Series Wednesday: Family Game night Page 39

I stand here waiting for this lady to say something; anything but she just stands there. “So can you take me to my mom’s apartment?” I ask her. “Yes I can. Cahira your mom said if you ever showed up here without her it meant she was in trouble” she says. I am not sure if she is asking me a question or telling me a statement. “Cahira!” I hear Grace in the distance. “Who is that?” The lady asks. “That’s my sister.” I tell her as I wave to Grace. “Your sister?” She asks. “Yes, that’s my sister. Did my mom not mention I had a half-sister?” I ask her. I am not sure how much this lady knows or even what this lady knows. Grace walks up. “Who is this?” She asks. “I never got her name” I tell Grace. We both look at the lady. “Hope said I wasn’t to give anyone my name if they came looking for her. I am just supposed to take you to her apartment. Is Hope in trouble?” She asks me. “I really can’t say. I just need you to take me to her apartment please,” I tell her. The old lady nods and points to the apartment across the way from us. She starts to walk towards it very quietly. She doesn’t say a word to us as we walk over there. The apartment is on the top floor. We follow her up the stairs. “Key?” Grace asks the lady. “I am afraid I don’t have a key. She said her little warrior would know where to find it.” I look around at all the figurines she has on her little porch. All of them are animals expect one. One is a figurine of a child warrior. I am sure this is where the key is. “Thank you for all your help.” I tell the nameless old lady. “No problem. So I just have one question.” She says to me. “What is it?” I ask. “Is Hope alive?” I look at Grace. “Yes why would you think she isn’t?” Grace asks her. “No reason. I should let you be. I have to be on my way.” She rushes off down the stairs. “What a strange lady.” Grace says. I pick up the child warrior to see a key taped to the bottom. “Got it” I tell Grace as I show her the key. Grace looks at the key and then looks back. “Something isn’t sitting right with me. I am going to check something out. You go inside I’ll be back in just a second.” Grace says as she takes off.
                I unlock the door and walk into the apartment. It smells like Hope. I look at how normal her place looks. She has art on the walls but no personal pictures which is to be expected. I walk looking around her living room and I don’t see a letter from our brother. We found the apartment but where is the next clue or letter of how to find Percy. I hear a thud outside. I run back out the door and Grace is dragging the old lady up the stairs. “What are you doing?” I ask her. “She called someone to warn them.” Grace says as she continues to pull the lady. “PLEASE STOP!” The lady screams. “Grace STOP!” I tell her as I pull her off the lady. I push Grace back and look at the lady and I help her sit up. “Who did you call?” I ask her. “Hope left me with very specific instruction for if she got herself into trouble.” The lady says. “What were they? Please I have to know. If you called the wrong person I could lose my mom” I tell her. “She gave me a number to call. She said if you ever came looking for her to call the number and tell the man who answers that Hope is missing. She said the man would know what to do from there.” The lady looks a little beat up but not too bad. “Can I have the number?” I ask her. “No, Hope was very clear that I was not to tell you about the man or the man about you.” I step back to think. I look at Grace not sure what to do now. Who is this man? Where is the next letter to find Percy? I need some answers. Grace kicks the lady in the face. I am in shock, I was not expecting that. “My sister said to give her the number.” Grace demands as she lifts the ladies head up. The poor old lady, her nose is dripping with blood. “It’s in my phone!” The little old lady said as she pulls her phone out and hands it to Grace. “That was a much better of an answer. See I knew you were a very smart lady and I would hate for what happened to your cat to happen to you.” Grace says as she hands me the phone. I look at Grace. “What happened to her cat?” I ask Grace. “I am sorry to say the cat is no longer with us.” I hit Grace. “You have got to be kidding me! Please tell me you didn’t kill this poor ladies cat.” I tell Grace. “Of course I did. We don’t know who she called. It could be him! She could be a spy of some sort. So I killed her cat so she would talk. She didn’t though she just started crying uncontrollably.” Grace says. I am so mad at Grace. “She was helping us! Like we don’t have enough going on! You need to focus because I didn’t see a letter in there! We need to find Percy!” I yell at her. “I get that but first we need to figure out who she called Cahira we have to know what we are up against.” Grace says. “We know what we are up against! Our own blood, someone who’s much like you with no value for life!” I take a deep breath trying to calm down. I look down at the phone in my hand. Grace is right we do need to know who she called.

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night Page 38

We start at our first school and are standing at the entrance of our elementary school a place I have little to no memories of. “Where would we even start looking?” Grace asks me. This doesn’t feel right there should be some kind of a sign. So far it seems like he is very straight forward. “This can’t be it. It can’t be here. She only knew me as the way I am now so for him to have met Hope it had to be after the accident.” I tell Grace. “So, we should go to our middle school.”  Grace says as we turn around. We get in the car and head toward our middle school not sure what we will find. I hope this is now the right place. As we drive up there is a big welcome sign. I think this is the right place. “Are you ready?” Grace says.  “Nope but we have to get Percy back so let’s do this.” I get out and walk up to the welcome sign.  There is an envelope taped to a Tetherball hanging down from the sign. “Your turn” Grace says as she rips it off and hands it to me. I open the envelope to see pictures with a letter inside. The pictures are of Hope watching me.  It looks like my first day of middle school. She lied and had been watching me the whole time. I’m not mad that she was watching over me just confused on why she wouldn’t tell me. I open the letter. “Cahira this one is for you again. I used to follow you guys to school to make sure you got there safe. After almost killing you I worried, plus I wanted another chance to get introduced to the family. This is where I met your real mother Hope. She was so beautiful and very young. I followed her back to her place in town. Yes, she has a place here in town. She rented an apartment to be close to you just in case you ever needed her. Once I figure out what she did for work things got complicated. I thought she could help me control my urge to kill. She really did her best. I didn’t mean to scare her by asking about you. I just wanted to be closer to her. She really did over react you see I am just misunderstood much like Grace and dad. I know you guys thought the worst of me when you started on this journey. So, I thank you for sticking to it. Just one more stop, and you will get Percy back. All you must find is Hope’s apartment and there will be the address and the rest of the answers. See you soon sisters.”

                Grace throws her arms in the air. “Oh, let’s just find where Hope lives. That is going to be easy!” Grace says. “No it won’t but it can’t be as hard as we are making it.”  I start to look around the school at all the houses. I know she didn’t live in a house, it would have to be an apartment and I have a feeling it has to be close to here for her to watch over me. I see an apartment building a little ways down the road. “Come on” I tell Grace as I start to walk over there. “You think she lived in those apartments?” Grace asks me as she follows me. “I can almost guarantee it.” I walk up to the apartment building. What would be the fastest way to find her apartment? I stand and look at the rows of buildings. “Mail boxes?”  Grace says to me as she walks off to the giant row of iron boxes. “What about them?” I ask her. “They should have names on them. That’s how we will know if she lives here.” Grace says as she starts to look at the names on each box. “That’s brilliant but we don’t know her last name. We only know her by Hope and I am sure that more than one Hope has to live here.” I tell Grace. “Okay that might be. But I just have a feeling like we will know which one is hers.” Grace says. “Okay I’ll go to the next row of apartment and look at those mailboxes.” I tell Grace as I head down the next row. This is going to be time consuming. I start to look at the boxes. “You know stealing mail is a federal offence.” I hear from behind me. I turn around to see a lady holding a cat in her arms. How cliché is that. “I am not stealing mail so I think I’ll be fine.” I tell her as I turn back around to finish looking at the names. “Then what are you doing?” She asks me. You know what I never understood about movies is why no one ever uses the noise neighbor to their advantage. “Are you the manager of these apartments?” I ask her. “No I am not but I know everything that happens here. More than that lazy grafter they call an apartment manager.” She says. Yup she is going to be the one to help me. “Maybe you can help me then. My mother lives here and I wrote down the apartment number on a napkin and I lost it. I have been trying to call her to see what number she lives in but she left her phone at work. So I was looking at the mail boxes to see if I could find her name.” I try to sound as sweet as possible but this would be something Grace would be much better at. “Who is your mother?” she asks me. “She goes by Hope. She is very young with long dark hair and olive skin.” I am not sure if that is a good enough description of Hope. “Cahira?” She asks me. “Yes! That’s me, you know my mom?” The lady nods yes. “I know Hope. She told me one day you might come to look for her and since I am the welcome wagon around here, she had no doubt I would be the one to find you.”  

Poem: Fighting breath

As we take each breath we do not think.. this breath could be my last. 

This one singular thought would drive any one mad.

Until the day your fighting for each and every breath.

When that day comes do you look back?

Do you think of each breath you have taken?

The breath before each major decision.

What about the moments that took your breath away, are those the breathes you fight for?

We take for granted all that we can do in a breath.

Do not wait until your death bed to fight for each and every breath.

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          “Why does it seem like when everyone meets you it changes their lives?” Grace asks me. “Are you trying to blame me for this?” I ask her back. “No I am not blaming you. Just saying that you are so special to everyone. Why?” I hear my sister’s questions and have no idea how to answer it. “Because everyone we met are complete whack jobs.” I smile at her. She rolls her eyes at me. We pull up to the house, well more like the ashes. “Where do you think the next piece of the story is?” I ask Grace. “I know exactly where it is.” Grace gets out of the car and I follow her. She climbs up to the tree house and starts to get on the roof. “Got it!” She says. She takes a box of candy down from the roof.  “Candy?” I ask her. She opens the candy box and there is the next letter or clue.  However these don’t feel much like clues. This just feels like his way of forcing us to learn about him. “This is how we use to trade notes when he was my imaginary friend.” Grace says. “Yeah that’s not creepy at all.” I say as she starts to open the letter. “This part of my story is for you Grace. You see after that night at the carnival I followed you guys home. After that I made time every day to follow Cahira and you. I wanted to see how the family dynamic worked. That is why after years of following you I decided to ask Cahira to be the one to introduce me to the family. I knew that dad would listen more to her then you Grace. From watching you for years no one saw how special you are. I saw it however, you do not have the killer instinct like Cahira once did. But much like me it was in you, just waiting to come out. I never meant to hurt Cahira but as we know she got injured. I knew she was my only way in, so with her in a coma there was no way for me to explain myself. You were nothing like Cahira who was untrusting and suborn. You were sweet just unnoticed. Once I got to know you I realized you were innocent and my way in. You told me all of your secrets and the family secrets that you knew at the time. I got to know more about my dad in the times we spent together and more about you my little sister. I never meant for you to burn down the house. When I came to see you and I saw what you had done I ran to save my dad. I wanted to at least meet him before he was dead. See as he killed my mother and I will never get the chance to meet her thanks to him. I know more than you think. Well on to the next phase, we’ll call this the Hope phase. Go next to where I met Hope, I found her while I was watching the both of you. So where did we meet? You tell me my sisters.”


                “Where the hell are we supposed to go to now?” Grace says. “What did you say to him about our family?” I ask Grace. “Well everything a small child know. I talked about how dad was successful and how mom hated me. I talked about how Percy was the only one that could get everyone to smile. You loved me more than anyone but even you had no emotion. Still I wanted you to wake up more than anything.” I look at Grace. “I feel like that’s not all you told him.” I feel honesty is the only way. “I was a little kid! What else could I have told him!? I would love to know.”  Grace yells at me. “Who knows? But he seems to think you taught him something about us.” I yell back at Grace. “Well I didn’t and if I did, I don’t know what it was!” Grace yells some more. I just shake my head. “How did he know you were going to light the house on fire?” I ask Grace. “What do you mean? He said he was coming to see me and just happen to see the house a blaze.” Grace says. “Didn’t you light the house on fire in the middle of the night?” I am trying to understand what he learned about the family from her. “Yeah, I did so what?” I start to look at the ashes. “So did he ever come to visit you in the middle of the night before?” I am trying to understand what his train of thought was. He has been watching us for years and knows all about us. “No, he normally didn’t. Why was he on his way here?” Grace is starting to get my train of thought. “There had to of been a reason. You need to think Grace why would he come out of nowhere? Did you see him earlier that day?” I ask Grace hoping that she will remember something that will help us. “It was years ago I don’t remember if I saw him that day!” Grace yells at me. “GRACE! Come on think harder!” I yell at her. “Cahira I don’t know, and this pressure isn’t helping me!! All this is doing is making me angry. I need time to think about it!” Grace yells at me. “The school.” I say. “What does that have to do with all of this?” Grace says to my random comment. “Hope said she tracked me down once at a school. She went to make sure I was okay but that makes no sense because that was after he made a comment about me.” I say.  “She had to of checked on you before. There is no way she could have known where to find you if she hadn’t found you before. So, let’s start at our elementary school.” Grace says as she heads to the car. We may not know where we are going but at least this is a start. 

Life update: TImetopia coming soon

Good Morning Loves!

A lot has been going on in life and it has really been slowing my writing down. I am sorry for that. I haven't done a update in a long time. I hope your loving the new Wednesday series. Family Game Night is very different from Timetopia and I know some of you loyal Timetopians just want timetopia back. I got some good news on that front. I have been working really hard on turning Timetopia into a book! YAY! It is finally done being edited and just have some finishing touches left. I will be doing a poll on my Instagram and twitter so you can help me choose the cover! I am hoping to have it out by the beginning of next year! I might even do a behind the scenes of making timetopia video but ill keep you post on that. I love all of you for all your support. Thank you!

Series Wednesday: Family game night page 36

        I open the card. “Happy early birthday Cahira, but then again you were actually born months before your birthday. So I thought this was fitting. Grab Grace and the pictures sent with her gift. Go back to where it all begin. This scavenger hunt isn’t just for you. It’s also for me to. It is a chance for you to get to know my story of how I found you. Also send Chance home with no explanation. See you soon little sister.” I look at Chance “sorry I can’t tell you what this is about. All I can say is that this is for me to get Percy back.” I tell Chance and he smiles. “Okay, just be careful. Also once you get Percy back we are going to talk about what Enrique is doing in your bed. I mean I am your boyfriend.” Chance laughs. “I promise we’ll talk about it after.” I hug Chance and sent him out on his way. Now time to get dressed and get Grace out of the house. I walk back into my room to see Enrique is awake. “I need you to wake up Grace and get her to come to my room without my parents noticing.” Enrique nods yes. He gets up out of my bed. “One thing first.” I look at him and he kisses me on the check. He goes out my window. I start to get dress and think of the first box. The pictures and the box. It all began at that stupid carnival when I was a kid. Grace comes into my room. “Are you ready??” I nod yes.

                We head out of the window, Enrique agreed to keep my parent entertained until we get back. Grace points at her car. “Let’s go on my motorcycle.” I whisper. “No, it makes too much noise plus mom and dad will look for your motorcycle before they look for my car.” She makes a good point. So I follow her to the car and get in the passenger seat. I hand her the picture. “This is where we need to start. But I don’t even remember where this is.” I tell Grace. “It’s okay, I remember exactly where this is. They have this carnival every year. I have gone a few times since we were kids.” I had no idea that she has been back there since we were kids. “Well let’s go.” I tell her.  Grace starts to drive us away from home. I sit and wonder what it was about this place that our brother wants us to get to. Who even knows what this whack job is all about? We pull up to the empty field where they normally hold the carnival. We get out of the car and walk around the empty field. “What are we looking for?” Grace asks me. I shrug as we look around. I hold the picture of us up hoping it would help me. There is a tree in the background of our picture. I look around at the trees in the field. “Look!” I tell Grace as I point at the tree. “It’s an old tree” she says to me. “Yes, old enough not to change much since this picture was taken. I think this tree is where we start.” I walk over to the tree and circle around it. “Look up” Grace says. There is a balloon stuck in the tree. It is the kind of balloon you get at a carnival. I look at Grace as I put my hands out to boost her up into the tree. Grace climbs up and grabs the balloon. “Doesn’t this remind you of that one creepy clown movie?” I tell Grace as she holds the balloon. “Great that’s the thought I need in my head, a crazy clown that does weird stuff. You know now that we are talking about it I never really got that movie.” Grace says with a puzzled look on her face. “Yea you know what me either.” We both just stand there for a second. “Well at least this balloon is green.”  Grace says as she looks at the balloon. “Why would you stick a green balloon in a green tree? I mean it isn’t hard enough to see with all those leaves.” Grace looks at the balloon. “There are papers inside.” I pull my knife out of my pocket and pop the balloon. “Bye bye balloon.” Grace says as I pick up the paper off the floor. I look at Grace as I open the paper to start reading it. “Hello there my darling sisters. This journey to get Percy back alive is about so much more than just Percy. It is about me. So when you get closer to finding Percy you will learn about me. This is the place I first suspected I was adopted. This was the first place and first time I ever killed anyone. Cahira I am sure you have no memory of this, but you were there. You see I was always very smart and was always the top of my class. This made me a target for other children. As smart as I was I also had bad anxiety. It was super hard for me to function like other kids. I was teased because of my anxiety and my speech impediment that went with it. This is where I figured out my anxiety wasn’t anxiety. I was being teased this night at the carnival, that’s when Cahira walked up to me. You were the most confident child I had ever seen. You told me people can’t talk when they are dead. The way you smiled at me changed my life forever. I knew right then that somehow you were a part of me. I killed the boy teasing me that night and my anxiety went away. You caught me dragging away his lifeless body. You asked me how I did it. I told you with my shoe lace, you told me I should make it look like he hung himself. You smile and walked away. That was the day I became the person I am today. I started killing after that. So, this is where my story began. The next place you will find another piece of the story is where it all went a blaze. Happy hunting my dear sisters.” I look at Grace. “To the old house?” Grace says. “Looks like it.” I say as I head to the car.

Series Wednesday:Family Game night Page 35

 It has been a few days since my mother announced that she is going to execute our possible big brother. My parents are letting Enrique stick around. He has been sleeping in my room, not sure if they know that. We sent off the note to get Percy back and now it feels like a waiting game. I lay there in Enrique’s arms. He likes to scoop me up in the night and hold me, I know I probably shouldn’t let him, but it is nice to be held. “Are you scared?” He asks me. “Yeah, I am scared I might never get to see Percy again or Hope.” Enrique pulls me in tighter. “We will fight to find them and kill if we have to.” He kisses me on the head. I don’t think he knows that I won’t kill. I can’t kill anyone. I like to make my mother think that I would kill her if she pushed me, but I can’t. It is not in me to take someone’s life. I don’t think I could live with it. I am not sure why he is so okay with the thought of killing someone, maybe he has no idea what it will really takes. “We should get some sleep” I tell him not sure what else to say. “Okay.” He says, and he loosens his grip on me for me to have some room to sleep. There is so much going through my mind. First thing is what if we do get Percy and Hope back, what will my parents do with Enrique? Will they kill him? I know they won’t let him just walk out the house knowing their secret. Will I let them kill him is the real question I guess. That is a problem for tomorrow I suppose.
                “Cahira wake up.” Grace says. “What time is it?” I ask her. “It’s 6AM he sent something.” Grace says. I jump out of bed and look back to see Enrique is still fast asleep. I put my hands up for Grace to be quiet so we don’t wake him. We slowly head out of my room trying not to make a sound. After we get out of my door we run down the stairs. As I head down the stairs that’s when I see a giant pumpkin. “A pumpkin?”  I say very confused. “Yeah we are just as confused as you.” Grace says as we meet with our parents. I walk around the pumpkin to see that the top has been cut open. “Did a note come with it?” I ask my parents. “We think that the note might be inside.” I pull the tops off and there is a string with a note at the end. I pull the note off and open it. “Cheater cheater pumpkin eater. You were not supposed to have outside help with your secret. The fact that you let Enrique in on a family matter makes me not trust you anymore. So, to ensure this stays in the family I am going to send you on a scavenger hunt and since you excluded your parents when you got help from Enrique. I have decided to do the same. It is sibling time and if you decide not to listen, we will turn from four siblings to 3. I hope you’re ready to hunt for tomorrow the game begins. Love your big brother.”  I look at Grace. “What if this was always the plan?” Grace says. I look at her. “I don’t follow. His plan is to make us go on a scavenger hunt?” I ask her. “No, to get rid of Percy so he could be our only brother.”  I look at Grace. “We can’t think like that. He might not want to get rid of Percy he might want to be our big brother. Someone for us to all look up to. I mean look at what he has done so far all on his own, It’s a little impressive.” I don’t mean a word of it, but he can hear us and anyone who has done all of this clearly wants attention. So, let’s give it to him. Grace catches on to what I am doing. “You’re probably right. That is why I don’t want mom to kill him. We could learn a lot from him.” Grace says we look back at our parents who look completely confused. “We will play by his rules. I just want my baby boy home.” My mother says as she walks away.
                I go back up to my room to get a few more hours of sleep. Enrique is awake sitting at the edge of my bed. “So a scavenger hunt huh!” He smiles at me. “It is not nice to easy drop” I tell him as I push him to the side and crawl back into bed. He crawls up next to me and wraps his arms around me. “I’ll do anything you ask of me.” He whispers in my ears.  I can’t help but feel safe when I am with him. I just want to close my eyes for a little bit. “Cahira open your eyes.” I hear gently. I open my eyes and see Chance. “What are you doing here?” I ask him as I start to get up. “Don’t wake up Enrique.” Chance says I nod yes. I slowly get up and Chance leads me into the bathroom. “So why is Enrique even here?” He asks me. “It’s a super long story.” I peek out my bathroom door to make sure I didn’t wake up Enrique. He is still laying there asleep. “There are a lot of long stories you need to catch me up on but that’s not why I am here. I got this in the mail today for you.” It’s a birthday card. “You know it’s not my birthday” I tell chance. “It’s a gift for the scavenger hunt.” He tells me. “What?” I grab the card out of Chances hand. “He said it’s time for the game to begin. My note said he was sending someone you trusted first, it took me a minute to figure out he meant me.  Plus it said he wanted to be sure your parents weren’t prepared to follow you.” I just look at Chance. I look down at the birthday card. “Okay” I say as I begin to open it. “Cahira what the hell is going on?” He asks me. “I really can’t say if I want to get Percy back. Did you read the birthday card?” I ask him. “No my note was pretty clear I had no choice not to. There was a threat to out me in my note. So how about you read it and tell me what it says.” Chance looks at the card in my hand. “Yeah I’ll read it.” I open the card but I am 100% sure I am not ready for what’s inside.

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“Why wouldn’t he have just showed up at our front door?” My mother asks. “He was scared he thought you would kill him. He just kept asking for me to bring him to dad.” I look at my mother. “We don’t know for sure if he is who he says he is.” My mother says as she looks over at my dad. “Or who he thinks he is. He might just think he is dad’s son. He might not really be him.” Grace says. My dad cannot take his eyes off the TV which is paused on his face. “He is mine.” My dad says without a doubt. “So now that we know who he is we just have to send a note back and we get Percy right?” Grace asks. “Why would he do all this now??” I ask wonder why he waited so many years after my coma. “Do we really think he is just going to give us Percy just like that? He planned this for a long time. I think there is more to this.” Grace says. “I think that you need to figure out his name” Enrique says. We all look at him; it is like we all just forgot he was here. “Why do we let him live again???”  My mother says to my dad. “Because he got us this footage and he is the one with the idea to find out his name. Honestly why do we let you live?” I say to her as I stand in front of Enrique. My mother looks at me. “How much do you know about us?” My dad asks Enrique. “Nothing besides the kidnapping” I say. “I know everything. I have since I was a kid” Enrique says. I hit him on the shoulder. “Why haven’t you ever told anyone or turned us in?” My dad asks him. “Why would I?” Enrique askes back. “You’re not scared of what we do?” My dad asks. “No, I think it’s interesting and the fact that you do it as a family so no one feels left out.” My dad seems to be eating up what Enrique is spitting out. “You’re willing to do anything to help us find Percy????” Enrique moves me to the side and shakes my dad’s hand. “Anything.”
                My mother stands over me as I write my note to our long-lost brother. I still can’t help but wonder why now. What made him take Percy now? He knew where we were all these years why not just show up. I didn’t remember him, so he wouldn’t have had to worry about me telling about him causing my coma. Something about all of this just isn’t sitting right with me.  “I am still not convinced that he is yours.” Grace says to my dad. “She is right sweetheart the likely hood of us ending up in the same state as him let alone the same city is highly unlikely.” My mother says to my dad. “Wait what do you mean?” I ask my mother. “Well you know me and your dad are not from here. That’s why grandma has to take a plane to visit us.” My mother is so condescending. “Actually, it wouldn’t be that unlikely.” My dad says as he finally breaks eye contact with the TV. “I mean dad really the statistics.” Grace says to my dad. “I moved us here because I found out he was adopted here. But that was all I could find out since it was a closed adoption” my dad says. My mother looks like she is going to kill him. “You moved us here for him?? You never once said anything about him.”  I can tell my mother is angry. “I wasn’t sure if I would ever even find him. So, I thought it was best not to it bring up.” My dad says. “First you do this without telling me and then you send Hope away. All for what??? For your blood children! He took Percy and is holding him and Hope hostage. Since you have been making all the decision without me it’s time for me to make one. When we find him he gets executed!”  My mother is serious we can all tell. She is going to kill him weather my dad likes it or not. “He hasn’t done anything to hurt Percy and he is our older brother. I don’t think we should kill him.” Grace says. “He has done things to hurt Hope. So I am with mother on this one.” I can’t believe I am agreeing with my mother but I am. “Hope is your blood only. I don’t think it’s fair to deny all of us our right to know him.” Grace says to me. “Excuse you Hope is my mom. He is some messed up guy who thinks he is our brother, like you said he might not be. Plus he took Percy we don’t know he has done nothing to hurt him.” I say back to her. “I am just saying if he is our brother I would like a chance to get to know him.” Grace says. “I say we kill him.” I say back. “This is not up for a vote he is getting executed.” My mother says. “Your right it’s not up for a vote because no one is killing my son. If we find out he is not my son, then fair game.” My dad says to all of us. I look at my mother knowing this isn’t going to end well. My parents almost never disagree on anything. “Even if he is your son he needs to pay for what he did. So you can say whatever you like but he is going to be executed by my hand. So you need to make a choice on who is more important to you. Your whole family or a long-lost son of yours!” My mother says as she leaves the room.

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We need to get all of the boxes together. He has clearly been in our lives for a long time. We need to figure out how.” I tell my family. I push Grace away from my mother and walk her over towards the sofa. “Where is your box?” I ask her. “It’s in my room.” I look at her. “It is going to take you a while to walk up there, go get it” I tell her. I know it is mean to make her get it with her injuries. I however need some time with my parents alone. She slowly heads up the stairs. My mother and father bring their boxes into the living room. “Go easy on her. You don’t have to be so hostile with her.” I tell my mother. “If she would have done something you might still be you.” I can’t believe her. “I am me. Nothing she could have done that day would have changed anything. The moment you realize it that is the moment you will finally get to see your daughter for who she is.” My mother just looks at me. “The only way I think you can even begin to understand this is for me to put it this way. You were like a great artist who could create amazing things and he broke your hands. You can still write but never really create again.”  Of course, that is how she looks at it. Why would she ever look at it any other way?  “Your right I lost my ability to destroy lives without a second thought. I might not be what you wanted me to be but at least I have a soul.” I tell her as I walk over to look at all the stuff from the boxes.  I start to line everything up in order of which it came. Just looking at all the pictures, letters and things he has sent us in order of which it came makes no sense.

                After hours of pouring over every detail we are all exhausted. “We need sleep” my mother says as she looks over at Grace who is already asleep on the floor. “I agree” My dad says. “I could use some sleep.” I tell my parents. I shake Grace awake. “Go to your room” I tell her. She slowly gets up and we all head to our rooms. I just crash into my bed and pass out. “Cahira” I hear as I roll over. Enrique has something in his hand. “How did you get in?” I ask him. “You didn’t lock the window.” He points back at the window. “You need to wake up I got the footage. It wasn’t easy, and I broke a few laws, actually more than a few but I got it.” He sounds so excited. I start to get up. “Footage of what??” I look at Enrique. “I got his face.” I jump out of bed. “Grace’s laptop is in the living room.” I wave for him to follow me as I run out the door down the stairs to get it. I turn it on and connect it to the TV. Enrique gives me the microchip that the video is on.  I start to watch it and at first it is just me standing there when a guy approaches me. I just look at him with no emotions. He turns and looks up and I can see his face. It hits me, I remember him. I know who he is and why he took Percy.

                I wake up my parents and Grace. “What is he doing here?” my mother asks. “He got us this footage.” I tell them as I play it for them. “That’s my imaginary friend” Grace says. My mother puts her hand over her mouth. “It’s the boy with the lion.” I turn and look at my mother. “My lion?” I ask. “Yes, oh my….. he was in your room when you were in a coma. I asked him what he was doing there, and he said he heard that you got hit by a car and brought you a lion, he said he was a candy stripper and was moved by your will to survive. There was just something about him, he was so charming.” Well now I know how I got my lion. “The hospital is where I met him to” Grace says. I look at my dad. “Well have you ever met him before?” My dad just stands there looking at the TV. “No I have not but he looks so familiar.” I can tell my dad can’t put his finger on why he looks familiar. “Really dad? What about him looks familiar to you?” My dad looks back at me with a puzzled look on his face. “It’s his eyes. They look like someone I knew a long time ago.” I go and stand right next to my dad. “Whose eyes does he have?” I ask my dad. “His eyes look like my high school sweetheart. If he has her eyes that means……..Wait is he?” My dad ask me. “Yes he is. Dad you’re looking at your son.” My dad just turns and looks at me. “That is what seeing his face reminded me of. He kept saying he was my brother. He just wanted to be with his family that would understand why.  He said he couldn’t control it like we could and that he had killed a few people. He saw me at a fair and just knew I was like him. He said he followed me home. He said he just wanted to be with his family.” I look at my dad. “So this is my son.”

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night Page 32

                My mother brings me the laptop. I plug in the thumb drive and open the file on it. It is a video of Percy. “Hi Cahira, I miss you. So, he wants me to tell you that you can’t remember him but for my sake you have to. Here is a little insight to where you met.” Percy cuts off. It is playing a video of me walking down the street as a kid. A guy with a hoodie is grabbing me. He seems to be talking to me. It looks like he is trying to get a good hold on me. I seem to be laughing; I keep looking back at the street where the cars are passing by. I seem to be counting how long until the next car. The hooded man keeps trying to talk to me. He is shaking me and I seem to keep laughing at him. He is trying to lift me off the ground and I am fighting him. I look back again at the cars. I give him the middle finger and push myself back from him and get hit by a car. This must have been the accident that put me into the coma. I look back at my parents. “Did you know?” I ask them. “No we didn’t know how you got hit by the car.” My mother says as she stares at the screen. “Here is your real test.” Percy is back on the screen. “You have to remember your first conversation that you had with him and you will get me back. It is all on you Cahira. I love…” the video cuts off.  “Do you remember anything about that day?” My dad asks me. “No, I wish I did.” Grace holds my hand. I look at Grace and realize she wasn’t with me. Why was I walking by myself??? I never use to walk home alone. “Where were you at?” I ask Grace. “I was with you that day, but I walked into the store to get candy. When I saw the guy with the hoodie you gave me a hide look. The same look you gave me when mom got mad at us and was going to get us. So I hid but I could hear some of what he told you. Just a little bit nothing really.”  Grace puts her head down. “Why didn’t you ever tell us what happened?” My dad asks Grace. “I was scared, and I felt horrible. The only person I ever told was my not so imaginary friend.”

                Both of my parents are furious with Grace. I just want to know what little she heard. “Grace don’t worry about them just tell me what you heard.”  Grace looks at our parents and then looks back at me. “He just kept saying that you needed to take him home. That he needed to meet the rest of us. You laughed and said over your dead body. You just kept laughing at him. You always called him the tramp which I didn’t understand. I never saw his face I just heard his voice when he was yelling at you. I just knew that if I told mom and dad what happened they would get mad at me for not trying to protect you. For letting you jump in front of the car to protect me.” Grace won’t even look up at me. “Grace you are the most important person to me. I would have done anything to protect you.”  I can’t remember anything about that day or any days before it. This is like a puzzle I have to figure out. I look at the stairs to see Enrique sitting at the top. I am shocked that my parents haven’t seen him yet. He waves to me, for me to go up there. I nod yes so, he will go back to my room. I can’t believe he is still here. “I am going to use the bathroom real fast.” I get up off the sofa to walk up the stair. “Cahira….” My dad says as I start to walk up the stairs.  I stop to look back at him. “We will figure out who this man is and we will get revenge for what he did to you.” My dad says. I look back at him and just smile as I continue to walk up the stairs to my room. I walk into my room to see Enrique packing her back pack. “I can get you the rest of the footage.” I don’t understand. “Wait what? What footage?” I ask him. “The rest of it, that video that you’re watching is only one side. I know that road and where all the store cameras are. I can get you the rest.” I never thought about the fact that we could find a different angle. “This was years ago. How do you know the stores will still have it?” I ask him. “I don’t but I can try. I want you to get your brother back. I’ll do whatever I can to help you” Enrique says. He walks up and kisses me before heading out the window. “Thank you….” I say under my breath as he is already gone. He moves fast. I need to get back to my family.  I start to head back down the stairs and I hear my mother. “You should have told us what happened. You care so little about your sister!” Grace starts screaming at my mother. “She isn’t even your daughter I am! She jumped in front of that car to protect me! I was just a little kid I was scared but not of him of you! Of what you would do to me for not protecting her. I thought you would throw me out with the trash. You made me feel like that my whole life!” I can hear Grace’s anger. I don’t want her to piss off my mother. I start to run to Grace’s side. My mother slaps her across the face before I can get there. “You do not raise your voice to me child. You are my daughter my blood. So, I can take your life. Don’t think for a spilt second that I won’t.” I run in-between them. “Enough mother” I shot as I push Grace back. My dad rushes to my side. “Let’s not lose sight of Percy we are so close to getting him back.” My dad wraps his arms around my mother and moves her back.

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night page 31

  I run into the game room where both of my parents are. I see the girl strung up with a gag in her mouth and I stop instantly. I am not sure what to say so I stand there. It isn’t Enrique, but I can’t walk away. She is still a person even if I don’t know her. “You need to go.” My dad says as he grabs my arm. “Dad please don’t kill her she is a person.”  My dad pushes me up the stairs and out the game room door. They lock the door behind me. That poor girl will never see her family or friends again. What if this is why someone took Percy because of their urges. I walk up my stairs and go to my room. I open my door to see Enrique lying in my bed reading a book. I rush in and close the door behind me. “What are you doing here?” I ask him. “Well your parents are thinking about killing me and the best place to hide is in plain sight. So, I hid my motorcycle down the street and snuck back in.” He says with a smile on his face. “You have to get out of here. If they do find you here, they will kill you without a second thought.” Enrique shifts his head back and forth. “You know what I think the safest place to be is right here. I’m just going to stay the night and tomorrow you can throw me out to fend for myself.”  I look at Enrique. “I am really not in the mood to argue with you about this. You can stay for the night.” I push him off my bed and throw a pillow on the floor with one of my blankets. “So, I guess this means I am sleeping on the floor.” Enrique says. “Of course, it does. I know you didn’t think you were going to sleep next to me.” I say as I crawl into my bed. I lie down and wonder where my box is?? I just want to tell my secret whatever it may be. So, I can get my mom and Percy back.  
                I open my eyes and I am lying on Enrique chest. I start to pull back, how did he end up in my bed. “It’s okay Cahira I am right here.” He whispers to me as he holds me tighter. I feel slightly trapped but safe. It is still the middle of the night. I just let him hold me and I close my eyes. I have never had anyone hold me let alone a boy. I hear the door bell and jump up. “Whoooa, is everything okay?” Enrique says. “Yeah I just heard the door and how did you end up in my bed?” I ask him as I hit him. “You were crying in your sleep last night. So, I comforted you. You really didn’t seem to mind last night.” Enrique sounds almost cocky. “Get out! Go home or wherever it is you like to dwell.” I start to get out of bed. “CAHIRA GET DOWN HERE NOW!” I hear my dad yell. “You really need to go out the window okay?” I tell him as I head out of my room. I made sure to close my door behind me. I run down the stairs to see a gift. I know this is my box. I take a deep breath. My mother and Grace are both standing back. My dad is standing over the gift wrapped in what looks like car wrapping paper. I don’t understand why mine would be wrapped in car wrapping paper. I don’t have any secrets with cars. “The card is on the outside this time.” My dad says as he point at the envelope with my name on it. I open the envelope. I don’t want to read whatever this card says but I know I have to. I open the card and start to read. “Last but most defiantly not least you are where it all started so I took most care in making your gift. Your secret might not even be one you can remember. Better find a way to jog that broken memory of yours. See we have met once before. I told you and you alone exactly who I am. No pressure for you have longer than a week since so much more is at stake. Get it right the first time and you will get them both, get it wrong and you only get one. I know your family will only really want Percy back but I am sure you will fight for Hope. When you think you got it figured out just order a dozen red roses and put your guess on the card. P.O. Box is inside your gift. So, get excited on opening it. I hope to see you soon little warrior.” So, it sounds like I have met him before. I look at the gift and start to pull off the bow. I slowly unwrap it. “Cahira.” Grace says. I stop and look back at her. “Let me.” She says as she walks next to me and opens the box. I don’t even want to look in but I know I have to. There is a car and a doll in a medical gown. There is also a mini stuffed lion that looks just like mine. “Look at the bottom.” Grace says. “It’s another thumb drive.” I grab it out. “Get the lab top.” I tell Grace. “It is in my room. I’ll go get it.” Grace is still injured and moving slow. “I’ll go gets it. It will be much faster.” My mother says. “I mean it is the least you could do.” I tell her since she is the one who injured Grace. “Don’t start Cahira.” My mother says as she heads up stairs. I wish she felt even the slightest remorse for what she did to Grace.  I look back down at my hand and wonder what is on this thumb drive.

Series Wednesday: Family Game night page 30

I run behind my dad who is flying down the stairs to get to my mother and Grace. I can hear Grace screaming in pain. As I go down the stairs I see Grace strapped to the table with cuts on her stomach. “Tell your father what you told him!” My mother screams at Grace. “Rose enough!” my dad says. “Not quite yet” my mother says as she cuts into Grace some more. I push past my dad and grab a scalpel; I shove my mother against the wall. “Touch Grace again and I swear I will do twice as bad to you.” I tell her putting the scalpel to her stomach. “I dare you to Cahira!” My mother says with a laugh. So I stab her in her stomach nothing that would injure her, just a flesh wound. My mother starts laughing. “You think you are Hope’s daughter? Because all I see is me in your eyes.” My mother says as she leans into me. “If you see yourself in my eyes then you of all people should know to back off. You know what you would do if someone didn’t listen. Maybe I’ll grow up to be just like you mother!” My mother smiles. “All a parent ever wants is a child to follow in their footsteps.” I push my mother back into the wall as I step back. “No, a good parent wants their children to be better than them. They do not wish their daemons on their children.”  I can’t help but scream at her. “See you call them daemons I call them strengths.” I walk away from her to help Grace off the table. 
                “Leave her!” My mother tells me as I loosen the straps. “Rose enough, Grace is our daughter. You can’t treat her like this.” My dad says as he grabs my mother away from me. “Fine, I’ll be upstairs but I would ask her what she told the boy before you let her go so quickly.” My mother says as she heads up the stairs.  My dad turns back to me “Stop!” He tells me. “No, dad please just let me help her.” I feel tear start to form in my eyes. “Daddy I promise I will tell you everything but please don’t make me go through this.” Grace says in pain. You can just hear the pain in her voice. I look at my dad. “Fine, Cahira clean her up and take her to her room. I’ll be up in a bit.” I start to help Grace out of the game room and up the stairs. We head to the middle bathroom. I put her in the bath tub to clean her cuts. My mother really did a number on her. I hear my dad leave the house. I am not sure where he is going but he must be angry if he left. I start to clean Grace’s cuts, as I clean them I notice one of them is a lot deeper than the others and won’t stop bleeding.  “Grace this one won’t stop bleeding.” I tell her as Grace looks down. “Shit! I am going to need stiches.” Grace says as she points toward the hallway. “Why are you pointing over there?? Is there a doctor hiding in your room I don’t know about?” I ask Grace as she continues to point. “No in my room there is a fishing box. It has fishing line in it. Go get it.” I look at Grace. “When in your life have you ever gone fishing?” I can’t help but ask her. “Never, now can you please go get it.” I get up to find my mother in the hallway. She has the fishing box in her hand. “Move aside I got this.” My mother says as she pushes me aside and walks up to Grace. “Please don’t!” Grace screams. “Grace, calm down I would never hurt you in your own bathroom. I’m not a monster” she says as she starts stitching Grace’s cut closed. “You just don’t want me to get blood on the carpet” Grace says. “Well your dad and I paid a lot of money for the carpets. So yes, I wouldn’t want you to get blood on them. Grace believe it or not you are very special to me.”  My mother says as she cleans Grace’s wounds. “Cahira was always your favorite she was the daughter you wanted.” I feel awkward when Grace and my mother talk about me like I am not here. “Cahira was the daughter I always wanted before the coma, but you were always my daughter. You are special because no matter what you do you will always have my DNA coursing through your veins.”  My mother says as she gets up to leave the room. “Is that all I am something else you own?” Grace asks. “What do you want a touchy feeling mom?? Sweetie you’re in the wrong family for that. I said what I said take it or leave it.” My mother says as she walks out of the bathroom.  I hear the back door open and the game room door. I look at Grace I know what this means. My dad has lost his temper and is going to regain his cool by killing someone. I just stand there with my eyes closed. “Cahira, what if it is Enrique.” Grace says knowing the sound all too well. I didn’t even think about that. “Do you really think dad could have found Enrique that fast?” I ask Grace knowing I sent Enrique away. “Yeah I do. It’s dad he could find him that fast. Please don’t let dad hurt him.” Grace pleads. I get up to run down stairs to the game room. I am not sure how I can stop my dad but I will try.

Poem: To you my first love

Safety has always been found in your arms.

They speak of me as the heartless little girl.

Who grew in a bitter heartless woman.

This person you know nothing about.

With you I am weak,

I cry like a baby in your arms,

I tell you my fears and some how you work your charm.

The strength you give me I know you will never see.

They say no love is like your first.

I tell you all the time how blessed I am you were mine.

A man who falls but never fails me.

Through this journey we call life.

You have worn many hats in my life everything from best friend to lover and back.

Our relationship isn’t always romantic.

Its something so much deeper then that. 

I thanks god for you even when I am not in your life.

Because I know when I am ready to give up on me,

 you will always stand by my side and push me to fight.

Poem: sitting across from you

I wish they knew.

Even if they knew they wouldn't care.

It is like asking flames to care about the air.

They just ravage and destroy everything in site.

Giving a small children a chilling fright.

I was never given much a chance.

From the gate i never thought my life would last.

I could never imagine all i would make it through.

But it all comes back every time i look at you.

The fact that i have to sit across a table from the ones who tried kill my soul.

This is a strength i pray no one else will ever know.

The anxiety i get, I try an hide it away.

Is the thing that is killing me today.

Series Wednesday: Family Game night page 29

“The room is clean besides this one listening device.” Enrique says as he puts the wand down. “So someone wants to listen to me but not watch me.” I wonder why just listen. “Maybe they wanted to respect some of your privacy.”  I look at him with a side eye. “We should start looking through the rest of the house” Enrique says as he grabs my hand and pulls me out my door.  “You have the scrambler on you right?” Enrique asks me as we move down the hall.  “The black box?” I ask him as I pull it out of my pocket. “Yeah as long as we move around with that, no one will be able to see or hear us. Also, you can’t make any phone calls.” Why would I make a phone call right now? “I think we will be fine.”  He moves the wand up and down the walls down the hallways. The wand starts to go off on our family photo. “Another listening device” Enrique says as he goes to pull it off. “Don’t, leave it there we don’t want him to know we know where they are.  So let’s just mark where they are but not move them.” Enrique nods at me and start to put the picture back. I have an idea. “Stay right here okay. Don’t say a word.” I tell Enrique as I run back into my room. I go to my drawing desk and grab the round red sticker dots off the top. I run back to Enrique to put the dots above the listening device. “That’s smart, good to know you think quick on your feet.” Enrique smiles at me. I hit him in the stomach. “You need to take a breath. Let’s just keep looking and a little less of that whatever you think you’re doing.” Enrique laugh at me and starts wanding the rest of the hallway.
                We have found listening devices all throughout the house. We did find cameras only facing the doors, probably to watch us come and go. There is only one place left to check, the game room. I can’t let Enrique go down there, my parent would never let him come back up. Plus, Grace is in a cage down there and I am still not sure how I am going to explain that one. “Who is this?” My mother ask from behind us. SHIT! I’m so screwed. “Cahira answers your mom” my dad says. I don’t want to turn around. I grab Enrique’s arm and squeeze as tight as I can. “Maybe if we don’t move they won’t see us” I whisper to him. “This isn’t a movie and plus I am pretty sure they have already seen us.” Enrique whispers back. “Cahira!” My mother says in that I am going to kill you tone. I turn around. “The house is bugged mostly just listening devices I mark where they are with the red dots. A few cameras but only at all the doorways but this little black box thing stops them from working.” I pull the box out of my pocket and show them. “I saw the red dots all throughout the hallway I was wondering what was going on.” My dad says. “That explains what you’re doing but not who he is.” My mother says. “Thank you Sherlock for your great deductive skills. He is a friend of Grace’s and he actually was looking for her, when I asked him to help me with the equipment.” I try to throw my mother off mentioning Grace who is locked in a cage.  “He is the boy from the picture, the one who saw Percy get taken” my dad says. “Yeah my name is Enrique sir.” He sticks his hand out to shake my dad’s hand. My dad looks at him for a second before shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you.” My dad says. “Well if he is looking for Grace we should have him wait in the game room until she comes home” my mother says. She is going to kill him if I don’t act fast. “Enrique thanks for all your help but I just noticed the time and I know how your stepdad gets mad when you’re late.” I hope Enrique understands that I am trying to warn him. “Your right Cahira. I would hate for him to lose his head over me being late. I should get going.” He hands me the wand and walks toward the front door as quickly as he could. He walks out before my parent say one word. “How much does he know?” My dad asks me. “That someone took Percy and is now tormenting us. That is all he knows and I wasn’t even the one to tell him.  My mother stand creepily still. “I think he knows more than you’re saying Cahira.” My mother says to me. I just shrug. “If he does I know nothing about it.” My mother smiles at my statement. “But you know who would?” My mother asks me. “He would?” I am not completely sure where she is going with this. “No the person who told him, his friend.” My mother says as my dad bear hugs me. My mother start to head toward the game room. She is going after Grace. I try to get free from my dad’s grip. “Please daddy don’t let her hurt Grace!” I beg my dad. “She won’t hurt Grace as long as she didn’t tell him anything.” My dad says as he tries to calm me down. “You sent Hope my mom away to protect me but now you won’t protect Grace. Daddy please! You know mom has no control, it has been awhile since she has killed anyone and with all this stress and pressure going on right now. I don’t think she will be able to help herself.” I scream at my dad. He drops me on the floor and runs toward to game room. 

Throw back thursday: Timetopia Page 2

The Messy Mind Blog: Series Wednesday: Timetopia Page 2:      As I get my bearings I start to look around the fast moving van. I see long dark hair in the driver’s seat. I see my mom fading farther away into the distance, I have always thought of myself as unemotional but I start to cry at the thought that I won’t see her again. I look at my arm and I see a huge piece of glass sticking out and I’m still losing a lot of blood. I’m starting to not feel so great. “You hold on back there!” is the last thing I hear before I shut my eyes.       

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night Page 28

“If you won’t read it I will” my dad says. I open the letter. “Dear Cahira, I am sorry to inform you that your gift has been delayed due to some unforeseen complications. This however means your gift will be worth twice as much as the rest. Your gift is the last one. You can get both Percy and Hope back. Don’t worry Percy remains unharmed, I can’t say the same for Hope unfortunately. I promise you this, I have done nothing to her that she didn’t do to me first. Your gift will be arriving shortly. Keep an eye out for it because yours is where it all began. Love always….” He didn’t put a name, but why would he. I feel sick to my stomach. He has Hope and is torturing her. I run to the kitchen and throw up in the sink. “Cahira what happened?” My mother says. “He has HOPE!” I say to her. “What?” I point at my dad who walks up behind me with the letter and the pictures. My mother rushes over to him “let me see.” My dad hands her the letter and pictures. “Oh good we can get both of them back??” My mother says. I sit on the floor wondering how bad Hope is hurt. “Don’t worry Cahira; Hope is trained to endure torture. She can take whatever he throws at her. She will be fine. All we need is your box to come and for you to tell your secret and we get them both back.”  I look at my mother because nothing she just said made me feel any better. I wish I knew what my secret was. What if it is something that happened before my coma??? I might not even be able to remember my secret. “None of that makes me feel any better, but thanks for trying.” I tell my mom as I get up off the floor. My dad tries to hug me and I push him away. “This is all your fault. I don’t care what you guys say whoever is doing this has been doing so because of you monsters.” I shove past them and head to my room.
                I lay in my bed angry at my parents and at myself for not stopping Hope. I am not sure what I could have done. I hear my window open and I look over to see Enrique climbing through. “I can’t stop thinking about you.” Enrique says to me. I am not sure why he is talking like that. “Okay?” I sit up and just look at him, he walks over to my bed and pulls me up off it. He places his backpack on my bed and kisses me. His lips are very soft. He pulls back and looks at me, I never notice his eyes were hazel before. He puts his head on mine and whispers to me. “Just go with it.” He starts to kiss me again. I hear his backpack open. He pulls back and hands me a black metal box that has a green light on. “There now whatever camera or listening device that is in here won’t work. He was putting on a show. “Right.” I have never been kissed like that before. I honestly don’t think I have ever had a real kiss. Chance and I kiss but only because it would be weird to people if we didn’t.  Enrique reaches into his backpack and pull out a wand. “What is that?” I ask him. “It is to see where the listening devices might be or the cameras.” He starts moving the wand across my furniture. I can’t move and I am not sure why. “Are you really that freaked out that I kissed you?” Enrique asks looking at me. “What why would you say that???” I ask him. “Well your standing completely still like a statue.” I look down at myself and I haven’t moved. “Shut up! Let’s get to work.” I start to walk toward him to start using the wand. He smiles, “Right. So if I kissed you again you would?” I look him in the eyes “punch you in the face.” He laughs at me. “Sure you would but anyways there is nothing on this side.” He turns the wand back on to start looking around. I start to look around too but I am not even sure what I am looking for. I hear a beeping sound come from the wand. I turn and look at Enrique. “What does that mean?” I say to Enrique as he holds up my stuff lion. “There is something electronic in here. I am not sure what though.” He pulls out a knife to cut my lion open. I turn away I can’t stand to watch. “It’s a listening device.” Enrique say as turn around.  I walk over and pick up my poor lion and push the stuffing back into it. “Where did you get this lion?” I look down at my lion in my hands. “I don’t remember. I just remember waking up in the hospital with it.” He puts the listening device in a lead box. “This isn’t an old listening device so there is no way it has been in there since you came out of your coma. This means someone had to of gotten your lion later and put it in.” Enrique continues to wand my room. I grab a needle and thread out of my dresser to fix my lion. As I sew up my lion I try to remember who gave it to me.  I just remember opening my eyes in the hospital and having the lion in my arms.

Throwback thursday: Timetopia page 1

The Messy Mind Blog: Series Wednesday: Timetopia page 1:                  Have you ever thought you could make a real difference in that you could impact everyone you knows life in a good way? I d...

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night page 27

                 I climb back through my window and go to Grace’s room. I bust in her room to find her doing Yoga. “You do drugs?” I ask her. “A few times” she answers so quickly like it is no big deal. “Why?” I ask her. “I can’t always control my urges to kill as you know it helps when I am angry.” Grace stops doing Yoga to look at me. “Grace something isn’t right with you drugs and killing whole families. Your urges are out of control.” I don’t know how to help her and am not even sure why I am confronting her. “Who told you Enrique?” She asks me. “Yes he told me and by the way he knows everything about us. Way to keep our family secret.” Grace rolls her eyes at me. “Enrique can be trusted he isn’t going to do anything to hurt us.” I can’t believe her right now. “You’re joking right! He comes from a drug addict mom and steals to get by. He didn’t want to even tell you what he knew about Percy being taken! So whatever bond you think you have with him you don’t!”  I don’t mean to sound harsh but Grace put herself and my parents at risk telling him their secret. “You hate what we do and yet you would do anything to protect our secret. Why? It’s not like your neck would be on the line you never killed with us.”  I wish she could understand that I would never want anything to happen to her. “You are my sister how can you not get it after all of this that I would do anything to protect you! After the boxes and everything we have learned you still have no idea!?”  Grace stands up at my remark. “God you really are the perfect sister and daughter.” She says as she pushes past me.  I don’t understand her angry towards me. I follow her as she heads down stairs. “I do drugs!” She screams at my parents who are sitting in the living room reading.  “Grace is this teen rebellion?” My mother asks as she continues to read her book. “Yes mom! This is teen rebellion. I do drugs when I’m not out killing” she screams. My dad gets up and walks over to Grace who is screaming in the foyer.

                “Percy is kidnapped, Cahira has a mother who you knew nothing about and you want to scream about your drug usage and out of control behavior?” My dad says calmly. “Cahira found out I did drugs and she wants to scold me. So I thought since these boxes or gifts of honesty keep coming to our door why not just come out with it.” My dad looks Grace in the eyes and smack her across the face. My mother jumps up. “You spoiled little girl. You want some attention here it is.” My dad yells at her. My heart drops. My dad has never hit any of us it was always my mother’s doing. Even she looks shocked that my dad hit Grace. Grace holds her cheek as she stands there. “Spoiled! How can I be spoiled by serial killers who don’t know a thing about what a child needs?” Grace says to him. My dad raises his hand to hit her again so I run in between them. “Dad enough” I say. “She will not speak to me this way.” My dad says as he puts his hand down. I look at him “dad she is hurting”. You don’t think it has been hard on her as well. All of us are scared and worried about Percy! She is just acting out.” I explain to my normally rational father. “You take care of her outburst then. Hope is missing and no new box has shown up. You don’t think we have bigger problems?” I nod at my dad and start to push Grace back. “NO! I am sick of this I will not be a good little girl!” Grace says. I don’t know how to help her. “Enough of this.” My mother says calmly as she walks over to us. She grabs Grace by her hair and kicks her legs out from under her. “Stop!” I scream as my dad grabs me. “Time to go to the cage you need some time to think.” My mother drags Grace who is kicking and scream. “NOOOOO! I will not go back!” Grace screams. “STOP!” I scream as I try to get out of my dad’s arms. “Cahira enough stop fighting she is out of control and you know it. She needs this before she risks all of our lives.” I start to cry at the thought of Grace in the cage. My mother drags Grace all the way to the basement. “You are making her into a monster.” I tell my dad. “According to you we are a family of monsters. Soulless monsters right?” MY dad still has a tight grip on me. The doorbell rings and my dad let me go. We both rush over to the door. There is a man standing there. “Cahira?” He says. “That’s me” I say. “Sign here.” He hands me an iPad. I sign and he hands me an envelope. “Have a nice day.” The man leaves. “Open it” my dad says as he closes the door. I rip the envelope open and pictures fall out. I pick them up off the floor and it is Hope. She is chained up to some kind of bar system. I am not sure what she is chained to but she is standing. I hand the pictures to my dad. “He has Hope” I tell him. There is also a letter with the pictures. I don’t even want to know what it say.

Series Wednesday: Family Game night Page 26

I sit here just listening and trying to remember anything from that day. Enrique knew I’m a killer all these years. I can’t believe I would do that. I was a completely different person before the coma. “Why didn’t you ever say anything until now?” I ask him. “Grace said you had no memory of that day or most days from back then. She cornered me when I started freshmen year and told me to never bring up that day. So I didn’t, I owned you my life.” I stand up and now wonder what he knows about Grace. “You said you help Grace stalk the families. Why?” Enrique sits on my window seal. “Well she pays me for one and also I think she knows she can trust me not to tell that she has been killing whole families. I am not sure why and it’s not really my business.” He knows Grace is killing these people. He knows too much. Why would Grace put herself in this position? “Grace wouldn’t hurt a fly.” I tell him trying to throw him off. “Yeah like your parent right?” I stand back. “Grace told me about family game night.” I stop breathing. He knows everything. My parents are going to kill her and him. “Don’t worry I would never do anything to hurt you guys.” Enrique tries to reassure me. “Family Game night?? I am sorry I am not sure what Grace told you. But I am sure she was just messing with you.” Enrique looks at me. “Maybe she was but she was on one when she told me. People tend to tell the truth when they are high.” Do I know anything about Grace?? Enrique seems to know way more about her then I ever could. “I am sorry Cahira I think we are getting off on the wrong foot. I came here to see if I could help you. Not to freak you out in any kind of way with what I know or don’t know.” I wonder if Grace trusts him because they are some kind of thing. “Are you like Grace’s boyfriend?” I ask him. He laughs at my question. “Definitely not! I only have eyes for one girl.” Enrique starts to look at me funny.
                Enrique says he is here to help. I wonder if he could. “How did you get here?” I ask him. “I used my motorcycle. Why?” I know if I am going to use his help I can’t talk about it in the house. “I have been cooped up in here for days. I really need to get some air. Know of any good places to just get away?” Enrique smiles. “I could think of a few places.” He opens my window and shows me how he climbed up so I can climb down. I hop on the back of his bike. “Make sure to hold on tight I wouldn’t want you to fall off.” He says to me. “Yeah I am sure that’s why you want me to hold on tight.” I respond. He starts the bike and we take off. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going so if the kidnapper is listening not even he will know.  I hold on to Enrique the typical bad boy. It’s strange the little boy I remember in the front yard bleeding wasn’t much of a bad boy. I remember he was sweet to me. Maybe that’s why I helped him. Who knows at this point? Enrique stops at the lake. It’s actually really pretty here. “How is this for fresh air?” He says to me as I look around. “I couldn’t talk in the house it is bugged by whoever took Percy.” I tell him. Enrique looks at the lake. “How can I help?” He says as he looks at me. “I need something that can jam the signal of the bug. So I can figure out if they are just listening to us or can see us as well.” I hope that he can help me with this so I have a better idea of things. “You need a jammer. That’s not easy to come by but I know a guy I could possible steal one from.” He says as he pulls out his phone. “I also need a bug detector to see where the bugs are in our house. So I know where we can talk freely.” I know I am asking him for a lot but for some reason I have a feeling like he will come through for me. “Yeah I can get one of those to, anything else you might need?” I am not sure what else I would need besides that. “I don’t think so but if you can think of anything else that I might need.”  Enrique smiles, “Maybe a break from all this?” He suggested. “I need to figure out who has Percy and I need to get back to the house.” Enrique looks slightly disappointed. “Okay, I’ll drop you off back at home and I’ll go get the stuff. It will take me a few hours.” I nod. “So just leave your window open and once I get the stuff I’ll just let myself in.”  I look Enrique up and down. “Okay I’ll leave my window open.” I tell him as I get on the back of the bike. He smiles as he gets on in front of me. We start the ride back to my house. All I can think about is Hope. I wonder if she is somehow helping get Percy. Maybe she already has Percy, which could be why a new box hasn’t appeared yet. I wish I had answers and not just questions.

Poem: Can't delete

I cannot delete this part of my self.

   No photo could capture it.

      No eye could see.

         It is the part I tuck deep.

           Not in fear that it hides.

              Just trained to be that way.

                Heartless they call me and heartless I’ll stay.

                   They cannot see my tear stained cheek.

Poems: A May not to long ago

Soulmates, I laughed at this meaningless word all my life.

Then I fell in to the deep dark fantasy that this might be real.

That was the day I kissed you.

Stopping me in my party tracks.

On that warm spring night, you changed my life.

For a time you became my hope in something more.

In the life of a girl who knows nothing last.

Our time of youthful adventures stays with me still

and i see it stay with you to.

I know you’re out there checking on me.

Well here I am as healthy as a drunk can be.

So don't worry you killed that doe eyed princess in me.

What you left is a business savvy day dreamer with a lust for more.

Hope your happy where ever you are. 

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night Page 25

                It has been 4 days since Hope left. We haven’t heard anything from her or the kidnapper. It’s like they both just disappeared. My dad has been talking to the cops and they have no leads no one has any leads. I haven’t been attending school since they took Percy. It is like our lives are all on hold until we get him back. We keep trying to piece together everything we know and yet keep falling short. I wish I would have asked Hope where she was going before she left. I am scared I will never see her again. The worst part about all of this is my mother. She is acting like a heart broken puppy. She and my dad are not in the best place right now. If it wasn’t for Grace I don’t know what I would do but Grace is getting the urge again I can tell. Grace has her ticks that give her away but with so much police attention on us right now my dad has put a band on killing. I don’t know how long before Grace cracks and just starts killing on her own. Today is like most days I just lay in my bed and wonder if Percy is okay. I hear a tap at my window. I open it and its Enrique. “What are you doing here?” I ask him. “Well I just got out last night and I wanted to see how you were doing?” This is strange considering the fact that I have never really spoken to him. “Why do you care?” I ask him. I don’t mean to sound rude but I can even hear how it sounds. “Your little brother was taken and I know how cold your sister can be so I thought a lot about you when I was in there. I worried about you.” I look at him confused at how my life became his business. “You don’t even know me!” I point at the window for him to leave. “You really don’t remember anything before your coma do you?” I look at Enrique. “How did you know about my coma??? I didn’t meet you until high school.” Enrique closes my window.  “That’s not true. I was just put into a different foster home that moved me out of the district, when I was in high school the foster home I got into put me right back in your district. I use to go to school with you in second grade. You saved my life. You really don’t remember do you?” I shake my head at Enrique. “Is that how you met Grace?” I ask him. “Yes it is. It’s also why I started helping her stalk those families” he says. “Why don’t you jog my memory?” I tell him. He points for me to sit down on my bed like this is his room. This should be interesting.

                “Do you remember your walk home as a kid?” He asks me. “No I am sorry I don’t”, I tell him. “Well I was on your walk home I always use to walk in front of you and Grace because I had to be home right after school or my mom’s loser druggie boyfriend would beat the crap out of me.” He pause and takes a breath, this is clearly not a good memory for him. “I am so sorry that was your life.” I tell him. “Now back to the story. So one day I was late getting home because I got caught stealing someone’s lunch so the teacher made me stay after class for about 30 minutes. I ran home as fast as I could but it was too late. He was beating me so bad I thought I was going to die. So I ran out into the front yard. You were just standing there. You saw the blood coming out of me everywhere. You asked me if I was okay. He started to come out into the front yard when I pulled you into the bushes. I had seen how he was with his own daughter I didn’t want anything to happen to my first crush. You looked at me and said something I will never forget, would your life be better if he was dead? I looked right at you and said yes. You got up and walked into the front yard. You told him you were lost and needed to use the phone to call you parents. He let you into the house. I had never heard a man scream like that. I still have nightmares. I ran inside to see if you were okay. You had ripped his eyes out with a pencil. I grab you and you told me not to worry as you dragged this full grown man to the bathroom and you drowned him, I am not sure how you over powered him but it was like he never stood a chance.” I can’t believe what I am hearing. I killed his mother boyfriend. It sound like on a whim but who knows what I was thinking. “It was when you pulled him back from the toilet that you just drowned him in that I realized his guts were hanging out. You reached into his chest and pulled his heart out. You had some kind of pocket knife and sliced it out. You told me he had no heart so now he has no heart. You laughed at that before handing me the heart and calling home. Grace showed up which felt like minutes later with a change of clothes because yours were bloody. I swore I would never tell anyone what you did that day. You kissed me which by the way was my first kiss. You cleaned up everything you touched with some kind of kitchen cleaner mix you made. You told me to run back to school and make sure the cameras see me there. So when the body is found they won’t think it was me. They will think he beat me and I ran. You also took all of his money to make it look like a drug deal gone bad. You were scary but smart. You knew exactly how to handle it.” I couldn’t take my eyes off Enrique because I don’t remember any of this. I do remember him bleeding in the front yard a little bit. How many people did I really kill before the coma?

Series Wednesday: Family Game Night page 24

                “I would like all of you to sit down for this.” My dad says as he leads us all to the living room. “Maybe if I tell my secret faster Percy will come home sooner” my dad says. “What is your secret? Because I am looking at these objects and I am not sure what it could be.” My mother says as she looks at the plane and bassinet. “Rose, I love you more than I have ever loved anyone or thing in this world. I felt completely alone before I met you. I want you to know that.” My dad sounds panicked. Hope holds my hand tightly. “What did you do?” My mother says to my dad. “I sent Hope away all those years ago.” My dad says. This is why she left, my dad made her. “WHY?” I ask. “Yes, why would you do that?” My mother says after me. “I did it for us and the kids.” My dad explains. Hope’s grip on my hand still remains tight. “The kids were fine with all of us so why did you send her away from us? Why would you break up our family?” My mother’s eyes fill with tears. “I was afraid if I didn’t you were going to kill Cahira.” My dad says and then looks back at me. Did he just say he was afraid my mother was going to kill me? No wonder I always wanted to kill her as a child. “Hope changed after having Cahira, all her attention went to her and I saw your jealously. I saw the way you looked at Cahira and treated her. I didn’t want our girls to grow up divided.”  I now get why Hope has been so protective over me from the second she walked in here. I look at Hope. “You left me with her knowing she wanted to hurt me?” I pull away from Hope. “She wouldn’t hurt you if I left. She would cherish you because you were the only part of me she had.” Hope says as she reaches out for my hand. “You sent her away for her!” My mother says as if I am a monster.

                My mother has been screaming at my dad for what feels like forever now. “This was not your choice to make!” She says. “I was just doing what I thought was best.” My dad says. Hope sits as close as she can to me. “You were not thinking of me at all just your precious daughter!” My mother says like I am not sitting right here. “You know what you don’t have to worry I am not your daughter!” I stand up and yell at Rose. “No you’re not and he is right I thought of killing you all the time!” She screams at me. “Good I use to dream of killing you to!” I scream back. “Enough!” Hope says as she pulls me behind her. “This is my daughter you are speaking to. I cannot believe that I left her here with you. I love you Rose but this is not okay. Little warrior go get your stuff we are leaving.” Hope says to me. I stop in my tracks and so does my mother Rose. “What did you just say?” Rose asks. “I am taking my little warrior. I thought it was best for her to be here but now I see it was not. How could you want to kill her when she resembles me so much?” Hope start to sound angry. “I never hurt her. I did cherish her. She was perfect Hope, you have no idea. Before the coma she was the daughter I always dreamed of but no matter how much I loved her she always despised me. Even more so after the coma.” I hate to say it but Rose isn’t lying I have always despised her. “Your thoughts of killing her for even a second that is where you lost me Rose.” Hope tells her. “You can’t take her she is still my daughter I was just mad but someone has already taken my baby boy. I can’t lose Cahira to. This is her home and what kind of life would she have with you Hope?” Hope listens to her and just stands there. I can tell Hope didn’t think this threw. She just wants to protect me. “You can’t take my sister!” Grace says. “We all need to calm down. A lot has been said here today. We are losing focus of what is important. Getting Percy back needs to be our goal."  I always knew my dad loved me but in this moment,  I am realizing how much. He sent Hope away to protect me. I don’t know what to think about anyone in this room right now. I look at Grace who has fear written all over her face. I know she thinks I would leave with Hope and never look back, but I don’t know what I would do. I know before I can make any choices I need Percy back. “Dad is right all of this is what he wants. For us to fight and turn on each other and forget he has Percy.” I say. “Cahira I am….” My mother or Rose still debating what to call her tries to say. I think she is trying to say sorry, but the words are just not coming out. “No, you’re not. You would have killed me to keep Hope to yourself. But I don’t how mad I am because I think I would of killed you to for the same reasons.” I smile at her. “It’s been a long day let’s all get some rest.” My dad says. We all head up to our room. I lie down and instantly fall asleep. “Cahira I need you to listen to me.” Hope says. I open my eyes and it is the middle of the night. “This locket is mine and I left it at one of my many apartments. I think I know how to find Percy but I have to go alone. Maybe if I bring back Percy you will want to come with me.” Hope whispers in my ear. She kisses my forehead and takes off with her bags in hand.    

Series Wednesday: Family game night Page 23

“A hope chest?” Grace says. “It’s a style of wooden chest.” My dad says. “So is it for Hope?” Grace asks. “No I think this one is for me.” My dad says as he starts to open it. My dad pulls out a model airplane and a basinet. He reaches into the bottom and pulls out a locket and a note. “What does all this mean?” Grace asks as she looks over the toy plane. Hope’s eyes enlarge as soon as she sees the locket.  I don’t think anyone else notices Hope’s eyes but me. “What does the note say?” My mother asks. “It’s your turn dear old dad. Why don’t you look your family in the face and tell them the choices you made. Who was more important to you? Tell them your truth. It should be easier now that Hope is here. Good to see your home Hope. I hope you enjoy my gifts as well. Until we met again in the next life or is this your next life? So hard to tell with you. So dad the family matriarch will you be as honest as their mother was? Or are you going to run from your truth until the last second like Grace? Can’t wait to find out.”  My dad finishes reading the note. He looks up at my mother and then at Hope.  “He has to be watching the house right now for him to know that Hope is here.” My dad says. “Can I have the locket?” Hope says as she reaches her hand out. My dad hands it to her and she just looks at it. Grace pulls out a zip drive out of the basinet. “Look what was tucked into the side.” Grace says as she runs to the living room. “Where are you going?” I ask her. “My laptop is in the living room.” She plugs in the zip drive to her computer and there is a video on it. “Play it” I tell her. It is Percy sitting on a bed eating. “Hi guys I just want you to know I am safe because mom was so forth coming, he gave me a room. I also have my own bathroom and he has been feeding me. I LOVE YOU GUYS. He says he will give me back if you guys all tell the truth. Cahira I miss you most. I wish we were out by the oak tree just listening to the whims of men. I love you guys!” The video cuts out.

                My family just stands there looking at me. “I always knew Percy loved you most.” Grace says but that’s not what Percy is saying. It’s a message I know what it means. I look around at my family and have to act fast before who ever took Percy realizes what was just said. I start to fake cry. “PERCY! I just want to go out to the oak tree to be where we were happiest.” I say crying as I squeeze Hope’s hand. For some reason I think she will be the only one to understand me. “We should all go with you to be where Percy was happiest. Maybe it will help us all open up” Hope says. My dad nods his head. “Where is this oak tree at?”  He asks. “Just follow me. Ill drive my motor cycle.” I say as I head out side. Hope hops on the back of my motor cycle. I start to drive toward the hills to the oak tree where there is no service. We ride for 30 minutes to get there. We pull up to the top of the hill. Grace is the first one out of the car. “No service that’s why we are out here.” Grace says as she looks at her phone. “I thought mother bugged my phone for a bit so when Percy and I wanted to have conversations that we didn’t want mother to hear we came here. Percy was letting me know the house was bugged. He knows for sure that he is listening to us but not sure on if he is watching us. This means he must have heard us somehow.” My mother just looks at me for second before responding to my statement. “Why would you think I bugged your phone?” She asks me. “Because of that party that I went to in the desert and you showed up and dragged me home. How else would you have known” I explain to her. “Grace told me where you were.” That for some reason never crossed my mind.  “Oh well that makes a lot of sense. Oh and screw you Grace!” I say in response to my mother, I feel a little embarrassed at this point. “So this explains how he knows if we are telling the truth.” My dad says. “How long do you think we have until he figures out that we know about the bugs?” Grace asks. “We need the bugs to stay where they are. If we try to tamper with them then he might hurt Percy. If we need to talk about something that can’t be said in front of the bugs we can just come out here. I have to say Cahira good thinking on your feet and fake crying.” My mother says. “We should get back to the house and keep playing along.” My dad says. “Dad can I have a second with you” I ask. He smiles at me and everyone else walks back to the car. “What’s going on?” My dad asks me. “Does your secret have to do with me too?” I ask. “Why would you say that?” He asks. “I recognize the basinet from my baby pictures. That is my basinet.” I tell him. “It does kind of have to do with you but more to do with Hope and your mother.” I look at him in fear of what the secret might be. “I don’t want Hope to leave again.” I tell him. “Cahira she might have to.” My dad says as he starts to head back to the car.