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                I slept in Grace’s bed to keep her safe. "Cahira?" I hear Grace I start to open my eyes. "Yeah?" I roll over to look at Grace. "Why are you in here?" She asks me. "Well after you left me in the tree house I had a talk with dad and well it made me worry about you." Grace starts to sit up. "What talk did you have with dad?" I sit up to look at her. "You had an imaginary friend while I was in the coma?" Grace’s face changes. "What about it?" Grace says a little defensively. "Where did your imaginary friend come from?" Grace just looks at me for a bit. "I met him at the hospital when they told us you might never wake up." I can understand why everyone thought that Grace had an imaginary friend. That must have been a hard time for her. "Grace he wasn't imaginary, he saved dad that night." Grace looks up at me and jumps out of her bed and runs down stairs. Her and this damn running. I follow her down stair to the box. "I don't know why it didn't click before." I look at her as my dad and mother come running down stairs. I think they heard us running. "I didn't bury this box the last time I gave it to my imaginary friend. He said he would protect my secret with his life. How could I forget that?" My dad just looks at Grace. "Cahira told you about your imaginary friend not being so imaginary I see. So is he using your secrets against you now??"  My dad asks Grace. "No it means that whoever took Percy has been around for a lot long than a few months." I explain looking at the picture of me and Grace as kids at the carnival. My parents look at each other. I think the realization that whoever has Percy has to do with them and not us just sunk in.

                "So what is your secret?" My dad asks Grace.  Grace looks my dad in the eyes. "To be honest I am not sure any more. I knew what I thought it was but now... Does he mean my childhood secrets?" My dad holds up the picture of Enrique. "I think it is safe to say whoever this is wants a more recent secret." Grace won't even look at the picture of Enrique. She just walks away. "GRACE ANNE! You better come back here right now?" My mother yells at Grace but she just keeps walking. "We only have 5 more days and it doesn't seem like Grace is in a mood to spill." I tell my dad. My dad nod and starts to walk after Grace. "This person is going to hurt Percy do you not understand that or are you that selfish that you don't care about your own blood! You would rather keep some secret with a boy." Grace instantly stops walking and turns around to face my dad. "You really think this is about a boy?" She asks my dad. "I am not sure Grace you haven't said what this is about. You just keep running away from us like you don’t care about what happens to Percy." My dad says. "I would do anything for Percy! I will tell you guys my secret just give me time!"  Grace screams at my dad. "You don't have time Grace!" Grace is in tears. "Maybe I am just not ready for things to change between us."  Grace is still screaming at my dad. "Grace nothing will ever change the way we feel about you." My mother says. "Oh that is crap and you know it. Before Cahira’s coma you didn't give a rat’s ass about me or Percy. Cahira was the end all be all. But once she woke up different you were so quick to turn on her. That is just how it is with you mom, if we do something you don't agree with you would turn on any of us. So don't try to feed me that nonsense. I will tell you everything but just not yet." The doorbell rings and we all seem to just stop. "Are you expecting anyone?" My dad asks me. "Why are you asking me?? I have like one friend and Chance would call first." My dad starts to walk towards the door. "Do you think it could be the cops with more information?" My mother asks. "Yeah let’s hope so." Grace says. My dad opens the door to find a present. All of us just look at each other. "What could it be this time?" I ask. "It shouldn't be Percy's arm we had a week." My mother says. "Yes because kidnappers who pretend to be your young girl's imaginary friend are known for keeping to their word." I say to my mother. She gives me a dirty look. "Grace I think time might be up." Grace just puts her hand over her mouth and starts sobbing. "Please don't say that. I didn't mean for anything to happen to Percy."  Grace says through her tears. My dad just looks down at the box for a bit. It is wrapped in my little pony wrapping paper. "Grace what was our 8 birthday party theme?" I ask her. "You guys had a My Little Pony party. You hated it but Grace loved it, so you agreed to have the party she wanted." My mother says. "The wrapping paper" I point. "Every detail matters. Maybe there is more to these boxes then meets the eye." I explain to my family. "I will be careful taking the wrapping paper off just in case." My dad says as he starts to unwrap the gift.

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                "Grace I don't know what to say and frankly you have me very confused." Grace looks at our old home. "It has everything to do with it. Once mom and dad started loving me more because you woke up different I swore that I would be more like you were. I would learn to control my emotions and never be anything less than perfect for them." I look at Grace and hug her. "I don't remember having emotions before waking up that day in the hospital. So you controlling the real emotions you have, is just you pretending not to have them and that can't be easy Grace." Grace starts to tear up again. I wonder if that is the big secret that Grace has emotions. I am not sure why that would be such a big secret. Well from my parents I could see why Grace would want to keep it to herself. "So what did they say after you tried to burn down the house?" I can't help but ask. "Nothing dad just woke up and went to try to save me and Percy and figured out we weren't there. He ran outside and found us in the tree house. He just asked if I had saved Percy, I said yes. They just assumed mom left a candle lit in the bathroom and that's what started the fire." I can't help but laugh. Only my family would ignore the fact that one of us tried to kill our parents. Grace and I lay back down and start to relax. We do not talk about anything and soon we both fall fast asleep. I am not sure how long we are out for but when I woke up Grace is gone. I start to climb out of the tree house to see someone standing in front of my old house. It is a man's figure, I slowly climb out of the tree house trying not to make noise. The man turns around and it is my dad. I take a breath of relief.

                "She is at home in her bed." My dad says as I walk up to him. "Did she tell you what her big secret was?" I ask my dad. "No she just came home and went to sleep." I start to wonder if the secret was that she tried to burn down the house but if that was the case what would that have to do with Enrique. "I can't believe you didn't rebuild and just bought us a new house." I tell my dad as he looks at the burnt down house. "This was Grace's big stand." I look at my dad in shock. "You know she tried to kill you." My dad laughs. "Yes of course I do. Your mom and I couldn't have been more proud of her."   Of course they would be. Why am I surprised? "I have no words for you just a sound ugggh." My dad laughs. "That was not the most concerning thing about that night." I look at my dad.  "Well I would love to know what was the most concerning part about that night." My dad starts to walk along the house to where Grace's and mine old room had been. "Do you remember Grace's imaginary friend?" I stop to think. I don't remember anything about an imaginary friend. "No I can’t say I do but there are a lot of things I don't remember."  My dad nods his head in agreement with that statement. "I think you might not remember because it might have started when you were in your coma." I look at my dad. "Okay? Are you getting to a point dad or just walking me down memory lane?" I am getting a little annoyed with everyone not just saying things straight out and talking in circles. "Watch your attitude Cahira." My dad says. I put my head down in a sign of respect. "The imaginary friend saved my life that night." I stand there with my mouth open. "How?" Is all I can ask. "He wasn't imaginary. Someone was talking to Grace for months without us seeing them. When he figured out Grace was trying to kill us he threw water on me when I was sleeping, that's what woke me up. As soon as I woke up he ran. He just disappeared. It was a part of the reason we decide to get a new house." A lot seems to have happened when I was asleep for those few months. "So some guy was talking to Grace and no one suspected anything?" I ask just to be clear. "We just thought she was lonely and sad because you were gone. We never saw anyone around Grace. He was like a ghost there was no trace of anyone being around the house. We even hired a private detective. Grace still has no clue her imaginary friend was a real person. After the fire she said he never came back. Plus soon after you woke up from the coma, so it all kind of got forgotten a bit." Something isn't sitting well with me. "Did he ever hurt Grace? Did you guys ever ask???" I can't help but be afraid of what Grace might have went through. "Yes of course we asked after we figured it out. She said he would tell her stories of faraway lands and would just listen to her talk." I still have a feeling of panic come over me. "Do you think someone was grooming her and she just happen to ruin their plan by lighting the house on fire?" My dad shrugs. "We might never know what this person wanted." I stand there wondering if this has anything to do with Percy or is this just something I never knew about the past. What else don't I know? Oh yeah Grace's secret that someone is willing to hurt Percy over.

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"So we know the story behind these three pictures but what about this one?" I hand the picture of Enrique to my parents. "I have never seen this boy before yesterday." My mother says, then she looks at my dad. "I've seen him around. I just thought he was Grace’s secret boyfriend or something. I figured if it got serious she would tell us."  My dad puts the picture down. "We can't answer this without talking to him since she won't talk to us."  I go to grab my jacket and helmet, time to go find Enrique. "Do you know where this boy lives?" My dad asks me. "No but I am sure I can find someone who does."  I walk out my front door to my motorcycle and start to drive to Chance house.

                Chance must have heard the sound of my bike because he is coming out of the house. I pull up and get off my motorcycle. "Hey beautiful." Chance says as he hugs me. "I need to find Enrique." Chance stares at me for a second. "What do you mean you need to find him?" I don't understand Chance questions. "I need to find where he lives or where he is staying at I need to talk to him." I explain to Chance. "Cahira he robbed that store. He is still in police custody." I can’t believe I have been so absent minded. "How could I forget that?" I tell Chance and he shrugs. "I have to go." Chance hugs me tight. "If you need anything I am here." I smile at him and hop back on my motorcycle. I start toward the police station.   As I am riding pass my old house I can’t help but think about our old tree house. I turn down the street to go to the house. I just need to sit in the tree house and think. I walk in my old yard and go through the side gate to the back yard and climb up the ladder. As I open the door I am not surprised to find Grace laying in the tree house. “How did you know?” She asks me. “I didn’t know you were here I was just coming to think.” I look at Grace and she moves over to make room for me to lay next to her. I lay down next to her. “So you ran and left me with our parents. I should be very mad at you. I had to have a whole conversation with them. You have no idea what that is like.” I say jokingly to her. “I had to get out of there. Percy could get hurt because of me.” She sounds so afraid. “Well you can just tell us your secret.” Grace takes a deep breath. “It’s not that I can just open up to you about things and what I have been doing will change the relationship I have with mom and dad.”  I can’t imagine what she could be doing that would ever change her relationship with them. My parents adore Grace. “That couldn’t happen trust me. You’re our parents dream kid.” I look at Grace so she knows I am telling her the truth.  Grace laughs. “Look outside the tree house.” Grace says. I look at our childhood home and it is still in ashes. A fire happened that burnt this house down. For some reason my parents didn’t fix the house just bought us a bigger newer one. When I woke from my coma everything changed not just me but where we lived. “I burnt it down,” Graces says to me. I never asked what happened to the house.  I guess I was just so preoccupied with the fact that I completely changed. “What? Why?” Grace sits up to look at the house with me. “It was when you were in the coma. I never felt so alone in my life. Mom and dad talked about how if you died there dreams would die with you.  You were their perfect daughter. They were completely devastated at the thought of just having me and Percy. So I burnt the house down with them inside of it, I hid Percy in the tree house.” I look at Grace. “Our parents especially our mother can barely stand me.” I explain to Grace.  “Yeah ever since you woke up a different person. Before that day in the hospital I had to fight just to get mom or dad to even look at me but at least I had Percy.” Grace says as she starts to sobs. I don’t remember it like that. I honestly don’t remember Percy much before the day I woke up in the hospital. “Do you remember trying to kill Percy?” Grace asks me out of nowhere. I don’t remember that at all. “No I don’t.” I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to hurt Percy he is the only one in this family that I feel is on my side. “It was when Percy was just a baby he would cry for days on end. None of us knew why. You were tired of not getting sleep and you took a pillow into him room to smother him.  I saw you and stopped you. You screamed at me to make him stop crying or you would kill the competition. That was when I climbed into Percy crib and held him. He instantly stopped crying, he would always stop crying for me.” I can hear the love in Grace’s voice not something I hear too often from her. I feel very confused, what if everything I have thought about Grace has been wrong this whole time?? What does any of this have to do with the box and the secret??

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“Well what does it say?” I ask hoping that it is something to get Percy back. Grace clutches on to the note. My dad seeing the panicked look on her face grabs the note out of her hand.  "To the beloved older sister, I will start with you. Do not worry you won't be the last just the first step in getting your pervious baby brother back. All you have to do is tell your secret. You know the one. Follow the pictures if you need a little motivation. Remember what you have to lose. But don't worry if you're not strong enough to tell your secret and what Enrique does for you. I won't kill Percy just cut his arm off. You have one week. After that it will be your beautiful mothers turn."  My dad looks at Grace. "Well what's your secret?" My dad says.  Grace looks at my dad and then my mother and just turns and starting running out of the house. "Go get her!" My dad yells at me. I start to run after her. I probably shouldn't even try as Grace is a cross country runner and number one in the state.  Grace is so far ahead of me there is no way of me catching up. I finally stop trying and she is still going. I should work out more I can barely breathe. I start to walk back to the house.  Both of my parents are standing there at the front door waiting for me. I walk past them down the hall to the kitchen to get a glass of water. "Well." My mother says to me.  "I am sorry I don't see you running after her." I say as I guzzle down the glass of water. "What kind of secret could she have that would make her run like that?" my dad asks me. "You're really asking me? It's not like she and I do lots of sharing. But if you're asking my opinion in a family of serial killers, yeah I have no idea what kind of secret she could have that would make her run." My mother's face looks unamused by my statement.  My mother lays out the pictures on the counter top. "Maybe these will help us."  I look at the pictures.

                We haven't said anything in almost 30 minutes; we have just been here staring at these photos. "So any idea what any of these could mean?" I ask my parents. My dad picks up the picture of him and Grace.  "Do you remember this day?" He asks me. "No why would I?  That is a picture of you and Grace." My dad laughs. "Grace was about 8 here. It was take your daughter to work day. So I naturally brought both of you. We were in a merger meeting." My dad paused and put the photo down and looks at me. "You really don't remember any of this?" My dad asks me. I shake my head no at him. "Well we were in the middle of this meeting talking about the new company we had just bought out. We were having problems with some of the old managers that had stood with the company and you looked up from your drawing and said daddy I thought you were the boss? When I said yes I am. You said then fire them and pull up the next in line. When they start to cry for their jobs back,  daddy give them a job but with less with power and lower pay. That way you have their knowledge and now they will know who is boss.” My dad looks at me with such pride. “So because I told you to fire people and hire them back for less money and power you were proud of me?” I ask. “Yes you had such a mind for business even at a young age. You were so smart and logical, well were.” He looks so disappointed. “What does any of that have to do with Grace and this picture?" I ask him. "Everything, they asked me to take a picture with my beautiful daughter and you pushed Grace toward me. You gave me a look and I saw how sad Grace was that we all were admiring you when she was the one who got all dressed up to come to my job. You on the other hand fought your mom for hours just to get you into a dress that you instantly put your leather jacket over. That was one of the few things that didn't change after the coma was your sense of style." my dad chuckles. "So this picture was to make Grace feel better?" My dad nods yes. "I told her you couldn't be in the picture because they asked for my beautiful daughter not my headache daughter.  She had the biggest smile and so did you. That was the only thing that made you smile back then was Grace being happy." My mother picks up the picture of her and Grace. "This must be why this picture was picked as well." My mother is holding her picture of her and Grace before handing it to me. "When was this?" My mother sits down. "This was only a few weeks before the accident. It was my rose contest. I had some of the most beautiful roses in the community garden but stupid Stacy Anne's roses were just a little bigger than mine." I look at my mother trying to figure out where she is going with this. "So...???? Why would this picture have anything to do with what I and dad were talking about?" My mother smiles. "You poisoned her roses for me to win."  My mother says so proudly.  "Okay? So tell me about  this picture?" I ask her. "Well that was your one thing you asked for.  You told me to have Grace help me in the garden and wanted to credit her for the help. So I did and we took this picture for the paper."  I look down at the picture and realize all of them are times I did what it took to make Grace happy. What does that have to do with a secret??

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“Is it blood?” I ask as my dad turns off the machine playing Percy scream. “This is clearly way too thin to be blood.” My mother says like this is something I should know. “I am sorry I am not a murderer and don’t see blood all the time.”  My mother just gives us a look and pulls the broken bag that the fake blood came out of off the top.  There is a box wrapped in plastic under it. “It’s for you Grace.” My dad says as he looks at the top of the box. “Is that?” I ask Grace shocked by the fact that I instantly recognize the box. “Yeah, it’s our secrets box from when we were kids.” My parents stare at us, not knowing what we are talking about. It’s a wooden box that my dad had custom made for Grace when he was in Paris on a business trip. It was the most beautiful wooden box with a lock. It was the only thing that as kids we had that we felt our parents couldn’t touch. “Do you still have the key?” I ask Grace. “Of course I do.” Grace says as she runs upstairs to go get it.
                She comes running down the stairs with the tiny key is hand. “So this has to do with Grace?” My mother asks my dad. I roll my eyes not surprise that my mother would throw this on someone else. What if this has nothing to do with Grace but I can admit this does look bad like it has something to do with Grace. “I highly doubt Grace could have made an enemy that has this kind of money without your help Mother.” I say to my mother with a smile. Grace looks at the box with the tiny key in her hand. “How sure are we that this is not a bomb?” Grace asks my parents. “Hand me the key and box. I’ll open it.” Grace looks at me. “Do you think our old secrets are in here still?” She asks me. I can’t help but laugh at the fact that is what is on her mind right now. “Honest I cannot even remember the last time we put a secret in that box.” I tell Grace. “It was before the coma back when we told our secrets to each other and no one else.” I know Grace is referring to Chance. The coma changed everything in my life including my relationship with Grace.  “What secret could you have as kids that would be so bad you couldn’t tell us?” My dad asked, Grace and I both shrug.  My dad just shakes his head at us and opens the box.  I step back just in case there is a bomb.  My dad pulls out of the box pictures. “What is it?” Grace asks, he passes the pictures to Grace. I can’t see the picture so I get closer to Grace. She sees me trying to look and hands them to me. There are 5 pictures, the first is a picture of me and Grace as kids. We are in front of a ride at a carnival smiling. We had seen the lights from our old house. Grace told me she wanted to go see the clowns and join all the other kids. My parents weren’t much into carnivals or doing things with us, they did things with us for appearance sake. So because this one wasn’t thrown by our school and no one would be there to watch we knew they would not take us. I remember Grace begging them to take us. Our parent said no of course but as Grace begged I stole money from my mother purse. I waited until they fell asleep and woke up Grace. I still remember her face as I stole their car to take us to the lights. We were only 6 years old  at the time. I could barely touch the pedals but I somehow got us there. We spent all 200 dollars I had stolen from my mother and rode all the rides and ate everything we could find covered in candy. Grace seemed so happy that night. It was perfect until our parents and the cops showed up. My mother was so pissed she beat me so badly I couldn’t go to school for a whole week. She claimed I had the flu but really she needed my bruise to heal. Wait who took this picture? “Grace do you remember taking this picture?”  Grace stops to think. “No I don’t I Just remember riding the rides before mom and dad showed up.”  I don’t remember taking this picture either.  I hand the picture to my mother. “Oh I remember this day. Cahira you were in rare form. I remember asking you why you thought it was okay to steal from me. Do you remember your response?” I look at my mother and shake my head no. “Of course you don’t. You said it’s not that I thought it was okay, I just don’t care enough not to do what makes Grace happy. I don’t fear you so just do your worse.” I look at my mother because that just doesn’t sound like me. “I did not say that.” I tell her. “Oh yes you did. You were very different before that coma ruined you. You were so much disconnected from everything and fearless. You were so beautiful. I beat you and you asked for more that was just who you were.” My mother sighs as if I was dead or something. She would love the kid who defined her and disrespected her. Wow I am surprised she doesn’t still love me.  I look down at the second photo and it’s of my dad and Grace at a work event. He is so handsome and so regal. The third is of my mom and Grace, the forth was of Enrique. Not sure why he keeps popping up. The fifth is of Percy tied to a chair. “There is an envelope here with your name on it Grace. My dad hands it to her.  Grace opens it and pulls out the letter inside.

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Grace pulls me back by my arm. “He won’t respond to that kind of attitude. Trust me I know him.” I look at Enrique sitting in the back of the cop’s car. “How do you know him?” I ask Grace. “I would rather not say.” She says as she heads over to the cop car.  Grace leans over the cop car and talks to Enrique. He turns his head away from her and looks out the other window. I walk up slowly to hear what Grace is saying to him. “Enrique just tell me what you know. This is my little brother’s life in the balance. We can talk terms later.” I am not sure what terms Grace and Enrique would even have to talk about. “Terms?” I say. Enrique’s head turn to look at me. “What are you doing here?” He asks me. “What do you mean Grace is my sister and the information you are so hell bent on keeping to yourself is about my baby brother.” Enrique tries to readjust himself to sit up straighter. “It was a planned job. The people who grabbed your brother were clearly hired.” He says as he looks me straight in the eye. “How do you know that?” Grace asks. “I have been casing that store for weeks. Your little brother walks past it almost every day like clockwork. I have seen the van on the street as well. I thought they were trying to case the store next door but I was wrong they were following your brother. I am sure how long they have been following him though, but it’s defiantly longer than a few weeks. The van was there before I started casing the store.” Grace looks at me and I see her wheels turning. “That does explain why you think they were hired.” Grace says to Enrique.  He makes a face while shifting his head back and forth. “Who has the time to follow a kid for probably months without getting paid? Plus they had stop watches on their wrist the exact same kind that were synced. That right there says it all they were pros, kidnap for hire type.” Grace rubs my shoulder. “Thank you Enrique.” She says as she turns to head back to the house. “I didn’t know Grace was your sister.” I look at him. “Why would you need to know something like that? Are you and her friends or something?” Enrique starts to laugh at me. “Your Grace’s sister so you know better than anyone Grace doesn’t have friends. We share a business relationship.” I look at Enrique. “We are in high school what business relationship could you two have?”  I ask. “Cahira!” I hear my dad calling me. “Maybe I’ll tell you another time, you know under better conditions.” I roll my eyes at him and start to head back to the house.
                “Cahira good job on getting that kid to talk.” My dad praises me. “Who would have hired someone to take Percy?” My mother asks my dad. “I have no idea. It would have to be someone with both money and time. The kid said they had been following Percy longer than he had been casing the store. This means that they were hired months ago.” My parents just stare at each other for a while. “I can’t think of anyone I pissed off a few months ago.” Grace says as my parent break eye contact. I see Chance sitting in the living room on his phone. If I pissed off anyone Chance would know about it. I walk over and sit next to Chance; I put my head on his shoulder. “I still can’t believe someone took Percy.” Chance says. “You don’t think this could be someone I pissed off right?” Chance pushes me off his shoulder to grab my face. “Cahira there is no way in hell this is your fault. I don’t think there is any way you could have pissed off someone this bad or with that kind of money.” I hug Chance hoping he is right. “What is your family going to do?” Chance asks me. I shake my head for two reasons, one because I know whatever they decide to do I would not be able to tell anyone and second I really have no idea what we are going to do now. I can’t believe this day, finding out that someone took Percy is just too much to bear. The cops slowly start to fade away and even Chance has to go back home. I lie in Percy’s bed and wait for him to come home.  I am not sure when I fell asleep but when I opened my eyes Grace is lying next to me. Grace holds my hand in her sleep just the way she use to when we were kids. After my coma I use to have nightmares about what I had done. I couldn’t sleep without Grace holding my hand. I start to sit up and look around when I hear the doorbell ring and a car speed away. Grace wakes up at the sound of the doorbell. “Was that a car?” She says to me. “Yeah I think so.” We both get out of Percy’s bed and start to run down stairs. Dad brings in a box from the front door. “What is it?” I ask. “It looks like a present.” It’s a box wrapped in black paper with a big red bow. My dad pulls the bow open and rips through the paper. It’s a plan brown box with a lid. My dad pulls off the lid and red liquid pours out and we hear a scream. It sounds like Percy’s scream.

Series Wednesday: Family Game night Page 10

                  Cops are everywhere. They are asking all of us 1000 questions. "Do you remember his behavior before he left for school??? Was he acting different?" The cop asks me. "He was very short with all of us that morning. We had all gotten in a disagreement the week before. So we have all been acting out of character."  Grace responds to the cops for me. I look at her and she holds my hand. "What was the argument?" The cops ask us. "Religious differences, you see our parents and I share one religious belief while my sister has another. My parent recently decided to let our brother pick his own religion and it has been a topic of debate in our house." Grace speaks with such ease as she lies. I just walk away I feel as if I am in a haze. I walk outside to see all the cops on our front yard. "Cahira!" I hear from a distance. I see Chance running towards me; I start to run into his arms. "He is just gone, no one knows anything. I don't know what to do." I am crying my eyes out in Chance's arms. A cop car comes driving up very fast and a tall cop comes running right into the house. Chance lets me go as I follow the cop. "He was taken." The cop tells my dad with and IPad in his hand. "Here is the video footage sir." He says as he hands the IPad to my dad. I get right next to him to watch it with him. It’s Percy just walking home from school when a van pulls up. Two people jump out of the van and grab Percy; it looks like they stuck him with something. I think they drugged him, his whole body goes limp and they carry him into the van. The van takes off out of frame.  "Is this all we have?" my dad asks the cop who ran in with the IPad. "Yes sir, at this time this is all we have, they had no license plate on the van and the van seemly disappears from street cameras a few blocks later." My dad throws the IPad. "Not good enough!! Someone has my son!!!!We need to be doing more!"  I hold my dad's hand and he looks at me. My dad instantly calms down. "I am sorry. Please just keep us in the loop." My dad says to the cop while his eyes are locked on me the whole time.

                My mother stands up off the couch where we are all sitting. "Chance honey, if I give you some money do you mind going and grabbing us a few pizzas?" She is so fake. "No need to give me money I'll just go grab some pizza for you guys." Chance kisses me on the cheek and heads out the door. My mother looks around at all the cops. "Can you guys give us a minute please?" My mother says as she clear the living room.  She waits until all the cops are out of ear range before she starts talking. "We need to kill who ever took Percy." My mother says. I just look at her in shock that she cares so much about Percy. "Why would anyone take him?" Grace asks. "It doesn't matter we just need to get him back. I will tear through whoever I have to, to get my son back." My mother says.  "We will find him." My dad says as he hugs my mother. "I want blood for this," my mother responds. "What is this more about Percy or your need for blood?" I ask. My mother whips around to look at me so fast I got whip lash. “I am not a vampire, Percy is my son and NO one messes with family.” My mom says with such conviction. “We need to put our differences and beliefs a side right now. At the end of the day Percy is all that matters to all of us.” Grace says to my mother and I. “So how do we find out who took Percy?” I ask. “We need to go through our list of enemies and make sure it’s not a power move against me or your mother.” My dad says while looking at my mom. “You both should do the same.” My mother says to Grace and I. “Who would we have pissed off that would take Percy in a van?” I ask my mother. “I have 5 people in mind.” Grace quickly follows. “Oh wow really??” Grace shrugs. “People love to hate the best. I compete every chance I get. I have made a few enemies.” I just stare at Grace who was looking at me. “Well unlike you guys I have no enemies. I don’t talk to anyone so I am not sure how I could piss anyone off to the point of taking Percy.” My mother looks at me and tilts her head. “Something tells me you could.” I roll my eyes at her comment. “Cahira just make a list of anyone you have had any bad or less than friendly interactions with in the past year.” My dad says. I see Chance walking past the cop with the pizzas. I clear my throat and look in his direction so my family will shut up. Chance has a strange look on his face. He puts the pizzas down on the coffee table. “Cahira you’re not going to believe this,” Chance says. A cop walks up to my dad. “We have a witness who saw Percy being taken. We have him out front there is just one thing.” We all run outside to talk to the witness. The cop runs fast behind us. I stop when I see him handcuffed in the back of a police car. “He witnessed the kidnapping while robbing a nearby store. He will only talk if we let him off.” I look at Chance and instantly know what he was going to tell me. “I know him.” I say as I walk out to the cop car.