Chapter 3: Lost
The next week was a blur. I could barely eat anything. I still couldn't sleep without getting night terrors. All I could think about is how terrified my sister looked before we crashed into the tree. I was taken out of my thoughts as I heard screaming downstairs. I knew right away what was happening. My parents were fighting again. The police had been called a lot more often over the years because of them. I just wanted it to stop, but they always made me stay up in my room. I heard a car pull up outside and my parents quiet down. It was probably the police. I sat in the dark on my bed with my pillow over my head trying to drown out the noise. My parents were yelling again as they walked in the house. They sounded a little calmer though. The police probably told them to be quiet so they weren't bothering the neighbors. They were talking about how worried they were about me and if I'd ever recover from the incident. My mother was trying to convince the police that I was fine and just needed some time to rest.
The next few days were mostly the same. My parents were trying to keep the police away, but they would come back. They never stayed for very long. There were a few times that I almost told them what was really happening in our house, but I never got the chance. I'd usually be sent to my room. One day while I was laying in bed, I heard the doorbell ring. I listened closely as my parents answered the door. I couldn't hear what was being said, but it sounded like someone was having an argument with them. I got up grabbed my crutches and snuck to the top of the stairs. I could hear voices coming from the front room. One of them was my father's, but the other two were unfamiliar. They were male voices. I peeked through the stair railing. Standing in the doorway were two police officers, and one of them looked familiar. It was the officer that had tried to talk to me a few days ago.
"Officer, I don't know what you're trying to do, but we're not going to let you take him," my mother said in an angry tone.
"We have a report of child neglect. Your son hasn't been to school in almost three weeks. You won't allow the school to contact you, and when they came here, they saw him through the window and he looked malnourished," the officer replied.
I sat there watching them argue. My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't know what was going to happen. After what felt like an eternity, my mother screamed in frustration and stomped her foot on the floor.
"Fine! Take him! He's not our problem anymore!" she yelled before storming off to the kitchen.
The officers looked at each other and one of them sighed.
"Alright. Elijah, come with us," one of them said.
I crutched down the stairs slowly. My body felt numb. I didn't know if it was because I was scared or if it was just from sitting in bed for so long. When I got downstairs, they opened the door and lead me outside to their patrol car. I was put in the back and they drove away from the house. As we drove down the road, I looked out the back window. I watched as the house faded away into the distance.
We drove in silence for a while. The only sound was the occasional siren that the car would make when they went around a corner. I felt like I was in a trance. It was like I was watching everything happen to someone else and not me. After a few minutes, the officers turned on their sirens and sped up. We were speeding down the highway, weaving through traffic. The police officer in the passenger seat turned around to face me.
"You'll be ok, kid," he said before turning back around.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked nervously.
"You'll see soon," he replied.
As we got closer to town, we slowed down. We were going under the speed limit now. There weren't many cars on the road anymore. We turned down a small street. The houses here were huge. Some of them had gates around them. We pulled into the driveway of one of the biggest houses I've ever seen. It was made of brick and had pillars on either side of the door. I couldn't see much else because of how dark it was outside. The officer in the passenger seat got out and walked up to the front door. He rang the bell and waited. After a few seconds, a woman answered the door. She looked surprised to see the officer. The officer explained the situation to her and she nodded. They shook hands and the officer returned to the car. He opened my door and helped me out. I was led up the steps to the door where the woman was waiting. She smiled at me and held out her hand.
"Hello, Elijah. I'm your Aunt Elena," she said as she shook my hand.
"It's nice to meet you," I said quietly.
The police officer turned to leave. I watched him get back in his car and drive away. I turned back to my aunt who was still smiling at me. She took my hand and led me into the house. I looked around in awe at the expensive furniture. It looked like something you'd see in a museum. The floors were marble and there were paintings hanging on the walls. It was dark inside, but there were a few lights on. She led me down a hallway to what looked like a bedroom. It was decorated with blues and greens. I sat down on the bed as she closed the door behind her.
"I'll let you get settled in. If you need anything, just let me know," she said before leaving the room.
I sat there for a moment before laying back on the bed. I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep. Between the pain of my broken ribs, the itchiness of my leg and arm cast, and my sister Galina dying, I couldn't bring myself to sleep without awaking to night terrors. I laid there for a few hours trying to clear my mind, but I couldn't. Eventually, I got up and started exploring the house. The entire house was huge. There were so many rooms and hallways that I was sure I'd never find my way around. After an hour or so, I found my way to the kitchen. It was just as extravagant as the rest of the house. There was a large island in the center of the room with stools around it. I sat down on one of the stools and stared at the counter top.
"Oh, you're awake," my aunt said as she walked into the room. "Are you hungry?"
I shook my head no. I hadn't felt hungry for days. She frowned and walked over to me. She put her hand on my shoulder and gently squeezed it.
"How about I make some hot chocolate?" she asked.
I nodded slightly. She went over to the fridge and took out some milk. She poured it into a saucepan and turned on the stove. While the milk was heating up, she got out a box of cocoa and stirred it into the milk. Once it was done, she poured it into a mug and brought it over to me. I took a small sip. It was warm and sweet. I took another sip and drank the whole thing. My aunt smiled and took the empty mug away. She rinsed it out and put it in the sink. She came back over and put her hand on my cheek.
"If you need anything, let me know. I'll be in my room," she said before leaving the room.
I sat there for a while longer before going back to my room. I laid down on the bed and tried to sleep, but I couldn't. After a few more hours of staring at the ceiling, I finally drifted off.
I awoke to my aunt knocking on the door. She came in and smiled at me.
"Good morning," she said cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"
I nodded. I hadn't gotten any night terrors last night. My body felt heavy from all the sleep I'd gotten. I felt like I could stay in bed forever. My aunt chuckled and left the room. I laid there for a while longer before getting up and changing. I looked in the mirror and saw my reflection staring back at me. I looked terrible. My hair was messy and I had bags under my eyes. I ran my fingers through my hair and went to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I felt a little better after that. I made my way downstairs to the kitchen. I found my aunt sitting at the table reading the newspaper. She looked up when she saw me and smiled.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
I nodded. I still didn't feel very hungry, but I knew I needed to eat something. She got up and started cooking. She made eggs and bacon. I ate slowly and drank some orange juice. My aunt watched me closely as I ate. She seemed concerned. After I finished eating, she took my plate away and put it in the dishwasher. I sat there for a while trying to think of what to do. I wasn't used to having nothing to do. I wonder when Ill go back to school. Probably not for a while. I'll need to get new clothes too. I'm still wearing the same clothes I wore on the day of the accident.
"Do you want to go shopping?" my aunt asked suddenly.
I looked up at her in surprise. She smiled at me.
"I figured we could get you some new clothes since you haven't had the chance to buy any for a while," she said.
I thought about it for a minute and then nodded. I didn't really have anything else to do, anyway. She grabbed her purse and led me to the garage. There were several cars lined up inside. She walked over to a silver sports car and opened the door. I got inside, and she got in on the other side. The engine roared to life, and we drove out of the garage. We drove through town until we reached a mall. We parked in the parking lot and went inside. It was crowded, but not too bad. My aunt held my hand as we walked around. We went to a few stores and bought some clothes. I hadn't bought any clothes in a long time. I wasn't sure what I liked anymore. I decided to let my aunt pick out a few things for me. We spent the rest of the day shopping. After we were done, we went home.
My aunt put all of my new clothes in the laundry, and I went to my room. I looked around the room. I hadn't really gotten a chance to explore it before. There was a desk in one corner and a bookshelf in the other. There were also a few posters on the walls. One of them was a picture of a mountain range with a sunset behind it. Another one was a picture of a forest. They were all very pretty. I sat down on the bed and looked around some more. I noticed a few things that were familiar. There was a picture of my friends on the desk. There was also a picture of Galina on my dresser. I smiled slightly and laid down on the bed. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I could definitely get used to this.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone