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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFry3R4bBqH
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhO5eHmV17
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTUzvUbCDT
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8meK7IfXBT
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImkcr6Y7bU
This was unfortunately how I went mad. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlYsm4FGFC
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMUjdVXO38
”Mom… how is Nels? Can I go to him now?” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAgur5TgvX4
”Elle Madina, please don’t disturb your brother, you know that he is very sick, right?” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvn8fBhJhk
”Yes, I know…” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaXPCxghKz
”Right, now go and prepare for school, darling” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnJ1FWVaJI
On her way to school, she ran into Ingrid. Ingrid sighed and continued walking. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAY4GmmY6KP
”Wait!” Ellie shouted after her. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZEgpelQlpi
”What? I’m late to work!” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkda3Dpgs2G
”I know how close you were to my brother and I was thinking…” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaKCIzkRJZ
”What? Nels is not the same anymore and I don’t want anything to do with either you or your crazy family!” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡanSEdPBlay
Ellie felt how her eyes got shiny from some sudden tears, but she didn’t want Ingrid to notice. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIrgVYFn8o
”Goodbye, you big crybaby!” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGX7O37IK5K
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1l1EkiIzXS
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwliFzazxwr
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… 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsg4A1i8rpK
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRngFv8V5Bj
“Mom?” Ellie stood at the door opening and peeked at her mother sitting and watching some television. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGTWLbf9c6
“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?” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZF6wrNpWAz
“But mom…” Ellie was nervous. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbnbL8Tn6vY
“Yes, what? Her mother turned around with an angry look in her eyes. She clearly had a bad day. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhJ3O9rMqB
“It doesn’t matter” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKps34lcgEd
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHI9xDm5Cl
“Oh, I just wanted to say hello, I had some errands to do nearby!” Aline explained in an apologetic manner. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzoTOVmNtp
“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!” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡln5Wxcm5EU
“Yes please, that would be nice” Aline looked shy. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMguDeU4eEh
“Well, Ingrid, you know that time when we were...” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnjukCfZz0
Ingrid turned around, almost with the same shy expression as Aline. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFUelySDIE
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking about…” Ingrid answered. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3a9X20XxN
“Yes… it was a year ago. Today.” Ingrid blushed. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3vG8TG8xm
“I know”. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TsOtQwVhY
“You do?” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4pUmiXBLW
“Yes” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOE0oJGAFM6
Silence. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCb8xEIU2pS
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneBGf2c8RF
“I just want you to know that I liked it very much” Aline just broke the silence. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3DKGY4J0GO
“Me too, but I don’t know… it feels weird because… You’re like… My adoptive sister. Well almost at least” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrDiQqmF0H
“Carl has not adopted you, Ingrid. You just live with us.” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAI8WHc2cTl
“I know, but I always wish that he was my father, that’s why it feels weird with… you” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkUMZ30kel
“I can understand that, of course” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCjg9blJRL
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. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKigjeQSTb
“Ingrid, what do you think you’re doing? You lazy coward, it’s people in the store!” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uCfHuDolt
Ingrid jumped up from the chair. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzU1hcv9Kwa
“I’m sorry, we forgot… I’m... Conrad? Are you drunk?” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfsRHu3Rp0
Ingrid closed one eye and stared with the other directly at Conrad. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfFZwofNTC
“You are!” she shouted, higher than she’d expected.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqbZMyJ3FM
“You don’t need to care about that, just do your goddamn job!” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2qK2fuHli
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! 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAW7MdD0ukw
“See you at home” Aline slammed the door behind her and Ingrid sighed. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFp7Li6jDI
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.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVYJz2j3MM
“Okay, my gentlemen. I need to go” she said to the oracles and walked down the hallway. 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmSv7fOyXf
“But you barely listened, my Queen!” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWq1ahycBxE
“I give you permission to solve the problem on your own, I have some things to do!” 383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFa8yUSuF1r
The oracles went silent.383Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UyIyUnhHf
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