Forlot - Books 1-3 {Completed}

Chapter Forty-Six

"Hansel! Gretel!" Aunt Katrina proclaimed. She ran into the room and was immediately stopped by a security guard. He grabbed her wrist.

"Miss, you need to obey the rules," the guard declared. "If you do not, then I will personally escort you out of this facility. Do I make myself clear?" He let go of her wrist.

She brushed her ponytail back and adjusted her glasses. "I am terribly sorry," she apologized.

"I gave you a warning. If I see you breaking any rules that we do not tolerate, you will be thrown out. No exceptions."

"I understand. My apologies. It is just that my poor niece and nephew..." She lowered her voice. "...are in the mental asylum. I need to find out why."

"I can answer that." The security guard put his hands on his hips. "We got a call from an unknown person that he or she claimed that your niece and nephew were acting crazy."

"Crazy? The kids? Did he or she say what Hansel and Gretel were doing that made him or her think that they were crazy?"

The guard blew on his badge and wiped it with his sleeve. "The person who called claimed that the kids saw a monster. Your niece and nephew said that the monster is known as the Creature From Beyond. That was enough for me to send a couple of my men down to capture them. 'Cause there are no such things as monsters."

Katrina's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious? They are children. Eleven-year olds. They are not psychopaths!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? The person also claimed that the kids killed a doctor and set him on fire."

She gasped. "Are you kidding me? Hansel and Gretel are the nicest and funniest kids that I have ever known."

He rolled his eyes. "Apparently, you had no idea that they were mentally insane."

"No..." She teared up and sniffed. "...they...they would never—" She was interrupted by the guard.

"Are you here to see them?" He pointed at us. "They are right there. You three have five minutes to talk and get acquainted."

The room was small and dim. Both the ceiling and floor had cracks in them. The floor was an ugly green. So were the walls. The ceiling was as green as a lime. Just taking a look at the disgusting room made me gag.

The room was separated by glass that stretched from one end of the wall to the other. Some people, including me and Hansel, were on one side of the glass. Others, including our aunt, were on the other side. Those on that side were the visitors. The side that we were on...were the criminals.

I looked down at my feet. I never thought in my life that I would be considered as a criminal.

Hansel was shivering. "I-it is so cold in here," he stated.

I looked at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Tell me about it," I responded.

"It is so c—"

"Not literally. I do not want to hear that statement again."

"Kids," we suddenly heard Aunt Katrina from afar. She hurried to us and carefully placed a hand on the glass. "Oh my gosh. Hansel. Gretel."

"Aunt Katrina," Hansel and I said in unison. We were relieved that our aunt was here. Perhaps she could get us out of this mess.

Katrina scooted over a chair that was near the glass and sat in it. She set her purse in her lap. "So the security guard and I had a chat."

"We overheard," Hansel confessed.

"Yeah," I agreed. "But we swear. We are not crazy!"

She played with her fingers. "I believe you two. With all my heart. I love you guys as if you were my own children. And I were your loving mother."

I pressed my hands against the glass. "Is there a way that you can help us get free?"

My twin brother hugged himself. "Please. It is cold. Here and in the cell. And the food that the guards serve us is foul and tasteless." He rocked back and forth in his seat. "Help us! Please! We are innocent!"

"Pipe down, number forty-six!" the guard ordered Hansel.

Aunt Katrina leaned forward, and her glasses slid down. She pushed them back up with a finger and whispered to us.

"I know that you two are not insane. Whoever this person is must have lied. Or maybe you were framed."

"Are you going to bust us out?" I asked.

"I will see. If I cannot, then I will track down the person who filed the complaint and get some answers." She slightly smiled. "Do not worry. I can work fast. So you guys will not be in this building for long."

"Did...did you defeat the zombies?" my twin asked her. I guessed that he wanted to make sure that she was alright. He was concerned about her earlier.

"Yep. And they are not zombies. They are Colnoxes. They are sort of like zombies."

"You!" The security guard pointed at our aunt. "Your five minutes are up. Please get up and leave."

She stood up and tried holding back tears. "I love you, kids."

"We love you too," I said.

"I love you more," Hansel said.

We watched as Katrina waved and left.

A few minutes went by, and a woman and boy entered. The woman talked with the security guard, and the guard pointed at me and my brother. The woman smiled, and she and the boy walked over to the glass.

The woman sat in the chair where our aunt had sat and gave us a warm smile.

"Hello," she said. "Are you Hansel and Gretel?"

Hansel and I looked at each other, and then back at her.

"Who wants to know?" my brother questioned.

"I am Laura Sanders. This is my son. Nigel." She motioned to the boy. "We are here to bust you out."