In The Scenes

Ninth

WARNING: May be mentions of abuse, panic attacks, trauma, blood, etc. If you are sensitive to these topics, please don't read.

Micah POV:

Dad, Paul, Asha, and I sat in the living room.

"So . . . how was your day?"

They looked at me.  I felt like something bad was about to happen.

"Micah," Paul began, "we need to tell you something."

I was worried. They never talked that seriously to me. I'm not a serious person.

"We received a letter from your mom's senior officer. Something happened to her."

I sat up.

"What happened?"

"There was an accident. Your mom was trying to defuse a bomb but it didn't go as planned."

"It exploded?"

"No. She diffused it but the room caved in."

"She's trapped?"

Paul and Dad looked at each other. She wasn't stuck.

"They managed to dig her out but she was unconscious. They took her to the hospital but by the time they arrived, she was gone."

I leaned back. I didn't know what to think.

"How long ago?"

"It's been three years."

"Three years?"

I was shocked. Every month, I sent a card to my mom asking if she was okay. I always wondered why she didn't write back. She had to be alive to send her letter.

"They were unable to contact us. The senior officer and his assistant were the only survivors of an ambush. They were lost for three years and were rescued a month ago."

I stood up.

"I need some air."

I went outside and sat on a bench. It was raining hard and the grass looked like a lump of green mud. Even the sky was sad.

"I'm not going to ask if you're okay. It's obvious you're not."

Asha sat next to me.

"I used to write to mom. She stopped responding three years ago. I thought she forgot about me. I still remember her last message."

"What was it?"

"It was short."

"What did it say?"

"I feel trapped. Like everything bad inside me is exploding. Like the world is caving in."

"Damn."

"I didn't get it until now."

"Do you know what mom would tell you if she was here right now?"

I shrugged. Asha stood up and puffed out her chest and crossed her arms like mom used to.

"You better get rid of this depressing attitude before I slap you back to Italy."

I laughed. She continued.

"Depressed. The only thing depressing about you is your grades. Get them up and maybe I'll believe you're still depressed."

"You sound like her."

"Why, thank you."

She sat back down.

"Better?" she asked.

"Better," I answered.

~~Meanwhile~~

Mindy POV:

I'm on the roof of the hospital with Lia and Alex and we're being chased by a man in a dolphin costume. How was your day? Some days, you just know the day will be horrible. Other days, you wake up thinking you'll be fine. The day wasn't supposed to be weird. It even started out nice.

"How did you sleep?" Lia's mom asked all of us.

Alex and I shrugged while Lia showed her mom a thumbs-up.

"What does that mean?"

She mimicked our shrugging.

"It means I slept horribly and I want to go back home because I'm fine."

Damn, I didn't know my brother could snap like that.

"It's okay. You said you'll be released today, right?"

Lia's mom always treated us like her own kids. It was nice.

"I think so."

"You think?" Lia innocently asked.

"Dahlia-freaking-Wolfe . . . " Alex started. 

He never finished his sentence. He chased her around the hospital. By the time they came back, Alex was being chased by Lia. Lia's mom was laughing her head off.

"Is this always how it is?" she asked.

"This isn't half of it," I answered nonchalantly.

Lia had caught Alex and was dragging him back to the table. Alex looked scared and amused.

"Calm down. I won't actually hurt you," Lia said.

Alex laughed nervously. Lia noticed this and gave him a hug.

"On a better note," Lia's mom cut in, "I have some good news."

Lia looked confused. I guess she doesn't know what it is.

"I didn't want to tell you until it was final but . . . I'm cured."

Lia fell out of her chair.

"You're . . . what?"

"The cancer's gone. The doctors can't explain it. It was there one day and then gone the next. I'm allowed to go now. They told me to stay at this cancer care facility for a couple months just to make sure but I'm allowed to do stuff outside the facility."

Lia, Alex, and I hugged her. It was sweet until Alex pulled all of us onto the floor. A baseball soared past us and hit a glass wall. A man in a dolphin costume aimed another baseball at me but I ran away before he could throw it. Alex and Lia followed me. Lia's mom hid behind a wall.

"What in the world is that?" I asked my brother.

"Another person trying to kill us. You know, the usual."

We ran until we saw a ladder. Lia, Alex, and I climbed it, the dolphin man following behind. We arrived at the top and realized we were on the roof of the hospital. We ran until we reached the edge. The dolphin man chuckled and walked closer. Alex grabbed Lia and me by the hand.

"I've got you," Dolphin Man said.

"Not quite," Alex responded as he jumped off the edge, pulling me and Lia with him.