Welcome To The Family

Chapter Nine

Sometime after midnight, Babe creeps out of Ella's house and starts his short journey home. Even though it was next door, he decided to take the long way and walk around the block. The breezy air feels good on his reddened cheeks. He begins to feel at ease in the neighborhood. He no longer has to worry about strangers shouting from their porches, asking what he's doing walking around so late at night. He approaches his new home. Noticing Miss Hendrick's BMW isn't parked outside, he wishes he stayed longer.

In his room, he plays video games. His ceiling light begins to flicker. Babe rolls his eyes but is taunted by the red book poking out of his bag. He double-takes between the two. With a paper and a pen, he begins to shake his head. "What am I doing?" With help from the book, he begins to translate the flashes of light to dashes and dots. Slowly he converts the morse code to English.

GLD U BAK

"Glad you're back? Who are you?" He asks, the air feeling ridiculous.

The flickering stops for a moment then returns in a different pattern. He can't help but wonder if this is his mind playing tricks on him. Either way, he attempts to decode the next message.

AARON. DED SON.

"Dead son? How'd you die, Aaron? Are you the body from the lake?"

Again the light starts and stops again. He quickly decodes.

ASK MOM.

"Ask mom?" The light ceases its communication, and the book flutters shut. Babe jumps back and pinches himself. Unfortunately, he doesn't wake in the comfort of his bed. "What the fuck." Beneath the cover of his bed, he wonders if he'll wake up and everything will be back to normal. No flickering lights. No books that close. No dead bodies. Just a sweet, new, healthy life, with a girl he thinks is cute. "This isn't real. This isn't real." He mutters to himself.

In the morning, the decoding supplies, to his surprise, are unfortunately still on his floor. Instantly he's hypnotized by the smell of bacon, which cuts through the disappointment. On his way out of the room, he grabs the paper with the decodings on them.

With assistance from the sun, a chandelier casts beautiful specks of rainbows across the walls. Miss Hendricks sips on her tea and watches the rainbows twist around her body. Ants run through his veins as he thinks about speaking up.

She grins. "Good morning. I made breakfast."

He looks at the eggs and bacon on the table, then at the paper in his hands.

"Who's Aaron?" He sets the paper down.

Miss Hendricks' smile briefly drops but reforms quickly. "Who?"

"The flickering light bulb. That's his spirit or something, isn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about?" She says, making her way to the fridge. She pulls out a jar of orange juice. "Have you been getting enough sleep?" She opens a cabinet and grabs two glasses and begins to fill both with OJ.

"The skeleton we found in the lake, it had a necklace with the same charm that you have on your wrist."

Miss Hendricks slides open a drawer and unknowingly to Babe takes an orange pill capsule and splits it in half. She empties the powder into one of the juices. "Really? That's interesting. Hey, listen." She turns around and hands him a glass. "I know adjusting can be tough, but I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"What about these." He places the banknotes and the polaroids in front of her.

Her cheeks begin to ember like a bonfire being attacked with lighter fluid. "I'm quite embarrassed you found these." She sits down at the table and covers her face. "I rather not discuss the pictures, it's an intimate act between my husband and I. The money is my son's college fund... or was." She begins to weep. "I'm so sorry you had to see these."

Guilt replaces the anxiety in Babe's veins. "It's okay. I guess I should be sorry."

"No, it's not your fault. Do you mind if we eat and discuss this later if you want to? Or I can drop you off at the orphanage if that'll make you feel better, so you don't have to live with a weirdo."

"No, no." Babe moves to the chair next to her. "I'm sorry I invaded your privacy. If the box is hidden, it's hidden for a reason." He grabs his plate and moves it closer to him. "Let's eat?" He takes a drink of orange juice. "Is this freshly squeezed?"

"Yes, I made it especially for you." She flashes her pearly whites.

"Eggs are a bit salty, though." He teases and finishes the glass of orange juice to wash down the salt. Miss Hendricks watches Babe as she takes a sip from her orange juice. "I must have drunk OJ too fast. I'm feeling a bit light-headed." He licks his tingling lips. He tries to stand up, but his legs give out, returning him to his seat. Miss Hendricks doesn't react. She watches his eyes grow so heavy that they refuse to open. "There, there, Babe." Miss Hendrick's voice trails through the darkness of his mind.