ABDUCTED

Labyrinth of the Mind

Chapter 17. Page 611

Saturday December 17

9 days Until Christmas

(Bianca's POV)
I got up when I heard the shrill of my grandmother's voice telling me to get up. I groaned, rubbing the crust out of my eyes as a pain erupted in my abdomen. I noticed the blood staining my crotch with a sigh. "Of all days," I moaned, standing up.

I walked down the stairs wearing fresh clothes, carrying my laundry basket in my hands. Glammy was standing at the bottom of the staircase, hands on her hips. "You sure slept in," she teased. I gave her a half hearted smile, moving past her toward the laundry room. "Mom, you know she had a rough night. Cut the girl some slack," my said, appearing from behind the laundry room door. She took the basket out of my hands, tossing it by the washer as she turned to look at me. "How are you?" She asked placing her hands on my shoulder. I sucked in a breath, holding back the tears threatening to reveal themselves. I nodded at her. "I'm sure we'll get an update soon," I said almost robotically. "That was convincing," the voice said sarcastically. I sighed. "You're still here?" I asked aloud. "Huh?" My mom said in confusion. "Yeah. I mean. You're still here. I would've thought you and dad would've gone back to work," I said with a laugh. She smiled. "Nope. Just the family for Christmas," she replied. I nodded. "Great," I said, turning to walk away.

I exhaled a bit before stopping in my tracks. "Wait. Mom. What are you doing here? Like in this house? Did you sleep here?" I asked turning back around to face her. She peaked at me from behind the laundry room door with a laugh. "Just... helping out," she replied before going back to her business. I nodded. "Okay... where's dad? And Jamie?" I asked. "Well, your dad got a call from the police department this morning, so him and Jamie went to talk to them," she replied. "Without me?" I questioned, crossing my arms. "Yup," she replied casually. I raised an eyebrow. "I was there. Wouldn't they need my statement? Shouldn't they have taken it last night?" I asked growing more suspicious by the second. She full revealed herself from behind the door, scratching the back of her ear. "Well..." she hesitated, her feet shifting under her. "That won't be necessary since they know your friend got the coke herself," Glam answered for her, walking up behind me. The placed a supportive hand on my shoulder, moving me towards the living room.

She pushed me towards the couch as my younger siblings watched cartoons, silently eating their French toast sticks to Bubble Guppies. My little sister, Alisha, looked back at me, syrup covering her mouth. She smiled at me, teeth full of French toast sticks. "Sister!" She cheered, carefully dangling her legs over the back of the couch. I rushed to her, picking her up just as she got the idea to just "let go." She chuckled as she hugged me, sucking on her thumb like a baby as she rested her head on my chest. "You are...so sticky," I joked, bouncing her up and down as I walked around the couch. Sam and Sammy barely waved at me, completely entranced by the singing aquatic people on the screen.

17.612~

I too became entranced, mindless watching the screen along with them, the pain in my stomach almost fully out of my mind. "What the hell is this?" The voice asked, causing me to flinch. The kids laughed at me, teasing me for being a "scaredy-cat." Alisha giggled, pointing at me with her index finger. "You got scared," she squealed. I smiled at her, placing her back on the couch as I stood up. "Yup! Too scary for sister. I'm gonna go upstairs and talk to a... friend," I said excusing myself.

I closed my bedroom door behind me, locking it as I sat down at my vanity, staring at myself in the mirror. I rubbed my eyes, exhaling as if I had just gotten off a twelve hour shift. "You're... still here," I finally said in a low voice. "Yes. I'll be here for a while," the voice replied. I sighed, running my fingers along my scalp. "Why?" Was all I could ask. The voice didn't answer for a second. "Well? You were real talkative last night," I huffed. "I need you. And, by the looks of your mind, you need me too," the voice finally said. "For what? Why would I need you?" I asked, growing impatient. "Your mind is so... messy. I've been in a few minds in my time and yours is by far the most cluttered. So many useless memories and feeling clogging up the space. I must clean before you are ready," she answered with this flow in her voice that was almost alluring. It calmed me down. "My memories and feelings are cluttering my mind. Wow. That's such crap," I laughed as if she were joking. However she was dead serious. "You don't need the pain—the suffering, the longing. It comprises your decision making skills. I need you to make the right decisions later on," she said in a stern voice. I nodded. "For what? I have a feeling I know exactly who you are, but I don't know what you want. You kissed me. Why?" She stifled a chuckled. "How do you think I got here?" She replied. My eyes widened as I recalled that night. "That's... impossible. I would've felt you," I stuttered.