It's been 3 days since the bombings. Oliver hasn't been found, and
everyone is being cautious. Ryan hasn't left the pool house, and hasn't
talked to anyone. Erika sat in the pool house with him, but she didn't try
to talk to him. Seth's been sitting around, doing nothing. Sandy and
Kirsten were usually talking about how to protect the kids. Summer was out
shopping with Marissa most of the time.
"Ryan. Come on man! Wake up!" Ryan opened his eyes slowly and found Erika next to him. "Sorry. What time is it?" He asked. "About 2:30pm," Erika said. "Fuck. Oh sorry," Ryan said. "I don't care. I've heard worse come from you," she said. Ryan got up as he clearly remembered the nightmare he had. "Let's get something to eat," Erika said. "No. Can you bring me something though?" Ryan asked. "What do you want?" Erika asked. "I don't care. As long as it's edible," Ryan said.
Erika went into the house and saw Sandy and Kirsten sitting there. Seth was playing Playstation 2. How typical, she thought to herself. She went into the kitchen to get Ryan something. "Hey Erika! How's Ryan holding up?" Sandy asked. "He's doing fine," Erika said. "And good afternoon to you guys," Erika said. "Good afternoon to you to." Kirsten said. "GOOD AFTERNOON SETH!" She screamed. "MOM! WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Seth screamed back. Erika went into the den. "It's me you dumbass," she said. "Oh sorry. How are you?" He asked. She shrugged. "You really are like Ryan. Both of you can answer a question without saying anything," Seth said. "Yeah. I guess so. But I can also talk a lot which turns into rambling. Just like you do," Erika said. Seth stared at her. That was the first time she compared herself to a Cohen.
Sandy and Kirsten were talking. "We need to welcome her into our family more. She needs to know what it's like to have a family, her real family," Kirsten said. "Give her some time. Dawn and Theresa are dead. She needs to be there for Ryan. He's not taking this well. I think he might be sick. There has to be a reason why Erika won't let us see him," Sandy said. "I guess so. But we should still see how he's doing," Kirsten said.
Erika walked back into the dining room. "Hey Erika, can we ask you something?" Erika looked up. "We want to see Ryan. Why won't you let us see him?" Kirsten said. "Fine. You want to see him? Go ahead. But let him know that I had no control over you," she said.
The three of them walked to the pool house. "Let me go first," Erika said. She looked inside. "Go ahead. He's sleeping, though. So be quiet," she said. They went inside and Kirsten gasped. Ryan was whiter then Seth, and he was sweating. Kirsten went over to the thermostat. "Sandy, it's forty degrees in here and he's sweating," she said. "I've been giving him meds. He told me what to get and how much to get," Erika said. Sandy was about to speak when Ryan started fussing in his sleep. Erika went over to him. "No...alive....not dead....help....she's dying!" Ryan shot up. "Ryan! Calm down!" Erika said. She pushed him down. He was sleeping again. "Now we need to talk," Erika said.
Sandy, Kirsten and Seth sat at the table. "Seth go inside-"Kirsten started, but Erika cut in. "No. This includes him too," she said. "Seth, Ryan's been having nightmares. Your parents just saw some of it. Luckily, I stopped him in time. Sometimes, he gets really bad and starts screaming." "Why are these nightmares happening? Do you know what he's dreaming about?" Sandy asked. "The nightmares have been happening even in Chino. He would tell me that a man he didn't know would kill people he didn't know. It would hurt him to see the people die. He would feel pain and sorrow for them. He knew that these people knew the man. They called him Mystery, but once he could have sworn that he heard them call him something that began with Ol-, and one girl was closer to him than anyone. That's why he didn't trust Oliver. He thinks Oliver is Mystery," Erika said. "Wow. That explains A LOT," Seth said. "Like what?" Sandy asked. "Well, whenever Marissa would say that Oliver was mysterious, Ryan would shiver. But he didn't notice it. When any of us said the words dead or death, his pupils would widen and he would look nervous. But all of this happened after the Oliver incident," Seth said. "Exactly," Erika said.
Ryan woke up. He looked at the clock. It was 5:30pm. I need to stop lying down, Ryan thought to himself. When he sat up, he had a throbbing pain in his head. He put his head against the board of his bed. "Erika?" He said. She must have gone inside, he thought. He got up, threw on a tank top and shorts, and went inside.
The Cohens were sitting inside, watching Erika kill Seth in DDR. "You need to get in shape," she said. "This is a hard song!" Seth said. "It's only 2/10 feet and its 130 BPM." They all turned around to see Ryan there. "You're awake!" Kirsten said. Ryan sat down. "Hey Ryan! You're just in time to see Sandy try!" Erika said. He let out a little chuckle. Erika always made him laugh, just like Seth.
Sandy wasn't bad. He beat a song on 5/10 feet, but that was only because of the speed. The speed was 190 BPM. Erika went by herself using two pads. She did a song that was 9/10 feet and 195 BPM. She got an AA ranking. "Nice job," Ryan said. "You're starting to look pale again. Do you need medication?" Kirsten asked. Ryan nodded. Kirsten was in shock. She usually forced him to take medication. But things have changed since Erika got here. A lot of things.
"Ryan. Come on man! Wake up!" Ryan opened his eyes slowly and found Erika next to him. "Sorry. What time is it?" He asked. "About 2:30pm," Erika said. "Fuck. Oh sorry," Ryan said. "I don't care. I've heard worse come from you," she said. Ryan got up as he clearly remembered the nightmare he had. "Let's get something to eat," Erika said. "No. Can you bring me something though?" Ryan asked. "What do you want?" Erika asked. "I don't care. As long as it's edible," Ryan said.
Erika went into the house and saw Sandy and Kirsten sitting there. Seth was playing Playstation 2. How typical, she thought to herself. She went into the kitchen to get Ryan something. "Hey Erika! How's Ryan holding up?" Sandy asked. "He's doing fine," Erika said. "And good afternoon to you guys," Erika said. "Good afternoon to you to." Kirsten said. "GOOD AFTERNOON SETH!" She screamed. "MOM! WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Seth screamed back. Erika went into the den. "It's me you dumbass," she said. "Oh sorry. How are you?" He asked. She shrugged. "You really are like Ryan. Both of you can answer a question without saying anything," Seth said. "Yeah. I guess so. But I can also talk a lot which turns into rambling. Just like you do," Erika said. Seth stared at her. That was the first time she compared herself to a Cohen.
Sandy and Kirsten were talking. "We need to welcome her into our family more. She needs to know what it's like to have a family, her real family," Kirsten said. "Give her some time. Dawn and Theresa are dead. She needs to be there for Ryan. He's not taking this well. I think he might be sick. There has to be a reason why Erika won't let us see him," Sandy said. "I guess so. But we should still see how he's doing," Kirsten said.
Erika walked back into the dining room. "Hey Erika, can we ask you something?" Erika looked up. "We want to see Ryan. Why won't you let us see him?" Kirsten said. "Fine. You want to see him? Go ahead. But let him know that I had no control over you," she said.
The three of them walked to the pool house. "Let me go first," Erika said. She looked inside. "Go ahead. He's sleeping, though. So be quiet," she said. They went inside and Kirsten gasped. Ryan was whiter then Seth, and he was sweating. Kirsten went over to the thermostat. "Sandy, it's forty degrees in here and he's sweating," she said. "I've been giving him meds. He told me what to get and how much to get," Erika said. Sandy was about to speak when Ryan started fussing in his sleep. Erika went over to him. "No...alive....not dead....help....she's dying!" Ryan shot up. "Ryan! Calm down!" Erika said. She pushed him down. He was sleeping again. "Now we need to talk," Erika said.
Sandy, Kirsten and Seth sat at the table. "Seth go inside-"Kirsten started, but Erika cut in. "No. This includes him too," she said. "Seth, Ryan's been having nightmares. Your parents just saw some of it. Luckily, I stopped him in time. Sometimes, he gets really bad and starts screaming." "Why are these nightmares happening? Do you know what he's dreaming about?" Sandy asked. "The nightmares have been happening even in Chino. He would tell me that a man he didn't know would kill people he didn't know. It would hurt him to see the people die. He would feel pain and sorrow for them. He knew that these people knew the man. They called him Mystery, but once he could have sworn that he heard them call him something that began with Ol-, and one girl was closer to him than anyone. That's why he didn't trust Oliver. He thinks Oliver is Mystery," Erika said. "Wow. That explains A LOT," Seth said. "Like what?" Sandy asked. "Well, whenever Marissa would say that Oliver was mysterious, Ryan would shiver. But he didn't notice it. When any of us said the words dead or death, his pupils would widen and he would look nervous. But all of this happened after the Oliver incident," Seth said. "Exactly," Erika said.
Ryan woke up. He looked at the clock. It was 5:30pm. I need to stop lying down, Ryan thought to himself. When he sat up, he had a throbbing pain in his head. He put his head against the board of his bed. "Erika?" He said. She must have gone inside, he thought. He got up, threw on a tank top and shorts, and went inside.
The Cohens were sitting inside, watching Erika kill Seth in DDR. "You need to get in shape," she said. "This is a hard song!" Seth said. "It's only 2/10 feet and its 130 BPM." They all turned around to see Ryan there. "You're awake!" Kirsten said. Ryan sat down. "Hey Ryan! You're just in time to see Sandy try!" Erika said. He let out a little chuckle. Erika always made him laugh, just like Seth.
Sandy wasn't bad. He beat a song on 5/10 feet, but that was only because of the speed. The speed was 190 BPM. Erika went by herself using two pads. She did a song that was 9/10 feet and 195 BPM. She got an AA ranking. "Nice job," Ryan said. "You're starting to look pale again. Do you need medication?" Kirsten asked. Ryan nodded. Kirsten was in shock. She usually forced him to take medication. But things have changed since Erika got here. A lot of things.
