Jack knew not to go back to that horrid old place. It was his old orphanage, and he didn’t want to set foot in it ever again. But something told him he needed to. It looked the same as ever: broken, dusty, and dark. He mustered up the courage to knock on the door, but no one answered. He turned the handle, and the door creaked open.
“This is a bad idea,” he muttered to himself, but he walked in anyway. The floorboards creaked beneath him, and as he climbed the dusty old stairs, one snapped under his weight. He jumped onto the next step just as it fell, terrified. As he ascended the stairs, he felt the air get colder and colder, nipping at his face. When Jack got to the top of the stairs, he turned left down the hallway and entered his old room. It was totally abandoned, all the beds just sitting there, stripped of their mattresses, collecting dust and spiderwebs. The only thing left in the room besides the bed frames was a singular doll. Jack moved forward to inspect it. In its hand was a note: ‘been waiting for you for a long time, jack’ He shivered.
“I’ve got to get out of here,” he said, fearing for his life. He knew this was a bad idea. He knew he never should’ve come back. The orphanage was already terrible enough when he had to live there, why would he ever consider coming back to it? There was one reason: to remember his childhood. Sure, he’d had some terrible memories there, but also some great ones.
Suddenly, he heard the floorboards creak behind him. He slowly turned to face whomever or whatever was behind him, but before he could look, a sack was thrown over his head and he was knocked out with something.
When he awoke, he was seated in the middle of the old dining room, tied to a chair. He still couldn’t see anything, but he heard a voice say, “I knew you would come back, Jack. They told me you wouldn’t, but I knew you would. You always had a soft spot for this place.”
Jack groaned. His head hurt. A lot. “Who are you?” he asked.
His capturer laughed. “How do you not recognize me?”
Then, Jack stiffened. It was his old friend, Miles.
“Why are you doing this, Miles? You were my best friend. You were like a brother to me.”
Miles just chuckled and Jack assumed he was shaking his head. “Needn’t I remind you that you left me with the old witch? We promised to never leave each other, and, sure enough, you left me.”
Jack sighed. “Miles, it wasn’t my fault. You know that.”
Miles was silent for a moment before responding again, so Jack said, “The doll. Why?”
“A reminder.” Miles said. “Of my past.” Then, Jack felt something slam the top of his head, and he was knocked out cold.
He woke up again, this time sack off. He finally was able to see Miles. Miles looked malnourished and Jack could see the bones in his face.
“When you left me, life got worse for me, for everyone. I was always the sickly kid, and you were always the one that stuck up for me. For everyone. Without you, everything fell apart. The only toy I ever got was a doll. We all got dolls. But every time I got one, I threw it in the dumpster. However, just six years after you left, the orphanage closed down. We were all sent to live on the streets. I was sixteen at the time, and more mad at you then ever. So, I left the doll in our old bedroom, on your old bed, as a reminder that I’d get you for leaving me one day. I’ve been living in this old place for the past five years, waiting for you.”
Jack felt a tear slip down his face. He felt Miles’ pain, and it was unbearable. So, he looked his old friend dead in the eyes and said, “I’m sorry, Miles. Why don’t we fix up this old place and open the orphanage again?”
Miles’ face brightened at this idea, and he agreed. “Let’s do this thing.”
It was the first of three rounds in the annual cooking competition at Myrtle Beach. Maria Wall was getting very anxious, because this year could be the year she won. The 30 time champion, Matt Payne, had retired and was now the judge. Maria had always come up second or third to Matt, but this year, she had a chance. “Maria! Are you listening to me?” her boyfriend of three years, Evan asked. “I was asking you if I could have a kiss before you go kick butt.” Maria giggled and gave Evan a kiss on the cheek. “I have to be up there in five minutes, and I was just imagining myself winning and opening a restaurant with the winnings.” Evan laughed. “That’s my girl. Always thinking about winning. Make sure you save me some of that winning food.” Maria nodded and was about to say something else when they called all the contestants up on stage.
The competition began.
The first task was to make an appetizer, and as Maria was working on her fried and stuffed okra and cheese bites, she noticed this young man about her age working alongside her. He was also making fried okra bites, but without the cheese. Maria groaned. A copycat. Great.
The young man smiled at her and said, “I’m Andrew. I see we have the same taste in appetizers.” Maria smiled at him. “I guess so. But don’t distract me. I have a competition to win.” Andrew smiled at her. “So do I.”
When the time had run out, it was time to announce the Winner of the first round. “Maria Wall.”
Maria gasped and jumped up and down. Only 2 more rounds, and the Chef hat would be hers!
During the second round, she decided to make her famous chicken alfredo. Andrew was making chicken Parmesan this time, and Maria had to admit, It smelled delicious. Andrew caught her looking at him and waved, causing Maria to blush. She cursed herself. “Maria, what are you doing? You literally have a boyfriend that loves you, and you love him!”
As she was saying this to herself, she saw Evan wave at her. She smiled and waved back, but she didn’t blush like she usually did when she saw Evan. Did she even love him anymore? Maria tried to shake the thought out of her head, but every thought in her mind was thinking of Andrew. Maria sighed. Yes, she’d probably have to break up with Evan. She loved Andrew, and she knew it. She felt someone brush her arm, and she looked up from her dish. “Are you okay?” It was Andrew. “Yeah, just having a little crisis. Can we talk?” Andrew nodded and laughed. “Of course, Maria.” He said her name so smoothly Maria thought she would faint. They went to the storage room ‘for more ingredients’ and Andrew sat her down on a bag of flour while he sat on bags of flaxseed across from her. “What’s up, Maria?” He asked, grabbing her hands in his. Maria took a deep breath and said, “Okay, so I really really like you but I already have a boyfriend but I want to break up with him because I don’t love him anymore I love you.” Andrew laughed. “I love you too. I’ve never had a girlfriend since my girlfriend died in a car accident 3 years ago. We were 19 back then. I was planning on proposing to her the next weekend, but….the accident happened. We had been dating since we were 14. I knew it was time to ask her to be my wife. We wanted to start a family together.” Maria put a hand on Andrew’s shoulder and wiped away his tears. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m here now. I’ll be your girlfriend as soon as I break up with Evan.” Andrew smiled and kissed Maria on the cheek. “I love you.” He said, and stood up. “We have a competition to finish though.” Maria nodded and he helped her up. They walked out of the storage room together, back to their stations.
Andrew won the main meal round. Maria didn’t want to beat him as badly anymore. In between the second and third round, she had the hard conversation with Evan, and he immediately left. “I don’t want to see your face anymore.” Were his last words as he left. Maria was crying, but Andrew came over and kissed her. “It’s okay, honey. Let’s win the competition. Together. Then we can open your-our dream restaurant.” Maria hugged him around the neck, and they shared a kiss on the lips, which was seen by everyone there. Matt Payne saw this as well and said, “Well folks, the competitors in the running to win look like they have a little relationship going. 22 year olds Andrew Ivan and Maria Wall.” Maria and Andrew broke apart blushing. Andrew took her and hand and led her back to her station, hugged her, and then took his place at his station.
The last round was dessert. Andrew was making tiramisu, and Maria was making crème brûlée.
Andrew would go past her station and leave ingredients that she had requested, along with a hug or a kiss. She would do the same for him, and the crowd loved it. When the timer ran out and they had to put down their stuff, Andrew and Maria hugged each other tightly, waiting for the results. “In third place, with his strawberry cheesecake that is to DIE for, Peter Robey. And now, in first place, with an AMAZING dessert and INCREDIBLE performance today alongside her new boyfriend, Maria Wall, with the most amazing crème brûlée I have ever tasted! And of course, that leaves Andrew Ivan in second, with his incredible tiramisu.”
Maria squealed and went to go receive her award. When she got back, she ran into Andrew’s arms, kissing him on the lips. She had done it. Her and Andrew had done it.
I was walking down the sidewalk to my shabby little yellow apartment in Chicago, Illinois, when I noticed a little girl about the age of 6 or 7 standing near the street. My eyes welled up with tears. She reminded me of my own sister, Anna. But Anna wasn’t in Chicago. She was back in Miami. My hometown. I was living in Chicago with my aunt and uncle because my parents had too many kids and couldn’t afford all of us. William (Billy) was the oldest at 18, Katherine (Katie) was 16, I (Elijah “Eli”) was 14, Peter (Petey) was 12, Mollie was 10, Knox and Andrew (Drew) were 8, Anna was 6, and Ethan was 3. Therefore, Mom and Dad sent me and Billy to Aunt Rachel and Uncle Chris, Katie to Grandma (mom’s), and kept the rest with them in Miami.
As I approached the girl, she startled and ran across the street. I decided to follow, and saw her disappear into an alley. By the time I got there, she was gone. I searched high and low for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. “Eli! Is that you?” A voice said, scaring me so much that I knocked my head on a trash can. “Who is it?” I asked, rubbing my scalp. “Emma. Your cousin?” I laughed. “What are you doing here, Emma?” She shrugged. “Following you? What are you doing here? You know it’s not safe.” I groaned. “I’m looking for a little girl who’s about 6 or 7 years old. She reminds me of Anna.” Emma sighed and put a hand on my shoulder. “Eli. I know how you feel. It’s not easy being apart from her. Are you sure you weren’t hallucinating?” I nodded, hot angry tears welling up in my eyes. “I’m sure. Why does everyone assume that I hallucinate every time I see someone?!”
I stood up, glared at Emma, and ran as fast as I could as far away from my messed up life as possible. I rounded the corner and almost ran into a police officer. He grabbed my wrist and said, “You look angry and scared. What’s wrong? Who’s chasing you?” I shook my head and struggled to get away from him. “No one. Just…..running. I need to clear my head.” The officer chuckled. “The look on your face says otherwise. You’re running AWAY if I’m not mistaken. I’m going to bring you to the station. You can decide there if you want to stay or go back home. But I’m not letting you run away.”
“But you don’t understand!” I screamed, struggling even harder. I was crying now. “I don’t want to go back home!” The officer looked at me curiously. “What’s wrong with your home? You don’t look like you’ve been beaten and you look like you’re fed well. What’s the problem?” I sheepishly looked down at my feet. “Everyone in my family thinks i hallucinate when I tell them I’ve seen a little girl or boy on the sidewalks or in alleyways. They always say, “You’re hallucinating. You miss Anna, Drew, and Ethan too much.” I tried to wipe my tears away. “But that’s not true! I’m just trying to help the homeless children I see!”
“Calm down, young man. It’s alright. I understand. It doesn’t matter if your family members don’t, but I do.” The officer smiled at me, reminding me of my dad. I started to cry again, and he hugged me. “I’m going to have to take you back home now…..”
“Eli.”
“Eli. You and your family can decide whether or not you stay with them or go home.”
I nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
………The next day, I was walking to school when I saw the same little girl. I ran up to her and when she didn’t run, I hugged her, then brought her to the police station to show the officer. As soon as we walked in, all the other officers gave me a weird look. “What are you doing with that girl, young man?” an officer asked me, pointing at the young girl. “She’s an orphan! She keeps running to the alleyway across the street from my apartment! She needs help!”
Just then, the officer I had met yesterday ran in. “This is the little girl who reminds me of my sister, sir! Please help her!” I said, begging him with all my heart. He took one look and LAUGHED. The little girl was also laughing, and this made me really confused and angry. “Eli, meet Olivia. My daughter.”
As they embraced, my cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, sir, I didn’t know. I feel horrible. I’m so sorry.”
The officer put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Eli. We all go searching for familiar faces. I did that once too. With my wife. She died from cancer 4 years ago, when Liv was 2. Every woman remotely close to her looks, I followed. I knew it wasn’t her, but my instincts told me it was. Grief can do weird things to people.”
Then, he smiled at me. “But Liv has been running away from her babysitter and school a lot recently. So thank you for returning her, and now I know where she’s been going. I can’t thank you enough.”
I smiled at him then hugged him tightly. “You remind me of my dad. This hug is all I need.”
The officer chuckled. “Thanks, Eli. You’re also like the son I never had. How about-I mean, if it’s okay with your aunt and uncle-I make you a junior officer?”
I smiled so wide, I thought my face would get stuck like that. “Thank you so much, officer. Thank you so much.”
As I ran out the door to tell my family, he said. “Eli. It’s Carl. You can call me Carl.”
It was 4am. I crept out the back door, careful not to wake my younger sister. As I softly closed the door behind me, I smiled to myself. I loved the fresh morning breeze, no sound for miles. Even the birds weren’t awake yet. I tiptoed up to the woods, glanced around to make sure nobody had followed me, and darted in.
The air was crisp and cool, the perfect fall day. As I entered a hidden clearing, I smiled. Here was my farm. I ran this farm to help provide for my family (my aunt, uncle, 5 cousins, and my sister) because we didn’t have a lot. My mom died when I was 7 and my sister was 2, and my dad passed away a year later. So, my aunt and uncle took us in. They hated anyone trying to help, especially me. I was the oldest, even of their children. I’m 16, and for four years I’ve been running this secret farm to provide money. Some close friends have also helped, but nobody in my family knows about it. And that’s good. Every time I get money from the farm, I sneak it into my aunt and uncle’s savings jar or I go to the bank and deposit it for them.
I set off to go milk the cows when I saw Charlie rushing toward me. Charlie was 80 years old, but he still helped me on the farm, because he was a good family friend of mine. He was really close to my parents before they passed.
“May! May! It’s urgent! The farm’s going to be shut down!”
I gasped, tears welling in my eyes. “No. No, no, no. This is bad. I need it to provide for my family! How am I supposed to do that if they take it away?” I was crying now, but Charlie didn’t seem to care, because I was like a granddaughter to him. Blinking back tears, I grabbed the necklace my mother gave me. Charlie saw me make the subtle movement, and he smiled. “They would be proud of you.”
I nodded. “I know.” Then, I smiled. “I have an idea.”
Charlie laughed. “There’s my girl. What is it?”
“I show them.”
Charlie was taken aback. “Why? This is a secret farm for a reason. NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO KNOW!” I laughed and put a hand on Charlie’s arm.
“They can now. That’s what’s become necessary. I can’t keep secrets from them forever. They need to know.”
I’ve been mute since I was born. And now, this is the time where I really wish more than anything else that I was able to talk.
Why me? What did I do to deserve this? I have 2 young children at home. They need me. I can’t leave them. But I will. In a few months. At least, that’s what the doctors said to me. It’s already hard being a mute mom. Especially when they need me the most. They’re too young to lose a parent. They’re too innocent.
I’m glad one of my children didn’t get this news, but they need a mother. What if they never get to experience the things that others do with their moms? What if they never get to say, “my mom told me….”
I can’t bear it. I’m going to have to tell them soon. I’ll have to write them a letter.
(10/4/22) Dear Diary,
Louisa Fish did something absolutely horrible today. She ratted me out for something I did not do. That was Thomas! My twin brother. I know it wasn’t Tom’s fault, but if everyone thinks it was, it would be the death of him. So I took the blame….and that resulted in suspension. Mom’s going to be SOOOOO mad. -Trevor
(10/4/22) Dear Diary, Mom got so mad at….ME. I thought everyone thought it was Trevor’s fault. I mean, he’s always the troublemaker in the family. Although, that’s probably why I did it. I wish I could tell you why or what, but that’s for someone else to tell you another day. If I told you and mom found it, she’d murder me. So now, she has to call the school and tell them that Trevor didn’t do it and that I did. Always the good one, Thomas
(10/4/22) Dear Diary, Tinley here. Mom was SUPER mad at Thomas when they got home from school. I’m so glad I get home before the twins, because it gives me time to escape before one gets in trouble. I wish Dad was still here. He’d help us so much. Trevor…..he’s always been troublesome, but these past few years…..it’s been different. He’s not as busy anymore, almost like he doesn’t have any friends. By troublesome, I mean he “acts cool” by littering and horsing around with his friends. Tom, however….he doesn’t act like that. He’s never acted like this before. Toilet papering the principal’s house and trashing her yard. Then, of course, being the amazing overprotective brother he is, Trevor took the blame. The annoying thing is, Tom WANTED to be the person known for it, so he accidentally let it slip to me. And-I would never tell the boys this-I told Mom. I had to. I haven’t ever been able to get Thomas into trouble, so when I had the chance, I took it. And thank goodness I did. -Tinley
(10/7/22) Dear Diary, I’ve been let back in school. I was hoping to stay out for all three weeks, but NO. Tinley had to go tell Mom yesterday that I didn’t do it. I’ve gotten detention before, but never a suspension. I was really hoping that I could miss school for once. I rarely get sick during the school year, only the summer. Thomas was bummed that he had to miss school because he’s on the trivia team, and their big championship is next week, when he’s suspended. He’s out for Tinley now. I’ve been helping her “hide” from him, but she can’t anymore. He got her yesterday, and before he tried to strangle her, Mom caught him. So now he’s grounded. The nerd. Grounded. -Trevor
(10/8/22) I have no words. I’m in trouble, all thanks to my stupid younger sister. She’s literally 10! Why would she do this to me? My best friend Josh called me today….SHAMING me. Our trivia team’s championship is next week, and I won’t be there. I’m the best seventh grader on the team! Only six of us are allowed to sit at the table to compete, and four of our six are eighth graders. Me and Josh are the only non-eighth graders. We are in seventh and sixth. Now Myers Temple will have to fill in for me, and he is NOT as smart as me. Hopefully we at least get second or third. I’m not expecting first. -Thomas
(10/14/22) Thomas REALLY hates me today. His team just got first…..WITHOUT him. It just makes him feel like he’s worthless now. He gloated in the glory of being on the top six, but after this…..who knows if he will be anymore. And I feel like this is all my fault. I’m the worst sister ever. -Tinley
(10/14/22) My team……WON. Without ME. I can’t even show my face to them after that. I guess I’m not the smartest after all. This never would have happened if I hadn’t gotten jealous of Trevor. Now I feel horrible for how I treated my sister. I need to apologize. To the whole family. -Thomas
(10/20/22) I wish Thomas were in school right now. He’s nerdy, yeah, but a brother nonetheless. He’s always been my biggest fan-and friend. People haven’t been the nicest. Especially since what happened in my family. First dad leaving two years ago, then this incident. My friends aren’t my friends anymore, and they all hate me for trying to protect Thomas. “He can make it on his own” ; “let him take it, he did it after all”. No. They don’t understand. I stood up for him because he’s my brother. He may not have done it for me if I was in his position, but he would’ve in any other situation. We are brothers, and that’s what we do. -Trevor
(10/27/22) I’m finally back in school! It’s been tough being away from everyone, especially my trivia team. However, I have noticed a change in Trevor recently. Everyone hates him, and they all give him dirty looks when he walks by. If that was because of me, I don’t want to be a part of this “cool squad” anymore. The only reason I TPed the principals house was because…..because of my brother. Because he was threatened to get seriously injured if I didn’t. So I had to. I did it out of love, and now everyone thinks it was for the wrong reasons. That’s what’s wrong with people. They always assume that people do things for themselves, and that’s sometimes true. But I didn’t. I did it for my twin brother’s safety. Because I love him. -Thomas
As I boarded the aeroplane, ready for my long-haul flight, I noticed a boy about the age of 12 sitting next to me. He was wearing earbuds and chewing gum. Now, gum doesn’t bother me, but one thing that does is when people chew gum with their mouths open. The boy looked over at me with a smirk. “What?” I said, angry at him, my face growing hot. “You look upset at me.” “I am.” That was true, I wanted to strangle him. He laughed, then went back to smacking his gum. A few minutes later, he put his legs across my lap and started kicking the chair in front of me, making the person turn around and glare at me. “Keep your little brother away from my chair. First class is no place for children.” I glared at the boy. “Sorry. He’s not my brother. The only reason we are sitting together in first class is because we are flying alone and both our parents probably thought we would be safer up here.” The woman rolled her eyes and turned back around. The boy laughed at me and started jiggling MY chair. Ooooh, I was about to strangle him. “You’re making that face again.” I glared at the boy. “Stop talking to me.” Even his VOICE was getting on my nerves. He shrugged and proceeded to spit his gum out in a paper bag and throw it in my seat. As I was about to throw it back, a lady walked up and said, “Would you want anything to drink, sweeties?” I shook my head. “No thank you.” The boy nodded. “Water.” She smiled at him and left, then returned with a glass of water. He GULPED it down, aahing after every gulp. Then, he put his glass in my cup holder and ordered another. I glared at him. This was the last straw. As I was about to lean over and strangle his neck, we landed. Aah, much better. As we got off, I leaned over and whispered, “You’re a brat.” He smiled, bowed, then walked off the plane, but not before splashing me with the second glass of water, which resulted in a slap across his face. I grinned as he glared daggers at me. “Bye bye, have funnnn,” I said in a sing-song voice. “And next time you fly, sit next to someone who actually appreciates you.”
I stepped out of bed, ran to my bedroom window, threw open the curtain, and gasped. Prince Edward of the Highlands was here! I shuddered. I specifically told Mother and Quincy NEVER to let Edward near me ever since the accident. I still blame it on him, personally. However, Mother tells me never to dwell on the past. I laugh when she tells me that, because she dwells on the past a lot. Especially the day of the accident. She lost 2 kids that day. Maxwell, and me. I hate that I lost some of myself that day, but my younger brother was everything to me. Yes, Max was not my real brother (all of us were adopted due to my mother’s inability to have children) but it sure felt like it. We were 4 years apart, and Quincy was 6 from me, so Max and I were the closest. However, when I was 11 and Max was 7, Prince Edward and his family came for dinner, and we were tasked with entertaining him, seeing as 17 year old Quincy was too old now. So, we took him down to the pond to explore. He had never been down there, so of course he didn’t know the one rule: don’t go INTO the pond. It wasn’t a dangerous pond, exactly, but there was one spot in the middle that was too deep to touch, and the water was so murky and dark that nobody could see. Edward, thinking that he’d be able to touch (being the stupid thing he is) waded in, then bobbed underwater. Max decided to jump in and save Edward, but he wasn’t strong enough. He too, started to drown, but by the time I got both of them out of the water, Max was unable to be saved and Edward was hanging on for dear life. Mother couldn’t scream at Edward then, because he wasn’t her child and he was almost dead himself. I locked myself in my room for weeks after the incident, and still will barely talk to the family I have. Dad died when I was 8, Max when I was 11, and….who’s next? Now it’s 3 years later, and I absolutely am dreading tonight. It’s my 14th birthday, and Mother tries EVERY year to invite people over, but I always refuse. I can tell she’s devastated when I do, but I dislike seeing people now. So, instead of going downstairs when my mother called me, I rushed to my father’s study. We’d been told to never go in there, but I always did. And today, I wanted to find out what was under the blanket. So, I tiptoed toward the object, then threw the blanket off. It was a mirror. I stepped back to admire it, then screamed. Instead of seeing my reflection, I saw a demon. I delicately ran my fingers over the glass, confused at what I was seeing. Then, I noticed a piece of paper on the floor. I picked it up and read it, then threw it down. It had said: ‘My dearest Addie, I know you’re going to look in the mirror, and I must warn you. Do not look at the demon. If you look at it too long, then you will eventually become one. Love, Dad’
