I rushed through the front door with the book that I borrowed from the library eager read more.
“Hello to you too, what’s that?” mum asked me raising her eyebrows. If I told her what the book was about that would mean that I would have to tell her about our little trip to the psychic and I wasn’t really ready for that. I would tell her eventually but not just yet.
“This? This is a book”, I said while quickly rushing out of the room to find Oliver. “Oliver!” I yelled through the house.
“Acacia! If you want to find your brother try less yelling and more looking. Anyway, he’s not here”, she said not mentioning my brushing her off about the book. She continued to read the newspaper comic strips and giggle to herself. I couldn’t believe I had time to notice this given what was running through my mind right then. My desperate need to find Oliver and to tell him about the story was written all over my face in sweat.
“Well, where is he?” I snapped. She paused, as a result of my rudeness, before divulging the whereabouts of my brother. She stared at me and continued calmly.
“He’s at the bowling alley with his friends”, she said. I nodded and smiled before running out the door towards my car.
The ten minute drive helped me to clear my head and prepare for what I was going to say of what I had learned. With my window down the cool breeze was nice against my wet face. The Australian suburbs were always nice to drive though. Sometimes, I would take the long way just to see children running through the sprinklers or climbing the tallest tree they could find. It would help me when having the dreary thoughts of where I might be from. Oliver was similar but he had spent fourteen years with his parents before they disappeared mysteriously. That’s when the Carter’s adopted him. Maybe that’s why they were so willing to take me under their wing. My parents found me in the street surrounded by fire. What sort of person would leave a baby in the middle of the street surrounded by a very unsymmetrical circle of fire? Even though our father left us three years later, I was still lucky enough to be found by the right people. My thoughts always start out with questions but by the end of the drive I always come to the same conclusion; I have the most caring family I could’ve ever hoped for.
I walked up the brown steps to the double doors that were also very dirty which made me realise that, that is why they wanted them to be brown. The staff socialise with their customers more than they do their job. I had stepped into this bowling alley a total of twelve times and all of which were to fetch Oliver. This bowling alley was like the headquarters for unemployed douche bags, hence why my loving brother came here all the time.
“Acacia?” a woman asked from behind the counter as I stepped through the doors. “If you’re looking for your brother again, he just walked outside about two minutes ago”, she told me and smiled sweetly.
“Thanks”, I said and gladly walked out.
I had a look for Oliver in the parking lot, which was full cheap and dented cars, but with no luck I tried his cell phone. When it started ringing I could hear it from around the corner near the garbage bins. As I walked closer I could hear people talking so I waited and listened.
“Are you going to answer your device?” an old voice asked. There was a scramble and the old man started to breathe very heavily. I felt like I should do something as I could hear the old man choking which told me that he was probably being held against his will by the neck. I was about to go and get help when I unfortunately heard a familiar voice.
“Don’t you dare try to change the subject! I’m the one talking here and you should respect me. If you do not cooperate, I swear, I will kill you. Where is the weapon?! ” He spat in the man’s face. Was he serious? Was my brother actually threatening to kill a man?
“I would never help a creature such as you. I will do anything to defend my people against threats like you”, the man said. I smiled. I didn’t know why I was smiling but for some reason I felt proud of this man. I admired his defiant tone and confidence in himself no matter his position in the argument. I was just about to step out from around the corner and stop my brother from doing something he would regret when he continued to speak.
“Well, I’ll make sure your people get the message that you died for them, especially your daughter”, Oliver whispered in his ear. There was no time to blink or move before a gun shot when off. I had never been any closer to a gunshot than the forty inch plasma TV screen in our lounge room. I was afraid to confront him. I couldn’t believe it was Oliver, my brother, who I have known my entire life but that would be utterly ridiculous. If there was one thing I could believe about him in that moment it would be murderer or not, he was my brother and he would never hurt me. With that in mind I spun around and confronted him.
“Acacia”, he sighed in exasperation. “Since the jig is up, I will warn you now. You’re next”, he said and walked away. I was frozen. Everything slowed as salt water began to drip from and fill my eyes. My breath began to quicken and a lump formed in my throat. I collapsed like a broken toy and I sounded like a broken record. The man stirred and I looked up. I immediately crawled over to his side and to my horror and surprise he was the man from the supermarket.
“I’m calling the hospital”, I spluttered. His soft hand stopped me from raising the phone to my ear.
“You’ll die if I don’t call now”, I said with panic. He looked at me intently.
“I know. However, you do not realise the danger you are in or your duty”, he stuttered through the pain.
“What? What do you mean by ‘my duty’?” I asked him.
“The war will begin. There is only one who can end it. There are many who….” He said as his voice slurred away his last sentence.
“K… K… Kadar”, he breathed. What was Kadar?
“What is Kadar?” I urgently asked. He didn’t answer. I shook him and no sign was given that he was still alive. I cried more and my tears fell all over the old man’s face. One tear dropped in his eye and it started to burn. I stared at his eye in horror. What was happening? I stepped back and picked up my phone to call the police and report the murder.
