Today, Tomorrow, Now.

ONE

Summer break had just started. I was downstairs in Mom's office reading a book. I like reading; just the feeling of drifting away into a fantasy world is so unbelievable.

I heard the front door open, so I walked out of the office, thinking it was Mom bringing my food home. As soon as I saw who walked through the door, I stopped in my tracks and didn't walk any further.

It was Caden.

I'm pretty sure I looked as pale as a ghost.

"Paisley, what are you doing?" Matthew says.

"Uh– nothing, I just thought you were Mom."

Caden looked different, a good different.

"Awe, Matt, you have a little sister?" Caden questioned Matthew.

"Caden, you've literally met her before," Matthew chuckled.

"Bro, stop messing with me, I've never seen that girl a day in my life," Caden says, walking up the stairs with Matthew as they both laugh.

I furrow my brows, confused as to why he's pretending to not know me.

Why were they laughing? Nothing's funny.

How could Caden just forget about me?

People don't just forget people unless you have dementia, which I know he doesn't have.

Caden wasn't scrawny anymore. He has muscles, big muscles. Tattoos filled his arms. I'm pretty sure he's the same age as Matthew; 17. His hair is longer now and it's dyed black. Little strands hang over his forehead almost covering his hazel eyes. He also has an eyebrow piercing and ear piercings. He dresses like he plays in a Rock & Roll band wearing black jeans with a chain hanging from one of the belt loops and a shirt that has a band name on it. He's wearing a black leather jacket that almost doesn't fit his big muscles, and he's grown — lots.

I walked back into Mom's office, picked up the book I was reading, and began reading it again.

I didn't realize hours had passed and I had fallen asleep. Opening my eyes I saw a blurry figure of what looked like Caden. "Caden?" He was sitting in Mom's office chair, spinning in only half circles.

"Wow, Mystery Girl, you even know my name," he sounded fake surprised.

I quickly sat up as if a bolt of electricity whipped through me. Wiping the drool from my lips, I began, "What are you doing in here?"

"I came to see the girl who claims to know who I am."

"I didn't claim anything." All I did was look at him. Was that enough for him to read my mind?

I grabbed my phone in spite of Caden replying to my statement. "It's two in the morning, why are you here?"

"I just told you why." He was hunching his back in the chair, with his elbows on his knees.

"Get out of my house." I turned to face the bookshelf behind me and curled up in the blanket that I mysteriously had on my back.

"So you're not going to tell me how you know me?" I was so tired of him at this point, but his deep seductive voice made me turn back around and look at him with annoyance in my eyes.

"You used to come over to our house a while back, that's all, that's how I know you. Now can you get out? I'm trying to sleep."

He crouched down to me and looked at me with suspense in his eyes. "Leave!" I tried to turn back around until I felt a grip on my chin.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you." His eyes were so dark they made me afraid of him at that moment. "I don't recognize those eyes," he says, in a low voice.