Saturday, July 6, 2013

Chapter 34: Stuck


It's been a few days since Titanium woke up in the clinic with Camo, hooked up to an IV that delivered him the essential fluids that he'd lost over the past week he'd been in Isolation. The heart monitor slowly beeped, keeping track of his vital signs. Titanium was weak when he was pulled out of Isolation, much weaker than Camo. When he was first brought to the clinic, his heart beat barely registered on the heart monitor. He drifted in and out of consciousness the first two days, and there were times the nurses thought he might go into a coma and never wake up. Camo was luckier, however, he was tired of course, and malnourished, just as Titanium was, but he was never on the verge of being comatose. Any time his eyes were closed, it was because he was asleep.


Titanium and Camo have since returned to the general population of The Compound, walking around, going to class, attending the weekly gathering, and visiting the cafeteria. They sit in front of the fountain together again, enjoying each other's company. They play pool at the pool table The Leader bought for them. They continue to be roommates despite the suspicious activity they were supposedly caught doing. The Leader greets them with a warm smile as they pass him in the cafeteria. Things seem normal again, but the normalcy is far from the truth. Barry walks by, causing shivers to go through Titanium's entire being. Camo notices and is saddened by it, but is unable to give him a reassuring pat on the back or a friendly hug, for fear of being thrown into the cells of hell again.


Titanium may have recovered from being on the brink of death, but he has not recovered from the mental damage that the assault instilled in him. He hasn't been able to set foot in the library since the day it happened and he cries constantly. His emotional state is fractured, and he has nightmares of the incident. Sometimes Camo gets woken up by Titanium's crying, but all he can do is give him a tissue. The silent suffering Titanium is going through saddens Camo every day, and he wishes there was something he could do about it. Titanium sticks with Camo often, like he did before, but he's scared again, of everything, and refuses to leave the grounds. The progress Camo made with him to get him to open up his thinking has backtracked. Titanium appears to have become programmed again with the ways of The Compound. Titanium is afraid of getting put in Isolation again, so he is doing everything he can to be a good resident, to show The Leader that he's a good boy.


Titanium sits on his bed, with his knees up, curled up as small as he can, like he always does. Camo asked him to come to the bookstore, but Titanium doesn't want to leave The Compound. Camo rolls his eyes, but then smiles at Titanium, waves, and leaves the room. Titanium feels bad for not going with Camo because he knows deep down that it's bad for him to be here, but he's been scared into submission. He's glad Camo is being understanding and giving him space. He knows he's not dealing with this well, but he doesn't know how to snap out of it. He wants to be strong, but he's not ready to start helping himself just yet. His fear has made him weak once again.


"I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface
Don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes

 Every step that I take is another mistake to you
Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow

 I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
Become so tired, so much more aware
I'm becoming this, all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you

Can't you see that you're smothering me
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control
Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you

 Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow
Every step that I take is another mistake to you
Caught in the undertow, just caught in the undertow
And every second I waste is more than I can take

 And I know I may end up failing too
But I know you were just like me with someone disappointed in you

 I've become so numb
I can't feel you there
I'm tired of being what you want me to be"
~ Numb by Linkin Park ~


I sit at my dining room table, exhausted from cleaning the house, top to bottom. I didn't expect this to be the start of my weekend, especially after working on the movie set for ten to twelve hours per day. I don't know why I didn't think my weekend would be mine to have, it never is. Maybe I naively thought time would make it better, but I was just kidding myself.

"Joliana, you tart, you didn't change the toilet paper roll, again. How many fucking times have I told you to change the goddamn roll when it gets empty?"

I hate this so much. I don't even know why I put up with her nonsense. She's been such a constant pain in my ass for a little over a year. She never gives me time to breathe, it's just one constant complaint after another.


"Well, I just got done cleaning the entire house, and I missed one thing, one thing. Do you think maybe you could cut me a little slack?"

"It's your week to do chores, it's not my fault you waited until the weekend to do it."


She is ridiculous. I have a time consuming job. It doesn't have the usual 8-5 business hours like everyone else's. It's not like I throw my shit everywhere. How did I get so unlucky to live with the Tidiness Nazi? If I make a humanly error, she chews me out until the cows come home. I don't even know why she wastes so much of her time talking to me if she doesn't like me.

"Whatever. I cleaned the house, and it's not that fucking hard to change the toilet paper roll. Do you realize you sound like a child whining about it? It would have taken you less time to change it yourself than it did coming out here and yelling at me for five minutes about it."


I get up and head to my room. I'm so tired of arguing with her, she always has to be right, even when she's wrong. The little time that I am here, I spend most of my time in my room, so I should really adjust my rent so that I am only paying for the space my room occupies. Yeah, right. I wish. The only time I set foot in the other parts of the house is when I go to work or when I clean it during my assigned chore week. Maybe I should get a boyfriend and move in with him. I'm so glad that I work with Charles. He's so easygoing and kind, patient, and doesn't jump down my throat if I make a mistake.


I'm so sick of living here. I get filled with stress every time I come back to the house. I don't even consider it a real home, it's mostly just a place for me to sleep and keep my stuff. I always feel numb when I am here. I shut down completely and just go through the motions of eating, showering, and sleeping. Maybe I should just come home when she's asleep so I don't have to listen to her yelling at me about nothing.

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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Chapter 33: Mystery

"Hello. Silicon Shores Police Department. How may I direct your call?"

"Hello. I'd like to report a car theft."

"All right. Let me transfer you to Detective Balestrom."

CLICK.

"Hello. This is Detective Balestrom."


"Victor? It's Dad. I need to report a car theft."

"Oh, hi Dad. That's not good. Which car is it?"

"Verona's."

I write down the make and model of my sister's car, Lamborghini Murcielago, on a notepad.

"What's the license plate?"

"5XOF497."

"What else can you tell me about the theft?"


"It was a week ago, I think your mother has it. We got in a fight and I kicked her out. Verona went outside and saw her car was gone. I think that your mother wanted to get back at me or something, since I bought Verona that car as a birthday present. I'm reporting it as a theft because I don't want her living here anymore, and she hasn't been back to return the car, nor get any of her things. Sorry you had to find out this way, but I think I'm going to file for divorce."

"No, that's okay, Dad, at least you're telling me directly, so that's still better than through the grapevine. Do you want me to arrest her when I find her?"

"Yes. I'm not going to press charges after that, but I do want Verona's car back."

"Okay, I'll search and see where she might be. Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, she is good friends with Caroline Wessex, and she likes to go to the country club a lot."

"Do you think Mom would skip town at all?"


"No, I don't think she's that smart. She doesn't know how to survive on her own very well, she's always been pretty dependent on me."

"All right, well, I will look into it and call you when I find her."

"Thank you, Victor."

"Of course, no problem, Dad."

As I hang up the phone, I roll my eyes thinking of my mother. I'd always gotten along with her just fine, but I knew she was a very judgmental person. The only reason she liked me and treated me well was because what I did with my life happened to be appropriate in her eyes. Of course, when I decided to switch careers from being a doctor to a police officer, Mom wasn't happy. I never cared though, I needed to do what made me happy. I'm still married to Aphrodite, whom Mom loves. I'm not sure I understand how Aphrodite gets along with Mom so well since she's not so critical like Mom. Maybe she just has good people skills. I used to be kind of chicken when it came to Mom when I was younger, hence the fancy medical degree. I always knew in my heart I wanted to be a police officer, but I never had the courage to tell Mom that. After I saw how Mom treated Verona when she stood up to her, I didn't want to lose her love. I always felt bad for Verona, but I never stood up for her, and I think Verona kind of hates me a little for that. Dad always got angry at Mom for picking on Verona, so I can't say that Dad telling me he wanted to file for divorce was a shock to me or anything. I'm more surprised Dad put up with Mom for so long. I wonder what it was that caused the straw to break the camel's back.


"Hey Absolon. Cool necklace."

"Oh thanks. Titanium gave it to me the other day.  Do you want to eat with me? I can make some spaghetti."

"Yeah sure."

Verona follows me into the kitchen, grabbing some pots and pans for me. I get some food out of the refrigerator and start cooking.


"Absolon, what do you know about that place where Titanium and Camo live? Camo tells me all sorts of weird things that he has to do and I have to admit, I'm not okay with them."

"Well, my mom was part of that place for a while. It eventually got into her head so much that her actions tore my family apart."

"Wow. I am so sorry. You don't have to talk about it anymore if it bothers you."

"It's all right. I've been telling Titanium about it when we hang out, I can tell you too since you're like a sister to me now. Well, my mom and dad used to always fight, and then they made up for a little while. My dad went to a therapist, and my mom went to that shelter. She made a bunch of friends there, and for a while, it appeared to be helping her. About a year and a half after she started going there, though, she started acting weird."

I was sitting on the couch with my dad playing a video game, when Mom came home, looking sullen like she had been every day now. She was wearing what looked like secondhand clothes, but Dad and I never said anything about it to her, even though we thought it was weird since Dad made enough money for the both of them that Mom could have bought nice clothes for herself if she desired. For some reason, though, she always came home in unfamiliar clothes that were really crappy looking. Today she was wearing a long sleeved shirt with a cheesy cat on it, and a long, unattractive skirt.


Mom stood there for a while, with her hand on her hip. Then she said something condescending, which she had been doing a lot lately. Neither my dad or I could explain the drastic change in her behavior because she had always been the one who was trying to get my dad and I to be friends, which we now were. We didn't understand why she wasn't happy with us.

 "Video games are so violent. You shouldn't be playing them, they will get into your head and corrupt your soul."

 "Chill out, Mom, it's just a game, a way to relieve stress, you know? I'm not going to do the things in the video game in real life."

 "Well, regardless of that, it's not good for you. I don't want you seeing such things."

 Mom walked in front of the television and shut it off.


 "There. That's better. Read a book, it's healthier for you."

 Dad yelled, and I sat there, rolling my eyes. This was the source of a lot of their fights now, Mom would come home after a day with her new friends, then pick on me or Dad for doing something completely normal. I tried to turn the television back on while they were fighting, so that I could at least save the game, but as soon as I got my hand close to the button, Mom stopped yelling at Dad long enough to swat my hand away from the screen.

 "What the hell, Mom? I just want to save the game."

 "No, Absolon. It's not worth it, you don't need to save such rubbish."

 "Andromeda, don't be ridiculous, just let him save the game!"

 "There's no point in letting him do that, he won't be playing it again anyway, so he doesn't need to save his place."

 "Andromeda!"

 Dad turned the television back on, and then held Mom so she couldn't turn it off.


 "Absolon? Save your game and then go to bed, okay?"

 I did as I was told, and then fell asleep to the sounds of them continuing to yell at each other.

 "Anyway, Mom was completely screwed up in the head and she kept weirding out Dad and I. I really thought she'd be happy that Dad and I were getting along, but she didn't seem to care, which was especially strange since that was what she had wanted us to do for as long as I can remember."


"Wow, Absolon, I'm sorry. It was those ideas the shelter taught your mom that was making her act differently?"

"Yeah. She was getting brainwashed."

I get up and wash our dishes and Verona follows me, with her hand over her mouth after I said the word brainwashed.

"Oh no. Does that mean Titanium and Camo are getting brainwashed? We have to get them away from there."


Camo slowly opens his eyes. He feels that he's on a bed instead of the floor, hears a faint beeping sound, and notices he's in a brightly lit room. He looks around and sees Titanium on another bed, similar to his. He's wearing sweatpants and nothing else, with a tube coming out of his arm. Camo realizes he's in the clinic of The Compound. A week must have passed already, and he's glad he survived it. He's also happy to see Titanium is in the room with him.


Despite the relief Camo feels from no longer being in Isolation, he does not feel at ease in his heart. Nothing about his life is by any means okay to him anymore. Camo has never felt right in this place, even though it's the place where he grew up, the only place he's ever known. He thinks of how Verona's father treats her, and wants someone like that in his life, not someone who is constantly berating him, making him feel stupid all the time. He feels bad for Verona because he thinks of her mother and how mean she was to him, reminding him completely of the same way that he gets treated here. Camo wonders if it's possible to leave a place like this. Thinking about it more, he's never heard of anyone leaving, just coming. He's fairly certain if he just tried to leave, he'd be chased his whole life because The Leader would want him to come back. If he got caught, he'd probably be beaten again, and he knows he doesn't want that. For now, he decides that he'll just keep thinking about leaving, without mentioning it to anyone because he knows that he and Titanium are probably under close scrutiny after this incident.


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Friday, June 21, 2013

Chapter 32: Assaulted

Music Track - Play when it shows up if you want to listen. 

Violence, FYI

~ Late Knight Simmer ~


 Did the Compound ever find out that you didn't have any interest in being intimate with a woman?

Well... that's a hard question to answer. I was sexually assaulted by someone whom I'd least expected to be breaking the rules. To this day, I can't explain why he did it. The aftermath of that experience led to the misinterpretation of a situation that was completely innocent and was blown entirely out of proportion. They never actually asked me flat out if I preferred men over women, but I'm fairly certain that after this situation, they just assumed that I did.

Camo comes back to his and Titanium's room and sees Titanium sitting on the floor crying. He makes his way over to Titanium and stays close to him.

"Titanium? It's Camo. What's the matter?"

"Camo? Hug me."


Camo is confused, but he fulfills Titanium's wish and hugs him. Titanium cries into Camo's shoulder, his tears soaking into Camo's tshirt. Camo is really concerned about him because he's never seen him this sad before. Camo knows nothing bad happened between he and Absolon because he knows that the last time Titanium saw Absolon was when Camo brought them to Verona's house after they got back from Egypt. Titanium seemed fine after that visit.

"Camo, it was awful. Barry made me have sex with him."

"What the fuck? Did you tell anyone? You know how we're not supposed to have sex anywhere else but the Intimacy Room, he'd get in trouble for it."

"Yeah, but what about me? I feel like I'd get in trouble too because that's just how messed up this place is. It doesn't matter if I am right or not, the fact that I was involved in it automatically means I get in trouble too."

Camo looks down sadly at Titanium and knows he's right. There's no reasoning with The Leader and it is the norm here for both parties breaking the rules to be thrown into Isolation. He's angry because Barry is going to get away with it. Suddenly he has an idea.


"Titanium, what if I told The Leader that it happened to me? Barry would get what he deserved, and you'd get some sense of justice."

"No, I don't want you to have to go in Isolation. It's horrible, Camo! They feed you once a day for a week. You have to sleep on the floor with a single thin blanket. I don't want you to do that! I care about you too much. You could die! Don't! I don't want to lose you! Justice isn't that important if I lose you in the process."

Titanium freaks out and grabs Camo's shirt in a desperate plea to get him to release that idea from his mind. He hugs him tighter and cries harder.

"Shh, it's okay, I won't. I just thought I'd see how important it was to you that Barry get in trouble, but it's clear to me that my well being is more important to you, so I won't do it. It's okay."

Meanwhile... Barry walks past Titanium and Camo's door and sees them in an embrace. Barry grins to himself and pulls out his walkie talkie. A few minutes later, Camo's walkie talkie goes off and The Leader's voice comes over it.


"Camo and Titanium, please come to the Announcement Desk."

Camo hands Titanium a tissue so he can clean his tears off his face, and changes into a dry shirt. He looks at Titanium to make sure he's composed enough to leave their room. It probably won't be good for The Leader to see him crying. They make their way over to the Announcement Desk and are greeted with the clipboard that holds the papers for Isolation. Titanium grabs the back of Camo's shirt, and Camo gets annoyed with The Leader.

"What the hell? We didn't do anything."


"Contrary to popular opinion, Camo, you did. Someone saw you and Titanium hugging each other in what looked to be an extremely intimate way. That's a big no-no. You know you're not supposed to be intimate in any place other than the Intimacy Room. However, this is more severe than just engaging in intimacy outside of the Intimacy Room. This is that plus engaging in intimate acts with someone of the same gender. You are both going to be put in Isolation with additional punishment."

"Fuck you. I was comforting him. There was NO intimacy going on. I just hugged him!"

"Why did he need to be comforted?"

"He was sad."

"He shouldn't be sad, this house is perfect and he should have everything he needs. Sign here and write down the reason for your punishment. No more questions."

"Fuck you."

Camo walks away from the desk, Titanium quickly following him. The Leader sighs and opens one of the desk drawers that contain a number of syringes. He calmly goes over to Camo and stabs the syringe in Camo's neck, making Camo collapse instantly.


Titanium screams and rushes over to Camo, but The Leader swiftly pulls out another syringe and stabs Titanium in the neck as well.


Titanium collapses onto Camo, unconscious. The Leader then picks them up one by one and throws them in Isolation.



I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

I'm so tired but I can't sleep
Standin' on the edge of something much too deep
It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but we can't be heard

I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories

I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to lose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose
Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night
You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light

I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
~ I Will Remember You by Sarah Mclachlan ~
Camo opens his eyes slowly and sees a single toilet in front of him. He looks up and sees a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. He feels groggy and disoriented. He tries to get up, using the wall for support, but his knees give way and he falls over. Deciding there's really no point in standing up anyway, he sits back down on the floor and puts his head in his hands. He wonders how Titanium is doing, and hopes he's okay since Titanium has feared Isolation ever since he met him.



BUZZ. CLICK.

The door opens and Camo looks up, a strange man comes into the room. He shuts the door behind him, and pulls Camo roughly to his feet. Camo stumbles a little and glares at the man. He barely has time to react before a punch to the side of his face makes him fall down onto the cold tile. Pain radiates through his jaw line, and the man pulls him to his feet again, only to make him fall to the ground with another punch. After he pulls Camo to his feet, Camo questions his assailant.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you need to be punished. Boys should never be intimate with each other. It is wrong, and all those thoughts should be purged from your existence."

"I wasn't being intimate with him."

"Documentation says otherwise."

Camo is about to continue arguing, but another punch sends him hurtling to the ground again.


After thirty more minutes, which seem like a lifetime to Camo, the man punches him for the last time and roughly sets a bowl of soup and a glass of water in the room before leaving.

BUZZ. CLICK.

Camo lays on the floor, exhausted from his beating. His face is numb and he can't seem to see straight. He closes his eyes for a few minutes. Finally when he can see again, he notices the food next to the wall.


He crawls over to the food and eats it slowly, wincing when the spoon touches the cut on his lip. After a few more bites, he gets used to the pain on his mouth and finishes his dinner. He decides to sip his water slowly and keep it around in case he doesn't get any more for many hours. He puts the glass of water in the corner so he doesn't tip it over and unrolls the thin blanket, curling up in it. He cries into the blanket, thinking about Verona and how he wants to see her right now, imagining him snuggling with her in her bed, and how a simple touch from her makes him feel warm inside. He thinks about Titanium and hopes that he can make it through the week. Camo's thoughts go back to Verona and he knows he has to survive no matter how bad things get because he knows that he wants to see her again.


Titanium is huddled in the corner scared out of his mind, and he thinks he is losing it. His face hurts from being beaten and he's hyperventilating.


He hasn't been able to think as well as Camo has, and he's finished his water as well as his soup. He starts coughing because he's hyperventilating and his throat is dry. He hopes Camo is okay, but he's afraid Camo is having it worse than him because Camo mouthed off to The Leader.


No matter what he does, he can't stop the tears from coming down, and unfortunately he starts thinking about what Barry did to him. He thinks it's so unfair that Barry didn't get in trouble and he did. Why did Barry even do that to him? He thought Barry was someone who followed every rule with no exception. He was just in the library, reading a book while Camo was visiting Verona. Barry came over and said hi, so he talked to him. All of a sudden, Barry pushed him against the bookcase and told him to shut up.


Then Barry tried to kiss him. Titanium pushed him away and tried to leave, but Barry grabbed his shirt and removed his pants, touching him where he was uncomfortable. Barry made Titanium bend over, draping him over the chair he had been sitting on. Then Barry pushed inside him, groping the front of him the entire time with one hand, while grabbing his hair harshly with his other hand. At first Titanium struggled, but it hurt to do that, so he decided he had to stop squirming so he wouldn't hurt himself more than Barry was already hurting him.


Titanium crawls into the blanket and hugs himself. He wishes he'd had sex with Absolon first, and then he gets angry because Barry took that chance away from him. He gets scared that he might not make it through the week if he gets beat up again. He's never felt as strong as Camo, mentally or physically. He closes his eyes and tries to sleep because he's tired of crying. As he drifts off to sleep, he thinks of Absolon's pink eyes and how they sparkle when he looks at him.


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Thursday, June 6, 2013

Chapter 31: Wrong

"Absolon? Absolon?"

Jeez, Mom just insulted the shit out of Absolon, and I think he's still stunned from the words. He sinks down onto my bed and covers his face like he's ashamed. I hope he's not, since he has nothing to be ashamed about. Dad is standing in the same place he was, probably also stunned from what he just did. I'm just glad Mom is gone. We hear the gate open, and a screech of tires as Mom peels out of the house. I never thought Mom would ever drive like that. Dad finally snaps out of his trance as the gate shuts. Maybe he was just waiting for confirmation that Mom actually left. He walks over to Absolon and sits next to him.


"Hi, Charles. Thanks for standing up for me, I know I'm not your responsibility or anything. You didn't have to do that."

"No, I did. She is crazy, and I took you in. I want you to feel comfortable living here."

"I've never had anyone talk to me like that before. No one knew what my preferences were except Verona and Camo. Not even my parents."


"Well you are lucky then, lots of people get bullied their whole lives because of their preferences. I'm sorry Kalya was so mean to you. Are you all right?"

"I don't know. I think I am, but I'm still a little shocked, like I feel like I did something wrong by existing."

"No. You did nothing. You are fine just the way you are."

RING-RING!

The intercom sounds, and I volunteer to answer it so Daddy can continue to comfort Absolon. I'm super excited that it is Camo, who has been back from Egypt for a day now, but didn't want to come over right after getting home so as not to raise suspicion. I'm even more excited that he brought Titanium as well because he wanted to see Absolon. Perfect timing, now that Mom is gone, and Absolon needs some comforting. I practically run Camo over when he comes in the front door.


"Camo, it's been horrible."

"What?"

"Mom. She's been horrible. Dad just kicked her out, but not before she insulted Absolon. Titanium, you should go into my room, the first door on the left. Absolon needs you."

I feel like I've been kicked. I don't know how that conversation between Kalya and I went downhill so fast. One moment I was sticking up for Verona telling her mother that we weren't involved, and the next moment I was being treated like a dirty sock. Questionable lifestyle? Inappropriate? I'm not inappropriate! My lifestyle is not questionable! I am not dirty! I feel dirty, though, but I know I shouldn't. I know I didn't do anything wrong, so why do I feel out of sorts? I look up and see Titanium standing there. He's got concern written all over his face, so Verona must have clued him in that I needed him. Charles looks at me, then to Titanium, and then gets up, leaving us alone. That man has the intuition of a god, sometimes I think he's psychic.


"Absolon? What happened?"

"Oh, Verona's mom just told me that I lead an inappropriate, questionable lifestyle because I like boys. My insides hurt. Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, of course not. Why do you think she said that?"

"I don't know. I- never- no one's ever told me that liking boys was wrong. I wasn't very close to either of my parents, so I never told them I liked boys. I guess, boys are supposed to like girls, and that's the only way it is? I don't know."


Titanium looks down at the bed, or my leg, I don't know which, with his pretty blue eyes.

"Well, I get told liking anyone, boy or girl, is wrong. You know."

"Yeah, that's true. I feel right when I'm with you though, like everything is good in the world. You make me happy."

"That's good. You make me happy too. I feel like The Compound is wrong to tell me that liking someone is a bad thing, so maybe Verona's mom was wrong, and we're fine."

He looks so sad, and suddenly I've forgotten how shitty I felt earlier because I want to make Titanium feel better. I'm glad that he has come to the realization that the way The Compound views relationships is messed up, but I'm annoyed that it's made him sad.

"Yeah, maybe. How was your trip?"


"It was okay, I guess. There were a lot of meetings I had to go to, but there was one day we had free. Camo and I went to the store, and I bought this for you."

He hands me a small box, and I open it to find a necklace that has a pyramid charm attached.

"I thought you might like a necklace since you wear one all the time."

"Thanks! I do like it."

I'm glad Kalya's gone. I feel weird though since she's been with me for so long. It makes me mad that she was just pretending to be okay with Absolon, and then went and said such horrible things about him. I don't even know if anything I said to Absolon made him feel better. I'm so hungry right now. I guess in my annoyance with everything, I forgot to eat. Luckily, there's some leftover sushi in the fridge. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with her any longer. I told her I wanted a trial separation, but I think I just want her to be gone. I know it would be better for Verona if Kalya was permanently out of her life.


"Dad? Is Mom gone for good? Like are you letting her back in the house, ever?"

"No, I don't want her living here anymore."

"Oh. Well, then I think it's safe to say she stole my car."


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