On my silent walk in a forest nearby, I saw something dark green and soft between two bushes. It had been trapped there, dirty, filthy, and alone, tangled in the small sharp branches. I thought it was just thrown away so I couldn’t resist opening it. The content of the backpack, because it was a green backpack, left me speechless. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQk0sm1pie
It was a pair of scissors, razor blades, a rope, and, what I thought looked like sleeping pills, or maybe painkillers. I wasn’t sure. It also contained endless plastic bags, which I assumed would be used mixed with the other harmful supplements. Maybe they would then be tied over the poor creature’s head while taking their own life. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGbeujfxEJ
I took the backpack with me, concerned that an animal or perhaps a child would hurt themselves by mistake if I just left it to whomever to explore the gears in there. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORTM6Ro6ID
I was going, slowly and quietly, and without seeing where I was placing my feet. I just continued thinking about the whimsical, peculiar, green bag. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xPqSBChut
Suddenly, I was walking into something that was hanging in the tree right in front of me. I screamed so loud I was damn sure I had made myself deaf forever. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqMWGsYUTk
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAKWESf9p9
Ellie sat beside the table in the dining room. She was peeking at her mom who was sitting right next to her. She decided to ask her. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGccwsnoXj
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2aMpa7RxB
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VvVHR4dJQ
”Yes, I know…” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWc63X8S20y
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnHCWVY6v8
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlZ91cNNBd
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiCtJs3xdd
”What? I’m late to work!” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmapMq2Voh
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6hd2m7gZU
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmWJC49nowK
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQNfnHQnCH
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9Ml8PjujQ
Ingrid laughed and started her walk again. It wasn’t fair. Ingrid was an adult woman and was behaving like a bully against a girl who was just starting high school. Ellie turned around and ran all the remaining way to school with a big and nasty lump in her throat. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ805QiAvuum
She couldn’t really focus on the school that day. Ellie was sweating and tears were dropping on the quiz paper. Her vision started to become blurry. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but still couldn’t see properly. What if she too was going mad? Could madness be contagious? She hopes not. She doesn’t want to end up like her brother. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWxOBk8RdU
Even if some part of her mind thought that he actually deserved it after what he did to her at that time. Of course, he did apologize. But it happened again, and again… 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq25kdwkCnS
After school, Ellie went home. She needed a new pair of shoes and was going to ask her mother. She didn’t look forward to it. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEYpZwJb7i
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqfY7j3GpE
“What now, Ellie?” her mother replied with an annoyed voice. “Can’t you just go to your room and finish your homework instead of always bothering me and talking about disturbing your poor brother?” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcy03vEVOW1
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbK3071nBj
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOodqObCfs
“It doesn’t matter” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pwkWH1PvR
Ellie turned her back to her mother and walked with slow and sad steps toward the stairs, hoping that her mother would follow her and become nice again. But she didn’t and as much as it was expected, Ellie just couldn’t help to feel disappointment. Ingrid saw Aline outside of the music store and hastened to open the door from the inside. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlJLTpO3te
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyl6h1WUdcA
“Of course, sis, you’re always welcome here! Do you want some coffee? I can put some on in the staff’s room. I have lunch break now anyway!” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wpKNj8Wn7
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf11JBbpHbs
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR02myp4j16
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2PV11ibhG
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaQWbuZwgr
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAujygwidr6
“I know”. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdRtbDwUE6
“You do?” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFHxF7Bd3k
“Yes” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5P1Ijmxge
Silence. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNLGEUn8Ft
Both girls looked at each other and then started to stare at the floor. They both remembered. Ingrid was still holding the coffee pot in her right hand, prepared to pour some into the mug she was holding in her left hand. Aline placed herself in a chair beside the small and quite old-looking table. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZcPydCYfp
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEbZyvoXTSp
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtF0t40WEK6
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡti9mKwOPsN
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJB5BBLL2U
“I can understand that, of course” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXCjtyEPT9
The girls looked at each other again, both with a sign of repulse on their faces. They were drinking their coffee in silence when Conrad stacked into the office. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKHEAGGAnK
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhzCnMv0co
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZwFCdWpOW
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05fBA9RtOh
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYa2Dw8v4N
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJffI4elzi
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0Xanq02jl
Ingrid and Aline went out to the store. One customer was to be found. Conrad was yelling as if it would have been a hundred! 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0iDb4msjJ
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01VoNjhE7E
Cassidy nodded but felt extremely bored. The oracles were arguing again and wanted her opinion on some small simple task they were doing. She was tired too, and her eyes started to close themselves. All of a sudden she was hearing a sound from the crystal ball in the room behind her. She just heard the sound of someone whispering something. Yet she didn’t think about how she was able to even hear the sound with a stone wall in the middle.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcBzBl5nUM
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9XaPyS1In
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqo8FgN6tw
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYBWhRqeM6
The oracles went silent.362Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxUF0R0BDh
