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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCrbyAg8vN
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxs1HGOZyy
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29yY1eRCFk
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmsrSmdSEK
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzeayGSPga
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuzaqgs7UB
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx09IuQ0vQ0
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZeIWh6akh
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjACBHytSl
”Yes, I know…” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVJpznr5CV
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSZ6Eu30Dr
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGw8kUFtR5v
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlAsxZJi4T
”What? I’m late to work!” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5wMcHM7Zc
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgRW9qdq0I
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSeiU8BVFL
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1XKzPU47z
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAA2tBDc66
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBSVe7BpsM
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5cnFV3Gbw
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… 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVVA1BGkxn
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMkJVJTptH
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuj1C4VdzoA
“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?” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3KpikL470
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FVL59Ub27
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfrlgwg0Yq
“It doesn’t matter” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpYp6lf4s2
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckSPE9EtW9
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBUjxy1xkIc
“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!” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPr8CvBPq7
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEljQXP4eZG
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLw1Tsp5OvU
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2sjSRhTzi
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡig297ZzJCf
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BHwftRBQz
“I know”. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXOHhb3isd
“You do?” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdq9erGsDG7
“Yes” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YZctv7igg
Silence. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbUizWqmpj
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCkqM0EGDA
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0QRA2DgiH
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJQMsgUMzZ
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡppTDxr8oGN
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJecOu5i9eV
“I can understand that, of course” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpqHdu4TWL
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. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVKJ6JbRqn
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAOCEiaS9dL
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gH6Q7t61P
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ684aEErLMJ
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MwYVXU4Vu
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CK3Lim6Bi
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukaQdsPQ8b
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! 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEMoL1mXlA
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIP5fQ13AKb
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.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmBDgIzaL4
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6vptp0Td8
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1DZ4mQ0Jo
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyytOprMAUW
The oracles went silent.344Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTfABKLwkD
