The international singing sensation, Ghost Bird, is a name known around the world. No one knows who the mysterious singer is, but everyone knows her music.
Sang Sorenson sings to escape the reality of her hard life. Locked in a house with her mother...
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Sobbing silently, I drag myself back to my bedroom and collapse in the floor in a heap of disgrace. Mother never stops until she is bored, tired, or gets enough of a reaction from me.
On the floor, in a pitiful state, an idea sparks in my head for my next song. I turn on the recorder and just sob. I allow myself to cry for real, and for myself, and it feels like a weight is being lifted. I just wished that it would take the other weights with it and they would never come back.
The crying makes my throat hurt and only adds to my misery.
Finally, when all the reads are dried up, I turn off the microphone and sigh to myself, feeling overly dramatic about everything.
Knowing, I cannot put it off any longer, I pull off the makeshift bandage that covers my stomach. I toss the soaked cloth into the trash. It used to be a white t-shirt with some holes and stains. Now it is a dark red strip used as a bandage to hold my innards in. I grit my teeth and clean out the wound, wanting to whimper and go back to sobbing on the floor.
I reach my fingers into my stomach and pull out a small shard of glass. Flicking it into the trash, I grab the lighter and steel myself to do what is necessary. I shove the flame to my wound and force myself to pay attention and carefully seal my wound. It is all I can do to not scream as my skin starts to bubble up.
Cauterizing a wound is extremely dangerous because of infection. The heat normally works to kill any bacteria, but a few days later, you could find yourself dying because the bacteria growing on the second and third degree burns on your wound. It is a method that should only be used in extreme cases where it is the only option.
It is my only option.
Besides, this is not my first time cauterizing an injury. Mother often likes to go crazy with the punishments. I wipe the blood and puss and stumble to the bathroom to clean my hands. I get out a clean and threadbare hand towel out of the cabinet to soak in cool water. After wringing out the towel, I lay down on my bed and place the towel over my stomach to help with the burns.
Soon, I fall unconscious and the darkness seeps in.
*** Gabriel
I flop onto my orange beanbag in the living room as I wait for my brothers to finish arriving for the family meeting and text Sean to let him know that the meeting is about to begin.
Pam, my stepmother, had brought home a new boyfriend yesterday. Let's just say that I am glad I don't have to live at home any longer. Technically, I am still seventeen and should be living at home, but nobody truly cares. Instead, I am overlooked and allowed to live with my brothers.
Gently, I massage the bruise that her boyfriend, Louis, left on my stomach. For some reason, there is a ghost of pain there. It aches more than it should, almost as if there is a phantom pain there.
Dropping my hand, I shake my head and am drawn out of my thoughts by the arrival of Mr.B.
I sit up and exclaim, "So? Are we allowed time off? Does it count as an assignment?"
Mr.B merely raises an eyebrow and sends me a look telling me to wait until my brothers arrive, in response to my interroga—I mean questioning.
Used to his non-verbal responses, I flop back onto my beanbag and grumble, "Fine, don't answer my extremely important questions."
I turn to the door of the living room and yell, "You fuckers need to get your asses up here! Mr.B is back and won't talk until you get in the damn room!"
Swearing, for me, is a way of expressing myself and my current emotions. And currently, I am feeling crazy impatient with these people I call brothers.
"Calm down," Kota directs, walking into the room with Nathan.
I swear, Nathan and Kota spend an awful lot of time together...
With a shudder, I desperately hope no one thinks anything of it when Luke and I hang out together.
Victor strides into the room, oddly confident. I wish I were that confident in our mission to find this Ghost Bird.
Sean slips through the front door and announces in a sing-song voice, "Your favorite doctor has arrived!"
Clearing his throat, Mr.B waits for the noise in the room to silence before beginning, "As you know—"
"Spit out the damn news already!" I yell, fidgeting in my seat, more than a little impatient.
I am so not going to wait for Mr. B to get the stick out of his ass. We don't need him to tell us what we already know! Dude needs to spit it out already!
"As I was saying," Mr. B continues. "The meeting was about asking for time off. The board said that they would give us a month free of us assignments, starting today. Once we find Bird, they will give us a number of favors that will depend on how hard it is to find her and how valuable she is."
I snort at that, but Mr. B carries on unfazed. Just as I am used to his stick and non-verbal answers, he is used to my impatience and slightly colorful language.
"Bird will be taken care of in the best environment possible and, if she is willing, they will evaluate her and confirm whether or not she is, in fact, a ghost bird," Mr. B finishes.
Luke scratches his honey blond hair and blurts, "What?! I only understood a few words... Actually, I don't want to think. Just tell me what we do now."
"This means," Silas rumbles. "That we get to go after our Aggele."
