Series Wednesday: Family Game night Page 19

                I feel myself moving back and forth. I start to open my eyes and see my dad shaking me and Grace. “The doorbell didn’t wake you?” I sit up. “Doorbell?” Grace asks. “The next box is here.” My dad says as he heads out the room. Grace and I run after him. I run down the stairs to see another box wrapped as a gift. “You don’t think pieces of Percy are in there right?” Grace asks. “Let’s hope not” My mother response. This box is a lot larger than the last box and this wrapping paper has babies all over it. My mother opens the box and instantly looks at my dad. Grace and I peak in the box and there is a car seat inside.  “It’s a car seat.” Grace says. My mother steps back as my dad pulls it out of the box. There is porcelain dolls strapped in the car seat. I see the doll and it has all my tattoos on it. I look at my dad who notices the tattoos right away too.  I start to unstrap the baby doll out of the car seat. There is a string in the back of the baby doll. My mother snatches the doll right out of my hands. “I should take a closer look at this.” She says. “I think the baby is supposed to be Cahira.” Grace says. I reach over and pull the string on the dolls back with it still in my mother’s arms. That way if it is a bomb it will kill her. “Who is my mommy?” The doll says. My dad grabs my mother and both rush out of the room with the doll.

                “Are they coming back?” Grace asks me. “How should I know? All of you seem to run when a box comes. Can you check if there is a note in the box?” I look at Grace who is inspecting the box. “There sure is.” She says as she pulls it out of the bottom of the box. I smile at her. “Want to see them run back?” I whisper to Grace. She just shakes her head and hands me the note. “There is a note at the bottom of the box! I wonder what it says.” I yell so my parents can hear me.  Both of my parents come running back into the room. “Cahira give me that!” My mother says as she tries to snatch the note out of my hand. I pull the note away from her and hand it to my dad. “Read it out loud please.” I ask him. My dad looks at me as he opens the note. “I am one of the few in this room that keeps my word. Percy is not hurt nor will I hurt him as long as you play along. I would say good job Grace on telling the truth but I honestly didn’t think she would make it through. Well now dear mother of the pack it is your turn but don’t worry you won’t be the last we still have dear old dad and little sister to get through. So I send you a reminder from the past, to help you tell your secret. You have a week to tell the truth or I will send you a piece of your baby boy.” My mother still holding the doll in her hand just looks at me.  “So I am guessing your secret has to do with me.” I say to my mother. “We need to figure out who this guy is and how he knows so much about us.” My mother says to my dad ignoring me completely. “It has to be her. Who else would know this? She must be back.” My dad says to my mother. “She wouldn’t do this to us. She wouldn’t take Percy.” My mother sounds so certain. “Who else knows this then? She is the only person who knows. She also has the money to pull all of this off. It has to be her. The only real question is why now?” My dad says. “Who are you guys talking about?” Grace asks before I get a chance.  My parents instantly stop talking and it is like they forgot we were here for a moment. My dad takes a deep breath. “It is time,” he tells my mother. “NO, I am not ready.” My mother has tears in her eyes. Now I am afraid, my mother is as heartless as they come so for her to have genuine tears is terrifying. “Mom are you okay?” Grace asks. I look at Grace who looks just as freaked out as me to see my mother reaction. My mother turns away from both of us. “Rose it is time. Go get the book out of the safe.” My dad demands.  My mother starts to walk up the stairs to her room. I didn’t even know my parents had a safe in the house. “You guys are really scaring me.” I tell my dad. My dad turns and looks at me. “Let’s all go sit down in the living room while your mom gets the book.” My dad starts to walk to the living room. Grace and I follow my dad but I don’t want to sit down. I can’t help but pace back and forth waiting for my mother to return with a book. What kind of secret could they have in a book? I have so many questions right now. “Is she cracking the safe?” I ask my dad. I feel like my mother is taking forever. “I’ll go get her; she is probably having a hard time coming back down.” My dad starts to head toward the stairs. “What do you think this is all about?” Grace asks me. “I have no idea. I rarely know what’s going on in this family.” I really wish my parents would just spit it out already.