Haunted Part 1

Chapter 1:
Something was moving in the closet. Miriam Hoffman pulled her thin blanket over her head, just below her eyes. She could hear all her clothes rustling as something rummaged around. She didn't take her eyes off the door. Would the thing inside finally come out and put an end to all this? The sounds continued, never stopping. Miriam looked away from the closet up to the ceiling, wondering if she was imagining the sound. The last few times she had been imagining things. Her older brother Malcolm had checked, and only she could see the horrible thing inside. Should she go look?

But what if it was real? It would kill her. Miriam pulled the blanket over the rest of her head and tried to ignore the sounds. She breathed deeply, in and out. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. Malcolm was sleeping in the room next to hers. It wasn't real. There was nothing in the closet.

***

Miriam flinched as she opened her eyes. The old bed was right in the path of the sunlight coming in through the window. She stayed still, listening for sounds from her closet. They were gone. She slowly got out of bed and left the room. Malcolm Anderson, who was like a brother to her, was sitting on a dusty broken couch opening a cereal box. Miriam sat down next to him and yawned.

"Did you sleep well?" Malcolm asked.

"The thing was back in the closet," Miriam said.

Malcolm poured some of the cereal into a bowl and handed it to his sister with a sigh. "If anything, it was a rat. There are no strange creatures here. I checked the whole place twice."

"Except the basement," Miriam said, suddenly smirking. "You were too scared to go into the basement."

"I hate basements," Malcolm said. He poured himself some cereal and quickly shoved a spoonful into his mouth.

Miriam wondered what was in the basement. Obviously Malcolm was too scared to go down there, and Miriam hated dark places. Anything could hide in darkness. Especially the things that haunted Miriam. Or didn't. The boundary between real and fake was very thin for her. What she thought she heard and saw seemed so real, but was it? She could never tell. At times she thought she was going insane. Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn't. She couldn't tell.

Once she was done eating, Miriam went outside for another useless day of exploring the forest surrounding their house. There was little she and Malcolm could do to entertain themselves with them being homeless and all. Malcolm's parents had died long before Miriam's, and he had been the one who found Miriam. She would have died had it not been for him. They had become like brother and sister, bonding over their losses and sufferings. Malcolm had been fortunate to find the abandoned house where they now lived. For an abandoned house it was pretty clean. Barely anything was broken, and only dust kept it from being spotless. They had assumed the house was ditched recently and moved in anyway. Then Miriam started hearing things, and it had been like that for four years.

Now she sat under a tree in the backyard, the only broken thing on the property other than the vase Miriam had broken when she tripped on some unidentifiable object. A part of the fence was completely torn off, and the shredded wood was still there. There were some claw marks, too, but Malcolm had found no evidence of any animals other than rats. There was a place in the middle of the backyard that had been obviously dug up. The grass was starting to regrow over it. Miriam closed her eyes, relishing the wind blowing on her face. It was a nice feeling.

Leaves crunched. Miriam opened her eyes and looked around. Her heart seemed to stop as she noticed something moving behind another tree planted in between the house and the fence. It's not real. She repeated the phrase in her head. She was probably just seeing things again. The thing started to scratch at the tree. Suddenly some sunlight shone onto it through the leaves. The thing let out a high pitched shriek and dove away into the darker part of the tiny space. Miriam pinched herself. The pain was real. She wasn't dreaming. Was that thing real? Had she not been seeing things? She ran back into the house, trying not to shake.

"Miriam?" Malcolm peeked around a corner, confused. "Is something wrong?"

She should have said yes. Should have told him what she saw. She didn't. Her tongue was still tied from fear. Miriam simply shook her head, a lie that was probably seen past. Malcolm didn't push, though. She was glad he hadn't. Experience taught her Malcolm would always believe the monsters she saw were imaginary. Eventually she was convinced. Not today, though. It had felt too real. Then again they all had.

Miriam headed to her room. It would be quiet in there. She did not bother to close the door and sat on the bed. She rolled up her sleeve to look at the scars on her upper right arm. Their presence was puzzling. According to Malcolm, they must have been received at the time of the car crash her parents died in. It would have made sense had they not been bite marks. Miriam brushed her fingers over the scars. She couldn't remember whether or not something had bitten her. Her terror fogged up the memory until she could barely remember the details.

Her sleeve slipped back down. She needed to clear her head. Opening her closet, she grabbed her running clothes- a simple red shirt and shorts- and a pair of socks. She made sure to get a water bottle before heading outside. It was a perfect day for a run. Miriam hadn't been on one in at least a week, and she needed to stretch her legs. She took the path she always took and began to run.

Her hair wasn't long, so it didn't whip into her face. Alas, it was unevenly cut thanks to Malcolm not knowing how to cut hair. His hair was long. Miriam relished the wind brushing her skin. It felt good, and it wasn't cold. She enjoyed running. It gave her a feeling of freedom. Sometimes she wondered what would happen if she and Malcolm weren't homeless orphans.

She stopped at her favorite location in the woods. It was a lake, and the trees surrounding it always amazed her. They differed greatly, but the sight still impressed her. On a side far away from where she was standing, there was a cliff that gradually went down. Sometimes she saw people on the lake in boats. The sun was reflecting off the water, making it sparkle and look even more beautiful. She wished she could see the animals underneath the blanket, but she couldn't swim. It was probably dangerous anyway.

She sat down where she stood and opened her bottle. She was sweating. She really shouldn't have skipped a week off running. When she had finished drinking, Miriam thought she heard something snap behind her. She looked over her shoulder. Nothing moved except the leaves, pushed by the wind. Miriam shrugged to herself and screwed the lid back on. It was time to go back. She hadn't told Malcolm she'd been going, but that was only because he wasn't in the vicinity when she had left. He liked to go to the nearest road and watch the cars zip past. That was how he had rescued her. He had come to the road and discovered a freshly hit car. He hadn't seen what had hit their car. Every time Miriam pictured the scene she kept seeing Malcolm casually walking up to the wreck like he saw those things everyday. It made him seem cooler. He disagreed.

Miriam opened their door, took a deep breath, and screamed, "I'M BACK!"

Nothing. No footsteps. No reply. She was right. Malcolm was off, doing whatever he pleased. She headed to the kitchen. A granola bar awaited her. She peeked into the box and groaned when she discovered the last one had been eaten. The last peanut butter granola bar. She grabbed the bag containing food Malcolm had got from the homeless charity place. She had no idea what it was called. Miriam pulled out a cup of instant beef flavored ramen. Her favorite. Thank goodness their microwave worked and Malcolm knew how to work one. Miriam chewed on the noodles. She had been sick for an entire week, throwing up practically non-stop. It was nice to not be sick.

The front door opened and closed, and Malcolm walked by on his way to his bedroom. Miriam set down the cup.

"You didn't tell me you ate the last granola bar," she said.

Malcolm stopped. "You didn't tell me you were going to run."

"I'm not spewing out my insides anymore."

"Yeah, thanks for stinking up this dirty place."

Miriam shoved a noodle into her mouth. Malcolm noticed what she was eating and frowned.

"I was saving those so we could have a feast on your birthday," he said.

"We'll have enough," Miriam said through a mouthful of chewed noodles.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Malcolm said quickly.

Miriam swallowed and repeated, "We'll have enough."

Malcolm smiled and continued walking. Miriam was about to sip some of the juice when a strange crash sounded below the house. She paused, every part of her body stiffening. Nothing more came from below. It must have been a rat. Miriam went back to devouring her ramen, trying to convince herself it was nothing. And maybe it was.

Chapter 2:
In the past...

A young girl hummed cheerfully on her neatly made bed. She picked at the comforter while she waited for her parents, who were talking to a couple of strangers in the kitchen. She could hear their voices but could not make out the words. Her parents didn't sound happy. She wondered why.

When they entered the room she was in, the strangers stood in the doorway, and her parents stood in front of her. They looked like they were about to burst into tears. The girl wondered why.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Her mother wiped her eyes. "These people need your help with something. You're going to have to stay with them for a little while."

"What?" The girl's smile fell. She didn't want to be far from her parents for long. "How long?"

"Not very long. You'll be back home in no time, I promise," her mother said, forcing a smile.

The girl perked up at that. Her parents said no more, and the girl followed the strangers out to a car in the front. The strangers didn't say anything and wouldn't answer any questions she had. They only said her parents would be waiting for her. Their destination was a strange place full of weird tools. The strangers measured her height, weight, heartbeat, and eyesight before taking her into some room with a chair. They told her to sit in the chair. She did. She had no idea what the weird small tube full of some liquid was. Like they say, ignorance is bliss.

***

In the present...

Miriam brushed her fingers through her hair, examining it. To others it was unnatural, but she actually liked the uneven cut. It was probably because she was used to it. She brushed some parts of it, wanting it to look nice enough. It was her birthday, and she wanted to make it special. Malcolm had always tried to give her a surprise. She was curious to know what he was planning this year, but she also didn't. Good surprises were the best in her opinion.

Nothing eventful had happened all morning. Nothing had moved except for Miriam and Malcolm. She had become convinced the thing she had seen was a figment of her imagination. It was always in her imagination. It was still very scary though.

Malcolm was waiting for her on their couch. She sat down next to him.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Definitely."

"Let's go then." He smiled. "I'm sure you'll like it."

They headed out of the house. Miriam stole another look at the shredded fence. It seemed to be trying to tell her something, but what it was Miriam didn't know. She ignored it. It was a sunny, warm day, perfect for her birthday. She suddenly realized they were walking down the path she took to reach her favorite little place near the lake. She didn't say anything. She didn't want to ruin the surprise.

When they got there, she stopped abruptly. Malcolm had laid out a big red blanket, and on it was the bag from the pantry. Malcolm grinned as he basically shoved Miriam into a sitting position.

"A picnic!" he said, sweeping an arm around. "Like it?"

"Love it!" Miriam said excitedly.

They sat down and took out the ramen. Malcolm had already microwaved it, so it was kind of cold, but Miriam didn't mind. It was the thought that counted. She looked back into the bag and was happy to see a few pieces of her favorite candy.

"Thanks for these!" she said, lifting them up.

"I was originally going to give you a bundt cake, but I couldn't find any free giveaway," Malcolm said.

"Who needs a bundt cake? Candy's good enough for me!" Miriam said, beginning to peel one open.

They finished their picnic in silence, savoring it all. It would be a while before their next feast. Miriam was happy Malcolm did that for her. She gave him surprises, too, but somehow he always out did her. She was lucky he had been the one to find her. Maybe next year she should-

Her train of thought slammed directly into a wall. Something was peering out from behind a tree. Its face was hidden enough to hide most of the detail, but it's teeth managed to stick out. It's incredibly sharp teeth. Sharp as knives. She yelped like a dog in fright and hid behind Malcolm.

"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately going into over protective brother mode.

"There's something over there!" Miriam said, pointing at the tree.

Malcolm turned to look, but the face ducked behind it before he could look without a sound. He frowned when he saw nothing. Miriam's heart sank to to her feet. She knew what he would say before he even opened his mouth.

"There's nothing there, Miriam. It wasn't real."

Every time. She got that every time. It wasn't real. He was probably right. It was never real. Miriam was starting to doubt it. She could see the plants still waving from where the thing had been. She didn't say anything, though. Malcolm never believed her.

After they ate, they went back to their house. The broken fence caught Miriam's attention once more. Suddenly it had a dangerous history, one forbidden to know. No one could know. It was a secret, buried deep with in its poles reaching into the ground. The fence could be dug up but not the knowledge of what had destroyed it. Miriam internally slapped herself. She was being silly. A wild animal had broken it. Maybe Malcolm was right. Maybe she was imagining things. She should forget about what she'd thought she'd seen. It was her birthday after all. Why ruin it for herself? It would just make her feel bad, and birthdays were very important to her and Malcolm. It was the only connection they had left with their former lives, before their parents died.

Everything was fine. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing at all.

Chapter 3:
In the past...

"Move the heater."

She could feel the heat linger for a moment as the heater was taken away. The warmth was fading, and she tried desperately to keep it. It gave her a distraction.

A face loomed over her. The eyes were friendly. She smiled, wondering what they were going to do. The woman brushed a strand of hair out of the girl's face. The woman wondered why her boss asked for someone so young. They didn't dare go against his orders, though. She looked over at a man, who was preparing the syringe. He was frowning. They were both starting to feel uneasy about their task. Only a week had passed since they first started developing it. The effects on a person could be fatal, even more so for a child as young as the girl in front of her.

The girl noticed her glance and tipped her head curiously like an intrigued dog. "What's that?" she asked. She showed no fear. Was she even scared?

The woman smiled, forcing down all her doubts. She couldn't let this small girl see it. She didn't want her to be scared. "It's nothing." She looked back at the man again. He looked up. "Is it ready?"

"Almost."

"Where are my parents?" the girl asked.

"They're waiting outside."

"It's ready," the man said.

The woman turned her chair around. The man was walking up with the syringe in hand. The woman took a deep breath and turned back to the girl.

"It will only hurt a bit," she said.

"Like a shot?" the girl asked. "The ones that keep you healthy?"

The woman nodded. She rolled up the girl's sleeves, heart pounding. She cleaned the area on the girl's arm where they would inject their creation. Her nerves became too much when the man moved forward with the syringe. She wheeled the chair away, feeling like she was going to be sick. Maybe it would be okay. She bit her lip. There was a greater chance of it not working. And that terrified her more than anything.

***

In the present...

Brigadeiro Superior was a recently built city only two miles away from Lake Superior. It had been founded by Jonathan Meyers, who was very much alive, in 2000. It wasn't a huge city, but it was big enough to be a city. Jonathan Meyers had been a very big and famous businessman back in his home city of Phoenix, and many of his employees and buyers followed him to Lake Superior. There they had built a thriving town that eventually became a city due to Jonathan Meyers being a billionaire. For some reason known only to him, he named the city after a cake he tried in Brazil. No one questioned this.

Lydia and Isaiah Hoffman had been part of the first residents of this city until they tragically passed away in a car accident. Their nine year old daughter was presumed dead.

Obviously Miriam is perfectly alive and well and just waking up from a nightmare, one she's had many times.

She stared up at the ceiling, trying her best to forget about it. The car crash in which her parents died was the most common nightmare she had. She would see variations of what they had been doing before the car suddenly crashed into something. They always ended there with the remembrance of severe pain. Miriam brushed her fingers over her scar. Something must have bit her after the car had crashed. But what?

"Miriam!"

Miriam jumped, startled out of her thoughts. Her door opened as Malcolm walked in.

"Get up so we can go," he said then shut the door to let her get ready.

Miriam examined her clothes. These were fine. She hurried out. Malcolm was pacing in front of the door. In his left hand he held a water bottle. Malcolm had insisted on coming with Miriam on her run, saying he needed the exercise. Even though he was nowhere near being fat or overweight. Miriam didn't mind.

The sun was shining once again, but it was cooler than the day before. Miriam stretched. A fine day to run to the lake. Neither of them spoke as they ran through Miriam's favorite path.

"What should we do today?" Miriam asked cheerfully when they stopped by the lake. Malcolm collapsed into a sitting position, panting. "You really do need work out more," Miriam noted.

"I think I noticed," Malcolm gasped, exhausted.

"Hello," an unfamiliar voice said.

Miriam and Malcolm looked back the way they came. No one was there. Then they spotted a girl sitting under the shade of a tree, a book in her hands. She seemed very interested in them, looking at them instead of her incredibly thick and wide book. She noticed Miriam looking at it and lifted it so Miriam could see the title.

"History textbook," she said. "For school." The girl had a different accent than most people. She did sound different from how Miriam noticed people talk when she and Malcolm went into the nearby city.

"Cool?" Miriam said, unsure what to say.

The girl was still eyeing them. "I've heard rumors there were homeless kids living near Lake Superior, but I never expected they were true!"

Miriam looked at Malcolm. He shrugged.

"I'm Yana," the girl said. She closed her textbook. "What are your names?"

"Miriam," Miriam said. She looked at Malcolm again. "That's my brother, Malcolm."

"Those are pretty names," Yana said. She seemed desperate to talk. "Would you like walnuts? I have an entire bag I can't finish."

"I think I'm allergic to those," Miriam said apologetically. "Sorry."

"Don't be. It's a good thing to know," Yana said. She suddenly gestured to the lake. "I was hoping to fish. I'm interested in finding what species live there. Ooh, I could see if I could convince Papa to let me use his microscope. I've never been allowed to use it. Papa's a scientist and is very careful about his equipment, he won't even let me in the lab..."

"What? No way! My parents were scientists, too!" Miriam said. She only said that because she was afraid Yana would make her mouth fall off.

Yana's eager expression fell. "Wha-what happened to them?"

Miriam was not prepared for such a personal question. She hated talking about her parents' death. She hated being sad. She gulped, trying not to think of her nightmares and sadness. "They died in a car crash."

Yana did not seem to know how to reply. She opened her mouth and then closed it, looking, for the first time, unsure what to say. She and Miriam awkwardly looked at each other. Then a tall but vaguely familiar man strolled out from the trees. He stopped short when he saw Miriam and Malcolm. Turning to Yana, he said something in a language Miriam didn't know. Yana replied in the same language which meant Miriam and Malcolm were forced to stand there, listening on a conversation they couldn't even understand. Miriam assumed the random man was Yana's dad.

The man had the same hair color as Yana, a dark brown so dark it was almost black. He wore sweatpants and a T-shirt. Unlike his daughter, he did not wear glasses.

The two broke off their conversation as the man turned to Miriam, eyeing her with great interest. "Is your last name Hoffman?" he asked.

"Yes," Miriam replied, unsure where this was going.

The man's face radiated with joy, pain, and relief. "So you're Lydia and Isaiah's daughter," he said in the same accent as his daughter, looking surprised and pleased. "It's good to see you're alive and well, but... you look thin. Are you eating enough? Who has been looking after you all this time?"

Miriam just stared at him.

"You've grown up so much!" Yana's dad said happily. "I remember when you were just a little baby. You know," he paused, glancing at Yana, "I always wanted to let you two meet, but Yana was a very antisocial little girl."

"I was traumatized!" Yana exclaimed dramatically. "I had PTSD!"

"That is not what PTSD is," the man said sternly. "I do not see why you stopped talking to kids."

"He shoved a gummy bear up my nose!" Yana said passionately. "Who would not have been traumatized?"

The man looked annoyed, but it was clearly faked. His eyes were full of affection as he walked over to pat his daughter's head lovingly. Then he turned back to Miriam.

"I am Alexei," he said. "I was a friend of your parents, and your uncle. I can introduce you."

Miriam had no idea she had an uncle. She racked her brains, trying to remember. A tiny memory popped up. All she remembered was that he was short and bald but very kind. She did remember her cousin Jacob, though. All those pinches... pure torture. Worse than getting a gummy bear stuck up your nose. Wait, no. That would be worse.

Alexei held his watch close to his face. "Ah, look at the time! We really need to get going. Where do you live, Miriam?"

"In a house up that path." Miriam pointed at her running way.

"Is it okay if I come by to take you to your uncle?" Alexei asked. "And your friend, too."

"Sure?" Miriam said softly. Her voice had become quieter and quieter since first talking to Yana.

Alexei grinned. He and Yana left, though Yana looked over her shoulder with eyes full of disappointment.

"That was... interesting," Malcolm said, eyes wide.

Miriam didn't respond. She had remet one her parents' friends, and she would soon see her uncle for the first time in eight years. She remembered that something happened that caused her uncle and Alexei to stop visiting. She knew this because she knew she had known them before she turned seven. But the images were hazy. She walked back up the path with Malcolm, thinking that, as they walked, she saw a tall black figure duck behind a tree, an eye gleaming in the darkness. Miriam looked away, fighting the fear trying to push through. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It never was, and it never would be.

Chapter 4:
In the future...

Agony. All there was, and all there ever would be, was agony.

He could see the pain as it twitched and jerked inside its tight constraints. It's eyes glittered with a desperate plea, and he knew it was looking at him. Him. He, who could do nothing. He, who was supposed to see this terrible sight as if knowing of it's suffering wasn't bad enough.

It tried to push against the restraints once more, but the metal was too strong, even for it. It fell back, panting. It met his gaze again as it let out a whine. His stomach clenched. It was trying to speak to him. He placed a hand on the glass forming it's cage. He knew it could not speak anymore. It could not communicate with him, for it did not know how to speak in it's new form. His hand curled into a fist; tears burned his eyes.

This was his fault.

He tried to comfort it, to reassure it that everything would be all right. His mouth formed the words, but no sound came out. Only the constrained sound of trying to speak but failing. He reached up to touch his throat, his fingers brushing the stitches. He stared sympathetically at it, knowing and understanding the pain both of them would go through. They would both have to relearn how to communicate.

A hand touched his shoulder, and it was that touch that sent the tears running down his face. His body trembled.

Fingers brushed his hair. "It's better this way," a voice he once trusted whispered.

The words were a lie.

***

In the present...

Miriam sat in Alexei's red car next to Malcolm as he drove them to her uncle's house. She felt nervous and sick. Her heart was pounding at the thought of seeing her relatives who had thought she was dead, and she felt light-headed. Malcolm offered her water, but she refused it. Alexei met her eyes.

"We are almost there," he said. "He will be so pleased to see you, he was worried sick when I told him you have been homeless."

"We got by," Miriam mumbled almost incomprehensibly.

"It would be nice to live in a clean house for once," Malcolm said dreamily. He rested his head on his hand and stared out the window.

Miriam didn't know if she agreed with him. For starters, if they got adopted, whoever adopted them would have to know Miriam had hallucinations, and she had no idea what people would think of her if they knew. She didn't want anyone to think she was insane. Her mind functioned perfectly well aside from making her see nonexistent things.

Despite feeling incredibly awkward around Alexei, Miriam enjoyed the ride. She hadn't seen the city since she was 9, before the accident, and it was nice seeing all the buildings and the people crowding the sidewalks as they wandered about minding their own business. It became less crowded as they moved into the neighborhoods, and the beautiful tall trees and bushes in the yards intrigued Miriam. The houses were beautiful, too, the white wood standing out against some brick. Alexei parked the car in front of a two-story house with a blue front door. Something seemed to drop all the way to Miriam's toes. The array of rosebushes were the exact same way they had been arranged the last time she had been there. The porch had been painted black instead of white, though. Miriam didn't know what to think of that change.

Alexei turned off the car and said cheerfully, "We're here now."

"Does he know we were coming?" Malcolm asked.

"Of course," Alexei said.

They went up the steps to the front door, Miriam trailing behind a bit. Alexei knocked on the door, and a teenage boy who looked the same age as Malcolm answered. He looked suspicious, but the look faded away when he recognized Alexei.

"Finally!" he said crossly. "We've been waiting for thirty minutes!"

Alexei stepped back to let the boy see Miriam. "Remember your cousin, Miriam?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Of course I do. She hated me." He looked straight at her.

Miriam scowled at him. Of course she hated him. All he had done was pinch her. His name was Jacob, and he really had not liked going ten minutes without pinching Miriam.

Alexei didn't notice her reaction. "Is Isaac home?"

Jacob nodded and let them inside. It was a nice house. It didn't have a lot of furniture. The living room only had a two chairs and a TV on the wall. The TV in Miriam's house didn't work. Miriam assumed they'd be going into the living room, but Jacob took them to a door. He knocked. No one answered. Jacob knocked again. Still no response. Jacob's eye twitched, and he knocked harder. Again, no response from the inside. Jacob pounded on the door as hard as possible. Did anyone come to the door? Nope. Jacob ceased knocking and simply opened the door.

Hunched over in a corner, sitting at a desk scribbling on something, was Miriam's uncle, Isaac. He was wearing headphones. He was bald and short and had reading glasses on. He liked to wear sweatpants and baggy long sleeve shirts all the time, so he was wearing a green pair and a black shirt. Now Miriam understood why. It was very cold in this room, and it seemed Isaac liked to spend most of the time in here.

"Dad," Jacob said loudly. Isaac clearly didn't hear him. "DAD."

When Isaac didn't move, Jacob took matters into his own hands and pulled his dad's headphones off his head. Isaac jumped and spun his chair around.

"Miriam and Alexei are here," Jacob said.

"Oh?" Isaac said, surprised. "I thought they were coming an hour from now. Oh, who cares." He stood up and took off his reading glasses. He smiled kindly at Miriam. "You know, all this time, I thought you were dead."

"He didn't," Jacob said.

Isaac inspected Miriam. "You look skinner than you should be," he remarked. Miriam just stared at him like he was an idiot. His smile suddenly turned into a frown. He stared off in space for a moment.

Jacob cleared his throat. "Would you like water?" he asked a bit too politely.

"Sure," Malcolm said. Miriam still didn't say anything. Jacob nodded slowly and hurried out of the room, looking a bit too eager to leave.

Isaac suddenly snapped out of his trance. He looked uneasy. "Alexei, can we talk for a minute?"

Alexei blinked in surprise but nodded. Isaac looked at Miriam and Malcolm. "The kitchen's just this hall to the right."

They took that as a cue to leave and did so. Miriam frowned. Something wasn't right. Why were Isaac and Jacob looking so tense? She felt even more uneasy when she and Malcolm walked into the kitchen. Jacob was relaxed and smiling before he noticed them, but then he tensed.

"Didn't Dad want to catch up?" he asked, handing them their water.

"He wanted to talk to Alexei," Malcolm said. "Thanks for the water."

"You're welcome. It-it's nice to see you, Miriam."

Miriam sipped the water and ignored him. Jacob filled himself a glass and sat down at the table, avoiding their eyes. Malcolm sat down across from him.

"Your house is so clean. Ours is so dusty it would take days to clean it," he said.

"Where do you two live?" Jacob asked curiously.

"We live in an abandoned house in the forest. Have you heard of it?

"No- wait, no one takes care of you guys?"

"We take care of ourselves," Malcolm said. "We manage just fine."

Guilt filled Jacob's face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to judge you-"

"It's okay," Malcolm cut him off. "But I kind of want to live in a better place. It's tough, and I'm not sure we can handle it. Especially with Miriam's-" He broke off suddenly, hesitating.

"Don't tell him," Miriam said, panic rising. She didn't want them to know about her hallucinations. Something touched her neck, and she screamed and jumped back. A shadow stood behind her, but it had actual eyes and teeth covered in blood. Miriam dropped her glass and ran over to Malcolm and Jacob.

"Are you okay?" Malcolm asked, worried.

"Um... I... over there," Miriam mumbled. She pointed at the thing. Malcolm stared in that direction. He sighed.

"All I can see is a wall."

Great. Miriam realized she was shaking. She shook her head and headed for the front door. Fresh air was what she needed. The thing didn't move. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. Miriam sat on the steps, staring at the almost empty street save one person planting flowers in their yard. She rested her head on her hands. Why did she have these hallucinations? She wasn't insane, or Malcolm would know. Was it trauma? Miriam felt like crying at the weight of her situation.

"Hey."

Malcolm sat next to her. Miriam rubbed her eyes.

"Would you like chocolate?" He held out a bar.

Miriam smiled and took it. "Thanks." She tore the wrapper and bit into it. It tasted like heaven, if heaven tasted like chocolate. It was sweet and made her feel better.

Malcolm let silence fall between them for a few minutes. When Miriam had finished the chocolate bar, he said, "Do you think we should tell them about... that?"

"No!" Miriam shook her head. "I don't want them to think I'm insane."

"That's not what I meant," Malcolm said in frustration. "I know you're not insane, but if they're happening more frequently, we should try and make them stop so you don't have to worry about them. I know how stressed they're making you- no don't deny it!" he snapped. Miriam shut her mouth. "I hate seeing you worried," he continued. "I just think we should consider it... just in case. But if you're not okay with it, I won't tell anyone."

"I don't want to tell them," Miriam said.

"Okay," Malcolm said. "I won't say a word. Now come on, we should go inside." He stood up. Miriam did, too, but not before glancing at the street. As she did, she thought she saw a person duck behind a bush. She squinted, trying to see more. The person had disappeared. Miriam brushed it away and followed Malcolm back into the house. First she had to deal with her relatives.

Isaac and Alexei were in the living room. Alexei was sitting on one of the chairs while Isaac paced restlessly in front of him.

"I am NOT okay with this," Isaac snapped. "Who knows what her parents planted in her head?"

"They're homeless, Isaac," Alexei said. "They might be surviving fine now, but what if they get really sick. We cannot risk that!"

Isaac stopped his pacing and sighed. "You're right. I owe it to her parents. But this doesn't mean," he added angrily, "that I agree with what they were doing."

"I know," Alexei said calmly. "I don't either."

Isaac resumed his pacing but then stopped abruptly. "We never made up," he mumbled suddenly, tears filling his eyes. "We..." He couldn't finish the sentence.

Miriam and Malcolm just stood there in the doorway awkwardly. Malcolm walked into the room. Both men weren't expecting him.

"I have a question to ask you," Isaac said. "Both of you."

"Yes?" Malcolm asked.

"Would you mind if I adopted you?"

Malcolm was at a loss for words. "No... no," he choked out. His eyes widened in excitement. "We're okay with it, right, Miriam?"

"Sure," Miriam said slowly. She didn't know what to think. While it would be nice to stop breathing in layers of dust, the bit of the conversation they had heard between her uncle and Alexei brought up questions she wasn't sure Isaac would answer. Like, had her parents and Isaac had a big argument? She caught sight of Jacob lurking where they had been seconds ago. His eyes were wide in shock. Did her relatives really want her here? What were they hiding? Miriam frowned. She'd have to find that out herself.

Chapter 5:
In the past...

The glass cage was cold. She didn't like it. She pounded on the glass, hoping it would break, but it was too tough. Was it even made of glass? She wasn't sure anymore.

As her attempts to break free became more useless, she sank to floor, hoping a friendly person would come in to rescue her. The man and woman had disappeared She pawed at the glass again, as if it would just disappear.

The door to the room opened. She sat up, wishing desperately that whoever was coming inside would free her. A different man stepped into the room alone. He closed the door, and she could see him locking it. The man turned and walked up to the cage. He placed a hand on it and gazed at her, his eyes filled with wonder and triumph.

"Do not worry," he said in a soothing, reassuring tone. "You won't be in here for long."

Was he going to let her out? She pawed at the glass again.

"But first," the man continued, and this time his voice had a cold tone, "we need to make you more... cooperative."

Was he talking about the fact that she'd almost cut the woman's eye out? She suddenly felt nervous. Was he going to punish her for that? She hadn't meant to harm anyone.

The man held up a remote with a blue button and said solemnly, "This is for the good of the world." He clicked the button.

Electricity zapped her entire body. Pain burned through every part of her body as she fell to the floor, shrieking in agony. It felt like she was dying. It lit every nerve, sending waves and waves of torturous fire through her body. She could see the man standing in front of the glass. His lips and eyes were set in a cold, emotionless expression. He watched silently as he held the button down then released it and pressed it again. The shrieks were muffled by the cage, unheard of by anyone other than the man.

***

In the present...

A week passed before Miriam and Malcolm attended school for the first time. Well, the first time in several years for both of them. They had a lot of work to do before they caught up with the rest of their grades, but at least they were spared from being forced into an elementary school. The shame and embarrassment would have been torture. And they had a friend at Shirley Middle School: Yana Sirko. She had come over to Isaac's house a few times before They were registered in the school. They found her sitting underneath a tree reading a book. Miriam thought back to the first time they met. She had been reading a book under a tree. She must really like doing that.

"Hi, Yana!" Miriam said, walking up.

Yana looked up from her book and immediately closed it. She shoved it into her bag and hopped up.

"There you are! I've been waiting for you!" she said excitedly. Without warning, she grabbed Miriam and Malcolm's arms and started dragging them with greater strength than they thought she had. When Miriam looked up, she saw that Yana was taking them to a short boy sitting in a dark shady area by himself. He had dark brown hair, not as dark as Yana's, tan skin, and was wearing shorts and a gray T-shirt.

He looked up as they came over and shrank closer to the wall as they came closer like he was trying to hide himself. Yana let go of Miriam and Malcolm and pushed them a little bit forward.

"Miriam, Malcolm, meet Edgardo Cortez, the only other person in this entire school who knows what true heartbreak and turmoil is like," she announced. "Oh, and he goes by Ed."

"Hi," Malcolm said, reaching his hand out to Ed. Ed tentatively shook it.

"There's almost enough of us against Eduardo," Yana said happily to Ed. "Isn't that great?"

Ed shook his head. Yana frowned at him. "Aren't you excited? We have more friends!" Ed shook his head again and crossed his arms. Yana grunted in annoyance and said, "Do you like being a loner? Because-" Ed nodded his head at the first question, confirming he did. Yana looked astonished. "But that'll make Eduardo bully you more! Do you want that?" Ed didn't say anything. Yana sighed then suddenly turned to Miriam and Malcolm.

"I forgot to tell you," she said. "Ed rarely talks. He's always quiet"

"You don't?" Malcolm asked him in surprise. Ed looked annoyed for a second then nodded. He held up his watch and pointed at the time. Everyone stared at him, confused. Ed rolled his eyes and opened his phone. He typed something.

Yana's phone rang. She picked it up and gasped. "Oh, no! We're going to be late! Thanks, Ed!" She grabbed his arm and backpack. She waved to Malcolm and Miriam as she dragged Ed away. "See you at lunch!"

And so the not-related brother and sister duo were left staring after the notorious loner duo of the nerd and silent kid. They just stood there, not knowing what to do. Where were they supposed to go? They went into the school and wandered around until finding a teacher. Thankfully, the teacher told them where to go.

It went well for them. At the cafeteria, they found Yana and Ed sitting in a corner. Yana was telling him something, but she broke off when she saw Miriam and Malcolm. She beckoned them to move faster. She looked angry.

"Are you okay?"

Yana didn't reply. Her fist was clenched in anger, and her mouth was a thin line. What was wrong? Ed looked pale and silent tears were rolling down his face.

"What happened?" Miriam asked.

Yana exhaled a deep breath. "Eduardo," she managed to say. "He... he threatened Ed."

"Eduardo?"

"Ed's brother," Yana said in disgust. "He constantly bullies us and is the reason no one talks to us. He hates us."

Ed rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe his tears away, and Yana put her arm around him comfortingly. Miriam had no idea what to say. She had never seen bullying. She looked at Malcolm. He also didn't know what to say.

"Can't you report him to the teachers?" Miriam asked after a while.

"No. The teachers all think he's an angel," Yana said, her voice bitter.

Miriam and Malcolm's first lunch was not a happy one. Ed couldn't stop crying silently and shaking. They tried to comfort him, but it was obvious he was not going to stop. It was after that when Miriam and Malcolm separated for the first time all day. They said their goodbyes to Yana and Ed before having to do the same with each other.

"I'll see you in a bit," Malcolm called after Miriam as she ran down the hall. The bell had rung; they were late.

"Okay!" Miriam called back, not looking back so she wouldn't slam into a locker or something.

It was a good day for her, but not for Ed.

Yana still had her arm around him as they walked to their next classes. Ed appreciated the care, but recently he had dedicated himself to become braver. Clearly he was failing. All he wanted was for his brother to stop treating him like this. Why did he constantly have that lust to hurt Ed? When they had reached Yana's classroom, Ed wiped his new tears off and brushed Yana's arm away. He pointed down to the hall to communicate that he needed to go somewhere, to be alone.

"Are you sure? We're already late enough as it is," Yana said, understanding immediately. This was a common thing.

Ed nodded. He didn't care. Nobody cared about him anyway. They wouldn't even notice. He was invisible to everyone except Yana. He walked down the hall quickly before she could say anything else. It was silent in the emptiness. He cherished it. No one could punch him or say cruel things to him at the moment. He touched a locker. The metal was cold. He pulled his finger away. He'd had enough coldness in his life.

A door creaked. Ed paused. A door into an empty classroom was open. He shrugged to himself and continued walking a few pages until he stopped short. That classroom was the Punishment Classroom. It was where Eduardo and his gang beat up people who did something he didn't like. He knew because he'd been punched there plenty of times. Strange. Eduardo never left the door open, and the lights were off. Ed cautiously approached the door, paranoia beginning to stir. He looked inside. Nothing. Not even a single person. He breathed a sigh of relief until he noticed red. He went inside, fear pulsing throughout him. He knew that red, had seen it plenty of times. It was blood.

There were no cameras in here. Ed knew that, but he still looked up at the ceiling. No proof that anyone saw anything. Ed nervously looked around again. The school had really bad security due to lack of finances. He got up and hurried out of the room, feeling chills go down his spine. He should tell someone. But would they listen to him? He carried on walking, ignorant to the fact that there had been something very dangerous and deadly in there.

Chapter 6:
Dinner was as tense as a spring ready to bounce. Miriam piled food onto her plate, trying to ignore the fact that Isaac and Jacob still refused to look her in the eye. It had only been a week, but surely whatever had bothered them wasn't still doing that? School had been great. She sat down next to Malcolm, who was gulping down food as though his life depended on it. Isaac and Jacob were barely eating. Jacob picked at his food while Isaac's fists were clenched.

"Are you... going to eat?" Miriam asked, trying not to make her voice cold.

Isaac was gripping the tablecloth now. Jacob half-heartedly shoved a fork full of pasta into his mouth. Miriam's annoyance increased tenfold. She needed to know what their problem was now, no matter what.

"Why do you not like me?" Okay, that was way too blunt.

Isaac didn't respond for a long moment. Then he muttered, "Your parents and I got into a huge argument a couple years before they died. We barely spoke after it."

"An argument about what?"

"It's nothing," Isaac said, looking uncomfortable. "I... you know... It's personal."

He left the table soon after that. Jacob managed to stay still the end, though, but he didn't speak. Miriam and Malcolm were left alone. Miriam put her fork down.

"They're hiding something," she said.

Malcolm didn't disagree. "It has something to do with what he and Alexei had been talking about." Pretty obvious. He didn't need to say it out loud.

Miriam's heart burned with a fierce desire to find out the truth. She needed to know why Isaac hated her parents. She stood up, having finished eating. She walked away without a word. Malcolm sat there, confused.

Miriam flopped onto the bed. She'd have to start soon. She couldn't wait. Miriam was persistent. She stared at the ceiling, feeling like it had been long enough.

***

The next day, after school, Yana told Miriam and Malcolm that Alexei wanted them to meet his coworker who was also Ed's dad. Apparently he, too, had been friends with Miriam's parents. Miriam was excited. Maybe he would want to tell her about her parents, since Alexei and Isaac refused to say anything. Maybe, just maybe, he could tell her why her parents and uncle argued.

"What's he like?" Malcolm asked as they drove to the building.

"You will see," Alexei said. That was all he would say.

Ed and Yana had come with them. According to Yana, they got free entry into the building. They weren't allowed in the labs, though. Miriam remembered when her parents were alive. They had brought her here sometimes. She hasn't been allowed in the labs either. She recognized the building as they drove up to it. Standing at the door was Ed's father. He waved to them. He looked a lot like his son, except his eyes were lighter.

"Hello, Antonio!" Alexei greeted his friend cheerfully. They hugged. Antonio extended his hand to Miriam.

"It's been a long time," Antonio said as they shook hands. "I'm sure Lydia and Isaiah would have been very proud of you."

Miriam nodded. She was too nervous to talk. Antonio suddenly looked at Miriam's arm. She was wearing a T-shirt, and her scar showed for the entire world to see.

"What on earth did that?" he asked in horror.

Miriam immediately felt embarrassed . "I don't know," she whispered quietly.

Antonio didn't press the subject. Instead, he ushered them into the building. "You wouldn't believe all the amazing tools we have here," he told Miriam and Malcolm as they walked down a hall. "It all helps us create solutions to many problems."

There were many labs and test rooms throughout the building. Meyers Science Branch was the most famous building in Brigadeiro Superior and was the reason it was a rich city. They tested for solutions for global warming, diseases, and cancer. It was very rich and owned/founded by Jonathan Meyers himself, who oversaw all projects. The only reason why Miriam knew this is because of the giant wall dedicated to how it was founded and what they did. A giant frame of the mayor hung above it. Antonio led them to an elevator.

"All of the floors above are labs, except the top floor," Antonio told them. "That is where we store all our files on experiments and employees."

Employees? "Do the files include dead employees?" Miriam asked him, not caring if it sounded weird.

"The files include information on all employees," he replied.

A plan began to form in Miriam's head. If she could manage to get herself alone, she could find tons of information on her parents without anyone to question her. But it wouldn't be enough. Should she steal the files?

Antonio pressed the button, and the elevator carried them to the top floor, floor twelve. The labs were close to a hospital, and Miriam could see it from a window in the top floor. They were in a room filled with files on employees. These contained the ones whose last names started from G to L. Wonderful. Her parents' information was in this room. She could feel it.

Malcolm walked around the room, staring curiously at all the file cabinets. "Who organized all of this?" he asked.

"Whenever new information comes in, I organize it," Antonio said.

Malcolm looked shocked. "All on your own?"

"I don't mind it. It's peaceful, actually. Although I do experiments and tests like everybody else. I am a scientist, not a librarian."

Miriam walked over to the file cabinet that held all people with last names starting with H. There were multiple which meant it could take a while. She tried to open the first, but it wouldn't budge. She let go of the handle, feeling stupid. Of course the cabinets were locked.

Antonio walked over. "You're looking for your parents' files." It wasn't a question.

Miriam avoided his eye. "I just want to know more about them," she said. She was disgusted with herself. She sounded like a little child.

Antonio smiled and took a key out of his pocket. To Miriam's astonishment, he unlocked the third file cabinet and opened it. He rummaged through the files until he handed the right ones to Miriam. Surprise made her stare at them. Antonio sighed and thrust them into her hand.

"Take them. They're my gift to you," he said.

Miriam wanted to hug him but knew that since they practically just met that she should not. Antonio smiled and turned to the others.

"We should get going," he said. "It's almost lunch time."

And so they left. Miriam brushed her finger over the folders, feeling happy and satisfied even though her stomach hurt. It had just randomly started hurting. Weird. Maybe breakfast didn't agree with her.

"You shouldn't let Isaac see those," Malcolm warned, looking at the folders.

"Do you think I'm dumb? Of course I won't!" Miriam said.

Malcolm frowned uneasily. "I'm just telling you to be careful with them. Isaac doesn't seem to be a predictable guy."

Despite the fact that her uncle refused to look at her for more than two minutes, Miriam was inclined to agree. Isaac would have her skin if he caught her with these files. Oh, shoot. She didn't have anything to hide them in. She looked around in panic.

"What's wrong?" Malcolm asked curiously.

"Do you see any bags?"

"Hide them in your shirt," Malcolm said, instantly understanding her need.

"Oh, yeah, sure. My uncle totally won't question why I have a rectangular bulge in my shirt," Miriam snapped sarcastically.

"It's the only hope we've got," Malcolm replied, unfazed.

Before Miriam could argue, her stomach decided to do a proverbial backflip. She resisted the urge to clutch her side in pain. What on earth was going on down there? She tried to ignore it even though it hurt badly. It faded away by the time the car reached Isaac's house.

Miriam forced Malcolm to hide the files under his shirt. Her stomach ached so much she didn't know if she could stand walking. She grabbed the door and used it to help her pull herself out of the car. To her relief, she could stand perfectly fine. She headed slowly after Malcolm as he walked to the front door.

"Get behind me," she said quietly. "He can't see any sign that we're hiding something."

Malcolm obeyed, and Miriam opened the door, preparing herself for either Isaac or Jacob to question them. There was no one nearby. She breathed out hard, pleased at their luck. She led the way to the stairs. Her stomach still ached like it had been punched, but she managed to climb the stairs without fail. Malcolm nervously looked over his shoulder, scared that Isaac would catch him.

They successfully reached Miriam's room without Isaac popping out of nowhere like a ghost. Miriam put the folders under her bed and, to be extra careful, covered them with a blanket, making sure to simple it. If anyone looked under there, all they would see was a blanket. She sat up, feeling proud of her work. At least she hadn't had to steal it. She only hoped Antonio wouldn't tell Isaac. Wait. Alexei would. Would he? Miriam's heart beat faster. Alexei knew Antonio had given her the files. Would he tell Isaac so her uncle could take them? She wished she knew for certain whether he would.

***

Two days later, an event happened that was far more lively than when she got the folders, as Miriam got to personally see why everyone in the school feared Ed's brother, Eduardo.

Miriam, Malcolm, and Ed had been sitting on a bench outside, watching Yana as she practiced a presentation for her social studies class. Unfortunately, she had not been able to get very far. Eduardo had decided that had been the perfect opportunity to be a bad person.

"What do we have here?" he said as he emerged into visibility. "The nerd thinks she's actually smart."

Ed became very pale at the sight of his brother. Yana was unfazed by his taunt and said sharply, "If I'm a stereotypical nerd, then I am smart and not trying to be... unlike you."

Eduardo reddened in anger. "Don't pretend you're better than me, girl. I actually have a purpose," he snarled viciously.

The remark shocked Yana so much she stood there in silence, mouth hanging open as if about to say something. A spark flew inside Miriam, igniting a fire. Eduardo grinned cruelly, pleased that he had affected her. He caught sight of Miriam and Malcolm.

"Who are these two?" Eduardo asked, eyeing them. "More trash to add to the dump?" His gang laughed at the insult.

Anger filled Miriam, the fire engulfing everything. She took a step forward, but Malcolm, sensing she was going to explode, grabbed her arm and shook his head. Eduardo and his gang laughed even harder at her evident rage. Yana recovered herself just before Miriam burst.

"The only trash to add to the dump is you," she said quietly but strongly. The bullies stopped laughing at once. Eduardo glared at her with tons of hate in his eyes. He walked forward and slapped Yana hard across the face. On cue, his followers joined in, punching and kicking Yana. She fought back, but there were too many of them.

Malcolm let go of Miriam and practically threw himself onto one of the guys. Miriam punched a guy in the face, but he responded by punching her in the gut. How the intestines manage to be perfectly fine was mind blowing. Miriam was pushed down, and three boy joined together to kick and step on her. She managed to get away from their feet and looked around anxiously for Yana and Malcolm. A hand grabbed her arm, and she turned to give the person a good punch or slap.

It was Ed. His eyes were wide in terror, and he was gesturing frantically toward the tree next to the bench. Miriam shrieked in panic. Eduardo had managed to find a stick and was beating poor Yana, who was cornered against a tree. Eduardo's two friends were holding her arms and legs in place. They were all laughing viciously as she screamed in pain.

Where the heck were all the teachers? Why was there no one around? Miriam and Malcolm both lunged towards Eduardo, but his other friends were quicker. They pushed the two away and formed a circle around the tree. It wasn't fair. Miriam and Malcolm weren't as strong as those brats!

"Ed! Get help!" Malcolm called.

Before Ed could run to the building, a teacher strolled out of the building. Immediately Eduardo stopped and threw the stick to the ground. He and his gang ran towards the teacher. Eduardo started talking, and the teacher responded. He led the teacher back inside, and nothing was spotted.

Miriam, Malcolm, and Ed crouched down beside Yana, who had fallen to the ground. Most of her skin was badly bruised, and there were several cuts on her arms, along with scrapes. She was still awake but moaned in pain. Miriam quickly checked herself and Malcolm. They had escaped with only bruises.

"Get the nurse," Malcolm ordered Ed.

Ed nodded and ran into the school.

"I feel like my insides are about to fall out," Miriam muttered to herself.

Malcolm sighed. "We're going to have to be very careful from now on. Who knows if Eduardo wants more?"

The nurse checked their bruises and gave them ice packs. She didn't ask for an explanation, and they were fine with that. Yana had said Eduardo had the teachers wrapped around his finger. Later on, the principal, Mr. Scholar, called them to his office. They thought he was going to punish them, but it turns out he just wanted to give them permission to go home. So they did. Isaac didn't talk to them at all in the car. He did ask one question. The most obvious one.

"How did you get the bruises?" he asked, examining them with actual concern.

"Oh, uh..." Malcolm started but did not finish.

However, Isaac was perfectly fine with that and did not speak for the rest of the time. It reminded Miriam of her mom. She would be perfectly okay with the most vague answers, even if the person hadn't said anything. Her thoughts went to the folders under her bed. Knowing about their jobs might help her figure out what fell apart between her parents and uncle. Actually, now that she thought about it, she had no idea what had happened to her aunt.

"Um... Isaac?" Miriam asked nervously.

"Yeah?" Isaac said from the front of the car.

"What happened to my aunt... your wife?" Miriam asked.

Isaac's face seemed to turn to stone. "She divorced me and ran off with someone else. Jacob was distraught. I guess I was, too, even though I suspected it would happen."

"Do you know what happened to her?" Miriam asked.

Isaac's hands clenched the steering wheel more tightly. He didn't reply, and Miriam was sure he was purposefully not answering. He sure was determined to not share anything. Miriam leaned back in her seat and didn't ask again. She had a feeling bad things would happen if they did.

When they got home, Isaac went to his room before Miriam or Malcolm could speak again. Miriam had more important things to ponder over than her aunt. She climbed the stairs, wincing at the pain in her bruises, and eagerly leaned down to pull the folders from under her bed. Dark, glowing eyes stared at her. A claw reached towards her, and the thing bared its teeth, sharp as knives.

Miriam screamed and threw herself backwards, against the wall. The creature poked its head out from the bed, but it never showed any feature other than the eyes, teeth, and claws. It was just a shadowy blob. A shadowy blob that wanted to eat her. She screamed as it touched her.

The door slammed open. Malcolm stood heroically in the doorway. He looked around the room for whatever had caused Miriam to scream but didn't notice the shadow creature pawing at Miriam. Miriam was too petrified to speak. Malcolm peeked down next to her.

"There's nothing here, Miriam," he said.

"But-but that th-thing," Miriam managed to say, pointing at the creature. It's long arm was still clawing at her. Surprisingly, there was no pain.

"There's nothing there, Miriam," Malcolm said. He was worried. She could see it on his face. "It's not real."

He helped her to the doorway. Miriam looked over at the hallucination. It was trying to crawl after her. She shuddered. It wasn't real. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed her arms and sides. She clutched Malcolm harder as if he were a tree and she was a bird. What was going on with her?

In the kitchen, Malcolm put her in a chair. She tried to block the pain in her arms as her brother got water. She accepted to cold glass gratefully. Malcolm sat across from her with so much sorry in his face you'd think she was dying. Miriam set her glass down and nodded thankfully at him.

"Thanks-" she began.

"You should know by now that the things you see are not real," Malcolm said. "I thought something was actually wrong. I don't like false alarms."

Miriam felt insulted. "Well, how do you know? They seem real enough to me."

"But they're never real," Malcolm pointed out.

Anger flared up. "Do you think I can control what I see? Because I can't, in case you've noticed!"

Their conversation was interrupted by Jacob running into the room. That was good, since Malcolm had been about to say something.

"I heard Miriam scream," Jacob said. "Is she alright?"

"I'm fine. It was just a spider," Miriam lied.

"Cool. Did you get a good look at it?" Jacob asked eagerly.

"No? Why?"

"I love spiders!" Jacob sighed wistfully. "Miles is our pet tarantula. He lives in my room."

Miriam hated big spiders. They were so creepy. She silently vowed never to set foot in Jacob's room. She looked at her scar and wondered why her arm was paler than usual. The scare must have done that. That didn't make any sense.

"Don't you have school?" Malcolm asked Jacob.

"Dad teaches me," Jacob said.

Miriam noticed there was a picture in Jacob's hand. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at it.

Jacob glanced down at it. "Nothing." He walked away, back to his room.

Miriam wasn't ready to go back to her room or upstairs, so she and Malcolm sat on the couch and watched movies. Soon the creature vanished from her mind. Her bruises were lighter, too. She felt better despite the pain in her arms and hoped Yana did, too.

Tomorrow was going to be another day.

Chapter 7:
In the past...

Dim lights shone over the broken furniture and cobwebs in the dusty basement. The walls were clawed, and bones still lay on the floor. A man crouched beside one, gently tracing it with his fingers. A human bone. He stood up. He looked around again. Dark gray fur littered the floor. She was definitely here. The memory still hung in his head, a consistent reminder of his failure. He should have been able to control her.

You would think ruining the life of a little child would unsettle him, but instead he smiled softly. It was for the greater good. It was meant to happen. She had been his first great success! Rodents didn't count. He picked up stray hairs and put it into a vial. He had to keep anything containing her DNA. He had to know whether he had corrected the formula or it had just been her having a special trait. He headed to the basement entrance, feeling sorry the people she had eaten wouldn't be around to be part of his inevitable success.

It was for the greater good of the world.

***

In the present...

The files sat on Miriam's bed. Miriam stared at them. They didn't move. She had been like this for at least three minutes. Miriam didn't know what would happen if she opened them. She felt like Isaac would burst in dramatically. It wouldn't matter if he saw the files. He didn't have the right to stop her. She just wanted to know what her parents did. Her memories of childhood were becoming harder to remember for some reason.

Finally, after ten more tense but not tense seconds, she opened up the folders. Both of them. Why not look through both at the same time?

Most of it was just information like birth date and records. But there was something that caught Miriam's attention. A picture, taken from a city camera. A picture of a very familiar car. Except it was rammed against a tree. Inside were two people, clearly dead, and on the ground was a girl.

Miriam's heart sped up. She knew what this moment was. It was the car crash that killed her parents. She looked at her almost unconscious self. There was something in the corner. An arm was reaching out towards Miriam. She squinted, trying to figure out what it was. She held the picture up closer. She still couldn't make out what it was. She put it down, wondering if she could figure out what it was.

The door opened. Miriam closed the files as quick as she could. Malcolm walked in. Thank goodness.

"Found anything interesting?" Malcolm asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Yes." Miriam pulled out the picture and gave it to Malcom. "Can you tell what it is?"

Malcolm squinted. "It looks almost like a person's arm except... it has claws."

"What?" Miriam looked more closely. It did have claws, very sharp ones. They looked kind of familiar. "That's creepy."

"Glad it didn't eat you," Malcolm said.

"Yeah, that doesn't help."

Malcolm took her mom's file and flipped through it. "Nothing else like that in there?" he asked, nodding towards her dad's file.

Miriam quickly skimmed through it. "Nope, nothing."

Malcolm set the file down and proceeded to sink into deep thought. "I wonder what type of animal it was. We could show it to Yana and Ed. Maybe they know of an animal that looks like that?"

"Maybe," Miriam said, though she doubted they would.

The next day Malcolm didn't forget about the picture and presented it to Yana and Ed. Yana immediately started chattering about how interesting it looked while the blood in Ed's face went bye bye.

"I have never seen anything like that before. I don't remember an animal with traits like those, but it is possible that could be a new species, but of course we can't make assumptions like that by just studying the arm. We would have to see the entire thing-" was what Yana said a minute later.

"We get it," Miriam said, already tired. "Ed, are you okay."

Ed texted Yana something. She read, "'That picture is in my dad's room. I saw it in there.'"

The reaction was expected. How else would you react to knowing your friend's dad kept a photo of a death scene? Malcolm was so creeped out he couldn't even speak. In Miriam's case, she started coughing really hard..

"Are YOU okay?" Yana asked.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Miriam managed to say between coughs. An extra hard cough came, and she coughed into the arm. Malcolm handed her water bottle over, and Miriam accepted it gratefully. It didn't work, and she continued coughing very painful coughs. Eventually they stopped, and Miriam turned back to her friends, wiping her mouth.

"So...," she said, trying to fix the awkwardness. "You think your dad knows something, Ed?"

Ed nodded.

"Is this supposed to be a loser gathering?"

They turned their heads to see Eduardo and his gang stroll up. Ed ducked behind Yana.

"We are having sophisticated conversation," Yana told him. "You know, a friendly exchange of words without punching or kicking."

Eduardo laughed. "Losers don't have that ability. Now Leave," Eduardo said, ignoring the fear he had created. "Now. Or I'll beat you up so badly there won't be anything left for the nurse."

Yana stood up so fast Miriam almost didn't see it. She was furious. They all still had the bruises from last time Eduardo came by. Ed grabbed Yana's arm before she could do anything. Eduardo laughed again.

"Aw, wittle nerdy Yana has to rely on my pathetic crybaby brother to control her wittle temper," he said mockingly in a baby voice.

Yana wrestled her arm out of Ed's hand and was about to lunge towards Eduardo to slap him. Key words: About to. Because that was when Miriam decided to act like she was dying. She fell on the ground dramatically.

"Oh no, everything hurts! Someone help! I feel like I'm burning!" Miriam declared, rolling around on the ground.

The dramatic display worked. Yana and Eduardo stared at Miriam in confusion. Neither of them understood what she was doing. Then Eduardo started laughing yet again. What was with this guy, constantly laughing like breathing was funny?

"You are so ridiculous," Eduardo chuckled. "I should get a video of this."

Now that her mission was complete, Miriam got up and walked back to the school. Her friends followed, still not sure why Miriam had done that. But Eduardo left them alone for the rest of the day, and they were happy about that. Peace was always nice.

***

"Should we tell her?"

The question hung in the air for several long moments. Isaac was surprised his son had asked that. Jacob was standing in his doorway, looking very serious. Strange. He wasn't usually that serious.

"Why do you ask?"

"She's been looking at their files from the labs," Jacob said. "I found them on her bed."

"She won't find out about it from those," Isaac said. "And I do not think we should tell her. It's too soon."

Jacob nodded and turned to go back to his room but hesitated. "What... was the thing they were working on?" he asked.

Isaac tensed. "You're not ready to handle it," he said. "And when I do tell you, don't try to tell other people. I've tried, and none of them have ever believed me."

"It's that crazy to believe?" Jacob asked.

"When I tell you, you will understand," he said. He headed out of the room to take the files back. He had a feeling Antonio gave them to her, and if he did that, he must be intending to do something. Whatever he intended must have something to do with what Jacob was asking about. The thought of Miriam finding out and going through the same thing brought shudders to Isaac. It was too disturbing to think about. Hmm. Maybe he should tell Miriam. Yes, that would be an excellent idea. Why don't we do that?

"I changed my mind," Isaac said to Jacob. "I'll tell you about it now."

Jacob just blinked at him. Isaac was great at changing his mind randomly. At least he wouldn't have to wait to get told about whatever it is he was going to get told.

Chapter 8:
In the past...

The house near the lake gave great shelter to her. She had found it while it had been raining hard. She had been limping through the dark of night, hurt after her escape. Her stomach growled. She would try to get food once the storm was over. She worried she would never find a safe place in this place. What if they found her?

But it had been there, the house, just sitting there. She had assumed people owned it and decided to hide in whatever was beyond that little door. It had been a relief to crawl inside, away from the cold dumping rain. Her fur was soaked, and her skin on her hands was all wrinkly. She had been trekking through the rain for several hours. She had been forced to hide from people multiple times. Anger rushed through her. She hated those people. Now she was tired, and her legs ached. The result of being in captivity for numerous days.

The room beyond the door looked like a basement. There were several knocked over brooms, and the boxes were covered in dust. She poked at one to see if it contained something, but it did not. It shifted easily. She sniffed the air and smelled a disgusting stink. She looked around and finally spotted two dead rats laying in the corner of the basement. She had figured out a long time ago that she could see in the dark. She shook out her fur. Droplets were making the dust congeal. Her stomach growled again. She was getting hungrier. But it was still raining. She ripped open the boxes and arranged them so that they made a bed. She curled up in it and closed her eyes. She hoped the inhabitants of the house wouldn't come down.

But there was no one living there. She was never discovered. And as time passed, she began to desire revenge against the people who had done this to her. She would feast on them while they were still alive, hear their agonized screams as they were devoured. She would become their worst fear. And she would save the man who had ordered it to happen last.

Except he figured out who had killed the assistants assigned to her first. She couldn't find him, not even after she killed and ate the people who had chased her. Then she figured out a little girl she had almost killed was still alive. She had decides to stalk her. She had known about her secret weapon then. She would strike when it fully activated.

Then there would be one left to kill.

***

In the present...

Miriam and Malcolm came home to discover Antonio was waiting for them. Well, he was actually wanting to talk to Miriam. The pair had been out on a walk, admiring the neighborhood they now lived in. They had been surprised to see Antonio sitting on the couch with a glass of wine, patiently waiting for them. But that wasn't the most surprising thing. It was that Jacob was staring at Antonio in a way that would make you assume Antonio had done great personal harm to Jacob. Isaac was there, too, constantly giving Jacob very obvious warning looks.

"Ah, there you are, Miriam!" Antonio said in a pleased way, standing up to greet her. Miriam immediately felt awkward. She hated being given attention by everyone. "I was wanting to show you something at the labs," he continued. "It has something to do with your parents."

Jacob made some sort of disgusted noise, and everyone turned to look at him. He blushed, wishing it hadn't happened. Isaac winced and took Jacob out of the room, muttering something to him. Jacob nodded. Antonio continued as though there had been no interruption.

"I'm on my break and decided it would be the best time to show you what I found," he continued. "Would you like to go?"

"Sure," Miriam said. "Malcolm, do you want to come?"

"I guess," Malcolm said, looking sour that Antonio ignored him.

Antonio smiled widely. "Good. I want to show it to you as well, Malcolm." He drank the rest of his wine and hurried towards the door. His eagerness convinced Miriam that this was very, very important.

Turned out Ed was also coming along. He smiled awkwardly at Miriam and Malcolm as they got into the car. They sat down next to him, and Antonio got the car going.

"How are you, Ed?" Malcolm asked their friend.

Ed gave him a thumbs up to tell him that he was doing fine, although he kept fidgeting like he was expecting something bad to happen. Miriam, on the other hand, was very excited. The files Antonio had given her hadn't been as informative as they could have been. That wasn't to say they hadn't been informative. They had, but there was a chance what Antonio was going to show her was even more important. She couldn't wait to get to the labs.

Meanwhile...

"This is not good!" Isaac said for the millionth time. He was pacing anxiously in front of his son. Come to think of it, he paced quite a lot. It must be how he calmed down.

"If it's that bad, shouldn't we just follow them?" Jacob suggested. He was the problem solver of the family, like Miriam's dad.

Isaac stopped pacing. He knew Jacob was right, but he was questioning why he hadn't thought about it. He grabbed his keys and headed to the garage. Jacob followed him after he retrieved his baseball bat. His dad looked at it in concern.

"What do you plan on doing with that?" he asked.

"Defense," Jacob said. "What else would I use it for?"

Isaac decided to not question it. It wasn't worth it. And so they drove out on their quest, hoping they wouldn't be too late.

While those two were doing that, Antonio had arrived at the labs. He ignored everyone else as he took Miriam, Malcolm, and Ed to the elevators. Ed was beginning to look very uncomfortable, making Miriam wonder what was causing him to feel like that. Everything seemed fine to her. Did he not like what Antonio was going to show him? Did he even know what it was?

Antonio pressed a button labeled with an X. Malcolm stared at it curiously.

"Where does that go?"

"Basement floor 10," Antonio said.

"What's down there? And why does it have an X on it?"

"You will see. As for the X, it was originally an emergency button, but as you can see, it was repurposed for greater reasons."

The elevator took them down. Miriam liked riding elevators. The feeling as you went up and down was satisfying to her. Some people would say the drop in their stomach was uncomfortable, but Miriam enjoyed it. It made her feel like she was floating. There were mirrors in the elevator, and Miriam examined her reflection. Her hair was all messed up from the wind. It had been very windy when she and Malcolm had gone on their walk.

The doors opened when the elevator came to a stop. It revealed a small, empty tiled room. There was nothing in it except a chair. The walls were bare and an off-white color, and there was just a dark wooden door and a keypad. Antonio took them over to it. He turned to Ed.

"Stay here," he told him, pointing at the chair.

"What? No, he can come!" Miriam protested.

Antonio gave her a hard glare. "No, he will stay here. He can't see what I'm going to show you."

"I'll stay with him, then," Malcolm said, sitting down on the floor.

Antonio looked briefly annoyed but then consented. He typed in a password, and the door opened. He led Miriam inside and through several rooms. Some had people inside working on several different things that looked like liquids. She wondered what they were for as Antonio finally stopped in front of a door.

"Your parents were part of an extremely important experiment," he said. "I started it because I believed it was for the good of the world. It will help solve all problems in the country." He opened the door. Inside was a metal chair. "I want you to be part of it, too. It would be an honor to have you assist."

"Sure," Miriam said, though she didn't understand why he wanted her to help. She wasn't a scientist. "What do you need me to do?"

Antonio smiled. "Sit in the chair, and I'll continue explaining."

She did, and he took out a thick, black leather journal. "My great-grandfather, Juan José Cortez, discovered an extremely rare and unique substance. He named it oscuro after it's dark coloring. This substance alters the cells and molecules in an organism." He paused at this and looked at Miriam. "My great-grandfather was amazed at its capabilities. He believed he could fix all the problems in his town with it." Antonio pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and held it out to Miriam. She took it.

It was a detailed drawing of some weird looking creature. It's head was a pig's, but it had a torso that looked like a reptile's. It had six legs ending with numerous claws that seemed to function like it's feet. It was completely covered in dark dull green scales.

"What on earth is this?" Miriam asked, looking at Antonio in confusion.

"The result of my great-grandfather's experiment," he replied, taking it back. "It was his only one. He was determined to discover what it did to other creatures, except..." He sighed. "His oldest son feared the substance. He didn't understand it could improve the world. He destroyed most of the oscuro. My great-grandfather barely managed to save the little I currently posses. It was passed down, to me. I've been trying to replicate it for years, but my attempts have all failed." He crossed his arms, a bitter expression suddenly appearing on his face. "I managed to make a formula that simply makes people's bones and muscles stronger. It was given to the people in the army, but..." His voice trailed off. Miriam waited for him to speak again, but he didn't, too lost in his thoughts. She cleared her throat.

"What does this have to do with me?" she asked nervously. Antonio's expression had turned stormy very quickly.

Antonio's head jerked up a little. As if he had temporarily forgot Miriam existed. "As I said, your parents were one of the key scientists helping me with my project. I thought you'd like to see what they achieved."

He opened a door. Inside was another lab, but it's most prominent feature was the giant tank in the middle. It was all fogged up, but Miriam thought she saw something moving around in it. Antonio smiled at the look of wonder on her face.

"I'm sure you will understand my intentions after seeing it," he said.

He stepped into the room, and Miriam followed.

***

Ed was sweating buckets. His face was so shiny Malcolm almost got convinced the heater was on. He rested a calming hand on Ed's shaking leg. "What's wrong?" he asked gently. A bit too gently. He sounded like he was talking to a little kid. Ed knew it, too. He glared at him.

Malcolm fought the urge to roll his eyes in frustration. "Can't you just tell me?" he asked, almost begging.

Ed pointed at the door. Then he swiped a finger across his throat. Malcolm understood the death sign, but the pointing at the door confused him. Antonio wouldn't hurt Miriam. Or was there something in there that would hurt both Antonio and Miriam?

"Is there something dangerous in there?" Malcolm asked Ed.

Ed shrugged.

"Wait, so what was-" he made the finger slice motion- "this about then?"

Ed just shrugged.

Malcolm really wanted to knock his head on something. "What do you mean you don't know?"

Ed made no move or sound. He just sat there, staring at the door. Malcolm rubbed his forehead. He was getting a headache. And not just from Ed's silence but from all the dust floating in this room. When was the last time this place was cleaned? He shook his head. It still hurt.

The elevator suddenly dinged. Malcolm and Ed jumped. The doors slid open, revealing... Isaac and Jacob? Isaac headed straight to the door without looking at Malcolm or Ed. Jacob just nodded at them. They both seemed too preoccupied to speak.

"What are you guys doing here?" Malcolm asked in surprise.

"Miriam's alone with Antonio?" Isaac asked, looking at Malcolm. He nodded.

"Yeah, he wanted Ed to stay here, and I decided to stay, too."

"Idiotic decision." Isaac turned back to the door. "Jacob, keep the baseball bat close. We don't know what's in there."

"What? What's going on, Isaac?" Malcolm got to his feet.

"No time to explain," Isaac said, opening the door. "Go home, you two. This has nothing to do with either of you."

"Hey, we're not staying behind if it's important!" Malcolm tried to squeeze in to block Isaac's path. Isaac pushed him away with one hand. He was stronger than he looked.

"Too late. I already called Alexei to take you home. We will not be leaving without Miriam, I promise. We do not need you in our way." He walked through the door. Malcolm noticed he looked really worried. Well noted, Malcolm.

Jacob gave him and Ed an apologetic glance as he walked past. "Sorry, guys," he apologized. "But Dad's right."

They closed the door very quickly. Malcolm stared at it. Exasperation was taking over. He collapsed into a chair, annoyed. This was going really badly. His head hurt even more.

Alexei actually lived closer to the labs than Isaac, so he got there very quickly. He ran out of the elevator, pulling out a knife while screaming and startling Malcolm and Ed so badly they almost died of shock. He froze when he realized it was just Malcolm and Ed. The two boys stared at the knife in his hand, mouths wide open.

"Why the heck do you have a knife?" Malcolm almost shrieked at him.

"Uhhhhhh... Where is Isaac?" asked Alexei, immediately changing the subject. He put away his knife, too. It was just a kitchen knife.

Ed pointed at the door, but Malcolm set his feet firmly on the ground and faced Alexei with a deadly expression. He wanted an explanation, and he would not stop until he got it. Especially since it concerned Miriam.

"What. Is. Going. On. Here?" He stared at Alexei, not blinking once.

Alexei fidgeted uncomfortably under his look. It was so strong he felt like his flesh was burning away. He lowered his head in shame. "I can't tell you," he muttered.

"And why can't you tell us?" Each word was as cold as a harsh winter wind.

"I-you-you really do not want to know," Alexei mumbled again.

"Oh? I don't?" Malcolm raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to Alexei. "Well, I do want to know, and you will tell me everything about whatever is going on here. Because if it involves Miriam then I have the right to know. Okay?"

Alexei sighed in defeat. "Fine. I can tell you in the car, where there are no cameras."

"Why not here?"

"Stop arguing and do as I say. It is better to say it in the car," Alexei said urgently. "Now come on."

He pressed the button that would bring the elevator back down. Malcolm, deciding that he was satisfied with going to the car, went in.

Surely it wasn't extremely bad?