The Lost Afton

Chapter 5

It's been three months since Chris died and a lot has changed. Michael never smiles and keeps to his room most of the time. He only ever comes out to eat or use the bathroom. Elizabeth has the opposite problem: she smiles TOO much. It's almost creepy how much she smiles. Even if she is just sitting there she smiles, when she is talking she talks like a two year old eating their first candy bar. I tried to ask her but she just laughed and walked away. Daddy never gives me hugs anymore or talk to us much. He is always working and mostly ignores that we exist. Mommy is always sad which makes me devastated. I will often hear her crying in the bathroom or staring off in the distance whenever she is around us, like she is trying to escape the world. As for me, well I have tried my best to comfort my family but it is already hard enough as it is on me. Chris was my best friend and it hurt so bad that he was gone. On the bright side, my foot healed two weeks ago and I can walk perfectly now. But something different happened at dinner today that made me suspicious. Mommy called us all downstairs for dinner, which was leftover pizza. When we sat down at the table no one talked like normal. Elizabeth was smiling widely in the corner. Michael was picking off olives, Daddy was reading the newspaper and Mommy was staring off in the distance till Lizzy spoke up.

"Daddy, why won't you let me go see her? She's so pretty and shiny!", Lizzy exclaimed.

"Elizabeth, how many times do I have to tell you, you can't see her!" Daddy exclaimed angrily.

"But she can make balloons, did you know she can make balloons?" Elizabeth asked.

"I know perfectly well that she can do that, I made her!'', Daddy scoffed while sipping his coffee.

"Oh why won't you let me play with her", Elizabeth asked.

"Young lady, this is the last time I am going to say this, you can't go see her and that's the final", Daddy said, sitting up from the table and walking away, taking his newspaper. Elizabeth looked like she was going to cry but then she smiled strangely and laughed a little and went back to eating her food. I was right next to her and I felt weirded out. I scooted to the side a little bit and tried to ignore her giggling. I looked over to see that Mommy didn't even react. Michael ate two bites of his pizza and was now fiddling with his fork and looked like he was trying to ignore Lizzy next to us. But there was one question that kept coming to my mind, who was "her"? I didn't know anyone that could make balloons, and why would she call someone shiny? Daddy opened up a new location called Circus Baby's Pizza World a few days ago and I have never been. But Daddy has taken Elizabeth there before, maybe this "her" was there. I saw daddy coming back into the kitchen to get more coffee and I ran up next to him.

"Hey Daddy, can we go to Circus Baby's Pizza World tomorrow?", I asked hopefully. Daddy looked down at me and I shot him sparkling puppy eyes. Daddy sighed and put his paper down turning to me.

"I can take the family tomorrow if you want", Daddy said.

"Oh thank you Daddy!" I cried jumping in the air.

"On one condition", Daddy started. "You have to stay by Michael the whole time, that goes for you as well Elizabeth", Daddy said looking directly at my siblings. Elizabeth's eyes sparkled as she squealed in delight. Michael merely scoffed and left the table knowing he didn't have a choice.

(time skip)

The next day we were getting in the mini van to leave for Baby's. I wore a light blue t-shirt with a knee length black skirt and brown laced boots and a black open jacket. Elizabeth wore her favorite pink t-shirt and blue knee length skirt while Michael simply pulled on a black hoodie and ripped blue jeans and some white sneakers. Daddy wore his uniform and started the car. I looked at the passenger seat and realized that Mommy wasn't there.