Chapter 5 Back at Home
Morgan sat alone in her room that night. She could hear her parents talking in hushed tones below her. She looked out the window thinking about the day's events.
"She could have been killed Warren and you don't even seem to care," her mother yelled.
"Listen Molly, she's alright now and there's nothing more to it," Warren, her father, answered.
"I'm not talking about her surviving, you didn't show her any compassion at all. Do you think it hasn't been hard for her - for us to have a life when you're travelling the globe Warren! When I had the stroke you almost couldn't come back, but she was there the whole time. This was her chance to be a kid again before she goes to college, this was her time and you're acting like it's just another burden," Molly yelled.
"It is another burden," he replied sharply.
"It's our daughter," Molly screamed.
Morgan rolled back onto her bed and looked at the nightstand. Her alarm clock sat near the edge, the minute changed. Eight nineteen.
"I know she's our daughter and I know this is hard on her, but someone has to support this family and we all know you can't do it Molly," Warren yelled.
"Why are you such a bastard Warren. I had a stroke, I didn't bring it onto myself, I didn't do anything to hurt myself but it happened a long time ago. I work Warren, but I can't do the things I used to anymore. But I still brought home enough money to support Morgan and I when you were in Switzerland, or when you were in Germany," Molly said angrily.
"I was there to support us," Warren said.
"You never brought us," Molly yelled.
"I couldn't," Warren answered.
"Why," Molly asked.
The silence that followed Morgan remembered from when she was younger. Her father was always away on trips, flying from one country to the next in search of new money and new business opportunities. It was when Morgan was eight that her mother got the call from the woman in Italy. Natalia. Her father's lover.
Her father had been having an affair on her mother. It was years later that she had the stroke, but she would never blame it on Warren. Morgan knew however that was all her mother could think about - whether he still loved them, if he still remembered them, why he would do that, what she was doing wrong.
"I'm not cheating on you Molly," Warren yelled.
"But you were, and I can't be sure," Molly screamed.
Morgan had enough. She rolled off the bed and walked to her closet, pulling out her red shirt and brown leather jacket. She put them on and looked herself over in the mirror. Her short brown hair lay at her shoulders; her jeans were tight on her thin frame.
She opened the door and walked down the stairs, her parents were arguing loudly so they wouldn't hear her slip out the back. The cool night air surrounded her, the streetlights lit the road and she disappeared into the darkness.
"Morgan," a voice said.
Morgan turned from the shade of a tree and looked. A thin tall blonde girl stood in the streetlight dressed in some jeans and a large T-shirt.
"Beth, what are you doing," Morgan asked.
Beth walked over slowly crossing the street stopping in the middle.
"I don't want to stay at home. I can't get that image out of my head," Beth replied.
"Don't stand in the middle of the road," Morgan joked.
Beth walked across the street, an uneasy smile on her face. She hugged Morgan tight and when they released she played with Morgan's hair.
"You miss Pete," Morgan asked.
"I loved Pete," she replied.
"They were my best friends," Morgan said with tears coming to her eyes.
Beth wiped a tear off her cheek and smiled a little more.
"I don't want to stay at home anymore. It's too quiet there," Beth said.
"Total opposite at my house. My parents are feuding over the affair," Morgan said.
"You taking it okay," Beth asked.
Morgan was used to her parents fighting by now.
"Yeah, I'll persevere. I'm a strong girl," Morgan laughed.
"I came over to ask you about something," Beth said.
"Ask me about what," Morgan asked.
Beth went silent, she played with a strand of her long blonde hair. She let it fall in front of her face and looked Morgan in her dark brown eyes.
"I had a vision too," Beth said.
"What," Morgan said shocked.
"Earlier today I was making coffee, and the power went out and when I fixed the fuse the clock said six," Beth replied.
Morgan didn't know how to react. For so long she had thought she had the only vision but now she realized that she wasn't alone.
"I didn't think anything of it, not until you started flipping out about the time. I decided to follow you, I thought. I knew something was going to happen. I told the others to stay though. I told them to stay and I killed them. They were their parents only children and now they're dead," Beth said starting to cry.
"Do you think that the others saw a sign too," Morgan asked.
Beth looked up as the tears ran down her face. The epiphany had occurred to both of them. Maybe they weren't the only ones who had seen something, but maybe they were the only ones to have analyzed it.
"Do you remember the other people's names. We have to contact them and ask them," Morgan said.
"Vaguely, but I know who would remember," Beth said.
Morgan looked at her and shut her eyes when she said the name.
Officer Harold Chase.
Morgan sat alone in her room that night. She could hear her parents talking in hushed tones below her. She looked out the window thinking about the day's events.
"She could have been killed Warren and you don't even seem to care," her mother yelled.
"Listen Molly, she's alright now and there's nothing more to it," Warren, her father, answered.
"I'm not talking about her surviving, you didn't show her any compassion at all. Do you think it hasn't been hard for her - for us to have a life when you're travelling the globe Warren! When I had the stroke you almost couldn't come back, but she was there the whole time. This was her chance to be a kid again before she goes to college, this was her time and you're acting like it's just another burden," Molly yelled.
"It is another burden," he replied sharply.
"It's our daughter," Molly screamed.
Morgan rolled back onto her bed and looked at the nightstand. Her alarm clock sat near the edge, the minute changed. Eight nineteen.
"I know she's our daughter and I know this is hard on her, but someone has to support this family and we all know you can't do it Molly," Warren yelled.
"Why are you such a bastard Warren. I had a stroke, I didn't bring it onto myself, I didn't do anything to hurt myself but it happened a long time ago. I work Warren, but I can't do the things I used to anymore. But I still brought home enough money to support Morgan and I when you were in Switzerland, or when you were in Germany," Molly said angrily.
"I was there to support us," Warren said.
"You never brought us," Molly yelled.
"I couldn't," Warren answered.
"Why," Molly asked.
The silence that followed Morgan remembered from when she was younger. Her father was always away on trips, flying from one country to the next in search of new money and new business opportunities. It was when Morgan was eight that her mother got the call from the woman in Italy. Natalia. Her father's lover.
Her father had been having an affair on her mother. It was years later that she had the stroke, but she would never blame it on Warren. Morgan knew however that was all her mother could think about - whether he still loved them, if he still remembered them, why he would do that, what she was doing wrong.
"I'm not cheating on you Molly," Warren yelled.
"But you were, and I can't be sure," Molly screamed.
Morgan had enough. She rolled off the bed and walked to her closet, pulling out her red shirt and brown leather jacket. She put them on and looked herself over in the mirror. Her short brown hair lay at her shoulders; her jeans were tight on her thin frame.
She opened the door and walked down the stairs, her parents were arguing loudly so they wouldn't hear her slip out the back. The cool night air surrounded her, the streetlights lit the road and she disappeared into the darkness.
"Morgan," a voice said.
Morgan turned from the shade of a tree and looked. A thin tall blonde girl stood in the streetlight dressed in some jeans and a large T-shirt.
"Beth, what are you doing," Morgan asked.
Beth walked over slowly crossing the street stopping in the middle.
"I don't want to stay at home. I can't get that image out of my head," Beth replied.
"Don't stand in the middle of the road," Morgan joked.
Beth walked across the street, an uneasy smile on her face. She hugged Morgan tight and when they released she played with Morgan's hair.
"You miss Pete," Morgan asked.
"I loved Pete," she replied.
"They were my best friends," Morgan said with tears coming to her eyes.
Beth wiped a tear off her cheek and smiled a little more.
"I don't want to stay at home anymore. It's too quiet there," Beth said.
"Total opposite at my house. My parents are feuding over the affair," Morgan said.
"You taking it okay," Beth asked.
Morgan was used to her parents fighting by now.
"Yeah, I'll persevere. I'm a strong girl," Morgan laughed.
"I came over to ask you about something," Beth said.
"Ask me about what," Morgan asked.
Beth went silent, she played with a strand of her long blonde hair. She let it fall in front of her face and looked Morgan in her dark brown eyes.
"I had a vision too," Beth said.
"What," Morgan said shocked.
"Earlier today I was making coffee, and the power went out and when I fixed the fuse the clock said six," Beth replied.
Morgan didn't know how to react. For so long she had thought she had the only vision but now she realized that she wasn't alone.
"I didn't think anything of it, not until you started flipping out about the time. I decided to follow you, I thought. I knew something was going to happen. I told the others to stay though. I told them to stay and I killed them. They were their parents only children and now they're dead," Beth said starting to cry.
"Do you think that the others saw a sign too," Morgan asked.
Beth looked up as the tears ran down her face. The epiphany had occurred to both of them. Maybe they weren't the only ones who had seen something, but maybe they were the only ones to have analyzed it.
"Do you remember the other people's names. We have to contact them and ask them," Morgan said.
"Vaguely, but I know who would remember," Beth said.
Morgan looked at her and shut her eyes when she said the name.
Officer Harold Chase.