enjoying the sensation. This was anything but that.

During the whole thing, he told me about stuff. About how his father became a member of an exculsive club. It was about turning little boys into big men.

At last, he finished. “Oh yeah. Lucky number thirteen.” He laughed. “Don’t worry sweet thing, you’ll survive. Oh and when you get pregnant, you’ll get an abortion. So no putting up that child for adoption. It ain’t gonna happen bitch. Oh and don’t report this to the police. Mom and the police chief’s wife are best friends. One word and you know… .” He slapped me so hard over and over again, that I saw stars. Was it normal to laugh at someone in pain?
I couldn’t remember when he left. Only that he did after he cut me free. I was too sore and too tired to even try to think. I had to get away.

I grabbed a blanket and picked up the phone. No dial tone. I needed to get away. I found my way to the elevator but it wouldn’t turn on. I found the door to the stairs and went down as fast as I could.

This was the opposite side of town, a part I didn’t know at all. I kept thinking, though, that there had to be a police department around here somewhere. All of these high-income, high-priced buildings had to have something other than security.

I looked around and saw a sign: Grand Meridian Plaza. A little green street sign at the top read Stock Market Blvd. I was still in the business center from the looks of it. Buildings of various sizes and shapes surrounded me. There were no cars in the parking lots, only a single security guard sitting and reading something. I thought they did away with the newspaper ages ago.

I had to find the police. They had to be around somewhere. As I was about to turn around and try the other direction, a police car drove past me. The siren blared and the lights flashed. They pulled up alongside the sidewalk.

“Are you lost or something?” asked the grey-haired officer. He had a tenor voice with a sort of rough edge to it. “Where are you supposed to be? What happened?”

Still shivering, “My boyfriend brought me here. He raped me.”

They put me in the backseat of their car and made various turns until we got to the police department.

They spoke over the radio in a language that sounded like English, but somehow didn’t register. We pulled into the garage and one of them opened the door for me. They walked me into an office space in the middle of the building.

The grey-haired officer left us to get me some clothes. He warned me they might not fit, but I didn’t care at that point. I would take anything.

I stayed with the other officer and answered his questions. He had black hair and a baritone voice. When I told him Alexander Grisham did it to me, he let out a strange half-cough, half-laugh.

I should’ve realized Alex had a history when he mentioned the do not even bother line.

We finished when the grey-haired officer came back with clothes. I went into the women’s restroom and put the clothes on. There was a mirror in there, but I didn’t even look. Too disgusted with myself. They say it was never the victim’s fault, but there had to be something.

I growled as I left the restroom and found the cops again in the same room. “Chloe. Right?”

I nodded

The grey-haired tenor brought me back to the desk. “Yeah. OK. Instead of taking you to County we’ll be taking you to Chiron Medical Services. They have the necessary personnel, equipment, and set up we need in order to take the necessary samples. I know. This is hard. All you wanna do is go home and sleep and scream, but this mean officer wouldn’t let you. I get it. At this stage, I think it’s best to finish this before moving forward.”

I understood what he said, but all of this was starting to sound like one long slurred speech. I didn’t know what to say so I nodded.

We pulled into the parking lot and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was used to seeing these old white buildings with a lot of windows at least ten stories tall. This was, judging by the windows, four stories tall. It was a white building with the lobby surrounded by floor to ceiling windows. Big and soft chairs looked so inviting. No music played, but I had to wonder if I would appreciate it. The pictures on the wall were about nature and habitat.

The officer found me a seat while he went to go and talk to a lady at the front desk.

His job was done I guessed because he left me there. I didn’t have to wait long at all. A lady came into the waiting room. “Baker, Chloe. Baker, Chloe.”

It might have been regulation, but it sounded weird with my last name first. I stood up and went to her. “I’m Chloe Baker.”

“Follow me, please. If you could verify your birthday for me.”

It was sort of embarrassing having a birthday on a special day. “July 4, 2008.”

“Thank you. It will be you, me, and the lieutenant detective will be in the room only. The two of you will be talking. The only reason for me to speak would be to let you know what I’m doing or to have you move a certain way.”

I nodded. The icy grey walls were plain, not even a picture. No music either. Will I ever sing again? Nessun Dorma and the Little Flute were Mom’s favorite. I preferred more modern music or at least something that wasn’t opera. Alex killed the music in me. I swear he did.

I was brought to a waiting room and told to wait. The detective from the Sexual Assault Unit hadn’t arrived yet. I was glad they didn’t have music streamed in.

Here we go again. I guessed the brunette that walked in was the lieutenant I was supposed to confide in. She took off her blazer and introduced herself.

Why couldn’t I let go of the fact that something awful happened to me, and Alexander Grisham was at the root of it all? He told me things during that time and in the car. I don’t think he expected me to remember, but I did. All of it.

I knew he had a history. I got the same reaction out of the lieutenant that I did from the officers that picked me up. Sort of a half-laugh half-cough while trying to hide that fact.

After wearing that… thing he grabbed me and took me to his car. I couldn’t get out. The doors wouldn’t open. He kept laughing.

I remembered he said bits and pieces of something that he belonged to some sort of special club. The same one his father belonged to a lot of decades ago. It was all about sex and how to turn a virgin.

I was lucky number thirteen because that was the number he chose. He brought me into his office inside his father’s building after the security guard went home. There were twelve floors with a penthouse on the thirteenth floor. That’s where everything happened.

That’s where I lost my love for music for singing. I screamed and cried for so long I didn’t–how were you supposed to keep track of time.

Then the tears started. They washed away some of the pain but not all of it. I still hurt. I wanted my mom. Where was she? This was her hospital.

I curled myself into the smallest ball I could. The lieutenant drove me home. Other than that, I don’t quite remember what happened. I went from the hospital to my room using some sort of special sci-fi gadget. I couldn’t remember enough of the details to tell a complete story. I remembered running to my pillow and crying in rivers onto it.

At some point, I know Aunt Gayle came home. We had what she would call a conversation. That conversation had a lot of yelling, cussing, and very little care. I wished I could’ve run home and into Dad’s arms. He wasn’t there. He was dead. Mom was dead.

I hate you!

I made it until graduation and still had no idea what to do. What do I do? What if I’m pregnant? What will happen if Alex finds me?

Aunt Gayle wasn’t going to pay for anything. With what though? My money, the money that my parents left me was all gone. She spent it all. I gave up on her at that point. I know I mentioned that before, but this time it was for real. I was done.

I came back to my room to look at some stuff and I didn’t realize howmessy it was. Everything was everywhere. I heard the garage door open and that was when I left. Aunt Gayle grabbed my arm. “Hey. What are you doing here? Come to take my stuff?”

“You have no idea.” I had no idea. “Let go.”

She let me go and that was when I left for the last time. Whatever jewelry or papers that was still there I left behind. I’d get it later.

I sat inside a McDonald’s. I didn’t have any money so I sat there and watched other people. My dream disintegrated. He turned into a bachelor running away from the law and other people because of his past.

He mentioned don’t even think about reporting the rape because his mother would fix it. Did that mean he raped other girls? Maybe the janitor knew, Roy. He had been there since forever and a century. He might know something.

Everybody knew where Roy lived. That was a given. The school owned a building of small apartments, about three hundred and fifty square feet each, that they wanted to be sure the cleaning crew could be there to take care of any emergencies at a moments notice when the rooster crowed at midnight. Nothing fancy with enough room to hang your hat and that’s it. Everybody knew the story and we all laughed at that thought.

I found the apartment building. Three stories tall. There was a directory that had the last name of each tenant and the apartment number. I was lucky when the first try hit his apartment.

Once I got to the landing I found his apartment because he stuck his head out the door. “Hi. Didn’t you just graduate?”

“Hi, Roy. I’m Chloe. Yeah, I did. I have something to ask you if you’re not busy?”
“Oh, come on in. It’s small but it’s mine. What’s your question?”

It wasn’t the sort of question that one would ask while sitting. I stood instead. “Do you know Alexander Grisham?”

He nodded. “Not good. Not good at all. The word I got from his previous school was that he was one step away from ending up in prison.”

“Did the principal tell you?”

He shook his head. “The janitor over there and I are old buds from the army.” He gave me a bottled water and a granola bar. “It seems as though he played with the wrong girl. If you get my meaning.”

I couldn’t remember the last time I ate so I had both almost at the same time. God, I was hungry. “The only person… no. The principal’s daughter?”

“He had a son. It was the superintendent’s granddaughter that he messed with. Unbeknownst to the rest of the family she signed some sort of set of papers to promise to keep her trap shut. That’s why he moved here after the first quarter. He messes up again and he’ll end up in a military academy. His family promised to donate money to go toward a new sports arena if the school keeps it a secret. Otherwise, this school gets shutdown and he ends up in that academy.”

Whoa. He messed up big time. “Thanks.”

“Did you get help? Go see a doctor?”

“How did you know?”

He shrugged. “Don’t take a genius. You mention his name and unauthorized sex goes right along with it.”

“Thank you. Good night.”

“I don’t have much, but if you need somewhere to sleep we could work something out.”

“No. That’s OK.” He turned creepy all of a sudden.

“All right. I thought I’d make the offer. Take care.”

Oh. OK. I can handle being nice. “Night.” I left his apartment. As soon as I went down one story, my head started spinning. I sort of fell down on my ass and triggered what I only heard about in movies. Never experienced until that point. There was no use in getting God’s attention.

I stood, one inch at a time, while holding the handrail. I thought about Alexander in the hopes it would take my mind away from how awful I felt.

Alexander had a history which made him go from super hot guy to a creepy monster. I shivered at that thought. To think, I wanted to date him and then marry him after graduation. Frangelica can have him.

Once I got to the sidewalk, I looked around and saw County Hospital down the street. Every step I took though, brought about another round. Oh God, I thought I was going to die. It seemed to ease a little bit once I stepped into the parking lot. To say I had an upset stomach would’ve been an understatement.

The doors to the emergency room opened and I smelled Eau de Hospital air freshener. My stomach took that moment and made itself better. Mom would’ve warned me not to waste the personnel’s time and pretend to be sick. If you are sick, and it’s legitimate, they will help. Despite what you might’ve heard, the employees in the ER are experienced. They know when you’re lying. So don’t.

I went up to the reception desk and checked in. I wrote next to my name that I didn’t feel good. I gave the front desk lady the clipboard. She clicked her tongue as she read it.

“It says here that you don’t feel good. “Here’s the part where you think I’m going to call that unhelpful. I’m not.”

Which is not the case. With everything that can be wrong, we need you to narrow it down a bit. So how is it you don’t feel good?”

“When I left someone’s house, I had a sudden dizzy spell. Then I threw up five times before I got here.” I still think I only got better because of your room deodorizer.

“How long has it been since you had anything to eat?”

Oh God. I don’t know. Since forever. “I’m not sure. I had a granola bar and a water a little bit ago though.”

She nodded. “We’ll call you when we’re ready.”

That should give me a couple minutes to sit. I looked back at the reception area, and that same woman turned around to talk to a man in scrubs. She pointed to me and then to the clipboard. He nodded and left the area.

After that, I thought maybe I could catch one of Dad’s five minute power naps. I’d give anything to hear him snore again. I found the restroom first.

I went back to the waiting area. I was lucky the second time around, because one of the cushy chairs opened up. I grabbed it and closed my eyes. Maybe a quick nap wouldn’t hurt.

“Chloe Baker. I’m looking for Chloe Baker.”

My eyes opened as soon as she called my name. She brought me to the back of the area where they had beds. Oh my God. A bed. Chances were I wouldn’t be there long enough, but at that moment I’d take it.

I’d already gone once, but when the nurse said they needed a sample, I managed.

She showed me back to the bed. “Somebody will be here to get a blood sample.”

Urine and blood sample? Didn’t they only do that if they suspected pregnancy? I wanted Mom. She knew.

The paper under me somehow crept into places it shouldn’t. I laid back and expected to stay awake, but I closed my eyes for only a minute.

The woman mouthed the word hi. “I’m the phlebotomist that’s going to get a sample of your blood, according to the doctor’s orders. Just relax, it’ll be done in a minute.” True to her word, she was done in less than a minute.

I laid back down and my brain seemed to know where I left off.

Someone shook my shoulder again. “Chloe Baker?”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s all right,” the nurse said. “Everybody has fallen asleep back here at one time or another. The doctor will be in a minute. We’re going to do a pregnancy test as part of your examination, but if the assault happened tonight, the result can’t tell us whether a pregnancy resulted from it. Any pregnancy from tonight would be too early to detect.”

I nodded. I heard a child crying from somewhere, maybe the waiting room. I looked at my stomach at that point. A baby. I could be having a baby. The thought should have horrified me. Instead, my exhausted brain pictured a tiny smiling child.

“Chloe? Are you Chloe Baker?” An older woman with grey and brown hair stood in the doorway.

“Yeah. Hi. I’m Heloise Williams. I work in the finances center here at County. What I have in my hand is the list of services and prices according to your care. Please keep in mind, this is not a bill.”

OmiGod. I kept looking at the paper in the hopes the numbers would scatter and change themselves. “That’s… that’s unreal. Those numbers are unreal. I don’t have any money though. Do you have a payment plan or something?”

“I think you misunderstand. This is not a bill because it hasn’t gone through the system of insurances or payment services yet. It’s only a glimpse of what’s happened so far. The next question or questions may seem awkward, but they’re only to inform me of certain details so I can better help you. In the end, we just want our bills paid. All right?”

“OK.”

“Why are you in the ER?”

“I felt sick and dizzy.”

“Did you eat or drink anything that might have had the potential of being tainted?”

“No.”

“Last question, did any sort of assault happen to you?”

“Yes.”

She nodded. “That could work in our favor. Just wait here a minute and let me look into something.”

The bill. Dad always took care of the bills. You have enough time to learn all about them and how to pay them. Let your Dad take care of things in the meanwhile. The bill. Special services. Help!

A man stepped inside. “Hi. I’m Dr. Farahani. As the nurse explained to you, if the assault happened today, then it would be too early to tell if you’re pregnant.”

“What?”

“It would be too early to give you a definite answer. It’s all a part of the examination and had to be done.”

This is too much. I need a break. I don’t care. I don’t care anymore.

“Chloe Baker, stop.”

I stopped while I panted. I turned around and gave her the bird.

“I know. I’m finances. It comes with the territory. Anyway, I have to look more into this, but it seems as if there is financial help for assault victims. If you can return here tomorrow afternoon at about three, we can go through this together.”

No, I can’t deal with this right now. “What if I don’t want to?”

“Then we turn you over to overdue payment squad and let them take care of this. They’re not nice people.”

I had to leave. I needed to leave. I turned around and ran outside. I went around to the back of the building.

“Oh. Why did you bring me here anyway? Hospitals are so not in fashion.” Pop. Pop pop. Yup, that was Frangelica.

“Look you idiot,” Alex said. “She’s supposed to be around here. You check around back for her.”

“Who told you? Huh? Candy? Cupcake? Sugar? Cookie? Lollipop? Your sugar sweet pleasure squad?”

“You know, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be able to afford those shoes. One of the people in there owes my dad a lot of money. I promised to pay their debt if they tell me where she went. When they told me, I hung up.”

“Awesome. Now where do I go?”

“Around back, bitch.”

“I hate you.”

“Yeah yeah yeah. Just remember, it was my dad that relieved those nasty gambling debts.”

I found a nice quiet corner near the dumpster. Not a good place if you hated the stench, but it was the only place available. Something behind me made noise.

I looked over my shoulder and a swirl happened. When it stopped, a plain wooden door appeared. It opened without a noise. A floating white hand came out of the doorway. It pointed at me and waved me inside.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked.

“Well, my nice and expensive shoes got caught and I don’t want them to get dirty,” Frangelica said.

“Well then take your foot out of the shoe.”

“No, then my feet will get dirty from all of that yicky stuff that’s stuck to the ground. You’re disgusting.”

I turned back towards the door and watched the hand do the same thing over again. I looked behind me and wondered if anybody would miss me. When I couldn’t think of anyone I stepped inside.

When I stepped inside, the hand kept moving and I kept following. A lot of lights shone around me. A lot of voices around me also. I wondered if it was possible to wander off the trail and go into one of those whirlpool like things to find Mom and Dad.

The hand grabbed my chin and shook my head no. Could hands read minds? It let go and we kept walking. A door opened and it felt like I was pushed inside. I turned around only to find out I ended up somewhere.

Where was I? Where did I go? “Help!”

Why was it, every time I took this journey, it was foggy outside? Again, crossing the Chain Bridge. It was a necessary journey I had to make. Somewhere out there, either God or a high official, defined the word partner. I had to live up to that definition. This trip brought out memories of what started it all.

If I attended the academy, then it was possible I could find a place there. I was all for doing that. There was always a place to start and a chance to work up the ladder. Going to the academy wouldn’t guarantee that, but it offered a way to get more information than what I had before.

After ninety days, I graduated. Not with perfect scores, but I made it. The way this place worked was this. It wasn’t a huge country wide federal agency. We had four offices in total, with our goal being to investigate or offer assistance to whomever needed it. Hence the name The Office of Special Investigations.

I started off being a grade level one. That rank was the very bottom. Elsewhere it might mean something else, but here, it was the very bottom. The work was paperwork. If it had to do with paperwork, chances were, we had it somewhere. So what? It’s an office. What did you expect? I couldn’t remember how many people asked me that question. It was a lot.

Nathanael got me into this line of work. We sort of ran into each other at the train station when I first moved to Virginia, and he needed someone to play Mrs. Nathanael Charlamagne. I was it.

He was taller than I was with sunny-blonde hair, and a sort of summer blue eyes. His hair reached his shoulders, and it never looked like he shaved any. Of course there was the potbelly.

I stood up to his shoulders with brown hair and brown eyes. While both of us had the same skin color, we didn’t look like we matched any. I always imagined a married couple matching. Well, it had to be done so I tried to make the best of it.

When that was all said and done, he told me there was always a need for good people.

I took that challenge. I graduated. It was policy that everybody had a partner. Good, bad, or indifferent. I thought mine would be Nathanael. God, was I wrong. Instead I got somebody named Obade Carrow. Tall, bald, and black with a deep voice.

It’s not a problem if someone was a different race than I was. We lived in America. There was going to be a lot of different people. The only thing I was happy about was the fact he spoke. Everything else… well… maybe I better explain which might help tell why I hated that bridge. At least one of the reasons.

I cooked for him: breakfast, midday meal, and the last meal of the day. I had to get everything from across the bridge and that was not easy traffic. Of course, he learned the art of sleeping with his eyes open. One never knew if he was indeed awake. That left me to do the work.

As a grade level one, I couldn’t do the investigation. That would’ve been up to Obade, but since he slept all day and night, I had to. The consequences of not doing it would’ve been three days spent at home without pay. Well hey, that meant a vacation, and since I’m at such a low level, I couldn’t get into trouble. No. During those days, it was expected that a proper apology letter would be written by both agents, and then presented to the board. If they didn’t like it, it had to be rewritten until they did like it.

What did all of this mean? What did all of this lead up to? How Nathanael and I got together and that tragic time in our life.

He had Avery as his partner at the time. I remembered one conversation they had while I walked a few steps behind them. I remembered it word for word even though I had no idea what that conversation was about. I didn’t know if it happened or they were rehashing old memories.

“Morning was a whole mess,” Avery said. “Housing tried to pull a Bravo‑level sweep again. Same nonsense as last quarter.”

 “Bravo?,” Nathanael said. “That’s generous. Looked more like a Delta‑grade scramble. Nobody had their ducks in formation.”

“Figures,” Avery said. “Did you ever get that 1348 sorted?”

“Eventually,” Nathanael said. “Had to chase down a missing signature — classic ghost‑trail maneuver. Whoever filed it must’ve been asleep at zero‑six.”

On that conversation went. It spanned the whole way from the entry door and on down the hallway.

 One day, I was in the Agents’ Information Area and they walked in. They laughed and carried on with a conversation I couldn’t even guess. I shrugged my shoulders and went on to the Boardroom to update the Board of Directors about the latest file they gave me. OK. I didn’t do the updating. Obade did that.

Then that day happened. Avery pushed Nathanael into the supervisor’s office. I never knew what an evil smile looked like until I saw Nathanel’s as he closed the blinds. He looked right at me as he did that. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but between the thuds and the raised voices it had to be something big.

Avery stormed out of the office with tears in her eyes. We were never friends to begin with so it didn’t matter.

What mattered was Nathanael. He looked at me as he snapped his fingers one at a time with a single clap in the end. I learned later it was a habit he picked up when he got angry.

Of all the people in my life, the one person I regretted ever meeting was my ex-husband Glenn King. He had a small stash worth about three-quarters of a million dollars in the Cayman Islands.

He offered me the Cayman account to stay with him. He needed help taking care of his so-called inventory. I couldn’t do it. Those innocent bundles. I never had a quiet night’s sleep. I could never get passed the sound of pain as they expressed how they felt.

He was the reason I was nicknamed cyborg woman. If it wasn’t for the help the Domestic Violence Safety Train gave me, I wouldn’t be up and around at all. I would still be lying down somewhere. Not being able to talk, see, hear, or move at all. Wishing I was dead.

I kept tabs on Glenn. I knew where he was and what he was doing. If Nathanael wanted to go down with glory, I had the means to do that.

Oh no, he never said it. How could I tell? It was in the number of cases he turned down. He never told me why, only that it wasn’t in the best interest of the office that the case be solved by any of the agents. That gave me an idea.

I put together all of the information I had on Glenn, put it in a folder, marked it as official, and left it on Nathanael’s desk. That information included the Cayman account number, and that mysterious string of numbers with Luxembourg printed on it. I thought if he had that, he might be able to take down the most evil man in existance.

I remembered walking into his office as he opened the folder. The next thing I knew he was jumping up and down as if he was so excited, and he didn’t know how to expell all of that energy.

I made it into the boardroom to find out if there would be anything else. There was nothing else, because Obade died during the night of a heart attack. I put it in the back of my mind to look into later.

I walked into Nathanael’s office right on time. That was my assignment for the day. After a minute, I went to the coffee maker to make the coffee. Why they didn’t have a Keurig I never asked. About the same time I turned it on, Nathanel came in.

“OK. Look Rookie. I just got a big case. OK? I don’t need no ground level friggin’ idiots messing things up. What I need is a loft that looks modern and expensive. I need a car to fit. A wardrobe that would impress the friggin’ Mr. President. Let me know when you got those. You can get those right? Of course you can. Even a friggin’ idiot can do it.”

I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. I had everything he wanted so all I had to do was get it.

When I got home, I found the keys to that condo I had. I was going to sell it. I didn’t need it or want it anymore. I couldn’t even remember why I bought it. To me it looked like a warehouse with big windows. Tall windows with white walls and concrete flooring. The industrial look didn’t suit me.

I stored something else in a warehouse. I kept the great one covered to keep the dust off. I only drove it enough to keep it alive. There was that abandoned racetrack I could sneak onto, as long as I didn’t make a scene. Hard to do with a Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita, but I managed. Funny thing is, I won it in a poker game. The guy who lost it was about to be a dad. I still think about that sometimes.

Keys to the condo, the fob for the car, and the last thing — that was in the closet. I dated someone, once upon a time. Other than Glenn. They were about the same size, so it should’ve fit. In case it didn’t, I stuffed some money in an envelope and buried it in the suitcase with the clothes. I put the keys in my purse and went to bed hoping everything would be all right, though I already knew better.

I had to meet with the director of my level the next morning, so I tossed the keys in the top drawer and locked it. Put the suitcase behind his chair. I wasn’t hiding it; it was somewhere to put it. I left the address and the pictures of the condo and the car in the drawer too. Then I sent him a text: I got everything you needed. Good luck.

The board kept me busy with this file and that file getting every piece of nitty gritty they could find. I was never sure what their intention was, only that they were keeping me busy without cause.

I kept watch over Nathanael. I saw him change over time. Gone was the pot belly and messy hairstyle. In their place was a man with an athletic build, and short slicked-back hair. It made him look like a supermodel. He even grew a mustache and beard. Nothing hillbilly style, but taken care of so he looked clean and neat.

Then that day came. It was a day out of hell. Soldiers and master computers programmed to kill. Minirobots and RMC fighter jets armed with bullets and bombs. They weren’t toys. They were meant to kill.

A moment I would never forget. I somehow ended up in a hole with Nathanael next to me. I was never sure what happened to him, but whatever it was, scrambled his brain. Eyes wide open, looking everywhere around him, white knuckles, and his shaking legs. The words that came out of his mouth were too mumbled to understand. I didn’t have panic attacks so I couldn’t say that’s what happened. I could only hope at that point he would get better.

When everything finished, they had to shoot him with a tranquilizer to be able to get him into an ambulance. I rode along with him to County General. The receptionist had the phone in one hand, and greeted everybody with a clipboard in the other. I could swear I saw sparks fly when the printer printed.

The doctor came out, and scratched his bald head while he blew out a breath. Somewhere between all of his breaths, he mentioned that there wasn’t anybody on staff who could diagnosis Nathanael enough to give him treatment. So he was transferred ASAP to a mental clinic where they could offer a diagnosis.

The doctor gave me a card before he almost ran away. When I got back out to my car, I called the clinic. The woman on the other end, could only say he was admitted, and that maybe a proper diagnosis would be offered later that night.

According to the lady on the phone, Nathanael didn’t offer much cooperation between the screaming and the running. When he wore himself out, they were able to examine his mental status. I had to call back the following morning before I could speak to the doctor.

Perceptual manipulation was the diagnosis. Someone had distorted his sense of reality so much that he believed what he was doing was harmless. No intent, no awareness — only a manufactured belief that everything was fine.

That meant he needed serious psychological care, the kind of help the Office couldn’t — or wouldn’t — provide.

I had about a week before the paperwork caught up with him. One week to battle the Board. I spent that entire time fighting with them over medical insurance. Imagine that — insurance. Mine would cover Nathanael’s treatment. Theirs wouldn’t. All they had to do was drop him from their policy so I could put him under mine. It took a full week to get them to agree.

              That’s where I was. It took two hours to cross the bridge, and get onto a dirt road that led to a mental facility. A facility for mental wellness and assistance, so read the sign.

I parked my car and locked it before I left. My purse was in my trunk so about the only thing I had on me were the keys. I signed in at the front desk and showed them my keys. The front desk clerk shook her head and put out a tray to put the keys in.

I walked down the hallway and read the white boards as I passed them. His room was at the end. Nathanael-9 AM- Dr. Skjoldbrannfjellhaugensdatter. Uhm yeah. He had Dr. S and his session should have finished since it was one o’clock.

I knocked on the door before I opened it. “Hi, Nathanael. It’s me. It’s Margaretta. Can I come in?”

He didn’t answser and I didn’t hear him walk towards me. I opened the door a little more to fit my head through. “Hi. There you are.”

He looked like a little kid with his hand by his chin half waving and the other sort of went up and down as he reached my face. The beard and mustache was still there and his hair grew a little more. “Hi. I’m Nathanael. You can come in if you want. I think you’re the first one.”

Gone was the overconfidant man who had strange conversations in the hallway. He held my cheek and rubbed it a couple times. He smiled after he did that. After the introduction, he didn’t say anything, only smiled.

We sort of stood there watching each other when a doctor stepped in. White hair, white beard and mustache, doctor’s jacket and white shirt, and those dark slacks. Every doctor I’ve ever met had that same outfit. I always thought that doctors took a class or something to get notes on the proper dress.

“Excuse me, Miss, may I have a word with you?” the doctor said.

“Sure,” I said. “I’ll meet you outside.” I watched him go. “It looks like the doctor wants to meet with me. The way the time is going right now, I’m going to leave right after that. OK? Don’t worry. I’ll be back.” I patted his cheek.

“You’re… you’re real? A grown up. Right?”

“Yup. All grown up and I promise I can drink.” Uh oh. I think I hit a nerve. It made him growl a bit. “OK. OK. I’m sorry.” I put my hand on his cheek. “Bad joke. I better go see what the doctor wants. I’ll let your grandfather know what’s going on as well.”

“All right. Thank you.” He started to stretch out his arms as if in a hug, but he put his arms down.

I went outside the room. “OK. Doc. What is it?”

“He’s stable, but he’s not progressing the way we hoped. He needs a more structured, longer-term environment. He will be moving to a Trauma Informed Residential Program. They’re calmer, quieter, and more humane than a hospital‑like facility. This won’t be a quick fix. The mind is a very complex thing, Ma’am. It will take time and nothing is ever perfect, but we can hope to achieve it. Should you have any questions, please wait until the transfer is final.”

After he turned around and walked away, I was left stunned. I heard every word he said, but I had no idea what he said. I knew with the drive back it would come to me. At that moment though, I wanted to go in, and pick up Nathanael, and throw him in my car. That wouldn’t help him at all. It could make things worse. I had to get back.

Monday morning, I got back to work. Of course, I worked in the Agent Area. Everybody could see everybody, but I had the feeling of being watched. It didn’t make sense to me, but it felt like everytime I moved somebody somewhere scrutinized that move. It felt like that all week. The work was basic paperwork. Get this file, get that file, be sure to deliver this to the director in Level Four sort of thing. I didn’t think anything about it.

It was Saturday, at last. A whole day to drive out and see Nathanael. I hoped the new facility was treating him better than the last one. At least heading that direction meant I didn’t have to cross the Chain Bridge — small mercies.

I was about to settle in for the long drive when I spotted two charcoal‑grey Toyota Corollas, identical right down to the darkened windows. Office cars. Of course. I wondered who they thought they were following today.

Maybe the Board was a little bored. Maybe they needed the field trip. Well… if they were going to tail me anyway, I could at least give them a scenic tour of D.C. Keep morale up. So I hit the highlights like the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Memorial, and of course we had to pass by the Smithsonian Museums. After making a turn to see the White House, they turned around and left. I guess they already saw it. Oh well.

I reached the facility at last. I left my purse in the trunk of my car and left my keys at the front desk after signing in. I found Nathanael’s room. On the right side, as opposed to the left in the last place, and in the middle. Nathanael Charlemagne was written on the white board.

I knocked on the door and poked my head in. “Hi, Nathanael. It’s me. It’s Margaretta.”

“Hi.” He walked to the door and pulled it open. As soon as I walked in he closed it. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. Not so tight that I couldn’t breathe, but tight. “It’s been a while. What happened? Did you get lost or something?” He scrunched his eyebrows.

“Well, they don’t allow visitors when you first move in. There’s a waiting period. I’m here now. How are you doing?”

“Me? I’m OK. The doctors don’t seem too optomistic about how things are progressing. It just feels like mu head is too stuffed. Or something. They keep telling me there will be a time when all of it will be released and then the real healing will begin.” He gave me a peck on the cheek. H shrugged.

“It’s all right.” I rubbed his shoulder. “Things will come around at some point. They said it might help if there are things in your room to help make it homey. Did you want any books or magazines? I could bring in some art supplies like crayons and paper?”

He shook his head. “No. I just want—I want—” He picked up a pillow and threw it. I ducked as it headed in my direction.

As soon as he turned around I left his room. A medical team came in right after I left the room.

It wasn’t going to be easy. They’ll teach him how to deal with all of that stuff in his head. Maybe when I find Avery again, she can help. In the meanwhile, maybe some time and distance is what’s needed.

I was sent to find a new place for a retiring army. The king explained that he no longer needed a detachment at every point. He also told me that chances were that there were abandoned castles or landowner manors scattered about. It was my duty to find one and prepare it to be lived in.

I had been searching for about three suns and haven’t found any. If I did, they were too crumbled to be fit to be lived in. Even for a servant like me. The change of seasons meant a lot of wind and with a structure like that, it wouldn’t do any good.

About to turn around, and face three lashings for failure, I found something. It was on the outskirts of the defined area, but still within the bounds of the empire. I rechecked the map, and as I guessed, it was right outside the specified border. Not a complete failure, because I did find something.

It hadn’t been empty for long. Sure there were leaves and tree branches laying around, but the windows were still intact. The staircase that led up to the top floor was usable as well. It looked like it needed a good cleaning. I knew if I told the king, he would get together at least a handful of other servants to clean the place. This would be good.

It was near the end of my alotted time when I returned to the castle. I got five lashings for not returning sooner. I told the king what I found and he smiled. As I expected, he gathered five other servants and we left to clean the abandoned house. Since I found it, I got to choose to stay as a reward. If I fail, it would be ten lashings with a bull whip. That was the one that left a lot of pain and a lot of marks. Everything was left up to the king’s descretion. I might have thought I was successful, but it wouldn’t matter if he didn’t think so.

The five of us worked day and night to clean. The only area we couldn’t clean was the top floor where the lord of the manor would’ve been. Someone some how dragged a fallen tree inside and laid it across the stairway. About to finish, somebody walked through the door. His shoulders sagged and his eyes downcast. The sword dragged on the floor. The sun was up and it burned away the morning chill. I could tell though that he shivered. He dragged himself to me and took off everything he had on and dropped them at my feet.

I learned early on where to look instead of the naked body in front of me. I didn’t dare ask him anything. I let him pass before I ran to the kitchen to heat the water. The fireplace in the main room wouldn’t be large enough to hold the large metal cauldron filled with water. When the water had bubbles on the top, I gathered the others and we dumped the water into the bathing tub. Well, the original purpose was to hold material to be washed, but the original tub was in ruins.

I guided the man and he climbed in. He said something, I think, but I couldn’t understand what he was trying to tell me. He lay back and closed his eyes. I left him alone and shut the doors. It would be awhile before he would emerge. Most did.

I went back and picked up his things. The markings on the shoulder told me he was a commander. An elite fyrd if I read the markings on the other shoulder right. He wore the outfit long and hard. The smell and the sweat marks proved that. Once stained they are no good to use. I sent one of the servants to search for new garments.

The sword and dagger was taken to the nearby village to be redone. I didn’t know what the drawings on the handle meant but they had to mean something. It wasn’t my place to decide to destroy them. That was up to our visitor.

My station in life was as a servant and messenger. That was my right. As such, it was my right to decide what to do and how to go about getting it done.

I checked on him every now and again and he was still in the bath. The water had to be cold. I couldn’t change the water while he lay in it. His skin would be scorched.

At the same time the servant returned, he emerged from the bath. I went in and gave him a wrap. He looked up and gave me a bit of a smile. Not quite a full smile and not quite a straight face either.

I retrieved the garments from the servant and brought them to him. He cocked his head and smiled. I nodded as I heard the silent please help.

I held out the underwear to be put on first. It wasn’t cold but sometimes it was comfortable. The shirt was a dark green the vest and pants were a dark brown color. The boots he came in with were stained with more than sweat. I found a pair in a village nearby and hoped they would fit. After everything was put on, he looked much better.

The rain started and that meant nothing could be done outside. He walked up the stairs and I followed. There was a room on the second floor and he went inside. He turned around the room once before walking to the corner and picked up various items.

“Sir, that is for us to do. You need to rest as it has been a long journey.” When the king finds out, he would beat me beyond a simple lashing.

“I might as well do something. See if there’s something to put all of this in, so when it stops raining, I can drag or pull it along with me outside.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Before you go, what’s your name? I am Levi, from the eastern areas. Commander, that is former Commander, of the elite fyrd in charge of securing the royal family.”

I knew that but I couldn’t say anything. “My designation is 138B. I was given a name once, but I couldn’t keep it.” I pointed to the area where it was burned onto my skin.

He turned around to face me as he stood. “Designation? Servants with designations were done away with because of the conflict. It was an easy way to get more people into our troops.”

“Only the men and the useless ones were sent out as a means of controlling the servant population. As the King ordered.”

“We’ll talk about this later.” He scratched his head. “Uh… I’ll come with you and we’ll finish this discussion about designation while we’re looking.”

It wasn’t normal for things like this to happen. He was an unusual man. He didn’t even look to see if I was telling the truth.

There was still a bunch of things left in piles arounds the property. With everything piled in them, it often took a long time to clear them. Dirty pieces of cloth were put into one pile, rotten food into another, rotting corpses and bare bones in another, and so on. An easy task, yes, but everything was dumped all at once.

I was following behind him, as was my duty, when the sentries signaled someone approaching. I called back out for one of them to give me any details.

One of the young boys came to me. “We saw a man coming here. About as tall as our guest. Too dark to see what he looked like. He wore a cloak or a cover and traveled on an old steed.”

“Where did you see him?”

“Coming from the Western areas, about half a distance. Somebody said that those areas are empty. Nothing there. No life.”

I nodded and shooed him away. I felt breath on my neck and I turned around. It was our guest.

“What’s the report?”

“Sir, it is not of interest to any guest. It is for me to deal with.”

“How about if we decide now that any visitor we have I will be made aware of. Hm?”

I nodded. “A strange man approaches. They don’t know who the stranger is or even what he may look like. He doesn’t have any markings.”

He nodded. “All right. The war is done but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be cautious. I’ll keep him out here until I can determine who our visitor is.”

I called out to the sentries to be cautious. I saw them scatter among the trees as they waited on the branches. I felt a hand on my shoulder as I watched the approaching stranger.

The closer he came, the more I grew wary. “I don’t know, Sir. His ride drags.” A person who doesn’t care for their steed or dragorse couldn’t be good.

“Do we have any food?:

“Yes, sir. Would you be needing some?”

“For two. Do we have anything to drink?”

“I know that there is a village not far from here on the other side. Some of the other servants went to see about getting some. Sometimes a simple trade will get us what we need. They should be back soon.”

The closer the stranger came, the more a smile crept on the commander’s face. They might be warfriends. I heard the different words exchanged between them and that was the only thing I could guess. With hard shoulder pats mixed with laughter, it confirmed that guess. The gatherers brought back food while others brought back mead from a neighboring village.

I spent time in the cooking area with other owners, so it didn’t take much to figure out what to cook and how. Men such as these would be interested in a good ale. Problem was though, it wasn’t the season for it. Plus I heard they could only produce a half crop of the grain necessary to make the ale.

Once the food finished cooking, I sent the other servants to take them the food. I knew the servants were hungry, but our time would come when everybody else was fed. The younger ones brought the dirty dishes while the rest cleaned the eating area. It wouldn’t be good for a lot of bugs to creep around.

I stood and watched the little ones. I couldn’t believe they were abandoned. They didn’t have to stay but they did. One of them told me they did because they didn’t have anyplace to go.

Enough of that, I needed to watch the visitors to be sure everything was indeed all right. They laughed and drank well into the night before they collapsed on the ground. Former owners would hit me if I didn’t take care of them. However, they also hit me when I did take care of them. Drunk or not. I opted to take care of them.

I kept the fire going and blanketed them both. I touched their forehead to cheek to see if they had any heat. Since both of them seemed all right, I continued to clean up around them. It was only a little bit before dawn would break when I finished. The commander was the first to be arrounsed.

He groaned as he sat up. “Uh… Maisie, I need a bath I think.”

I heard the name but I didn’t know who he was referring to. “Maisie?”

“It sounds a lot better than the given designation. Start a bath for me would you? See about getting some food for the morning feast.”

“Yes, sir.”

It would take a while, but I could boil the water while I prepared the food. The warm morning brew would have to wait though. I covered the food with a cloth to be sure they would be all right.

I went to check on our guest but a hand covered my mouth and I was pulled backwards. Someone slapped my face. “I need a little satisfaction. You are after all a servant. You can’t say no.”

I couldn’t kick or even bite, I had to give in. He pulled up my skirt after he lowered his pants. Another hand reached over my shoulder as I moved my head out of the way. The visitor fell to the floor.

“To think, we once faught side-by-side during the war. Now you take a woman without question. Huh? Are you a dog?”

“You didn’t see the whole incident. You don’t even know what I had to do to get here. I was promised things.”

This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. I was a servant messenger. That was it. That was all. No one was supposed to protect me.

They pushed each other outside and the fighting started again. Something about it being a better place to work out their differences. I needed to clean everything up. There was still a lot of work to do.

I went all the way up to the uppermost floor and threw out everything that was in it. I found a piece of parchment on the floor by the window, but nothing to write with.

I started to clean out the fireplace when I realized a small piece could be used in place of a quill. That would be perfect.

I made many trips up and down the stairs to finish cleaning that area, but the arrival of the Commander put that to a halt. Heavy breathing, bloody nose, split lip, bruised face, and more on his body that I couldn’t see at that point.

I had an owner once, that taught me what to use, and how to apply a healing rub. The ingredients grew all around so it was only a matter of putting it together. It took time, but I got it done. I remembered watching the sun go from its highest point to about midway down.

He found a seat that didn’t collapse. There was also a table that I could use to set things down upon. It took only four trips instead of the eight I thought it would take. After washing the areas caked with blood, he put his head on my chest.

“Sir?”

“Levi. I didn’t miss the fighting, but I had no choice.” He looked up at me. “How did he know, you were a servant?”

“I still am, and he probably saw my owner’s emblem tattooed on me or my designation number. I don’t know.”

He nodded. “The sun hit the right spot and I saw what you were trying to tell me. It doesn’t change anything.” He put his arms around me. “Jessen and I… . He and I formed a bond. We were warfriends. In the middle of this great battle, the king decided to split the forces. I was ordered to stay here. Jessen and about ten men left us to travel to the south to prevent the foemen from coming. He was hothearted when he receiveed the orders. I remember he threw the scroll so hard it put a hole in the wall. It was an unprotected area, so the king felt another army put in that area would help. The battle is done, it’s finished. He finds me and tells me I should know better than to befriend a servant. That was not the man that was.”

He wept on me and all I could do was rub his back. His heart hurt from such a loss. Should he have known this might happen? I suppose he should have but that didn’t excuse the feeling of betrayal he had to be feeling.

He stood and left the room while I returned outside to find out why the call. The sentries must’ve saw or heard something. I went outside and our new guest had taken one of the other servants that came to assist.

I couldn’t arm myself but I could use any object that didn’t have a blade or a killing tip. I picked up a large scoop and hit him over the head with it. He fell to the floor.

He stood by me. “All right, two of you, pick up the body and take it as far away as you can. He should be out for a while.”

I looked at him before I bowed my head. “I am sorry, Sir. However you wish to—”

He covered my mouth with his hand. “Shh.” He removed his hand. “You did what you thought you had to do. I heard the Sentries’ call and thought I would find out what happened. Please call me, Levi. Sir, is gone. He’s retired. All right?”

This situation was getting strange. I nodded not knowing what else to say.

“Good. Oh and Maisie, I saw his ride. It might be better off if it was dead.”

I nodded and told two of the other servants to take care of it. I turned around and watched as he returned to the manor. Strange man that was. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but not that.

The old warriors still barked out orders even after their time was done. I thought all the warriors did that. I was wrong.

With things getting better outside, I returned inside and went back to cleaning the uppermost room. I made a list of things that would help me to remember what the room needed. I drew a picture only to help keep things in order. I left it behind because it was nearing time for the last meal of the day.

I thought about where to get the supplies. There was a caravan of craftsman that traveled from the nearest point to the farthest. What that meant nobody knew, only that they did.

There was still some food leftover so that was used to create the upcoming meal. I went around the house to pick up some wood, and that was where I saw the blood. I wasn’t sure from who, so I hoped that both fighters learned something.

“Maisie?” I heard the voice but couldn’t locate where it came from. “Maisie?” Levi stuck his head outside from the room upstairs and waved me towards him.

I told the other servants to continue with preparations while I went upstairs to find out why he needed me. I stood in the doorway while he looked at the list.

“Oh, Maisie. I see the list but I think you’re missing something. According to this diagram, there is one sleeping cusion on here. There’s enough room in here for two.”

He could read Old World. “Sir. Levi, I wrote that in Old World, the language of servants.”

He laughed. “Yes, you did. Despite what others might think, the servant class is not uneducated as they found a way to communicate. That and I learned Old World when I was a trainee along the Western coast.”

“I see, Levi. Uh… the meal will be ready in a little bit. Would you like to bathe?”

“Later. OK? I have to go back to the castle in a little while and I’ll bring this list with me. Not too much needs to be modified. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you.” That never happened.

“Promise to keep the place for me while I’m gone?”

I didn’t know how to explain this, but it was necessary. “Levi, unless special permission has been granted, this land could be occupied by another during your absence.”

“Yes. I know. This property is part of the reason why I have to go. The other is you.”

“I am his property. He would not sell me and might laugh at you for suggesting something such as buying damaged goods.”

“You let me take care of that while the clean up continues. All right?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He looked at me and smiled. “You know, the aroma from the cooking area is very enticing. We could experience a good meal with good mead. Huh?”

It was his orders so I had to comply. I appreciated the offer, however, it was not normal. It wasn’t how things were done. Could it be a left over feeling from the ending of the war?

As time went by, the area got cleaner and Levi did leave for the castle. It would take a while before he returned. The castle was at least three days away in one direction. I remembered counting the suns on my way back.

A lot of wiping, sorting, and a few repairs here and there, the house did look a lot better than when I arrived. Thanks to the sentries, I found out we needed to redo the roof. Too many holes up there. I didn’t check after the recent rain, but before the summer storms arrive, we needed to patch over the holes.

The other servants went to work on fixing that roof. I went to the village to see what I could find that I could trade for. A cow that somebody said was done providing milk, but I found out it wasn’t done quite yet. I got one bucket the following morning. A few pieces of material that they couldn’t find a use for, and some grain sacks that could be used as a head rest.

The shed off to the side of the house, I could use to stay in as servants were never allowed in the main house unless it was for the owners. I heard the sentries’ call for attention. I thought it would be Levi but it was a group. It was hard to tell with them being far away. The dust concealed their exact number.

They could be either the traveling caravan or a raiding party. They needed to be kept under observation. The wind blew a little, and in it, there was an unknown energy. It couldn’t be explained other than that. A sort of other thing that was often called one’s vision after a good night of ale.

I stayed up that night waiting to see what would happen. There was an unknown group out there and it made me feel uneasy. We didn’t have weapons. We had what we had and that wasn’t much.

I sat on a big rock in the back of the house. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see who it was. “Sir?”

“I haven’t been gone that long. What are you doing back here?”

“There’s an unknown group out there and nothing to say what they want. We don’t have anything.”

“Around this time, various groups will set out in search of something. New land, new dwelling, new hope. That could be it.”

“I don’t know, Sir. I don’t know. I can’t send anyone out there with the risk of weapons. They haven’t moved any.”

“I wouldn’t worry. I have some news from the king that I need to discuss with you.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Levi.”

I followed behind him. He went upstairs and into his room. There was a messenger bag by the door which seemed to be filled with scrolls. He pulled one out and opened it. “This one is a note to me reminding me that new addition to the family must be approved by the parents. That one was from my mother.” He put that one away and pulled out another one. It took a minute before he put it down. “Maisie… I talked about this property and you to the king. He told me that as long as I he owned the property he owned you as well.” He circled the room. “Not what I wanted. I tried making a deal with him, and I was able to. I could keep the house and you but I had to send back the others. What he sent was what he wanted back and that was five. I counted eight though. Where did the other three come from?”

“Sir, the last three were children left on the side of the road They stay here because there is no where else for them to go. They are the ones that stay up in the trees and watch.”

“All right. We will send back five which leaves this property and you and me with three potential full sentries. That will come later. The items on the list you made will be here in about three days. Along with that my parents will be here. Were you able to clean up the rest of the house?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Levi. Then we’ll put them in my current room putting them closer to the main part of the house. Father doesn’t move around as well as he should.”

“Yes, Levi.”

He smiled. “Any questions?”

“No, Levi. Not just yet.”

“All right. When something arises, you let me know.”

“Yes, Levi.”

He laughed. “I’m going to go see about what sort of changes have been made. We’ll worry about the group later.”

“Did you find a ride?”

“Yes. There’s a band of keepers in between us and the castle. I got one from them.” He patted my shoulder and walked out.

Maybe he didn’t see it yet, but I did return the sword and dagger to him. I laid them on his sleeping cusion. It was not up to me to retire them. It was up to him. A new day arrises later, maybe then, we will find out who our distant visitors are.

“Hannah? I have something to give to you.” Mom met me when I came inside from the back. She held out a wooden box that was as big as her palm. “Now, nobody knows why we have this or even if it had any value. Only that it’s supposed to be passed on at some point. Something could’ve come along with it, but that was lost during the Korean War. It got left behind somewhere at some point.”

I looked inside and it was a cameo. The background was a sort of charcoal grey, black onyx around the border, with a hematite gem hanging from it. I didn’t have a use for it. “Thanks, Mom.” When I put it back in the box it poked me. I shook my hand while I walked up the hallway to my room. Once on top of my dresser, I opened the closet to pick and choose which clothes to pack.

It was between the end of winter and early spring. That meant the morning would be cold, and the afternoon would be a little warmer. That was over here though. I looked at the message and it did say to be sure pack clothes for warm weather. Huh.

Well, that meant t-shirts, cargo pants, and flip flops. On the other hand, sometimes people took pictures of me dressed in that kind of outfit. My boss saw the pictures a passerby took of me wearing said outfit. That lecture lasted about an hour with the last words being warning never to do that again, or else. No more cargo pants and no more flip flops.

It was my first solo assignment so I had to do things right. I remembered reading the initial report of shoes appearing on the main path in the abdonned village and walking. The shoes themselves without anybody in them. They wanted to know the validity of the stories.

I found a story about the village of the same name and it used to be a gold mining town. When the mines ran dry the people ran away too. A few stayed behind in the hopes of it becoming useful again. Well, it didn’t.

All of that seemed too true and too phony at the same time. I didn’t know. It was twelve-thirty and I decided to get to bed at that point. Mom was still up and she brought Peetee with her. The funny part was she walked in my direction. Her room was at the opposite end.

Mom opened my door. “Oh. Will you be able to call?”

“I don’t think so. It seems to be an out of the way place. I didn’t check, but I don’t think there are any WiFi towers out there. Night.”

“All right. Night.”

I set my alarm to go off at six o’clock in the morning. Way too early for me, but I needed the time in order to get there on time. I needed a little while in order to set up.

Before I left, I looked at the cameo again and threw it in the bag. I had everything so I left the house. Breakfast at McDonald’s would work out fine.

My phone rang as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot. I let it go, since I never could coordinate driving and using the telephone at the same time. It rang again, so I pulled into a store parking lot.

“Yeah. Hello?” I had the last bite of the breakfast sandwich.

“Did Donald tell you I was going with you?”

“Who is this?” I drank my coffee.

“Well. That answers that. OK. My name’s David MacGillicuddy. We were supposed to go to Whoknowsville together. It seems you didn’t get the message.”

“I was told this would be my first solo assignment. Nobody said I was going to have a partner. Where is Whoknowsville?”

He groaned and said a few cuss words. “OK. I’m at Main and J Street in front of the gas station. I’ll call Donald again to find out what the frigin’ thing is going on. I’m wearing Levi’s and a blue t-shirt.” He hung up.

I hung up and waited a minute before I left to pick up my mysterious partner. I wasn’t against it. It wasn’t what I was told however. A huge U-turn later, I was on my way.

There he was sitting on the curb in front of the store. He stood up and holy cow was he gorgeous. Shoulder length blonde hair, sunglasses, and not a happy smile that was on his face.

“You must be Hannah. I’ll drive since we have to stop along the way.”

“Yeah, I’m Hannah Doyle. Why should I let you drive?”

He squated and looked at me through the window. “I promise. No tickets. No wants. No warrants. I have to go my Grandfather’s birthday party. Yeah, I know. Bad timing. So I’ll drive and explain the case along the way.”

I got out of the car and went to the passenger side. He got into the driver’s side. “This reminds me of Autie’s car. Excuse me a minute.” He adjusted the seat then started the car. “Awesome. All right. The summarized version of the conversation was he forgot to mention it. The drive to Grandfather’s party is about forty-five minutes from here and it’ll last about an hour to hour and a half.”

I groaned. “He forgot to mention it. He’s supposed to be—” I stopped there before the cuss words came out. “Shouldn’t we get to where we’re supposed to go?”

“He’s supposed to be the friggin’ boss in charge of everything and he can’t even plan these adventures. Yeah. Yeah. Been there said that. As for this case, that little town isn’t going anywhere. We have as long as we need to find any clues. This town was a gold miner’s town. Well, the gold ran dry along with the town. Out of nowhere, shoes started to hang from the only line in the village. It’s a guess that black magic worshipers came in and opened a doorway they never closed. We are supposed to go there and figure things out.”

We took the freeway for the most part. I never drove on this side of town because this was the rich side with waterfront mansions and sculptured bushes. There was a club in middle of everything. One had to know someone in order to get in. That’s why I lived down the hill where the regular working class lived. No golden gates or prize winning swans.

“OK. My family is military and law enforcement. If they’re not in it, they’re on their way. My grandfather prefers General unless you’re related. He turned seventy-five today. All you have to do is walk by, wave, and say happy birthday. I’ll either be pulling grill duty or walking around. If you need something, wave your hand and somebody will see you. I’m sorry we’re going here, but this is unavoidable.”

“You could stay here while I go and investigate.”

“No. That won’t work because I have to go along with you. Donald is a tad paranoid when it comes to these things. Why he brought you in, I have no idea. I think he got used to the firgure head idea and brought you in without asking any questions. An untrained unknowledgable individual who could very well take over and leave the rest of us. His words not mine.”

We turned into an area by a log mansion. I’d say log cabin but it was the size of a mansion. Holy cow it was huge. People walking around dressed like I was, dogs running and chasing something, and a group of people in the back corner.

“All right. Here we go.” He got out, walked around the car, and opened my door. I was trying to take care of the trash when he did that.

“Oh. Thank you.”

“After you.” He closed and locked the doors. “You don’t have a switch to lock the car?”

“It’s an old car. It’s all I could afford.”

“All right. Let’s go.”

All kinds of people were there. People with short hair, people with their hair up, and then there was me who had no idea what was going on.

We spent a good portion of the day there. I stayed by the lake for the most part and watched the ducks. It brought me back to the parties I went to with Glen, except not as nice. Nobody and nothing screaming on top of that.

I jumped when someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked up and it was David. “Hi.”

“Hi. Are you OK?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Uh huh. I’ve been getting various reports about you standing in the same spot since we arrived. Look if you’re hungry, there is food.”

“Uh. No, thank you.”

“Uh huh.” He left.

For some reason, it made me want to stay in that spot but Mother Nature was screaming at me at the time. I had to leave that spot.

A little girl gave me directions and I was never so grateful. When I came out David stood by the door and held out his hand.

“You remind me of the kids that used to line the street where I was stationed. They would stay in one spot and would only leave for one reason. It took a lot for me to get them up and away from the area. Come on, let’s go get some food before everybody eats it all.”

The food looked so good and the aroma had hints of smoke. Breakfast wasn’t too long ago, but I was hungry. The grilled food table looked so good.

“You know. It might be easier if you pick one, put it on your plate, and eat it. I promise, no one poisoned it. OK?” He looked right at me. “There’s something else isn’t there. I can go into the kitchen and find something if nothing is out here for you.”

I had flashes of Glen yelling at me for being hungry. I blinked my eyes to try and erase the memories. One always had to move forward and not backward in order to make progress.

“Hannah?”

“Oh. Sorry. It’s just that it all looks so good. I don’t know which one to pick.”

“Uh huh.” David left me there.

I picked up a couple sausages, some bread, and a bit of the potato salad. I dropped by the beverage table and picked up some tea. I left there and took a slow stroll back to the ducks.

After I finished, I threw my plate away. I looked over at the crowd with kids playing and swimming. The grown ups were standing around and talking. That’s what was supposed to happen wasn’t it?

I went back to the ducks and I had the sudden urge to sing Celine Dion’s song. I faced the water and imagined the words as I looked into the water. It was only then that I felt relaxed. He was the past. A place that should be left behind.

When I finished, I heard clapping. I turned around and people stood behind me smiling. I got stuck to that spot. My intention wasn’t to perform. I didn’t know what my intention was but it wasn’t that.

Then a tall woman with white hair in a bun came towards me. “My name’s Margaret. David said he brought someone. He didn’t mention you knew how to sing.”

I didn’t know what to say. My mouth seemed to be stuck. I stood there and smiled.

“Oh, don’t worry, dear. It’ll be OK. Go on and enjoy yourself. My husband is walking around and should be here in a little bit.”

I nodded.

No worder it was quiet. My backup singers left the lake. Maybe they had to take a nap or something. I still heard Glen in my head yelling at me. Why couldn’t it go away? I wanted it to stop.

I looked around the area to look for any trash, since there wasn’t anything, I went back to the car and waited. I forgot he had the keys so I couldn’t leave. I sat on the hood of the car.

I made another trip and returned to the car. Somebody whistled when they got closer. I looked up and it was David.

“Hannah.” He sat down next to me. “When Grandmother told me she met the loneliest looking girl, I had a feeling I knew who she was describing. I didn’t need to ask. The voice of an angel with the loneliest soul. Something had to have happened to make you be that way. I shouldn’t ask this but I’m going to anyway. What happened? I’ve seen your tapes. This isn’t the you that I saw on those tapes. What changed?”

He asked. I didn’t want to tell because it wasn’t his business. It woudn’t matter anyway. A squirrel ran in front of me and up a tree.

“Hannah.”

I curled up into a tight ball so that maybe I could disappear into the ground somewhere.

He stood up and left me. I had to get over it. Why he brought all of this up I had no idea. I couldn’t explain it. The woman in those videos was different because there were different people around me. Then he showed up and all of these emotions I thought I worked through reappeared again.

We stopped for gas along the way. He pumped and I paid. I could hear Glen tell me what a useless woman I was. I had to forget that though. There was a job to get done and I couldn’t do that if I was stuck in the past. I took a deep breath inhale and along the way I smelled cologne. I stopped and looked in front of me. “Hi. Sorry.”

“It’s OK. I won’t ask again. I don’t want to scare you off. So how about if we keep going. It shouldn’t be too much longer.”

“So there’s my lovely,” a woman’s voice said.

Huh? What is it? What’s going on? Did I fall asleep?

“Here. Take a drink.” The woman put a cup to my lips. It smelled fruity but I didn’t know what it was or if it any drugs in it.

I waited until she lowered the cup. I could tell that because I didn’t smell it any more and there was no more pressure against my lips. “Who are you and what do you want?”

“Easy, Lovely. I am sure you heard the story. Yes?”

“What story?”

“Wasn’t there a scroll that introduced this situation to you?”

“No. All I got was a pin. That’s it.”

“All right. Then I shall be brief. I am Celeste, a sorceress. My duty is to train you to be able to defeat the wandering evil souls that seemed to have plagued this world. You watch for me and listen for me. I assure you, I will not in any form inhabit your being. It is a waste of time and energy. For which the recovery is long and unpleasant.’

“Even if all of that is true, how do I know you’re for real.”

“Your prior love has left you scard and afraid. Not a bad thing. Not a good thing either. I see I must start from the beginning then. We will speak again later.”

“Wait.” I opened my eyes and we were pulled over.

“Hannah. Are you all right? Your breathing became uneven and you talked in your sleep.”

“I’m fine.”

“Can we cut the bullshit and just tell me what’s going on. Huh? I can guarantee you nobody else will know what you told me.”

“I don’t know how or where to start. It just sort of comes in my head. I can’t describe it other than that.”

“You know. I have a lot of aunts and uncles that work in various forms in law enforcement. Some of them have a degree or two in clinical psychology. If you ever feel it necessary, let me know. Me personally, I work with paranormal experts, I have handled weapons although not for a long while, and I’ve learned to listen. Mom tells me I have a healer’s heart. I haven’t figured out what that means yet but I’m trying. I’m telling you all of this because I see a conflict. There’s a lot that you’re saying and a lot you’re not. So when you feel ready, I’m here.” We started on our way again.

I heard the words but I didn’t know if I could trust him or not. I had to wait and see.

It must’ve been way late when we got there. No form of lighting around the area. It was good for filming, but I needed certain equipment in order to record.

Careful, Lovely. Something evil is afoot, but I am not sure what yet. You should settle somewhere away from this area until I know more. 

There she was again. In my head. I didn’t know if I liked it or not. I kept thinking that I should be like everybody else and go see a therapist for this. Then again, people would call me crazy, or even go so far as to call me insane.

Someone touched my shoulder and I jumped as a result.

“Easy. Easy. Just me. There’s nothing around here. We would have to go back to the closest place that has some form of residence. That was back about five miles. So, we’ll go there and find a place to stay.”

I was fine with that. Once we got moving again, I watched the street lights. We pulled into the parking lot of an old hotel, blinking neon sign and all. We walked in together and I about puked. Bleach white and pukey pink color theme? Oh God. It was the only place and it shouldn’t take too long. I hoped.

We were lucky and there were two rooms available. We were right across from one another so it wasn’t too hard to find each other.

I couldn’t sleep because I wondered if Glen was out there watching me. I turned on the TV to have background noise. Otherwise, I sat on the bed and waited until the sun popped up.

I called Mom and told her I found a place to stay. I didn’t know for how long though. I hung up and got cleaned up. I grabbed the cameo and put it in my pocket. At the same time praying I wouldn’t stick myself.

I knocked on David’s door and he opened it. “Morning. Back in a minute.” He closed the door.

It didn’t seem to be a busy hotel without anyone or anything making noise. It would’ve been obvious if Glen showed up with his Harley and how he enjoys revving it up. I hated it when he did that which was why he did it.

We got back in the car and returned to the town. The buildings were still up and the shoes were still there. Other than that, nothing. I couldn’t even get anybody’s side of the story because there was nobody there.

I have investigated this area and it seems to come from the mining area. Novice magic goers opened a doorway they failed to close. As such, it left a passageway to this world to steal everybody’s soul. The people of this area became a victim of this demon. That is why nobody is here.

It had to be Celeste. As for the information, part of that I already knew. The other part I wasn’t sure how to classify. I kept looking around and nothing was there. Not a damned thing. I would pack up and leave but it wasn’t my call to make.

“OK. It’s sorta hard to investigate an area when there’s no people around. I already tried asking the staff of the hotel, and they didn’t know anything. I don’t know.”

Don’t touch the shoes. There is a spell that could be cast to steal one’s soul. Shoes are a part of that spell.

I watched as David pulled down a pair from the wire. He didn’t put them on his feet, the shoes looked too small, but in the process it landed on his hand. He took it off and hung it from the wire again.

David looked at me and his eyes changed. He wore sunglasses to protect his eyes, but I saw them when we met again before we left the hotel. He still had his sunglasses off and they turned blank. Glen’s were brown and they turned black whenever he felt like being mean. David’s were blank. Something happened.

His soul was taken.

I needed to get in there.

I cannot, not without risking your life. Nevermind the amount of energy it would take to do that.

Please, Celeste. He has a full and happy family. My life isn’t worth saving.

We will talk about that later. I will return when I am ready. This is going to take time.

I fluttered my lips. There was nothing else to do. The time it took to look around was about ten minutes. She still didn’t come back to me.

I went back to the car to see if there were any snacks. A stale granola bar lurked under the seat. I ate the granola bar and found a bush after that.

Night had fallen and still nothing. I couldn’t sleep not even a nap. Not that I expected to.

Hannah, Love, I found a spell to get you in so you can get his soul back. The thing you have to remember is to get in, retrieve, and leave or you too will be trapped. There is not much time.

The next thing I saw was the same town, except this one had people in it. They walked up and down the path. Nobody responded when I tried to get their attention.

I walked into a building and there he was, sitting at the bar. I wasn’t sure what he was drinking but it wasn’t anything I knew. It was black, not dark brown, but black. Every time he took a drink, his eyes turned even more white. So if I wanted him to come with I had to get the drink away from him. Yeah, good luck with that.

He wasn’t Glen but he wasnt himself either. Maybe if I knocked it over. If I did it sly enough, maybe he wouldn’t notice.

He rested his head on the bar and I took that opportunity to knock over his drink. It sort of moved on its own and went back into the glass like a blob. Crap. So now what.

Darkness couldn’t exist with light. The problem was there were no windows. Maybe a flashlight would work though. No flashlights but there was a candle. If I tunneled the light so it would hit the blob stuff maybe it would be enough.

I hear you, Lovely. Be careful.

I brought the candle closer to the glass and it changed into weird shades of green and purple. The last thing it did was turn white. I looked at David’s eyes and they were still white. If I made him drink it, maybe that would do it. I had to try something. I felt my body start to pull away from this world.

I force fed David the drink and pulled him away from the bar. The more we moved, the more I felt David running with me.

In a poof and a flash we reappeared in our world. I could tell that because the car was there. David collapsed on the ground. He was heavy but there wasn’t any other choice. I was able to get him on to the backseat and went back to the hotel.

It might be kinda funny if I tried to get him back to the room. On the other hand, nobody strolled the halls. This was going to be awkward.

I parked the car by the door. The building provided shade and there was a push button to open the doors. Both helped. I dragged him all the way to our room, not easy but it had to be done, and pulled him into my room.

“Oh, God. If you’re listening, please help him. He’s one of the good ones. Please?”

I sat on the chair, and took a last glance before I went to the lobby to see if they had a snack machine. I didn’t want to leave him for very long.

I found chips and a soda. That was fine. It was food.

I came back to my room and he still laid in the same position. I put my food on the table and went back to him. I tried something I swore I would never do because the one time I tried it, it put me in the ER.

I laid down on the floor and put my arms around him. I told him everything. Everything including the cameo. I hoped he wouldn’t tell anybody but it was too late to take it back. “I told you almost everything about me. I can’t tell you my ultimate secret though. I can’t.”

“Why?” He groaned.

What? He’s awake? Oh my God. “David?”

“Hmm?”

Celeste, if you’re there. Thank you. Rest well.

“David, I think we’re done with this place.”

“Not by half, Sweetie.” He groaned again and curled up with me on the floor.

They told me to go to the third floor and wait. It wasn’t until I opened the door from the stairwell that I knew I ended up on the A level floor. At least that’s what the big sign said on the door. I had no idea what that meant.

We were supposed to wait in the hall area without going into the room. One pillar

in the middle with a giant red button on it and one red button on each wall surrounding it. Did the old man who put them up forget to count?.

Well, there’s the blonde brigade. I bet each of them have their assistant, car, and school administrator in their back pocket. Either real or imagined.

I laughed at their empty smile with fangs showing. Let’s see how long I can hold it together before that urge to hit’em got any stronger.

“Well. Lookee here,” one of them said. “We have a new recruit and she didn’t even have to start from the bottom. Hmm. This should be fun. I’m Melissa by the way. Melissa Mendelssohn, that’s Melissa Cotbe, and Melissa Osterhaus. Our parents probably make a lot more than yours. They may even give them a paycheck.” She walked away laughing.

The fact that I didn’t laugh during that speech was a miracle. I leaned against the column. The sign did say don’t block the emergency button so I opted for the other side. That was until one of them pushed me. Mom always told me opt for the easy way out. That way there may be less trouble and less risk of getting hurt.

The one who gave me that speech came at me with a pair of small scissors. I dropped and rolled out of the way. I wanted to laugh so hard in their faces when I jumped up off the floor. They didn’t think it would be that easy. Did they?

Then there she was. A very tall girl with black hair that shined like glass. Tall was a relative term when you’re only five foot but still. No smile on her face as she looked right at me. I had a bad feeling the moment she got closer to me.

There were twenty of us standing against the wall, including the Melissa committee. An older woman walked right behind them. She had to be somebody important when she carried a bag that big, full of what I hoped was related to survival.

When everybody got settled, she introduced herself, and passed out a book. I looked at the picture on the cover. The old chair desks with the chalkboard on the front wall. It couldn’t have been too old because I had that kind of setting along with the constant appearance of the chalk dust cloud.

She was Ms. Bethancourt the floor mother. She was in charge of us, which meant, she was the one that settled arguments, stopped fights, and administered first aid as the need arose. Other than that, the emergency buttons were operational and only to be used in an emergency. Running out of hair spray wasn’t considered an emergency. I had to look at the blondes when she said that.

When she finished, she went to what I assumed to be her room. I looked for the room they assigned me to unlock the door.

“A five-year-old could unlock the door faster than you could.”

Yup. So much for luck. “Go ahead and find one if you like. In the meanwhile, I’m going in.”

I went in. It didn’t look too bad. Two huge beds and two closets like the info brochure said there would be. One bed at the front and one on the opposite wall in the back. A big window took up most of the back wall space. I assumed we were on the west side seeing as how the afternoon sun shined right through.

I turned towards my new roommate. Well, here goes nothing. “Hi. I’m Tabitha. Tabitha Eschwood. I’ll guard the entrance while you watch our back.”

“I suppose. As long as the sun doesn’t shine in my eyes. If it does, than you would be sleeping on the floor.”

I laughed. “Well, seeing as how the sun is shining through the window right now, in the afternoon, I don’t think you have to worry about the morning sun. Besides that, we should be out of the room by the time the sun rises.”

She looked at the window. “Sarina Bethancourt, and yes, she’s my mother.”

“Well, we have the rest of the day. I’m going to go to town and do some necessary shopping. Now, according to the rules, we don’t have to be present until six.” I remembered glancing at it before we were excused.

“Suit yourself. I can guarantee you, there’s nothing there.”

“I was thinking that, but there has to be something. If not, I’ll wait for the weekend and go shopping again.” I had three drawers underneath and to the left attached to the bed with a desk space underneath. Three shelves on the opposite side of the drawers. A closet on the other wall.

The uniforms could go in there to help prevent wrinkling. The other clothes could go in the lockable drawers. Three steps to get up to the bed that didn’t have any bedding on it.

JohnPaul forgot to give me that package. Thank God, Mother Nature hasn’t thrown me a surprise. Yet.

“Whatever you do, that’s up to you.” She put her finger under my chin. “Understand this though. I am in charge of this floor. You will do what I say or pay the consequences for defiance. You have no friends. Remember that.”

I slapped her finger away. “So I’m supposed to kiss your ass if I want something or if I want to be left alone ignoring the fact that your mother is the one in charge. Is that it? And the Melissa brigade? Are they your sidekicks?”

“Something like that. Nothing happens without me knowing about it. How you got up here so fast I will find out. I can guarantee you that. I’ll meet you for dinner.”

“Uh huh. I’m sure you will.” This will be an interesting time. I never had a roommate or anything related to a roommate. I guess I picked the lucky paper out of the hat.

I had some basics to get before I could get to the weekend. If anybody knew where I could find them, that would be the floor mother. I knocked.

She opened the door. “Well. Somebody actually knocked.” She laughed. “What can I getcha?”

“I was wondering if you had any daily necessities. Also, is there an ATM machine?”

She smiled. “You forgot to stick pocket money in your bag before you left.”

“Something like that. I guess.”

“I’ve got a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, pads, and tampons. Which one do you need?”

“Toothbrush and paste, comb, and I’m OK on the pads. Well, could I get some? Aunt Flo hasn’t been predictable.”

“Sure. Wait there.”

That was easier than I thought. A town this small wouldn’t have ATM machines so I might end up going over the weekend anyway.

She held out a paper bag. “Everything you asked for is in here. The machines take Google Pay and debit cards.” She held up the bag. “Anything else?”

“That would be it. Thanks.”

“Oh. I forgot to mention that the rest of the week is up to you. You could do everything in one day or you could divide it up as long as everything gets done. Understand? Oh and everybody gets a laptop. No emails may be able to be sent out of school grounds. We do keep track. All messages are monitored. Anything that does not relate to school will be questioned. All right?” She kept the door open while she went back into her room. When she returned, she held out a box. “This is for you. It was delivered earlier.”

I looked at the wooden box and wondered what it was. “Yeah. I got it. Thanks. See ya.” I went back to my room and put the items in the closet and locked it up. Nothing in there worth stealing, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be stolen. Mom always said, as long as temptation exists its existance will be short lived.

I kept the box with me wondering what it was. I inspected it and it didn’t have a name on it. Maybe after dinner I’ll open it.

I left the room and locked it behind me. One of the Melissas stood watch. With any luck, she would be too busy getting drunk before she had a chance to steal anything.

The main floor had restrooms, a vending machine room, a game room with a TV, and—

“Oh hi.” I looked behind me.

“Hi.” I didn’t think she was one of the blonde brigade, she had dark hair. “Tabitha.”

“TraciMae Bauer. I was named after my great grandmother and my great aunt. Mom sorta combined them together. Did you want something to drink? I’m kinda thirsty myself. I promise nothing will go in it unless you put something in it.”

I had to laugh at that one. “OK. How about a Coke?”

“That sounds good.” She used her card and got two Cokes. We both took a sip. “Did you attend this school before now?”

“No. This was a big surprise.”

“Oh. Well, I hope you like it here.” She left.

I had to remember to get her something when I had the chance. I turned on the TV and watched whatever came up which turned out to be an old western.

The one thing about old movies was that they tended to drag. It was all right about the first half hour, then it got boring. I turned that off and walked around campus.

A sort of skinny river divided the property. There was the business part of the school, right behind that was the girls’ dorm, and across the river was the boys’ side. I could’ve stood there and watched but I decided to keep going.

It took a while for me to complete the tour. When I got tired I headed straight back to the room. I climbed up on the bed and sat down. I slid the top off the box and found a pocket watch. The lid had writing on it. “To my Tabi Tabi. Love Mom.”

I had no idea why the pocket watch. She used to call me Tabi Tabi when I was little. I put the watch up to my ear and it did tick. The problem was where to put it, and even then, there was no guarantee it would be kept safe.

“Hmm. Gold plated, a knock off of the original, and your parents bought it dirt cheap. We’re going to eat now.”

“I’ll eat by myself. Thanks”

“No. We will be going to eat now.”

“What’s the matter? A change of the guard. The blonde comittee had to go somewhere and they didn’t bring you along.”

“You will pay for that remark,” she said through clenched teeth.

“You must have some pretty tense jaw muscles,” I said, as I put the watch in my pocket and the box under the mattress. There was nothing in it anymore and without a label. So if somebody wanted it that bad, they would get wood.

We went to the vending machine room. I read the how to sign in the room and the directions looked pretty basic. The machines and the microwaves corresponded with each other to help prevent any mix up and for ease. So I guessed.

There was a meatloaf and gravy dish that sounded interesting. I put that in the microwave and pushed the corresponding number. While that was going, I bought a water. I went back to the microwave and got my food. I’ve had frozen food before, and while it wasn’t bad it wasn’t great either. This food was one step above.

I sat down and ate a silent meal. The TV was boring, so I thought I would go back up and talk to Ms. Bethancourt about the sheets. I didn’t remember reading anything about bringing your own sheet set.

“Where are you going?” I turned around to see Sarina with her hands on her waist.

“Back up to the room.”

“No you’re not.”

I smiled, tired of this game already. “Yes, I am. I don’t need your permission.”

“Your life will be a lot easier if you follow my direction, but suit yourself. Don’t come crying to me when you get beat up.” She laughed.

I shrugged. What was she going to do? I made my way back up to the floor and poked my head in the room. The door was left open and I didn’t see anyone. I tiptoed in, turned around, and turned the light on. My side of the room was a mess.

Somebody knocked on the door. “Yeah.”

“What hap—oh my.” Ms. Bethancourt turned around and looked at everything. “Did you see who did this?”

“No. I went downstairs to get something to eat.”

Sarina walked in. “Mother. Why is my room a mess?” She looked at me.

I got into her space and deadpanned her in the eyes. “I’m not your mother and I have no idea.” I turned around to Ms. Bethancourt. “Off the subject question, does the school supply sheets or do we get our own?”

Ms. Bethancourt smiled. “The school does supply them. It’s OK if you went down there yourself and get some. Anything dangerous has been secured. Excuse me while I talk to my daughter. Sarina.”

“Mother, I—”

“Now.”

They stepped outside and I took a look at what ended up on the floor other than the mattress. The drawers attached to the bed were open and the key that was in the middle drawer was taken but that was it. I wondered what they were looking for. A heave and a ho later, I got the mattress up where it was supposed to be. I noticed that Sarina’s end of the room was still neat. How surprising. Not.

They came back in and Sarina clenched her jaw shut. She looked at me with slitted eyes before she returned her attention to Ms. Bethancourt.

Ms. Bethancourt stood against the door. “I came in to remind you, that this week only, you don’t have to be back until nine o’clock. You will be marked down if you return late. The other side of that is you will be marked late and points will be deducted as well if you start the day late.”

Huh. I guess that’s happened if they had to make a rule. “Ms. Bethancourt, does everybody know?”

“Yes. I’ve told everyone.”

I was afraid of that.

“Why do you ask?” Sarina asked. “You think whoever did this will come back again?”

“You tell me, oh floor master. Your hit squad couldn’t find anything?”

“All right you two,” Ms. Bethancourt, said. “Be careful.” She left.

“I hope your new recruits passed their little test.” I wanted to leave the room but she grabbed my arm.

She got in my face. “You have no idea.”

I left the room and took a deep breath in and out concentrating on what needed to be done. Ms. Bethancourt must’ve read my mind as she told me that the laundry room was in the basement. That’s where I would find the sheets.

The stairs didn’t go down all the way but the elevator did. The laundry room was the first door on the right. One packaged cream colored jersey sheet set, polyester fiber-fill pillow, and one yucky bright pink thermal blanket were gathered to take up to the room.

I returned to the room with those still piled up without dropping. I made the bed while thinking how good it felt to get rid of some of the tension. Of course it wouldn’t last but that wasn’t the point.

Sarina returned and slammed the door. She glanced at me before she went to her bed.

“You will learn what it means to live on this floor. If you have any problems don’t come crying to me about your little woes.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t. You can tell your menage a trois they might be a little lonely tonight.”

“Keep in mind, your well-being is in your hands. You might want to look up that expression.”

“So noted.” Oops. It may not be the true definition but there had to be something going on. Was there an expression for four people?

“I’m going to take a shower.” She left the room and slammed the door behind her. She returned, grabbed my cheeks, and kissed me hard. “I can be rough.” She left again.

I had to read the rule book to see if it was possible to switch roommates. I sat on the steps and on page five, it went into detail how that could be done. The final decision was up to the committee. However, if enough requests were filed, then the situation would be investigated and changes would be made. That made me feel better.

I started planning in my head what to do tomorrow and get as much done as I could so I
had the rest of the week to do whatever else needed to be done. I couldn’t email anyone, but
there had to be a public phone I could use or something.

I didn’t want to use my phone because that would be advertising. That and I didn’t see any outlets yet.

Mom always said, when all else fails, looks for road signs. They’ll tell you where to go. I did that and found the public phone desk. I had twenty minutes. I only hoped Sergio was
home.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Hi, Sergio. I got settled in and things are all right so far.” Minus the roommate. “How are things with you?”

“OK, My Little Sun, what’s the matter huh?”

I summarized what happened up to that point. I didn’t name anyone or mention it was my roommate. When I finished, he growled and grumbled a few words that I was sure JohnPaul would tell me you don’t want to know. I was fluent in Spanish thanks to the both of them, but there were words that I was never taught. No lady should ever know them. I wasn’t a lady but I didn’t push either.

“I am sorry. This was supposed to be a special school. A place to learn and grow. Listen,
if you can wait I will find another one next year. Huh?”

“No. That’s all right. I haven’t given up yet. I have to get going before they cut me off. See ya and thanks.” I hung up.

“Oh lookee there. Calling Mommy and Daddy? Huh? Speaking Spanish no less. Did your parents get drunk one night and then… oopsie.” It was the trio again. One of them spoke and I betted it was Mendelssohn. She seemed to be the spokesman of the group.
             
 I left the phone to get back to my room and locked the door behind me. As soon as I
did that somebody came in.

 “At least one of us worries about hygiene. You better not contaminate anything.”
 
I grabbed my keys and left the room. One of us had to budge or neither of us were going to survive. I kept thinking about what the book said about changing roommates.

They were individual shower stalls with a shampoo, conditioner, and body soap dispenser with a shower curtain. That was when I realized I needed bath supplies.

The only clothes I had were what I had on. I couldn’t do what I did in the hotel room so I
was stuck. They had to have some sort of school store or something.

I knocked on her door. I swore to God I would stop asking questions, but there I was again asking a question.

When she opened the door, “Hi. Uhm. Are there any extra t-shirts or something?”

“What’s the matter?”

“Well. When I left, I didn’t pack anything. I couldn’t go back home so what I have on is what I have.”

“All right. Well. Then I suggest you pick up your uniform first thing in the morning, which means, at eight o’clock. When they ask if you need anything else, you might ask if they have any t-shirts and pants to go with it. OK?”

“Thank you.”

“Uh huh.”

I’m sorry, but I couldn’t go in the house, to my room, and get some clothes. I couldn’t. I betted I squeaked when I walked and the smell of fruit seemed to the scent of the day.

When I returned, Sarina lay down in her bed. I closed and locked the door. I went into my itty bitty cubical to sort things out.

“Whatsa matter? Feeling homesick?”

Your sarcastic tone continued to irritate me. “No. I had to ask for something. I can pick it up in the morning.”

“If it’s a gun, that’s been tried already and I’m still here.”

Oh joy. Lucky for me. I checked my bed before I got in, and since nothing was there, I lay down with the intention of sleeping. That was when I realized I needed a clock.

The uniforms had to be the first thing. That way I could get those sorted and get a few t-shirts as well. Then whatever followed which was the ID, picking up the books or laptop I had to check, meet the teachers while signing up for classes, and a double check of the list told me I got everything. That meant I had the rest of the week to myself.

I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, and I saw Mom’s reflection in the mirror. “Take care of yourself. OK? Try to hang in there. We’ll talk later.”

I wasn’t the type to scream but I could’ve sworn I became one with the ceiling. When I came down I wondered if I saw what I thought I saw. I poked the mirror and it was solid. I looked up and wondered if one of them planted a camera for fear effect.

TraciMae came in. “Hi.”

“Nighty night.”

I went back to my room and locked the door. I put my toothbrush back in the bag and sat on the bed. I didn’t sleep well in a new bed, but circumstances as of late had to change that. Oh God, I wished Mom was still alive.

“Shh. It’s OK. Why don’t you get some rest?”

I looked straight ahead and nobody was there. I looked for the next logical place and that was the closet. I checked both and nothing there.

“Can I ask what you’re looking for?”

“I heard a voice. Before now.”

“Wonderful. They put a schizophrenic in my room.”

“I don’t have that.” At least that I knew of. “It’s probably my tired brain.”

“I’m going down to the first floor. Should you decide to steal anything or plant a bomb, I’ll know who to look for.” She slammed the door on her way out.

“Ha ha. Funny.” OK, after I finish with everything I would see about the paperwork for changing roommates. With my luck, they’ll give me a request denied. Since she left I might as well try to sleep.

I tossed and turned all night. I heard when she came back but I didn’t acknowledge it. I tried to relax, think of something mundane, and even tell my brain it was time to shutdown. I didn’t have any caffeine. Nothing worked.

Before the lights turned off, they announced they were testing a new system that should be operational by the first day. Please ignore until then. That would give me a good idea what time it was at least.

I napped here and there until the buzzer went off followed by a good morning announcement. I grabbed the keys and bag and went downstairs to get something to eat. The room was empty and at some point, somebody restocked the machines with breakfast food.

A mass moved down the hill and I followed in the hopes we were headed in the same direction. Sure enough, a sign on the door read uniforms here. Please have school ID at the ready. Open at eight.

I looked over at the boys. Some were tall. What was that expression that Mom used to use? Something about being as tall as a sycamore. Well, they fit that.

They broke out in song and they sounded good. The bass came out with his line and I about died. It was so good. I couldn’t think of a way to describe it other than it fit. When they changed song, I recognized it. I sung it a few times with Mom in the past. I sung a little bit with them, then didn’t seem to mind, so I kept going.

When we finished we high fived each other and went back to waiting. That was fun. I needed that I think. When the door opened, I waited until it was my turn. I showed the man my ID and he gave me my box. I was able to get the last two t-shirts and long pants before they had to open another box. I could’ve waited but I got what I needed and was happy with that.

The morning started pretty good. A little bit fun mixed with a little bit of business was always a good mix. The rest was more or less more businessy. Between the greeting and finding out that the laptop was programmed with the reading material from each course, it wasn’t necessary to hand out textbooks.

The teachers were younger than I expected. I thought they would be grey and bald, but they had their hair still. A couple had reading glasses but they seemed nice.

It was about noon when I finished and that was when I made a decision. I went to the office to pick up the paperwork. After twenty questions, I got them until I decided to fill them out. It wouldn’t take long before she would find out.

I went to the picture wall again, and found the picture that was on the cover of that rule book. A part of me wished I could go back there. On the other hand, Mom said when there’s an opportunity to experience something take that opportunity. There would be no regrets.

“I hope you’re right, Mom.”

I glanced at the time on my phone and it was three-thirty. With any luck, Mr. Graham would still be in his office. I texted him and he agreed to a last-minute meeting because someone brought something to his attention. I also wanted to know how much money was left or how I could find out.

I had a stray twenty-dollar bill in my pocket that I decided to keep there. Instead, I used my debit card to arrange for transport. I found something that I didn’t have to be eighteen to use and used that. Once there, I walked all the way down the hall and into his office. He was bent over, talking to his assistant. He turned his head towards me. “There you are,” he said, as he stood. “I have something for you.”

He went to his own office and came out with a green bag. “I promised to keep this safe for her, and to only give it to you when I thought you needed it. What’s in here may not answer all of your questions, but it might answer some.”

“What’s in it? You said, someone brought to your attention.”

He smiled. “Something very magical and I said that to get you in here.”

“From Mom?” She never showed any interest in magic.

He walked to me and put the bag in my hand. “It is time, I think. If you need anything, I’m here. Don’t worry. Your mother and I had a special arrangement. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Just one more thing. Can you tell me how much money is left? I don’t remember if we discussed it.”

“When you turn eighteen, all will be given to you. What’s in that bag is a key of sorts.” He left me in the middle of the office.

Uh. Yeah. But. I looked at his assistant. Then that picture of a pitcher on his wall by the door before I left.

I had no idea what was in it. It sort of clunked and had weight to it. I stepped into a local pizza place. The aroma led me right to the counter. They had a stone oven that was right behind the counter, with people using a large wooden platform to retrieve pizzas. When I got mine, I savored each and every morsel.

I was about to get on a bus to go home, but I recognized the car that came in my direction.That black Audi Q8 e-tron could only belong to one person. I smiled as he parallel parked. JohnPaul poked his head out the window. “Get in.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I opened the door and got in. “Oh boy. Am I glad to see you. So how’ve you been?”

“Same here. Same there.”

“Are you still with Liesel?” Why don’t you get to the point?

“The queen of my realm is doing very well. She will be off to Oxford soon. How about you?”

“I’m doing fine.” Liar.

“Sure you are. And that weighted bag?”

Here we go. “JohnPaul, my life is a mess. Mom dies because of a car accident. I went to a lawyer’s office who gives me this green bag full of something. I haven’t even opened it yet. I don’t even know how much money she left me. Besides you, I don’t have a family.”

“I am so sorry. Was there anywhere you’d like to go?”

I looked at the clock on his dashboard. I loved expensive cars and his was so fine on top of being electric. My problem was I didn’t have the money to buy one.

“I think I need to go home. Find out what’s in here.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t have any other place to go. That’s why my life sucks rocks.”

“How about this? I take the bag. I’ll take inventory and photograph whatever is in there. Let me make a few phone calls and I will get together with you tomorrow. Probably around nine-thirty in the morning.”

“Yeah. OK. I’ll leave this in the car then. Since you’ll be calling Sergio, tell him I’ll reimburse him for my bills. Thanks.” It was now or never, or as Mom always told me, sometimes things couldn’t wait. “I know it’s late but… thank you, and your dad, for helping with the funeral.”

“That’s not an issue. As long as you’re OK.”

“Kay.” I patted his hand.

He pulled into the driveway. “Here we are.”

“And how you know where everybody lives is beyond me. Even before computers were installed into cars.”

“Magic.” He laughed.

I got out and went into the house without a reason. I stood in the kitchen, expecting her to come in. Of course, that didn’t happen. I turned right around and left with what I came in with.

There was a small motel not that far away. About five blocks from the house. One girl I knew from math, her family ran it. It gave me a place to go.

Maybe sleep would come to me. It eluded me for a while. The lady from the front desk dropped by to give me a plate. I couldn’t accept it. Then I remembered Mom once told me that sometimes it’s rude to refuse a gift.

“It’s a boloni sandwich with cheese, mayo, mustard, lettuce, and pickles on rye bread. A bowl of homemade chicken soup.” The woman smiled.

Oh God. It looked good. I nodded my head and she turned around and put it on the table. “Don’t worry about the bill.”

“Thank you.” The door closed. I dropped on the bed and cried. I had a chance to let everything out and did that. I didn’t know how long I was on the bed and only guessed that it had been a while. The sun went down. I reached for a light and hit a switch. I wished Mom was there.

I finished the tray and got cleaned up. Boy I needed it. It did more than clean off the dirt. It cleaned the stress away from my body. It was the only chance I had to clean my shirt and panties so that was done as well.

I pictured black water going down the drain. Things were lighter when I got out. I didn’t have any nightshirts so I lay towels down on the bed and slept on top of them.

The sun rose at some point. I hadn’t been sleeping through the night for a while. I’ve been surviving on two or three hours sleep max. When the clock in the room read eight-thirty I thought it was my imgination.

I got ready and grabbed the tray. I left it at the front counter with a little thank you note.

I still had my phone but it was running low. I went back inside and noticed the tray was gone. I looked around the lobby and noticed a phone for public use. I called JohnPaul to ask him to pick me up.

When he got there, he dialed someone on the phone. He handed it to me.

“Yes?” he said.

“Sergio?”

“Yeah. Go shopping. No don’t worry about anything.”

“But Sergio… .”

“Not buts. Look, Mi Sol, go ahead and get what you need. Give me a little bit of time to work things out. All right?”

“OK. And thank you.”

“Of course. I’m Sergio Ramon De la Vega and will always be there for family.” He hung up.

We ended up at Wiffle’s Waffles. I had to admit I was hungry. When the food came, I dug in and cleaned up every crumb on that plate.

He paid the bill and we left the restaurant. “Tabitha, I looked in the bag and there was a carved wooden box in it with a woman’s face on top. I couldn’t open it and there was writing on the bottom. I had it translated and I taped it onto the box. It’s on the floor behind you.”

“JohnPaul. Thanks. I honestly have no idea what to do. I tried going back but I can’t stop expecting her.”

“Don’t worry. Dad will think of something.”

“It seems weird that you’re still talking to me. People always say that after a break up they stop talking.”

He looked at me. “First of all, it wasn’t us. It was them. Next, I think Dad always had a thing for your mother. I remember seeing tear streaks on his face when we got back.”

“Mom too.”

We stopped at a boating yard and parked the car. We got out and kept going until we got to a gate. He opened the gate with a key and held it so I could get in.

Every boat in every dock had bikini clad women on it. Some not wearing anything. We kept going and I had to stop to laugh. “Neptune’s Kelp?”

JohnPaul shrugged. “It was Dad’s idea.” He climbed on board and held his hand out. I grabbed it and climbed on board. “You’re gonna stay here until I hear from Dad. The boat’s yours. Liesel will be leaving tomorrow. I’ve got a little while before I have to do anything. So this is it.”

I couldn’t get over how big it was. It looked like a ship. I turned around and JohnPaul left. I had to do some shopping because I didn’t have anything. First though, I had to charge my phone. Lucky I always brought my charger with me.

I plugged that in and sat down looking over the water. It wouldn’t finish any time soon. My life was a mess. I had no idea what to do at that point.

“Excuse you, bitch,” a woman said. “What are you doing on JP’s yacht?”

I had no energy to deal with it. I guessed she didn’t know him. She called him JP.

“Blondie, I have neither the time nor the willingness to deal with you. Take yourself , your silicone breasts, and the only brain cell you’ve got and get off. What I’m doing here is none of your fuckin’ business.”

“My dad knows the police commisioner. He’ll lock you up forever if I say so.”

“Be my guest.”

“Fine I will.” She left the boat.

I sat down and my head felt like it weighed a ton. I must’ve fallen asleep because the sun changed position. I looked at my phone and it was charged. I unplugged it and put the charger in my purse.

I went to an online store to buy the basics and had it sent to JohnPaul. I found the address from one of Liesel’s letters. I took advantage of the situation and spent the day zoning out on the water.

“Yoo hoo.”

Huh? I opened one eye and saw JohnPaul standing over me. “Oh. I’m sorry. The waves put me to sleep I think.”

“It happens to Liesel too.” He laughed. “I brought back some food. You’re too skinny.”

The wonder blonde returned. “JP? Did you want me to take care of the trash?” She looked at me.

“I have no idea who you are or who this JP person is. Whatever it is you are referring to, I will take care of it myself. All right? We have a private matter to discuss.”

“I was talking about that thing on your yacht.” She pointed at me as she tried to grab him.

JohnPaul’s jaw tensed and pushed her away. “There are many things here. If you are referring to the lady she is my sister. Now please go before I call security. I only ask once.”

I wasn’t sure what she was trying to do, but she slipped and fell flat on her butt. I couldn’t help but laugh. JohnPaul looked at me and he laughed too.

The woman got up, stomped her foot, broke her heel, and screamed as she left. After she left, “JohnPaul, I did a little shopping and bought some underwear. It’s supposed to be delivered by tomorrow to your house.”

“Oh. OK. That’s fine. I’ll bring it along with us. Dad got a hold of me and he is sending you to an out of the way private school. They do have a high rating. It’s the Pinigree Falls Private Boarding Academy. You’ll be there until you graduate.”

“A private school? Is he nuts? You know how expensive that is? Gee manee.”

“A private school, yes. His mental status has been asked before without a conclusion. I have no idea how much it is, because he wouldn’t tell me how much.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate it.”

“Good. I will be here around nine-thirty to pick you up. Sleep wherever you feel comfortable. I’ll clean up when I get back. Don’t worry about it. Take any room you want. It doesn’t matter. Stay safe huh.” He left.

There were times I thought life sucked. Then there were times when everything was so good. This was a combination of both.

I pulled the container closer to me and opened the cover, Cheese ravioli in marinara sauce. The small container had salad. I inhaled the aroma, and yup, it was Caesar. Tall glass of iced tea with lemon and sweetener on the side. Did he forget the garlic bread? No he didn’t. It was in a smaller bag on the bottom.

I ate everything and it was so good. I realized at that point that I should’ve bought more than underwear. We were going on a trip. Well, with any luck, there was a shop not that far from the school.

I grabbed the bag, the trash, and brought both with me. I could take care of both in the morning. The thing I wanted to see was the box.

I couldn’t help but look at the carved woman. The face, hair, and eyes were colored somehow, maybe watercolor. It wasn’t a glossy shine but it had a shine of its own depending on the light. The lid didn’t open and there wasn’t a keyhole either. A scan of the bottom didn’t show anything, except some words I had no idea how to translate.

I knew English and Spanish and it was neither. I remebered JohmPaul told me he translated it already and he taped it to the box. I must’ve been tired because it stared right at me.

“To awaken me, only the life blood from the disheartened one will release the seal.”

That had to be me but I wasn’t sure I wanted to open it yet. I put it back in the bag and brought it along with me as I went through to search for a bed. It was a long and skinny bed but it was over night. Mom always told me to be grateful not picky. I turned on the phone and found Netflix. That entertained me until I fell asleep with that box by my side.

A McDonald’s breakfast sandwich later, JohnPaul and I walked into the Amtrak station. It would be about an eighteen hour trip.

We went into a room, and JohnPaul, closed and locked the door behind us. “All right. This is going to be our transport. Yeah, it might’ve been quicker to take an airplane, however, there’s a long portion that we would have to drive and it can be tricky. No, you’re not a kid. However, this train service says no one unaccompanied under the age of eighteen. When we get to our final stop, we’ll change trains to a local commuter train. Again, no one allowed unaccompanied under eighteen. After that, I help you get registered and that’s it.” He held out a manila envelope. “This is for you to read.”

I couldn’t help but watch him. “How much is this going to cost me?”

He smiled. “Dad said your mother gave him more than money could ever buy. So in response, this is only pennies compared to that. So don’t worry about a thing. Just promise him you will do your best, and get at least a three point five grade point average.from now until you graduate.”

“I can do that.”

“Good. Now, enjoy the ride.”

I heard an old man say no one rides a train because they’re in a hurry. The train was there to enjoy the journey. So I sat down and watched the scenery go by.

It was refreshing to watch the mountains and waterways go by. JohnPaul waved for me to follow him. It was time to eat.

It wasn’t an extensive menu consisting of only pasta, cheeseburger meal, and a fish plate. He got the fish while I got the cheeseburger. It wasn’t bad though. I expected it to have a cardboard texture, but the patty was tender and juicy.

When we got back, I opened the envelope and started reading. That was when the cost of going to that particular school came to my attention. Holy Moly it was three hundred, I had to gulp, three hundred and sixty thousand dollars. Per year. Sergio said don’t worry about it but, I couldn’t help but feel about the size of an ant.

Granted we were about three hours late, however, JohnPaul said don’t worry about it. The train station we stopped at had rooms. He reserved two so we had a place to stay. Since the train left at eight thirty in the morning, it would be perfect.

When we stepped into the room, it felt like I went through time to the good ol’ days. There was a water pitcher and basin on a round table with a rocking chair in the corner. Bar soap and towels were on that table. The bed didn’t bounce instead it sort of sat there covered with a quilt. It wasn’t hard. It only felt weird.

I looked around for a shower and they had one. They were able to fit a toilet, sink, and a shower in one small space. All one had to do was turn around and see the entire bathroom.

JohnPaul had the room next to mine. He told me he would come and get me at seven-thirty in the morning. It only took five minutes before he returned to my room to pick me up for dinner. I was hungry and was curious what they offered.

A rather small menu but they had beef stew. It couldn’t be all bad. It didn’t sound like anything that anybody could goof up. They wouldn’t offer it otherwise. Maybe if I told myself that enough times, I’d believe it.

I was shocked about how good it was and my stomach was happy. We went back to our rooms to rest. There were sliding glass doors that looked over the tracks. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of a swing my life took.

If Mom were here. I looked up at the sky, closed my eyes, and almost saw her looking down at me. She could’ve been transfixed at what was going on.

Trains passed by back and forth. Nothing went on after eight, so I went back inside and closed the door. I opened the bag and stared at the face. I could’ve done it then but the timing didn’t feel right. Mom always told me there was no such as the right time, but it didn’t feel right. Then something banged out in the hallway.

Some blonde sort of trampled over herself as she made her way somewhere. I could only guess she was drunk. However she got her liquor.

We left the room and lined up at the gate the next morning. Everybody in the line was headed for the same place. The train made enough noise to wake anybody up if they were still sleeping. A sort of green box with wheels with a sign on the front that read Pinigree Falls let out some steam. That was it.

A group of people carrying cleaning supplies went inside. I didn’t notice until then that there was a sign. The train had been in operation since 1856. It traveled the same route all this time even during the wars. The train had some improvements done but it was still the same as it was all those years ago.

“OK,” JohnPaul said. “Your assigned seat is the first letter of the your surname or the surname of your guardian should it be different. While it can’t be considered a meal, they will be serving a sort of breakfast snack once we get moving.”

“Sounds basic. How long is this supposed to take?”

“They said, from this point, it’s another two hours and forty five minutes barring any delays.”

The cleaners left and the doors opened.

As we boarded, “Lovely.” I sat back and let the good times roll, so to speak. It was a bumpy ride. Not hard enough to jar the kidneys, but hard enough.

People snored around us. I thought about taking a nap, but it couldn’t be that long. I spent the time looking over the contents of the envelope. I liked the pictures. The beds were a room all in themselves. A double extra long bed on top with three drawers on one side, three bookshelves on the other, and a desk underneath the bed. One closet on either side of the room. It was up to the roommates to decide who got which bed.

Two people of the same sex per room, no exceptions. I stopped reading at that point, because we stopped to let a cargo train pass. It didn’t take that long and we started up again. I put everything away and watched the scenery.

We seemed to get closer to the tops of the trees as the train went up the hill. Things went back to normal again. There were ranches with cattle and some with horses. I always pictured myself riding a horse.

At some point, a man announced we were fifteen minutes away. That despite the wait, we were on time. He sort of laughed as he went on to say that the town wasn’t going anywhere so hang in there. No need to push.

JohnPaul went ahead of me and handed a man two pieces of paper. He nodded and kept going.

When we stopped outside, “OK. Now what?”

“From here, we follow the signs to the exit. We keep going and then go up a set of stairs labeled 3B. From there, we turn right and keep going until we get there.”

“Excuse me for saying this but—”

“—but am I sure we’re going the right way? It’s what Dad said, and it’s what the map showed that came along with the rest of the stuff in the envelope. I hope it’s a recent map not something that was made up about a hundred years ago.”

I had to laugh.

“Come on. Let’s follow the crowd. I’ve taken so many naps it’s unreal. I have to take the same way back only in reverse.”

“I’m so sorry, but you can take the plane on the back. Right?”

“Eh. Such is life and I thought about it, but no.”

Sure enough, at the end of this long trip there was a building surrounded by an iron gate. There were guards posted at the entrance. It was a three story red-brick building with shiny wooden doors on the front. JohnPaul talked to them about something. A group laughed in my ear during that time so I no idea what happened.

“OK. We go to the Administration Building and then to the Registration Office. After that, I leave and you stay.”

“Uh, JohmPaul.” I held out the green bag. “Could you take this back with you? And it’s been a trip.”

 He grabbed the bag. “You’re telling me. Dad said it would be fun. It would be great. I’m still waiting for the fun part to start.”

Somewhere in between me laughing he registered me. He held my arm and pulled me outside. “All right. Here’s how things are going to work. Today is registration day. That means all of your records get recorded and put into a file. You get shown your room and the rest of the day is yours. Tomorrow is when everything starts through the rest of the week. The schedule is posted in the dorm. As for the expenses, don’t worry about it. Like he said, just worry about your studies. I’ll be seeing you for Christmas break. I don’t think Thanksgiving break, but that’s not here yet. Enjoy yourself.” He left.

I stood outside and watched everything. This was going to be my new life. “Oh Mom, I wish you were here. I love you.”

All of the tall green trees, a velvety carpet of green grass, surrounded by a variety of color. It looked like paradise. I don’t know how he did it, and chances were I wouldn’t be able to find out, but this was going to be my new home.

I went inside to look around. I could’ve sworn I smelled the locker room. I had to laugh.

A lady approached me. “Oh good. You haven’t left yet. Your name has been registered. Your ID picture will also be done tomorrow. The ID will be attached to a clip that is attached to a piece of string. Please don’t lose it and it must be worn at all times.” She opened my hand and put something in it. “This is your key. The room number and the location is attached. If you can’t find it, one of the proctors can help. Have a pleasant day.”

“Thank you.” I guessed that was it. It was time whether or not I was ready wasn’t the point. I hoped my roommate and I cohabitate.

There was a wall of photos, and one of them was that train. It brought me here, to my new life. Almost a twenty-four hour journey. This black and white picture seemed to keep looking at me. Yeah, it was an inanimate object, but I could’ve sworn I felt a heartbeat that wasn’t mine.

It had been a good week since I got here. It seemed to be nonstop for Grandma and me because of those cookies we baked. When it was time to divide them, Grandpa and I put up the tree.

It was artificial but it didn’t matter. They had this big black and silver cat named Oscar. He had his tree, on the left side of the fireplace, filled with toys and treats. The human’s tree was on the right. It wasn’t hard to tell which one was which.

Then it was time to see the lighting of the town’s Christmas tree. A nice pyramid shaped, dark teal, pine tree covered with snow decorated with red and white pointsettias. It was a point of pride for everybody. A special tree was chosen every year and it would be taken care of until the time came to chop it down.

We were about to sing the traditional Christmas Tree song, but someone came in on a motorcycle. At first I thought it was Cheryl. She may be my sister, but that didn’t mean we acted alike either.

When the helmet came off I realized it wasn’t her, but somebody else. The long bleached hair with black lipstick didn’t bring up any memories. What got my attention was someone handing her a chainsaw and she chopped down the tree. She put them in a pile in the middle of the walkway.

She turned off the chainsaw and held it out for someone to take. “Merry Christmas all you —” I blocked out the last part because I didn’t want to hear it. Not that it did any good. I could swear that the fabled little old lady in China heard it. That blonde started her motorcycle, revved the engine, and rode over the pieces of tree. It wouldn’t take long before the law caught up with her. While it wasn’t against the law to chop down the town tree, it meant something when an officer came to the house with a warning.

Be it fate, or the song fit, I don’t know but someone started singing that song from the Grinch. The one where everybody gathered around the spot where the tree used to stand. I’m not sure it made any difference, but to me it didn’t. That tree was destroyed.

Grandpa hung his head and shook it. He was one of the people appointed to help take care of it. He never said anything, but I bet he was excited when the time came.

Whoever that woman was had a lot of people to answer to. It wasn’t necessary. Even if she didn’t celebrate that didn’t mean destroying the tree was OK.

The next morning, it was only me and Oscar. Grandma and Grandpa left to pick up everyone. The tree was still up and decorated family style so it was perfect.

I grabbed a leash and harness and put it on Oscar.

He seemed all right with it. As a matter of fact, he tried to pull me to the door. We left the house and I made sure to lock it when we left.

As a rule, dogs and cats don’t mix. I saw the videos of dogs and cats being the best of buds, but I didn’t want to take any chances, and stayed away from that end of the street.

It was only the day after so that scene with that woman killed the vibe. That little bit of magic in the air disappeared.

Well, Oscar and I toured the block. He went up this tree and that tree. I think he was even chasing after squirells and that made me laugh.

When we got back in the house, I kissed his head after I took off his leash. “Thank you, Oscar. I needed that I think.”

He chirped at me before he disappeared somewhere down the hall. He came back a moment or two later with his stick. We played catch until they came home.

“Oh look,” Cheryl said. “It’s an animal.”

I think the only reason she stopped there was because Grandma and Grandpa stepped in at that time. That was also the reason why I kept my mouth shut, and helped Mom and Dad with their bags.

I heard something growl, and that was when I saw Oscar at the ready towards Cheryl. “Oscar,” I said.

He turned around, went up his tree, and swatted the stuffed bird a few times before he relaxed. Cheryl had something going on in her mind. I could tell as she concentrated on Oscar. I didn’t want to tell her to be careful. She needed to learn on her own.

He swatted her face. No bloodlines or scratches. Yet, she screamed bloody murder and cried because he was mean.

I found Oscar in his tree and reached in to scratch. “Good boy. Just be careful. I don’t want you to end up in the pound.”

Some people say cats don’t smile, but he did as he purred.

To escape Cheryl, I went into the kitchen to help Mom and Grandma. It was a little early yet so we had hot coco with those big marshmallows and cookies. Grandma only baked cookies once a year and this was it. I had to get some while I could.

It was a very long and silent time. I think the noisiest thing was that Grandfather clock in the corner.

I shouldn’t be the only one to start a conversation. Cheryl could start one as well. After all, she knew all the important gossip.

I followed everybody to the kitchen again to help Grandma. Things were going great.

“Oh good,” Cheryl said. “It’s about time the kitchen slaves started working. I’m going to die of starvation if I’m not fed. It would be all your fault.”

I was about to yell at her when I saw her bump into Grandpa. Oh boy, did he look pissed. Mouth tight and a face as red as those holly berries.

I went back into the kitchen. There had to be something that was missed. They yelled at each other while I checked under each lid and opened the oven several times.

When the yelling stopped, the three of us stuck our head out to look at what happened. Dad wasn’t in the room, but Grandpa sat back down again in his chair. I sort of thought that maybe Oscar stayed in his tree. He wasn’t a dumb cat.

It seemed to be about a forever later, Dad returned, and slammed the door. He stood above Cheryl and looked down at her.

“I don’t have time for this. I had better places to be. I—”

“—That’s enough,” Dad said.

I cleared my throat to help swallow any words that might have come up. “For tonight’s dinner we are having creamed chicken and vegetable soup, with homemade biscuits, salad, and apple pie for dessert.”

I laughed as Dad and Grandpa tried to beat each other to the faucet.

“Boys,” Grandma said. “We do have a bathroom.”

“I’m done,” they said at the same time.

I laughed and sat down at the table. Cheryl stayed in the front room with her legs and arms crossed. She would be the one to wake me up in the middle of the night because she was starving to death. If she didn’t eat real food, she would sue everybody, and then die.

“Cheryl,” I said, as I stood in the doorway. “Did you want to eat?” I had to try.

“I am going to starve to death because that food is not fit for me to eat. It’ll be your fault.”

I sat back down to eat my food. Mom and I cleared the table. When the dishes were done, I got the garbage. Sure enough, out came Oscar. Not sure why, but he sat right beside me.

Grandma came outside. “Are you OK?”

“Me? I’m used to this. The questions is, are you?”

“I’m fine. I’ve been through worse in the critical care ward. She’ll wake up hungry tomorrow. I asked your Grandpa to put a chain around the doors of the refrigerator. She’ll learn her lesson. Come on, the pie’s waiting.” She waved towards the house and we all came back.

After everybody finished their pie, Grandpa cleared his throat. “Your grandma and I bought tickets for everybody to a very special place. We leave by train at seven-thirty tomorrow morning. The train will take four and a half hours to get there. Snacks and nonalcoholic beverages are available to us for free. No meals. Beds will be available if anyone wants to nap.”

Cheryl yawned. “I’m too busy.”

Grandpa looked at her before he returned his gaze to us. “The last stop will be our final destination. A horse driven sleigh will pick us up and take us on a twenty to thirty minute ride. So by the time we get there, it should be about lunch time. Now we did this, because your grandma and I are getting older. We would like to remember these special moments until we can’t any more.”

Cheryl stood in front of Grandpa and poked him in the chest. “The only special place would be the Bahamas. Just give me money. It’s the only place for the most specialest people to go like me.”

Dad’s jaw got tighter everytime Cheryl opened her mouth. Couldn’t she give this a chance. It was Christmas. A time for peace. A time for joy.

Grandpa looked at Cheryl. “That enough. The world doesn’t revolve around you. We would like to do something special. So sit there and keep your trap shut, or so help me God, you will have to live with a guilt trip until it’s your turn.”

I didn’t have to see anyone else. I could tell everybody looked at Cheryl at the same time. I smiled in my head when she sank in her chair and crossed her arms.

“I suggest everybody pack tonight,” Grandma said. “If anyone needs anything, chances are I’ve got it. All you need to do is ask. So, six-thirty tomorrow morning we leave here. Don’t make your Grandpa have to carry you.”

I couldn’t help it, but I laughed. Mom looked at me as I shrugged, and mouthed an apology. She nodded, and both of us laughed.

Sure enough, as soon as everybody started getting ready for bed, Cheryl banged on my door. I ignored her but she didn’t get the hint until Grandpa. He must’ve done something because the next thing I heard was screaming. The note was too high for it to be Grandpa.

After that, it wasn’t hard getting to sleep. Somewhere in between bathroom trips, Oscar found his way into my room and on top of me. I had no idea a motor could sound so peaceful.

Now, the rest of us found our way into the car without too much of an issue. Everybody that was except Cheryl. I had no idea where Grandpa got his strength or energy from but he fireman carried her to the car.

“Anything else?” Grandpa asked as he got into her space.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Good. We’ll go now your majesty. I had soldiers that behaved better than you. I suggest you straighten up or this trip could get worse very soon.” He closed the door.

I didn’t want to ask that question afraid he might growl at me.

“Let’s see. We were in a small village on the outskirts of a hill the army swore it needed.”

I sat back and listened. It wasn’t often that Grandpa told stories so I thought of this as a treat.

He finished when we reached the train station. Mom and I looked at each other and talked about where to be in order to get Cheryl out. That was when Dad and Grandma pushed us aside and pointed to the back.

I had no idea what that meant until I saw them pick up Cheryl and move her out of the car.

“Oh, we’re so sorry you’re majesty,” Dad said. “We have reached our destination. You royal pain.” He somehow turned her around and put both hands on either side of her face. “This attitutde will stop. I will spank you. I don’t care who’s watching. If you want to call the cops be my guest. Remember to tell Sargent Holstetter he still me owes me lunch.”

We got the bags out of the back by then and they lined up against the bumper. Cheryl grabbed one of mine and stomped her way to the curb.

This was going to be a very long trip. I applauded Grandma and Grandpa for doing this. Things like this couldn’t be cheap. This was going to sound awful, but couldn’t we have left Cheryl behind? On second thought, they loved their house.

I grabbed a bag and walked toward the sidewalk. A black man pushed a big cart and came towards us. “Good morning, folks. My name is Reggie and I am here to pick up your luggage so it could be stored on the train. When we reach our destination your bags will be ready and waiting for you. I hope you enjoy your trip.” He bowed. “Season’s Greetings and a happy New Year to all.” He backed up still bowed. He didn’t fall over. I had to try that once.

I followed everybody to the middle car and walked up the ramp. It was down the hall and to the right and the middle door on the right. Some how they arranged for Cheryl to get her space but that was in the seated area.

“You have a choice,” Grandpa said. “You can either behave and stay in this room with us or you can sit down out there if you choose to continue with this behavior. Make up your mind.” He went inside the room and closed the door behind him.

As soon as Cheryl opened her mouth we followed him and left her out there. She came in after us and slammed the door. She sat down in the far corner by the window.

“Nobody bother me. I need my special sleep since I was so rudely interrupted. When I look awful, it’ll be all your fault.”

To think. I’m five years younger than she is. Yet, she was the one that behaved like she was younger.

The train started moving and I needed space. I had it. “I’ll be back in a little bit. This train didn’t seem too long so it shouldn’t take me long to get back. I just need a little room.” I hoped everybody understood.

“You know? That sounds like a good idea.” Grandma, Mom, and Grandpa stood from the bench. That left Dad, but he fell asleep along with Cheryl.

So all of us left the room and walked up and down the hallway. I grabbed a water along the way and drank that. There was a coffee station and I grabbed a coffee for everyone. All of us made it back with drink in hand.

 We sat down and I spent the time looking out the window. There was a white blanket that covered the ground. Mounds of snow covered the branches. I glanced at everyone and they fell asleep.

The Christmas cheer with love and hope left when that woman demolished the tree. There was nothing left in me. Cheryl didn’t help either. I couldn’t blame her for everyone, although, I could blame her for a portion of it.

They announced we would be coming up to our final destination, Christmas Village. I hoped something would bring me out of this… whatever you wanna call it.

Everybody woke up at the same time and formed a sort of line to the toilet. When everybody finished, Mom stood. “It’s time to go from Mom to Mother. She passed the age that action and consequence would mean anything. I had hoped that if she came along she would be able to enjoy everything and everyone. Well. That didn’t work. So now I gotta be tough and let her have it. So to speak” I nodded, grabbed everything I came with and went to the entrance doors.

The doors weren’t hard to find. All one had to do was follow the arrows. Of course, when we got there, people were in front of us.

A moment or two later I heard stomping behind me. I looked, and my guess was right. Did she have to ruin everybody else’s time? Good grief.

When the train came to a complete stop, the doors opened. They announced that all bags would be waiting in the baggage room and look for the tags.

Dad and Grandpa said they would take care of it. I waited there with Grandma. I could tell Mom and Cheryl were coming. All I had to do was listen for the yelling.

Dad and Grandpa came out with everybody’s bags. I made a beeline to mine before Cheryl got them. No telling what she would do with them.

Once everybody got their bags, we went outside to wait for transportation. Grandpa went up to the man in the long red coat and showed him or her a paper. It didn’t take long before a horse drawn sleigh came to pick us up. It was gorgeous.

Shiny, big horses with hairy feet stood still while we climbed up and sat down. “Good morning. I’m Dean. Betsy, Marty, and I will take you to your destination. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

It was a sort of nice ride. Yeah, it was bumpy but, I could say I rode in a horse drawn sleigh. I don’t even know how long it took. I was enjoying the scenery too much.

“All right, folks,” Dean said. “We’re here.” He secured the sleigh and climbed down from his seat. He opened up the back where our baggage was while we got off.

Once we were taken care of, he rode away. Another man ran outside through a set of double doors for the bags. Once all of the bags were inside, the door closed. We came inside to a long line. It seemed to take a while to get to the registration desk.

Once we did, it was a beautiful sight. A large log cabin with decorated Christmas trees in every corner. I had no idea how tall they were only that they looked at least ten feel tall and about that big around.

After getting the key, we went up to our cabin. I laughed at the name on the door: Vixen. We made it inside and our bags right after us.

Our bags were lined up by the staircase. The man nodded and left.

“Now that everybody is here,” Grandpa said, “I’d like to wish everybody a warm and cozy Merry Christmas. I hope you enjoy yourself. Go ahead and put your stuff away. Then we’ll go and find something to eat.”

I didn’t need to look at Cheryl. She stood across from me with her arms crossed over her chest and foot tapping. Mom leaned down next to her for a moment and then straightened back up.

“That’s not fair. How come I can’t do what I want to do?” She talked so loud I could’ve sworn an icicle broke. “I had to come along on—”

Mom leaned down. “—All right. If you want to go, go ahead. Keep in mind what I told you earlier.”

“You can’t be serious. That is so totally not fair. You’re supporting what’s her name over there but not me. The best and most smartest and beautifulest daughter that you have.”

I groaned and walked up the stiars to find a room. I couldn’t say shut the fuck up stupid, because after all, that’s inappropriate language. The other thing was that it would’ve been a waste of breath.

I saw Grandma in one room talking to Grandpa. Dad stood in front of the window in another. I took the one text to that one which left Christy with the one on the end.

I put my suitcase in the closet and took the key. With Christy, there was no such thing as too secure.

We walked down to the first building and found the eatery. I looked at the menu and knew I was in trouble. It stunk. Not because the food would be awful, but because they were all my favorites. I decided on the chicken chili.

We put our order in and waited until we got our food. It didn’t take too long to get our food. One wouldn’t know that by listening to Cheryl. She got louder the more we ignored her. She stopped when we started eating and nobody said anything to her.

As a treat during the festive time of year, everybody got Christmas pudding if you ordered a meal. Cheryl reached across and stole mine. “What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine. I am the best the universe has ever seen, because that’s just who I am.”

I reached the end of my patience. “I think I’m going to take this opportunity and walk around a little. I’ll meet everybody in the cabin for dinner.” I stood up and tried to smile.

Once I got outside, I tried to find a quiet space and stood there a moment. I made sure nobody was around me and I screamed as loud and as long as I could. I took a deep breath in and out until I felt a little calmer.

I stepped out and a sign stood in front of me: Christmas tree lot. End of season clearance prices are on the label. I followed the signs and walked right onto it. There weren’t a lot of trees left but more than I expected.

“Oh, little human,” a voice said.

I stopped and looked around. Nobody else was there. Only me, even then, why would someone call me little human?

“Little human, if there is a tree you are searching for, simply follow the setting sun, and it will bring to light the tree you would be searching for.”

There it was again. What the… .

“Turn around and look straight ahead.”

I gulped and did that. A huge Christmas tree stood in front of me. “Uhm. Yeah?”

It blinked. “There you are. Did you find it yet?”

“No.”

“Search for the setting sun and you will see, the tree that was lost. Simply look at the top, you will find it.”

“Uh. But.” It became a normal tree again when other people came into view.

Setting sun? Where in the blue blazes would I find the setting sun? What was it that Grandpa said? Up in the east down in the west. OK, which way was west?

I looked at the tops of the trees and that was when I found it. A perfect replica with pine cones as well. I looked in the tree to search for any creatures and I didn’t see any. I looked at the tag and it was doable. The only thing was they charged extra for shipping.

A guy in a thick flannel shirt came around and asked if I needed help. Grandpa had to be feeling awful since the tree massacre. I wouldn’t be able to spend my Christmas money after this but it didn’t matter. I asked how much it would cost to take it up to the cabin.

He told me that wasn’t considered delivery since it was only up the hill. I made arrangements for that while I hoped things would work out. The only thing left would be the ornments.

Somebody had to be listening to me because I went into the gift shop to look for greeting cards. There were candy canes and wooden ornaments on sale. Everything was there as if by magic.

With everything in my bag, I went back up the hill. Either people were sleeping or out walking around somewhere. As soon as I put things down, the doorbell rang. I let the man in and told him where to put it. There seemed to be a designated spot in the front room. A sort of circle in the middle.

He set up the watering system and left the house. After that, I hung the decorations. Right after I hung the last reindeer, everybody came in.

We sang O Christmas Tree and a few more songs. To finish it off, I wanted to sing my favorite song Little Drummer Boy. Cheryl screamed every word and a few more unintelligible words. I was done. I ignored her and kept singing.

The smile on Grandpa’s face would be something I would never forget.

Later that night, there was note on my closet door. “Give me the receipts for that I had no idea how that came to be thing in the front room. Merry Christmas, Little Love Bug.”

Rocks and rotting corpses were thrown at me as I was trying to help bury the dead. I didn’t have any choice but to leave. They threatened me with lit torches.

I remembered walking away with the smell of fire behind me. I turned around and watched as smoke rose to the sky. Everybody and everything burned. That was how I got so dirty covered in smoke. Nothing left to do except find another path.

An old woman took pitty on me and gave me a chance to bathe. She also gave me fish cakes and tea. It didn’t take much to know that the rest of the villagers knew I was there. Stones hit the hut while a few came through the windows. Others yelled insults and told me to get out. She pulled a dress over my head before she pushed me out the back door.

I left that village and continued on until I came upon the business part of the area. I could tell by the tall buildings, some had three windows stacked upon another. I never saw anything like that before. Along the walkway, they even had pink umbrellas overhead. The counting house for the area was there as well with two armed men by the entry.

It was a joyful walk with music and singing in the background. It was good to be able to go again. Maybe find a place I could rest, even for a little bit.

The plague made things unbarable. Foreigners brought it, not me, like other people said. We never had anything like that. Sores on the skin and unable to breathe. Some even lost their stomach because they couldn’t keep anything down. A lot of people died as well. Maybe I was one of the lucky ones that didn’t get sick.

I wish I could say that I would miss my family, but I couldn’t. The outer edge was where I lived because I didn’t have anyone. The elders of the village brought me in and taught me what I needed to know. When the sickness started, everyone blamed me for bringing it. They didn’t have a choice but to make me leave. I had nothing to do with it.

I reached the edge of the business center. A ring of wide-spread dwellings were about a hundred or paces from the edge. A large castle beyond that, about two hundred steps or so.

I was sort of glad to be out of there as the children pinched their nose at me as I walked by. The adults ignored me. That castle was my only hope.

I looked down at myself and was glad that I took a bath. The old woman gave me another dress and the fish cake was a welcome treat. I had to stop stalling and knock on the door. It didn’t sound like it went through. The wood might have been too thick for the sound to penetrate.

A window opened. “We are the guardians of the lord of the land. The land sits in the middle of the four corners. Our land is ruled over by Lord Koffi. What business do you have with us?”

I smiled as best I could. “I was hoping that I could work here to help with the autumn festival coming. I am willing to help in the kitchen even do some cleaning. Please?”

“We do not need anyone here. Anyone who works here must have someone to bring them.” He closed the window.

Maybe if I tried knocking on the door again it might work. He opened the window and told me if I didn’t leave he would throw a waste bucket at me. I was left staring at the door.

There were other houses around the area so I thought I would try there. Some distance away, the lord of the land came towards me. I could tell it was the lord because of the bold red flags and coach edged with gold. Both colors were such that only lords and ladies could afford them.

I walked to the side in the hopes that I would be out of the way and then the group stopped. A man from inside poked his head out.

He looked at me before he turned towards one of the men on horseback. “Why did we stop?”

“My Lord, we have stopped because someone is on our path.”

“Our path. Our path. Since when did this become our path and does this woman pose a risk?”

“Well. My Lord. One never knows and one can never be too careful. I will have—”

“—You will have one of the men bring her towards me. Someone is on our path.” He shook his head and retreated inside.

One of the men did grab me and put a laso around my neck. He tied my hands together and pulled me towards the coach. “Stay.”

That soldier knocked on the door until the Lord poked his head outside again. “Excuse me, m’lady, but did you do something to threaten anyone?”

“I don’t believe so.”

“Neither do I. Come over here so I can untie you. You are not a pig ready to be roasted.” He grabbed one of the guards on the side and whispered in his ear. The soldier kept looking back at the lord as he rode forward. He wrapped a rope around the other soldier’s hands and brought him back to the carriage.

The lord stuck out his head again. “First a question. Does it look like she has any weapons? Material as thin as this you would surely see a dagger or maybe darts. Hmm? Since you seem to forget what it may feel like to be bound like a pig, you will travel that way until we return to the castle. I suggest you also learn what path is ours.”

The man kept opening his mouth and he had wide eyes as he did. To me it looked like he didn’t expect that.

“Now. What do I call you?”

I had to think about that one for a moment. I had been called so many names but I liked the name I was given when I was a child. “Willow-Pearl, m’lord.” It was always polite to bow before someone of a higher status, so that’s what I did. I might be able to get a warm meal as a result.

“Hmm. Very interesting. I am Lord Koffi. Come inside.”

Inside? He kept a hold of my hand so I didn’t have a choice. I sat down across from him. When the carriage started again, I looked out the window to see the trees.

I sat there and wondered if he wanted something from me. I didn’t have anything, but it wasn’t unusual for a man to take a woman. It always made me wonder if those were the circumstances of which I was born. There were men out there who were beasts. Women with various bruises and open sores. Very often missing teeth. I hoped this wasn’t such a man.

We went through the gates again. I wondered what it looked like inside. Stone houses with straw on the top. Some people sang and danced while others sold their goods. It seemed to be a busy little place.

We stopped in front of the stables. Lord Koffi stepped out first and held out his hand. I took the invitation and climbed out. It wasn’t a smooth road and the seats could use a little more padding but it got me here. I should’ve been glad of that. I couldn’t help but wonder what his plans were.

We stepped inside and I couldn’t help but be amazed by the smooth marble walls and the carpets that lined the floor of the halls. “Well, my dear, you stink. I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, but the fact remains you need a bath. I will lead you there. While you are doing that, I will find a dress for you to wear. When you are finished, we will discuss your purpose.”

Before I had a chance to say anything he led me down one hall and through another. When he opened a door, wafts of steam floated towards me and I got a whif of an earthy aroma. I looked inside and nobody else was there.

I stepped inside and the door closed behind me. The room left me in awe with its big bath filled with hot water. I didn’t want to make him turn away from me because I had an odor. I took off the dress and stepped inside.

I scrubbed the day away and rubbed a scented oil on myself after that. It felt good to be clean again. There was only a robe available so I put that on while I looked out the big window. I heard the birds singing their tune.

They were happy that the sun—how did I know that? The elders told me perhaps I let their song guide my thoughts, but it had to be more than that. My sixteenth summer I floated to the rooftop so I could see the colors of the trees.

Somebody stepped inside and I turned around to see who it was. “Oh. I’m finished. You can use it if you wish.” Distant memories were not always a good thing.

“No. I do not stink like vagrants and wanderers that our lord takes pitty upon. He gave me a dress to give to you, but I must’ve forgotten it somewhere. You can’t blame me though. After all, I wouldn’t have had to do anything had you not stepped in.”

“It’s all right. Maybe if I brush my dress of the dust it would help some.”

“Oh that one?” She pointed to my dress that I put on the chair.

“Yes.”

She smiled as she came towards it and picked it up. She ripped it. “Hmm. Oh well. You will just have to wait for another.” She left.

I peeked outside to see if anyone was there. The guards paced down the hall but that was all. I had to get another dress some how. I left the room when the guards were out of sight.

There were so many rooms to choose from. I had no idea where to look. All of them looked the same.

“Willow-Pearl.”

Oh no. I turned around and smiled. “Yes?”

“Why are you not dressed? I sent a gown with another servant, Lilith. Did you not get it?”

The elders always told me it was best to speak the truth. “I did, but by the time I got it, it was torn.” That was sort of the truth.

“When I sent the dress it was neat and clean. I will deal with her later. Come.” He waved his hand towards himself. “I will find another for you.:

I nodded and followed him. It was all the way down to the farthest part of the castle. I hoped he wouldn’t take me.

“I apologize for taking you down here. Some say the cries of the prisoners could still be heard even after all this time. It was the only place where I could put the clothes.”

I stopped to watch him smile. It looked genuine enough because it reached his eyes. The elders always told me if a smile was genuine, it was a good thing.

“Oh come now. I haven’t used these rooms, especially to trap my ladies.” He walked in the room with me. I followed him to the boxes against the wall. “These are old gowns handed to me from my father. He loved women and all they had to offer. He thought I might be able to use them.”

“Anything is fine, m’lord.”

“I had a dress in here—” He pulled it out. “Yes. This was it.” He took off my robe and put the dress on me. “This color suits you. This blue resembles the color of the sky. This shall be yours. I need you to supervise the progress of the dinner. I have a few things that need to be done while you are doing that.” He put his hands on my shoulders. “Trust your judgement. We will deal with anything that may be wrong later. Go on now. It’s the same way back up. Go down the hall and outside. Once there, walk up the hill to the cooking area.”

I bowed to thank him for his kindness. A most generous man. After I put on the dress and fastened the strings, I followed his direction and proceeded outside.

I walked up the hill and followed my nose. Sounds of metal clanking on metal and the aroma of meats cooking. He told me to surpervise the preparation of the dinner.

I walked around the kitchen and didn’t notice anything unusual. I heard about putting poison in the food of the ruling class. I hovered over the cooking and cutting of the food to be sure that didn’t happen.

After a certain point, I asked to assist in the preparations. The looked at me and laughed. I looked down at myself and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. The only thing I didn’t have were shoes.

They pushed me out of the area but I insisted on staying. A rather large man stood in front of me and yelled in my face to get out and let the real people do their duty. He had a question as to whether or not I was real? I grabbed a knife and cut my arm. I put it in front of him so he could see my blood. He fainted.

I grabbed one of the towels and wrapped my arm and proceeded to assist. I had an idea what was being cooked. I didn’t know how the lord liked his food however. I watched the others so I could get an idea and followed their lead.

Meat wasn’t roasting over the fireplace so I assumed it was burried in a pit somewhere else. A traditional method of cooking hogs for the best flavor. It also created a very juicy dish.

As I thought, I saw the markings but it hasn’t been raised yet. It needed time to sit or it could be overdone. I went back to the cooking area and tried to get someone to help me raise it. Instead, I got pushed and shoved out of the way. All of the food I had cut was thrown away.

I couldn’t hold it in any more. I tried to calm myself down. I even used the advice the elders gave me. Distract the mind and the rest will follow. It didn’t work.

Something deep inside came out. I couldn’t explain it. I no longer felt… I didn’t know how else to say it… but real. I looked at my arms as they came around and they were wings.

Another yell came out but it sounded more like a bird. Everybody ran away. I did what a bird would do. I’ve watched them. I set down on the ground.

I transformed back into me again. The next problem I had was that my dress was no longer. I passed out.

When I woke up, it felt comfortable. As if I was on a luxurious bed filled with feathers. I didn’t dare open my eyes afraid my dream would disappear. It didn’t. What I felt was real.

“Ah. There you are. Hopefully in a better state than when I found you.”

“M’lord. I am sorry.”

“Don’t worry. It is thanks to you that I found who my loyal subjects are. They stayed and finished the preparations. The rest simply ran away. Now, get a wet cloth and wipe yourself with it. I can’t have you appearing at the dinner covered in mud and sticks. I found a new dress for you. Just do not tear this one. Understood?”

“Yes, m’lord.”

“Good. We will talk more later. Be quick.” He left the room and closed the door.

He told me to be quick, but I didn’t know. I didn’t want to embarras him that would be a bad thing. I didn’t want to defy him either. That may be even worse.

I looked down at my body and it was normal again. That never happened to me before. Could that be the reason why nobody wanted to be with me? Because I was different? I got out of bed and did as he said. I had to prepare myself when he pushed me out of his palace.

I finished getting ready and made my way to the door. My hand shook and I couldn’t swallow past the lump in my throat. I needed to clam down. He expected me to be there.

I stepped beyond the doorway and closed the door behind me.

“There you are,” he said. “Come.” He waved his hand towards him. “My father always told me to cherish women. They are capable of a lot of things.” He smoothed out my dress.

I nodded and waited for him to start walking. Instead, he held out his elbow. I knew the intent. I wasn’t sure if he wanted to be associated with me. He nodded so I wrapped my hand onto his elbow.

I heard the music. I tried not to dance as I still walked with him. When we entered everything and everybody stopped and looked at us.

They bowed and I bowed back. I didn’t know what else to do. Everybody stood there and watched us. It felt like they were trying to judge me as they stared at me. Maybe a few of them saw me change but I couldn’t help it. It felt like that village all over again.

“Please, sit. Let the feast begin.”

He brought me with him towards the back to the two vacant seats. Lilith’s lips turned up and I heard her growl. I glanced at Lord Koffi and he didn’t react.

I had to wait and see. The food was being passed around and the wine poured. I was hungry but I had to wait for m’lord to start eating.

Lilith bent over and leaned towards my ear. “Better be careful. It might be one of your cousins.” She walked away and laughed.

I started eating when she left. It was roasted hog not a bird. Hogs do not have wings because their mass too great.

I lost myself with the music and danced in my chair. It was bad manners but I couldn’t help myself. Lord Koffi looked at me. “Perhaps later. Right now, let’s finish the feast.”

“Sorry.”

He smiled and the both of us went back to eating. Three rounds of food, conversation, wine, and a sweet treat later we could say we finished the meal.

Lord Koffi stood from his chair and held out his hand. I took it and he took me to the middle of the room and we danced. The wine, food, and the dance seemed like a dream come true.

The music stopped and I was glad of that because I was indeed tired. Lilith came towards me and chomped her teeth at me. If she wanted a challenge she would need to wait. This was not the time or the place.

Everybody finished eating, drinking, and dancing they left the room. I turned around and expected m’lord to be there but it was Lilith instead. “The night is done.”

“So it seems. You and I in the morning. I plan to win.”

I watched her as she walked down the hall. I had hoped that she lied but it didn’t seem that way. It was time to find Lord Koffi and see about leaving. It was too nice to make this place dirty.

He walked towards me. “What is it?”

“Lord, Koffi, I would prefer to leave now.”

“You can’t leave now. We will talk about this in the morning. In the meanwhile, let us change and get some rest. Perhaps a fresh and breand new day will help to clarify things.”

“Yes, m’lord.” I bowed. It seemed I didn’t have any choice but to stay.

He brought me with him and we stopped in front of door. He kissed my cheek and opened the door. “This bed shall be yours. I wish we you a pleasant night’s sleep.” He bowed towards me. I wasn’t sure what to think of that. I knew my cheeks grew rather warm though.

I watched him as he stopped in front of the door next to mine. When he went in so did I. With the door closed I thought about jumping out the window and leaving. When I thought of that, I could hear the elders lecture me about what was proper and what wasn’t. I didn’t want to put a negative feeling around this castle.

Not knowing what else to do, I took off the dress and put it on a chair. I crawled into bed and hoped that with the morning light, it would bring a brighter day.

Turn this way and that all night long. I watched the sun rise and when it did so did I. I opened a door I didn’t notice last night and it had all sorts of dresses inside. I grabbed one and put it on.

I hoped that I was the first one to arise that was until I heard someone behind me. “Morning m’lord.”

“It is a good morning. What do you say we sit down for some good bread and cheese. Perhaps they even have berries.”

“That does sound delicious.”

As we walked, I felt someone watching us. A part of me hoped it was my imagination. The other part knew better. All that was left was to wait.

We sat down at a small table outside. Lord Koffi had to leave to find out something from the guards. That left me alone.

“The little white bird is all alone. Whatever will she do?” She laughed before she transformed into a black bird.

Something in me made me transform. I wasn’t willing to do this but a voice inside told me it was ncessary. Both of us rose high in the sky as we watched each other.

She called before I did. I tried to make the air uneasy so she had to land. It didn’t work as she rose above me.

She stuck her feet out and she came down towards me. She clenched them. I flew down before I came back up and above her. It didn’t work the first time but I had hoped that because I was above her it would knock her off balance. So much for wishing because it failed again.

Those pink umbrellas in the center. I flew down towards them and wish one big swoop they were released and I could direct them towards her. They hit her but not enough to cause her to land.

We flew up the center with our talons outstretched. I wasn’t sure how sharp mine were but hers hurt. I felt them digging into me. I could’ve sworn she laughed at me.

As a last resort, I took that opportunity and spun her around and gained momentum as I did so. She cried as I released her. She screeched and flew away without flapping her wings. I hoped as she did that she could land somewhere safe.

I lost energy at that point and landed hard on ground. I couldn’t keep the bird form any longer. The tree looked… .

The bed was soft. Like it was the last time. Huh? I opened my eyes and I was in the same room. Not a hard and cold cell.

“Ah. You are awake.” He walked over to a chair and picked up a gown. “Unlike Lilith, you are still here. She has yet to be found. I don’t expect her to be laying dead somewhere but one never can be too sure.” He sat me up and put the gown over my head.

“M’Lord. Why?”

“Why is she not dead? Why are you here? You would have to narrow that down a bit.”

I pulled the gown over my head as I expected to be poked with poisonous needles. None were there. There were potions that could be absorbed into the cloth, therefore poisoning the wearer. “Why am I here?”

“You are but a beautiful bird ready to spread its wings.”

Huh? “I am different from the others. You would be ridiculed.”

“Nonsense. Besides, you are a part of this castle. Why don’t you go and bathe while I see why the food is taking so long.” He left the room.

That can’t be. The others pushed me out of their village because I started the sickness. This man, Lord Koffi, saved me everytime I fell. It didn’t make sense.

Maybe I ought to do what he said and bathe. Maybe things would be clearer then. I opened the door and the servers bowed to me. I made it to the bathing room and a server waited there and opened the door. Very unusual.

Neither here nor there. Up in the sky maybe, but I had never tried to live in the trees as some of the hunters did. I wiped myself dry as I tried to make sense of it all. I had no place to go and no one to call family. Maybe it would be best to stay here until my life could be sorted if that was possible.

I smiled at my bounty. All eight mushroom were Black Witch’s Cap. The outside was a nice pearl white while the underside was black. They were hard to find during late summer and early fall because they preferred the warmer weather. The closer it got to winter the harder they would be to find. I planned to make mushroom soup with them. A perfect thing for a meal.

There was an enzyme they produced when cooked. That enzyme caused severe muscle spasm in the digestive tract that would work its way to the heart. It was the perfect ingredient for what I had planned.

I took the path back to the mortal world to the Truesdale estate. Old world with old money living in a modern era. It didn’t matter. This family wasn’t meant to last.

Screaming voices and lots of running feet. Nobody bothered to redirect or even teach proper behavior for that matter. Stupid children. Why couldn’t they be interested in modern technology? I couldn’t blame them though. How could children exhibit different behavior if they were never taught?

I made an entire pot of soup with chunks of beef and potato with carrots and my special mushrooms. By the time they finished that, they wouldn’t be hungry any longer. It would be so simple.

I wondered if it would be too soon. The children hadn’t started living their life yet. I was sure they weren’t taught the true history of their family. The sooner this family was gotten rid of the better. All of them had to go. These were the true descendants and all of them would be extinguished after this.

I thought about placing their bones in an ossuary, but that would be too good of a place to put them. That was a place set aside for good people. People with intellect and a good soul.

I covered the pot and brought out the bowls. The mushrooms would be enough. I didn’t need to add anything else. Somebody was coming toward the kitchen.

Whatever perfume she wore overpowered any delicious aroma that existed. On top of that, she didn’t even take her shoes off. She had the audacity to intrude in my space. “My. This looks so plain. I hope you prepared a better main plate.”

“Oh. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

“I hope so. I didn’t pay for you to put out bowls of soup. Even I can do that. You probably opened a can and called it your own.”

I brought out the bowls and put them down on the table. Nobody was there. I didn’t work hard to put this together for them not to notice. I needed to remain calm though or they might suspect something.

“Finish up.” I smiled before I left. I turned on the timer for ten minutes. I peeked at the table, and by that time, everyone had shown up.

As soon as they finished their soup, they held their stomachs and scrunched their faces. My what a horrible expression one makes. It was even more amusing as I watched them try to run from the table.

All of them fell to the floor, and soon after, turned to ash. Thanks to the extra added pinch that is. “Oh my. What’s the matter? Was the soup not to your liking?” I laughed at the simplicity of it. Everybody would wonder. Nobody would be able to find them.

I had to search for the next family. All of them will pay for what they did to mine. They were the only people I had. It was their fault that I am all alone now.

“So there you are.”

I turned around and saw Hortensia. “What do you want?”

“You. Greta.”

“Not until I’m done. Then I will turn myself in to be drawn and quartered by the council. If they so choose.”

“Who do you think sent me?”

“Who do you think will tell them you failed?” I disappeared and walked back to my threshold in my own world. There was one last family I needed to look for.

Hortensia smiled as she leaned against the wall. “You’re lonely.”

“I’m what? Don’t you think I would know if I was lonely or not?”

“Think about it, Gretta. It would be a lot easier and a lot less noticeable if you cast a spell to get rid of them all. You instead came up with a plan to poison them. You chose the more difficult route because it means contact with somebody else.”

“No. No. I’m not. I don’t care what you think. I’m only doing this because it means satisfaction. Not because I’m lonely.”

“You chose the one ingredient that depends on the seasons. Too cold and they won’t grow. You have to wait until it gets warmer in order to harvest them. Thereby bringing you back here to finish what you set out to do. This isn’t about revenge. It’s about being lonely. The more you do this, the less likely it will be for you to find the satisfaction you are looking for.” She opened the door and left.

I didn’t care what she said. I had work to do.

The Black Witch’s Cap had fallen out of season. I had one last thing to use before putting this off until after the first snow melt. It looked and smelled like a common herb they used in their pasta dishes. This one, however, was not an herb to be delighted. It tended to plug up the lungs making it hard to breathe. Such a shame that breathing was necessary.

That was settled. I had to look for the next family. It took a bit of searching, but I did find them. There was one family member that was within the vicinity, Grayson Wutherbey. It seemed he prided himself with being able to cook. That could pose as an issue as he might not need someone to cook for him. This would need a different strategy.

The way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. Men were all alike, however. If I created a pasta dish that he would need to eat, that would solve my problem. I only needed to plan to take it to him when he was hungry. Then he couldn’t deny me.

He lived in an apartment building, and as luck had it, there was a vacant apartment in the same building. It didn’t take much to create a life for me. A little bit of paperwork along with a little bit of storytelling worked. All I had to do was implement my plan.

My new apartment was small and disgusting. It was for a cause though. I tried to ignore the rest. The insects gave me good target practice. Of course, the rodents did also, but the insects ran faster. Hmm. Well, I had a dish to prepare.

Pasta finished along with the sauce and all I had to do was be pleasant. The things that needed to be done. I had ratsbane within reach and wondered if I should add it. It did have a strange after taste though. The herb should work without question. All I needed was a little bit of time.

I had everything placed in my arms so as not to spill when I ended up in council chambers. I whisked it back to my apartment. “Would somebody explain why I am here?”

Old man Gregor appeared. “You were brought here to answer for your crimes.”

“The only crimes that were committed were torture and execution of my family. After I have my revenge then you may do as you wish to me. I have nothing to look forward to after that.”

“That was not for you to decide.”

“Then who? You? All of the old people with beards too long to do anything with? Or the ones who need thick glasses in order to read the simple print on a page because they forgot the spell to change their vision? Huh?”

“Their fates will be decided by their laws and who governs them. We will—”

“—You will do no such thing. What happened to my family will never be forgotten.”

“What do you want?”

“What I want is my family back. What I desire is to watch the Truesdales and the Wutherbeys suffer. What I deserve is time for revenge. You should feel lucky they are the only ones I plan to kill.”

“It will be as you wish.”

“I haven’t completed my list yet, old man. Only when I am done will I let you do as you wish. Not until then. I exterminated the Truesdales. The last family is the Wutherbeys.”

“We cannot let you continue.” Thunder banged in the distance.

I laughed. “You expect me to be afraid? I stopped being able to feel anything a long time ago. Fear and revenge are the only things that exist.” There was one way to leave that room and it took a lot of energy. I had one chance to do it.

“Ego abiit” I was sure to say that loud enough to be above the sound of thunder. That spell also took me back to the exact time before I was taken away.

I was able to keep my eyes open long enough to see I made it back. When I was able to open my eyes again, I stood up and looked around. The dish ended up on the table, which was a good thing. The only thing I needed to do was to appear as if I would be interested.

I went to the apartment next door where he was supposed to be and knocked.

He answered the door. “What?”

I smiled. “I was making dinner, but I made too much. Would you be willing to have dinner with me?”

“No.” He slammed the door.

As much as I would like to turn him into a low form of life, I didn’t. Instead, I knocked on his door and tried again.

“What is it this time? I’m busy.”

“I could prepare a plate for you and bring it over. That way you could eat it at your own pace. You could avoid the awkwardness of unexpected company that way.”

“Fine.” He slammed the door.

I held out my hand and willed for it to appear. Of course, some parmesan cheese alongside. I used my will to knock on his door.

When he opened it, I made sure to direct the aroma into his nose. It worked as he concentrated on the dish with an ear-to-ear smile. Drool trickled out of his mouth. “Oh. Wow. Thanks. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“You’re welcome. Enjoy.”

He took his dinner and closed the door with his foot. I made a watching window large enough for me to see through. He poured cheese on top as I expected. The food disappeared in a matter of minutes. It took time before the herb worked.

It started with a small cough or a throat tickle as some called it. Then it increased in intensity as he put his arms around his chest and his face grew red. That would be the time that the plugs would be large enough to fill the lungs. As expected, he collapsed on the floor.

I made a lot of noise to be sure he wouldn’t wake up. I congratulated myself on a job well done. Since nobody else was there it was easy. He never got up and was turned to dust. I unlocked the door with a bit of magic and went inside to open a window. The breeze blew away his ashes.

His phone rang and it was at that time that I debated if I should answer it or not. I decided not to and left it to ring. I had other things to do such as finding the rest of his family. Then I could rest and not before.

There were a few family members in Nantucket and a few in an area called the Florida Keys. I needed to bring them together for ease. It would start to snow soon and the herbs would fall asleep as a result.

Should it matter? I’ve waited centuries to do this so another season wouldn’t be too long.

I returned home and left the filth behind. The sun shone on my face as I remembered how much Dora enjoyed it. She couldn’t anymore. Could she? It’s hard to enjoy things when pain and torture take up your thoughts or when one is dead.

I took a couple days to think things through. I had been so busy with everything that I didn’t feel anything. No satisfaction for the results of my well-crafted plan. No joy when I watched their ashes blow away. Shouldn’t I be able to feel something?

Maybe I longed for their company. Mother and I used to craft potions together. Father and I would search for herbs. My sister and I would cast silly spells for a bit of fun. No. It couldn’t be.

I screamed as loud as I could and I kept screaming until I ran out of voice. No tears either. Nothing that resembled any of the feelings I thought I would feel when I set out to kill them. I couldn’t understand.

I made sure to be the one that they focused on. It was so simple. Mortals were gullible creatures. They believed in the silliest things like their God guiding them to their path. How stupid could one get?

Maybe it was time. Let the mortals figure it out and if any of the families figured it out—there was nothing left to do. My heart could be telling me that my goals were accomplished.

I bathed and changed my clothes. The plain white linen dress one wore to their judgement without any adornment. Mother would say I looked too plain. That would be the point though.

I made my way to the council chambers and stood in the middle. I waited for the entrance torches to light before I said anything. They took their time lighting. I took a big breath and let it out. My judgement had come. “I am Gretta. My house has been destroyed as the only things that remain are their images. Empty space to gather dust. I haven’t gotten rid of the spiders because at least they took up space.”

The council members appeared behind the table. “We have been waiting. We have also been busy with correcting the fate of the ones you murdered. We have also been studying and theorizing your actions. If there could have been any other choices to accomplish the same thing. Why was it those families were chosen?”

“I am responsible for everything that has happened to the Truesdales and the Wutherbeys. I offer no explanation, excuse, or apologies. It has been suggested that I am lonely. That didn’t make any sense since I stopped feeling anything when I no longer had a family. Their suffering was over three centuries ago. I tried to forget and move past my pain but I couldn’t. You may do with me as you wish.”

Everything fell silent at that moment. A mere whisper would have sounded like yelling. Somewhere a clock ticked and each tick grew in intensity. I stood there and waited for them to return their attention.

One of them stepped forward. “We have decided to strip you of your magic and identity. From this moment forward you will live among the mortals as one of them. That means when they get sick so will you. How they get injured so should you. Your life span will be the same as theirs. Your life will be as if you never belonged to this world of magic. You will be reborn as a Normal so you will feel what it means again to have a family to love. Any chance of returning will not be possible in this circumstance.”

I recognized the large book of spells as it appeared in front of them. A reference that was used only in circumstances such as this. It would take all of their powers to accomplish their punishment.

I only wondered what my life would be like. I hoped it would be long and painful, full of emptiness. It would be difficult to look upon others as my family.

A loud bang and a bright light flashed before me. Pain ravaged my body. I didn’t scream though. I kept spinning until I fell through a black hole. It took quite a long time before I stopped.