I Don't Need A Reason Why (I)

The Storm Approaches

So now what.
I know, that there is something up. Why won't mom let me tell Katia the truth? Is she still convinced that I tried to kill Katia? And what does she mean by that?
Obviously, after that incident, I was mad, furious. But, what happened later? I don't remember much about later. All I remember was waking up one day, and being convince this was my family. Mr. and Mrs. Sarkisian, their then, 21 year old daughter Nataly, 15 year old son, Arsen, 4 month old Rosalinda and I.
Why?
It's not like they put a magic spell on me.....unless...
No. I didn't even want to think about it.
Yet it didn't work. I still didn't feel like I fit in. Then, the flashbacks and memories slowly began to slip in.
Someone once said, that identity was key to a person's persona. They were right.
But what if you can't find your identity? Or identify with it?
***
"Autumn!"
I turned around, as my geography teacher, Miss Peterson, came up to me.
"Yes?"
"Autumn, are you busy after school today? Do you have to go home immediately?"
"No, Miss."
"Would you mind staying behind and helping with putting up the displays for Open School Evening? It's just, Mr. Hughes has today off, and Mrs. Cruz had to leave early, because of an emergency. I'm left all alone to sort things out, and you know how big that classroom is. I know you are quite an eager student in this subject. It's fine if you can't or don't want to, it's just, it would be a big help to me."
I thought for a while. I felt bad for Miss Peterson and I didn't have much homework either, just a geography essay to write.
How ironic.
"Sure, I suppose I could spare an hour. But I have to be home before supper."
"Of course, thank you so much Autumn! See you after school."
***
We were working silently, until Miss Peterson asked me if everything was ok.
"Yeah, everything's fine. Why do you ask?" I replied as politely as I could.
Miss Peterson stopped stapling things and said,
"I'll be honest with you. I'm a bit worried. You got along really well on the first few days with Kaitlin and Michael, but later you went to the complete opposite. I don't mean you don't get along, I mean, you seem very isolated most of the time. I just want to know if everything's fine. I understand some people are solo type people, but I'd want to hear from you that you're that sort of person."
"Yeah, I suppose I am that sort of person. I always seemed to be. But everything's fine, really," I half-lied. I didn't feel ready to open up to anyone about my past and suspicions, if that counted as being fine or not fine. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude or nosy, but, normally in High School, or so I'm told, teacher's don't seem to get as involved, with the feelings of students. I know you have good intentions, but I doubt anyone else would have been as observant and caring. It just seems, in High School, kids are more independent and decide on/solve more things, themselves."
Miss Peterson was silent for a minute. I was about to speak again and apologize, but she read my mind.
"Don't apologize. It's fine. You are a good person, with an extremely tolerating, caring and accepting heart. I trust you, and trust you will be discreet about what I'm about to tell you, right?"
I nodded.
"It's just, when I was in High School, I was faced with a similar situation."
We started working again as my geography teacher told her story.
"It was 10 years ago. I must have been in 10th Grade. My brother, Caleb, was in 5th Grade. At first he was outgoing with his friends, but it lasted for barely any time. Then it flipped. He became isolated. He didn't talk to many people and didn't do a fair chunk of his work. He was suspended twice and if he got suspended again, he would get expelled. He was so close, that I started doing his homework for him. We had similar handwriting and his normal handwriting was my rushed one. He didn't protest that I did his work for him. He in fact, said nothing. Luckily, he passed his tests, otherwise we would have been in hot water. But beside the point. Before he finished 5th Grade he went missing. The whole town was interrogated. Two collage boys stated, that they saw a woman with Caleb in September. They heard her saying, that she knows who and where his dad is. It's true, that Caleb didn't know his father, but neither did I. I couldn't remember him. Then she said that they would meet in that place half a year later, but he was not to talk to anyone about it and remove himself from his current life and lifestyle. Caleb must have believed her, as half a year later, he went missing. I blamed myself, as I was meant to pick Caleb up from Lower School, the day he bumped into the woman, but only remembered later, and met him at the traffic lights, after his encounter. He seemed very different. I asked him then, and often afterward, if everything was ok. He said yes. Mom told me to stop being so worried, convinced he was just a solo type person."
Miss Peterson paused in her story, as she climbed a ladder to place some books on the top of the bookshelf.
"What happened afterward?" I asked, a chill going down my spine.
"The police found no evidence of Caleb Peterson anywhere. No body was ever found either. They said it was highly possible that Caleb was still alive somewhere. They are trying to track down the lady."
"What did she look like?" I asked, handing Miss Peterson some books.
"She was thin. She apparently had a very brisk tone of voice, but acted as if she knew what was best for Caleb. Apparently she definitely wasn't from the States. The boys didn't see her very clearly but they said she seemed to be Balkan or Western Asian. I wish I knew where Caleb was now. He would have been 20 in a weeks time."
Hearing this, I felt that feeling of being unattached to the world. I bumped into the ladder, which tilted and crashed onto the ground. A scream of pain brought me back to reality. As I was zooming back into existence, my mind created and image of a plane exploding and Kaitlin with Michael screaming. I became frightened and didn't know what was reality at the moment or what wasn't. I slapped myself on the cheek to wake up.
On the floor was my geography teacher. She was holding her leg. Evidently she was in pain.
"Call....the....ambulance...." she gasped.
I did exactly what she said. Putting the phone down, I went back to her.
"They will be here soon," I reassured her, "I'm so sorry. I honestly didn't mean to knock into the ladder. I....I couldn't think straight. I felt like I was in three places at once, I didn't know what was happening. I'm so, so, so, sorry. I know nothing really makes an excuse for it, but I'm really sorry." By the end, I was blabbering anything, in apology and explanation alike.
"It's fine," Miss Peterson, comforted me, "it's not your fault. But I have a feeling you have something to tell me, soon."
"I don't know. I need time. I need to check."
When I finished speaking, the ambulance people arrived and took her to the hospital. After watching the ambulance drive off, I returned home, promising that tomorrow I would go to the hospital.
*
It turned out to be a broken leg bone. Miss Peterson said that she would return to school in 3 weeks time. She said that everything would be okay and to forget about this incident.
I couldn't.
I knew chaos was just beginning.
The underworld was about to break loose.
***
(Christmas Vacation)