Abby and Swifty sat in the empty park, both waiting for the other to speak first. Swifty sighed and decided to be the one to break the silence.
"So, when are you going to tell me what's really going on?" he asked, resting his chin on his knuckles. He smiled, trying to make her relax, but he failed. He just couldn't keep it up, seeing her like this. It just...wasn't like Abby to be so unhappy. She was always either hyper or giddy or sometimes she was even spazy, but that was her. This wasn't.
She sighed, but kept quiet. Swifty ran a hand through his hair and let out a rather loud sigh. Abby shook her head and forced a smile onto her face. "Alright...you want to know what' up, then I'll tell you what's up."
Flashback
A six year old Abegail Mendez stood in the door way of her parents room, a confused look on her face. She had just asked them if she could have a little brother or sister. They had both been silent for a few moments before they cranked up laughing.
The wolf doll in her hand fell to the floor, as if in slow motion. She turned around and left. She could still hear her parents laughing when she reached her room. She closed the door behind her, her face expressionless. She looked at the back of her door, a poster of Emily the Strange pinned to it. She smiled and placed her tiny hand on it.
"My goal..."
She began to laugh insanely, not being able to control herself. She wasn't sure of what was coming over her, but she had to laugh. She had to let it all go. She didn't care any longer of who got in her way. She had to let it all go.
She threw herself onto her bed, trying to find a pillow. She began to scream into it once she found it, making her brother in the room next to her pound on the wall, trying to make her shut up. But she couldn't. She kept screaming into the pillow.
Sooner or later, her sister came into the room to see if she was ok, but Abby had fallen asleep with her face still in the pillow. Chris sighed and closed the door behind her.
Abby awoke the next morning, drool sticking to her lip. She wiped her mouth and got out of bed. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, smelling the wonderful aroma of her mother's homemade waffles. She sat down at the table and waited for her mother to set down the plate filled with waffles in front of her, but to her surprise, she didn't.
She turned around and stared at her mother over the counter, as if to say: mom, where's my waffles? But her mother didn't look up. It was as if she wasn't even there at all. She frowned and stood up, walking over towards her mother. She tugged on her long shirt, trying to get her attention, but failed.
She backed away, but smiled when she heard the front door open. She ran to the living room to greet her father. But, just like her mother, he didn't seem to notice her. She tapped her foot on the floor and crossed her arms.
"Daddy?" she said to him, but he didn't look down at her. He walked into the kitchen and said hello to his wife before sitting down. Her mother smiled and brought him a plate full of her delicious waffles.
Little Abby just stood there, trying to figure out was what wrong. Had she done something wrong? Why couldn't her parents see her? She looked down at the floor and began to play with the end of her long shirt while she tried to think of a way to get her parents attention.
End Flashback
Abby stopped talking, as if she was trying to remember what else there as to say. Swifty sighed and wrapped one arm around her.
"So you're forgot about you?" he asked, looking down at her. She shook her head and said, "Not exactly..."
Flashback
Abby awoke from her thoughts when she felt a hand on her head. She looked up at her brother, who seemed to have just woken up. His hair was everywhere and you could barely see his face, but she could tell that e was smiling.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Mom's making waffles. You should be over there, not over here." He pushed Abby towards the table and sat down himself, waiting for their mother to serve them. But, just like she hadn't done earlier, nothing came to him. It was if the two of them weren't even there.
Li scratched his head and looked over at Abby, who shrugged and stood up. "Mom?" Li asked, trying to get her attention. But nothing happened. "Dad?" he looked over at his father, who was sitting next to him, the only one with food in front of them.
Li smirked and began to reach in for one of his father's waffles. Abby watched in excitement as her older brother got closer and closer to them. But right before he could touch them, his hand was slapped away by their mother's spatula.
The two children looked up with sad eyes. Li looked down at his red hand and took it back. "What was that for?" he asked as he stood up and walked towards Abby. But, of course, no on answered him. He grabbed Abby by the arm and dragged her upstairs.
He knocked on Chris' door, hoping that oldest of them all would be able to talk to their parents. The door slowly opened and a half asleep sister came out. "What do you want?" she half yawned, half asked. Li pointed downstairs and said, "Can you get us some waffles?"
Chris raised her eyebrow and yawned again. "Why can't you get them yourselves?" She began to close the door, but stopped when she saw the look on her younger siblings faces. "What's wrong?"
Li kept his look on the stairs and said, "Mom and dad won't listen to us. When I tried to get one, mom hit me." Chris raised her eyebrow and started for the stairs. Abby and Li followed her as she slowly made her way to the kitchen. All three of them spied on their parents from around the corner, just to see what they had always seen everyday of their lives. Their father was sitting at the table with breakfast in front of him and their mother was in the kitchen either washing dishes or making more of whatever she had made for breakfast.
Chris put her finger to her lips and whispered for the two of them to stay there. They both nodded and watched as she casually made her way towards the parents. She went up to her mom and stood beside her, watching as she made more and more waffles. She reached down for one but got her hand slapped by the spatula, just as Li.
She rubbed her hand and said, "Hey...that was uncalled for." But her mother paid no other attention to her eldest daughter. Chris sighed and took a deep breath. She stuck her tongue out and made a funny face to her mother, but the giggling she heard came from Li and Abby. She gave her mother a strange look as she walked around her and looked deep within her eyes.
She shrugged and walked over to her father. "Hey dad." she started off. "You know that today's my birthday, right?" she lied. Her father took another sip of coffee from his cup and went on reading the newspaper in front of him. She frowned and pulled the paper down from his eyes. "Dad it's-"
Chris looked up at her father with watery eyes. He didn't have to hit her. She would have just gone away. Li and Abby appeared at the entrance to their kitchen, their eyes filled with hurt and sorry looks. Chris stood up and walked over to them. She picked up Abby and held Li by the hand. She walked them upstairs and they all sat on the floor in Chris' messy room.
She picked up her phone and began dialing a pizza place. "What do you guys want for breakfast? Pepperoni or cheese?"
End Flashback
Swifty looked at Abby with wonder in his eyes. There was a long moment of silence before either of them spoke. Swifty cleared his throat and cursed something under his breath.
"So you're parents...forgot about you?" Abby slowly nodded. "And you're brother and sister were the only ones that saw you?" he continued on. Abby shook her head and looked down at the cell phone that was still in her hands.
"I was I kindergarten by that time...and that's were I met a lot of the people that you see here." she said. Swifty tilted his head to the side and motioned for her to go on.
"I met Becka, Lisa, Vanessa, Cory, Shane, Nicole..." she stopped and rubbed the top of her eyelid. "Then, in the second grade, I met Aaron and Greg. And in the fifth grade I met Willie. I didn't meet any of the others until Middle School, and then..." she stopped and looked up at the night sky. "And then we were sent here..."
Swifty ran his hand through his hair again and looked in the same direction as Abby. "This place was like a dream come true for me." Abby started. "I'd get to be with my friends, I'd never have to see my parents again, or at least, for the most part. And..." she looked at Swifty and gave him a very serious look. "And, I met you."
"So, when are you going to tell me what's really going on?" he asked, resting his chin on his knuckles. He smiled, trying to make her relax, but he failed. He just couldn't keep it up, seeing her like this. It just...wasn't like Abby to be so unhappy. She was always either hyper or giddy or sometimes she was even spazy, but that was her. This wasn't.
She sighed, but kept quiet. Swifty ran a hand through his hair and let out a rather loud sigh. Abby shook her head and forced a smile onto her face. "Alright...you want to know what' up, then I'll tell you what's up."
Flashback
A six year old Abegail Mendez stood in the door way of her parents room, a confused look on her face. She had just asked them if she could have a little brother or sister. They had both been silent for a few moments before they cranked up laughing.
The wolf doll in her hand fell to the floor, as if in slow motion. She turned around and left. She could still hear her parents laughing when she reached her room. She closed the door behind her, her face expressionless. She looked at the back of her door, a poster of Emily the Strange pinned to it. She smiled and placed her tiny hand on it.
"My goal..."
She began to laugh insanely, not being able to control herself. She wasn't sure of what was coming over her, but she had to laugh. She had to let it all go. She didn't care any longer of who got in her way. She had to let it all go.
She threw herself onto her bed, trying to find a pillow. She began to scream into it once she found it, making her brother in the room next to her pound on the wall, trying to make her shut up. But she couldn't. She kept screaming into the pillow.
Sooner or later, her sister came into the room to see if she was ok, but Abby had fallen asleep with her face still in the pillow. Chris sighed and closed the door behind her.
Abby awoke the next morning, drool sticking to her lip. She wiped her mouth and got out of bed. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, smelling the wonderful aroma of her mother's homemade waffles. She sat down at the table and waited for her mother to set down the plate filled with waffles in front of her, but to her surprise, she didn't.
She turned around and stared at her mother over the counter, as if to say: mom, where's my waffles? But her mother didn't look up. It was as if she wasn't even there at all. She frowned and stood up, walking over towards her mother. She tugged on her long shirt, trying to get her attention, but failed.
She backed away, but smiled when she heard the front door open. She ran to the living room to greet her father. But, just like her mother, he didn't seem to notice her. She tapped her foot on the floor and crossed her arms.
"Daddy?" she said to him, but he didn't look down at her. He walked into the kitchen and said hello to his wife before sitting down. Her mother smiled and brought him a plate full of her delicious waffles.
Little Abby just stood there, trying to figure out was what wrong. Had she done something wrong? Why couldn't her parents see her? She looked down at the floor and began to play with the end of her long shirt while she tried to think of a way to get her parents attention.
End Flashback
Abby stopped talking, as if she was trying to remember what else there as to say. Swifty sighed and wrapped one arm around her.
"So you're forgot about you?" he asked, looking down at her. She shook her head and said, "Not exactly..."
Flashback
Abby awoke from her thoughts when she felt a hand on her head. She looked up at her brother, who seemed to have just woken up. His hair was everywhere and you could barely see his face, but she could tell that e was smiling.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Mom's making waffles. You should be over there, not over here." He pushed Abby towards the table and sat down himself, waiting for their mother to serve them. But, just like she hadn't done earlier, nothing came to him. It was if the two of them weren't even there.
Li scratched his head and looked over at Abby, who shrugged and stood up. "Mom?" Li asked, trying to get her attention. But nothing happened. "Dad?" he looked over at his father, who was sitting next to him, the only one with food in front of them.
Li smirked and began to reach in for one of his father's waffles. Abby watched in excitement as her older brother got closer and closer to them. But right before he could touch them, his hand was slapped away by their mother's spatula.
The two children looked up with sad eyes. Li looked down at his red hand and took it back. "What was that for?" he asked as he stood up and walked towards Abby. But, of course, no on answered him. He grabbed Abby by the arm and dragged her upstairs.
He knocked on Chris' door, hoping that oldest of them all would be able to talk to their parents. The door slowly opened and a half asleep sister came out. "What do you want?" she half yawned, half asked. Li pointed downstairs and said, "Can you get us some waffles?"
Chris raised her eyebrow and yawned again. "Why can't you get them yourselves?" She began to close the door, but stopped when she saw the look on her younger siblings faces. "What's wrong?"
Li kept his look on the stairs and said, "Mom and dad won't listen to us. When I tried to get one, mom hit me." Chris raised her eyebrow and started for the stairs. Abby and Li followed her as she slowly made her way to the kitchen. All three of them spied on their parents from around the corner, just to see what they had always seen everyday of their lives. Their father was sitting at the table with breakfast in front of him and their mother was in the kitchen either washing dishes or making more of whatever she had made for breakfast.
Chris put her finger to her lips and whispered for the two of them to stay there. They both nodded and watched as she casually made her way towards the parents. She went up to her mom and stood beside her, watching as she made more and more waffles. She reached down for one but got her hand slapped by the spatula, just as Li.
She rubbed her hand and said, "Hey...that was uncalled for." But her mother paid no other attention to her eldest daughter. Chris sighed and took a deep breath. She stuck her tongue out and made a funny face to her mother, but the giggling she heard came from Li and Abby. She gave her mother a strange look as she walked around her and looked deep within her eyes.
She shrugged and walked over to her father. "Hey dad." she started off. "You know that today's my birthday, right?" she lied. Her father took another sip of coffee from his cup and went on reading the newspaper in front of him. She frowned and pulled the paper down from his eyes. "Dad it's-"
Chris looked up at her father with watery eyes. He didn't have to hit her. She would have just gone away. Li and Abby appeared at the entrance to their kitchen, their eyes filled with hurt and sorry looks. Chris stood up and walked over to them. She picked up Abby and held Li by the hand. She walked them upstairs and they all sat on the floor in Chris' messy room.
She picked up her phone and began dialing a pizza place. "What do you guys want for breakfast? Pepperoni or cheese?"
End Flashback
Swifty looked at Abby with wonder in his eyes. There was a long moment of silence before either of them spoke. Swifty cleared his throat and cursed something under his breath.
"So you're parents...forgot about you?" Abby slowly nodded. "And you're brother and sister were the only ones that saw you?" he continued on. Abby shook her head and looked down at the cell phone that was still in her hands.
"I was I kindergarten by that time...and that's were I met a lot of the people that you see here." she said. Swifty tilted his head to the side and motioned for her to go on.
"I met Becka, Lisa, Vanessa, Cory, Shane, Nicole..." she stopped and rubbed the top of her eyelid. "Then, in the second grade, I met Aaron and Greg. And in the fifth grade I met Willie. I didn't meet any of the others until Middle School, and then..." she stopped and looked up at the night sky. "And then we were sent here..."
Swifty ran his hand through his hair again and looked in the same direction as Abby. "This place was like a dream come true for me." Abby started. "I'd get to be with my friends, I'd never have to see my parents again, or at least, for the most part. And..." she looked at Swifty and gave him a very serious look. "And, I met you."