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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMFvpPalXN
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1IyowrfJS
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWanA6pIxy
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBZ1PMnjrz
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5PjEZSiGD
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcCL4nJVQM
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3VEzX3TDN
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97R6dUfaTU
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKPVbNZ32N
”Yes, I know…” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcN6UJdgyKg
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRpsdglOMr
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1hvqGHWBR
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwQLAj3wxz
”What? I’m late to work!” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolzk5oBiDC
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6GJXdKewi
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelY86124cg
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHBpqNDvhr
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpMhRD7Q6n
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGpqlAPSBo
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKimTqJaATj
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… 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnUGj0ERfk
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ698T6ioNDi
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSATv1ney6d
“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?” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLYGoZETbB
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3swBge4hZ
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXTEhkl3FB
“It doesn’t matter” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVVVP8IC7R
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wLQLEiC6Y
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPmEGd5Lzv
“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!” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHhqZhmjsp
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFihKNL7xxB
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhoMa9Fpfa
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPpveWBMbt
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2O9U0DkSP9
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW63WvN6InS
“I know”. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMIiKH7TGlX
“You do?” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHD72UQCm5
“Yes” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6AcX8pb9z
Silence. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZd7lWVMls
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPe8HBrk68
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡty8n1qoyjR
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbaE32y0AJ
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeSshzguHr
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsetNjYv3AX
“I can understand that, of course” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHULq6AQCag
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. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLXA5aNost
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKxGCRnyTc
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDVoAJfv2c
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe7N3uYv4jm
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr04di8OjHo
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIncHMH6Dm
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMZItb6MI7
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! 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFghwHC1cpO
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9we1F6lgRn
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.444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6n9NTPL3U
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCph7MZ2jNK
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8A0ZKBWqO
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqevGgLgaL
The oracles went silent.444Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2oEFAzFwn
