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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28KEeGndD3
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHc5SjDPe3Z
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPA5nbPQEp
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtzbDFIwMp
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4UYOTHIJn
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoh57ynF4e
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYaAB5IjJ3
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10Ca2znVbz
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEZcX7Soew
”Yes, I know…” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLLx74siu7
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZk2wHfWAr
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaD2tJpHud
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaIWjGvZA8
”What? I’m late to work!” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqUXZgVLov
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLfRDJJCWW
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgumpjZy18
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DBfM6KxTh
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF0hlkPeieX
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpJuhvnZaN
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ubhLNZNEZ
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… 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgI454o0Nd
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKKYldNylE
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Qg00ncwj1
“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?” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtya0kUIcSe
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8z2OvR5Ylq
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXYxfVTZHq
“It doesn’t matter” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SZnE2axju
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ631jmKVj2q
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPzFBeFZOw
“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!” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5BCP3UcIp
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPbpe2mkID
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcNXYqBt05
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhw9SUWZbeQ
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZ9PnGecPH
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbK0DbjGajI
“I know”. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Vpx8Dll2r
“You do?” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡagZQ8AK9f0
“Yes” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYnaTWe1Ha
Silence. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48zfDn07SZ
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcsrsdf9la
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWPDcxESz3
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkq8iqDDZ5H
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QRFbvS344
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hlLtT8oto
“I can understand that, of course” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAAhScIzyk
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. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5faYvqsoE
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKxFtJfy6h
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiSBF1g4lc
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVByGlQjdEh
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKuvsYlXjx
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkGDeLIwDC
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QOeELFVwk
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! 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuvARkokmo
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVkjgBgxIs
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.338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNYwc37f5h
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwKMBgkCRj
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxsbMmXtFj
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcanCb8y2I7
The oracles went silent.338Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7g1HO5phF
