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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQk06ENiRf
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuzAd9kUSh
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5zqsP4gL6
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARebEbNFpI
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjxKRFdBy8
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqPZaCw9JH
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwWeAUBbXm
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc7RHkYeOSj
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbe8lS2Zni
”Yes, I know…” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1ibVlG7Kk
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnIUpV5ef0
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2U3zIlHzY
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPN9GyS0Zi9
”What? I’m late to work!” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnxaL6Obhe
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6NDJVardW
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sefLH1eGq
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03C0vHBp0P
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIAd7HMBH4
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK1aWMw455F
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzINPQsbOvL
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… 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYF81A2hZW1
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigIdTKN04q
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nnn9W9qEb
“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?” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJITobK77wd
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQKBmMl81W
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBO3XDgHEi3
“It doesn’t matter” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVs2V4gHlh2
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZeQLiTYq1
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrkmu3JdCVt
“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!” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJoOj1mngo
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqa0nCvvtwQ
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1iZVcDCBwb
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4p9zMEoh6Q
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWdHmntQJ6
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRuokCegoHt
“I know”. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0HUzDaxIs
“You do?” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5USeDXets
“Yes” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9o9YL3pAK
Silence. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcML9vUmXfS
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDaqoCfWVc
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1gVPt9llK
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYNToVIQot
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzw9w8EG003
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSA5K1bI31d
“I can understand that, of course” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg58HQHSNKE
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. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAiQcRVlzq
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDAxn2cHPC
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzINhsmGV0x
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FfdkoBqv8
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPZA2IhvMi
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhvCClmPCe
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYyGcM3abV
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! 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJVcYkJGeA
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhAoPpKk71
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.365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUv7Epz66b
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYymxpmmHA
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxyIUo5GQq
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjpKyQ686c
The oracles went silent.365Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUy8aiomD6
