Cherry Wood

Chapter four

It all started a few days ago. Graves were dug up and the bodies were taken. This small town rarely had any problems and when it did it was more minor inconveniences. I felt that the best place to start gathering more information was to go back to the local cemetery and see if anything was dug up. I walked along the gravesite and studied the dirt, nothing suspicious came up. My eyes looked near the sun, it was setting already and soon it would get harder to see and search. I was glad, yet disturbed to see a few minutes later that there was a new freshly dug-up grave. There was no pattern to what graves were dug up. I called the police station to file another missing body then left to go find that place where Marsaline worked.

My shoes could be heard through the empty streets. I wasn't that known in this town, moved here a few months ago to be closer to the scene of the crime. I walked until I saw a small bakery that doubled as a cafe. The lights were off and a small sign hung on the door saying that it had closed at six. I reached for some earplugs in my pocket and got straight to work. I closed my eyes and envisioned the scene around me. I am going home from a long day of work, and the lingering smell of baked goods and flour made up my basic look. Being tired I would want to get home quickly so I wouldn't worry my parents. I opened my eyes and they caught a glimpse of a back alleyway. A shortcut. I am going home now, it is getting late and I need to make it home before it is pitch black. I wandered through a semi-big ally hoping that this would be the key to getting to my destination faster, but I already knew that... I need to search more. At seven she texted her mom, but where is her phone? I paused and looked around for any signs of her phone. I hopped into a dumpster and started rummaging around to see if there was a glimpse of hope that she was at her friend's house, safe, not being kidnapped. I grimaced as I pulled out a phone with a NASA phone case. I slumped in the odorous garbage. She was gone, she was gone like Camelia.
"Brother, I don't want to go and visit mamá. She never does anything fun," Camelia pouted.
"Mamá is going to take care of you while I'm at a job interview. If I get this, then I can buy you more viste and even spend more time together," Feliciano assured.
"Okay... you promise?"
"Yes Camelia, now go get dressed. Confío en ti."
"Confío en ti también."

Some memories are too sad to remember. That day, I came home with my mother on the floor and my sister gone. I should have never taken that job. My sister was the last thing I had to live for after our mother remarried to an abusive man. I ran away with Camelia and years later he died of heart disease. We visited my mother more often but still let my sister live with me. I am a broken man, the only thing I have to live for now is to find out what happened to Camelia.

I didn't ask for this, why on earth would Claudette abandon me for a complete psychopath? Here I was, in my bath, doing my daily routine with Petunia. The tub was empty and my clothes were getting taken off one at a time. I wish this was quicker so I can enjoy some time with myself (or Rain). The tub was filling up with water and I was nude. Petunia made no remarks so far, so everything is going well. I felt like I wanted to look down, so my head slumped forward and I could see my torso. That's when I froze. A huge gash with small stitches crawled around my stomach and kept going from around my backside. I felt a sense of panic and a flashback of the night came to me. The man, getting stabbed, then nothing. I couldn't remember much thankfully. I want to get out of my body badly, I would trade my soul to interact and talk to Rain or Claudette. I hated being paralyzed. No one could see my pain or anguish, my feelings did not matter. The bath was over as soon as it started. The water all drained and I was pulled back into my wheelchair. I had new pajamas on and was taken over to my bed. I glanced at Petunia who was glaring at me but contained herself. The door opened and Petunia grinned from ear to ear when she saw Rain enter. Wearing his usual hot dad attire (a dramatic silk robe accompanied by a ponytail) he patted Petunia, which probably meant that she was dismissed. She flipped me off as she exited, which Rain did not see.
"I felt like you wanted some company, so I thought that we could have our very first sleepover," he said rather excitedly, a bit like a child. He laid down next to me and covered himself in the thin sheets.
"Much better." I felt my insides twist and got embarrassed by the idea that my crush was only inches away from me. He got himself situated in the right position and stared at my eyes. The silence was nice, it felt like the world was still.
"This is nice. I like talking to anyone, but you make me feel more comfortable and open about anything in my life. I could never open up to my brother, definitely not my mother. She never told us anything about my real family, like my father. My father left us back in the seventies to find a better life. It was just us three and mom had a lot on her plate. I was always like the man of the family, that didn't last long though. Mother took over and we squatted in old buildings, searching for somewhere to start a sanctuary. I can't remember much of my childhood, it was mostly us trying to live off the bare minimum. Luckily, mom found a stable job. She was an actor when she was younger, and played in a lot of noir and mystery movies, but fell out after an incident with her using substances on set. Luckily, her work was well-known so she came back to acting and starred in horror films and other things. She still keeps a few of her posters in her office. Maybe we could watch one some time, we do have a theater here." He talked for hours, soon I saw him cuddling up against me. I could imagine his body heat radiating onto me. I knew that he was fast asleep, but I couldn't get a wink of sleep once again. This was perfect, he was perfect. I couldn't get enough of this moment. My daydreaming was livid.