Faceless - Chapter 2

Flashback - 10 years ago

Engine. Trees. Houses. Cars. I say random words in my mind quietly, fighting to stay awake. I got almost 10 hours of sleep yesterday, you think I could stay awake for a measly 30 minutes. I roll my eyes at myself. Palm trees. Radio…

I shift my vision beside me to see Kenneth swerving the wheel back and forth, keeping a steady pace. An undeterred determination cleanses his eyes. Oh yes his eyes. One brown and one green. Heterochromia. That’s what they called it. I smiled, an easiness setting into my chest. Birds. Planes. Seagulls…

“Mommy? Are we almost thereeeeee-” Thalia groans impatiently, flailing her legs and arms around. Impatience. The sort of crazy impatience that seemed to run in the family tree. Her lips rest into a pout, as she holds her fists into the air.

“Shhhhh…” I say. “Your siblings are sleeping.”

“But-”

I start to hum a lullaby as Thalia drifts off into a sleep, and without long, I realize I drift off into a sleep to.

My eyelids socked awake. A white flash pierces my eyes as I see a blur of a room. I see a lab assistant. Sticky blue gloves pulled onto their hands. He gazes at me frantically, his expression in total freak out mode, thick black glasses hang over his eyes and he wears a white coat.

“SHE’S AWAKE. WHERE’S THE SLEEPING GAS?!”

My mind doesn’t process anything as a mask is held to my face. I choke on air as my eyelids fall deeply into an uncharted sleep. Lost. Dead. Help.

I wake up, gasping for air, to see I’m still in the car. What in the world?!

“Mommyy~ Dad said we arrived at amusement park!!!” Excitement bounces from Thalia's voice as she shouts. Her brown hair barely falls to her ears and she wears a pink t-shirt with a unicorn on it. I rub my eyes. I… What just happened? Was that really a...Dream? No, no, it can’t of been a dream.

Duncan and Sam wake up as they both start crying in unison. Their cries blare through my ears like a siren.

“Thalia!” Kenneth scolds. “How many times do we have to tell you-”

“Easy.” I cough up a response as I steadily exit the vehicle. I help the younger kids out. A dizziness sweeps my brain as I look into the starry night. So many stars. Little bursts of light echoing hope and forgiveness. Ahead is a field of colors and a light up entrance leading to tons of carnival rides. It was beautiful but all I could feel was fear. The vastly familiar fear that liked to follow me everywhere I went.

I look down at my hand to suddenly see I’m clutching something. I unroll my fist. A paper? I look at it to see the date “09-09” inscribed in black sharpie. I throw the paper to the ground, stomping on it, as I run to keep up with my family.

Present Time

Everyone told me to live life as if it were the last day on earth, but we’re not capable of not having regrets. No matter what I do today, or tomorrow, if I even reach today or tomorrow, I will always regret something. Always. It’s a deafening truth, but guess what? It's still the truth.

My eyelids blink open, slowly, unveiling my bedroom. White wallpaper glistened the walls and my bed was soft. Soft enough to sink into, like some wormhole you never want to leave.

A perplexing look emits my face. Wait a minute. Events from yesterday suddenly blast through my mind like the start of a thriller movie. Or worse. I shiver. A thriller NOVEL.

I shoot up, standing on my feet. I feel dizzy for a second, but all I can think of is my children. Oh my god, my children! Are they okay?!?!

Hmmm… Why would this kidnapper leave me in my own house anyways? I furrow my eyebrows as a headache pierces my brain like a fire alarm. I’m running out of time to get out of this “fire.” (metaphorically speaking…)

A hot red tinges my lip as I touch my fingertips to my mouth. Oh jesus. I look at my fingernails to see a surge of freshly cut blood riveting on my hands. Ok. We’ll fix this, but first…

I dart out of my bedroom doorway and run down the halls, searching every single room, and then rummaging downstairs.

“THALIA?! DUNCAN?! OS-” I screech out names like a madwoman, single teardrops dripping down my cheeks like a leaky faucet. I’ll never forgive myself if… If- I shudder thinking of the fact. They’re ok, they have to be. They’re too young. Way too young…I start to sob uncontrollably, dropping to my knees on the wooden floor.

“Uh- Mom?”

I look above me to see Sam, her phone clutched in her grip at her side. She looks concerned, her blonde hair straddled in a ponytail. She wears a wrinkled red sweater.

“HONEY!” I jump up and hug her, suppressing my tears, as she slowly hugs me back.

“Are you having a midlife crisis? Because we can totes figure this out-” She says in an annoyingly clique teenagers voice.

“I...sweetie something happened…” My hands shake as I try to control my breathing. “I’m bleeding… but f-find your siblings…”

“Mom, you’re like... not bleeding.”

“What?”

She tilts her head a little, surveying me up and down. A sort of shame surrounds me, causing my chin to quiver. I prayed. I cried. I screamed. And she’s telling me I’m not bleeding?

“Ok. You need a cold shower and some self help books. How about I teach you some texting acronyms?” She forces a smile, putting her phone in her back pocket.

I nod. “Yeah, later. Just… Tell your siblings it’s fend for yourself tonight…” I awkwardly pat her on the shoulder as confusion spouts in my brain like a disease. A horrible quick witted disease. The kind that would rot my mind and corner me into insanity. God. What am I even saying anymore?

She trots off as I drag my feet to the bathroom. I shut the door, locking it, and look into the silver mirror hanging over the sink. The bright lights dancing in the reflection.

I finally look at myself. No bruises, no blood, nothing. I looked completely normal, except the excessive black bags under my eyes. That made absolutely no sense… I know what I saw, right? I began questioning myself as my mind searched for a solution. Something to blame for this, something I could chop if off as, something that would be a totally normal explanation. Well, if google doesn’t know, then nobody knows.

I take out my phone and search up the weirdest sentence I’ve ever done in my life: What does it mean if you’re knocked out, wake up, think you’re tragically bleeding and your kids are missing, then realize it was all some hallucination?

I hit search, my heart dropping. Dang it. No search results, really?! You mean to tell me that no one has- I stopped myself at that sentence as I realize how crazy I sound.

“What day is it anyway?” I look at the calendar and see the date is “09-09.”

Hm. That’s funny, I could’ve sworn something weird happened on this date sometime ago… I shrug. Eh, maybe the weather was just windy.

I stride back in my room and take out my computer, checking my bacefook (totally did not copyright facebook.)

“Hazel Riverwood has sent you a friend request.”