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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdJHbWAljT
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88haGFlfQK
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Gsk7KRUYa
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEk66zT0a5
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VADeKMJRw
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KCKIDF6Vj
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2iABv9RQ2
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60AEqvLjTl
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BkempOzPt
”Yes, I know…” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtCizQceAj
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2haJp47Hm4
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLvjoo78Lg
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFZ5DxMuAT
”What? I’m late to work!” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRQFesYPxk
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvTtY9dmuN
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNiQ6XJ0Bp
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueAB6QlMws
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTmvatFsYi
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJWUu5SWGn
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn83w3QSj9g
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… 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPcTlVt1Q7
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzH1vIqmlw
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyftSGPjRmB
“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?” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCvtEmYUOl
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizDfMaOWsO
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDG5q9gsaEt
“It doesn’t matter” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1LRWr6ZnV
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzjXbVg1Us
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQPOZMvHXp
“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!” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbakohIo9r
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1hp6fbrya
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy78TBlWGIO
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsXMCaZJ65
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvTLomegNHK
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU14WStlT3L
“I know”. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwF7M7OGpL
“You do?” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGzEvWWklk
“Yes” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxVWQIHDjd
Silence. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXGJJdy4v8I
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWMDTLQcR1
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64139K7ZYE
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvjLZvqRtE
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡys9jdLVk19
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZE0SYBDWS
“I can understand that, of course” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BTXcLcpRo
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. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Zt1BMkHqh
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpZRSoKXH7Q
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgv4DIg5WUE
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUKbdxBJ5K
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxp08vj1lK2
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4l3xyqMoY
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzuBOzMIOa
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! 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88LKJbFpXD
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmQxtRLjqm
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.262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTxGOsvHV2
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidEyjvrcYk
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnf6dAS3Z2
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzPbT65U10
The oracles went silent.262Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUFPxdl9vx
