Are you here yet?, chapter 3
"Billie," Ollie called from the back porch, "can you come help your father load the bags into the car?"
"Yeah, just a minute." I called back to her. I ran to the side of the house and opened the gate that led to the front. When I got to the porch out front my dad was taking Marcy's suitcases and putting them into the car.
"Can you go get your mother's suitcase? It may be a little heavy." My dad asked me.
"Yep." I said running to the front door and grabbing two large suitcases. The weight almost brought me to the ground.
I decided to only take one. The one alone was heavy too, but I made it to the car, handing it to my dad and going to get the other one. As I was heading to get the other one I heard a loud Bang! and when I turned around my dad was lying on the ground, dead.
I woke up in a cold sweat. Why was I having these dreams? Was it because of last night? No, it couldn't have been, I had the first before I went out. I got up and walked downstairs into the bathroom. I turned the light on and went over to the sink. When I looked into the mirror I noticed that I was pale. The faucet turned slowly but let out water, I turned it to cold. The cool water splashing on my face felt good, but I still felt horribly sick. Wait, was I sick? Did I have problems? I don't know...
I turned the water and light off and walked back upstairs to my room, trying to be quiet. I didn't get very far before tripping on the fifth step. I fell hard to the floor and tried to get back up, but the pain in my ankle wouldn't go away. Is this some sort of sign? Have I done something wrong? When I pushed myself back up I realized that I couldn't feel any pain anymore, but then it came back as if I had a knife going through my leg.
"Ow!" I said as quietly as I could. I fell back to the floor, I couldn't bear it.
"Billie! What happened?!" Debbie cried as she came running from her room, Jeff shortly behind.
"I fell." I said. I slipped actually, I thought to myself.
"What were you doing down here anyway?" she asked leaning down and sitting next to me, examining my ankle.
"I had a dream, about my dad. When I woke up I felt sick so-" I was cut off by Jeff.
"Billie, slow down. Tell us what happened, but slowly." He said smiling.
"Okay, I had a dream," I began again, but slower, "and it was about my dad, he'd been shot." Debbie looked at Jeff and shrugged, then back to me. "And?"
"When I woke up I felt sick, so I came down to the bathroom, for water. When I was going back up the stairs I slipped on something." What was it I had slipped on? I hadn't seen anything on the steps when I was coming down the first time.
"What did you slip on?" Jeff asked me.
"I, I don't know." I said. Debbie got up and walked over to the steps and turned the lights on.
"No! turn the lights off! I don't wanna get up!" we heard Daniel yell in his sleep. We laughed quietly. When we looked to the steps there was nothing there, except for a piece of paper.
"What's this?" Debbie picked it up. "It can't have been what you slipped on, it's too small." She said reading it. "Billie, you have good eyes, try to read it." She handed me the paper and I tried to read what it said.
"Dear Diary, May, 20, 1988
Today I met the most wonderful person ever. His name is Johnny. Me and Johnny were partners in science today; Mr. Conner said that he wanted people to work with someone besides who they always do. Johnny was new, so Mr. Conner said that he wanted me to work with him. At first I didn't like the idea of working with a guy, but he turned out to be real nice. He was really good at science too. Me and him, we didn't talk very much, I didn't want anyone to think that I liked him, so I kept my mouth shut, for once! Mom says I'm not allowed to date until I am sixteen, so he will probably be taken, but who knows; maybe I will find someone different by then. But oh, how I wish I could just go on one date with him! Catherine still hasn't gone out with anyone yet, at least that I know of, but maybe she too will find someone that she can love forever. Well, I had better go; I don't want to be later for school!
Sincerely, Kaila Hanson."
I read out loud, but not to loud.
"Oh, Kaila's got her first crush." Debbie said. "And she's actually listening to mom." She smiled to herself.
"Wonder how long that will last." Jeff asked, which I smiled to. They both turned and looked at me.
"I haven't got anyone!" I said quickly. They laughed at this and looked at me again. I couldn't find anything else to say. "What? Don't you think you'd know about it if I did?"
"What, do you have a diary that you write stuff like this in, and now he and I have to go find it and embarrass you for life?"
"I guess I won't be embarrassed for life then, I don't have one." Debbie leaned down and looked at Jeff. "Can you help me? I need to get the others, or else Catherine can watch them."
"Am I goanna die or something?"
"No, we're taking you to the hospital."
"Debb, I don't think they have lie detectors at the hospital, only police stations."
"What, to find out if I have a girlfriends or something?"
"Yes, to find out exactly that."
"What if it proves I'm right?" I laughed
"Then we'll have to try to fix it, we'll know something's gone wrong." Debbie smiled.
"Oh thanks!" I said. Jeff walked into the kitchen and got out and old pot and a large spoon.
"Cover your ears; you'll hear it the best." He warned. Me and Debbie covered our ears as he began to loudly bang on the pan. In less than a minute Kaila, Alice, Catherine, Anthony, Daniel, and Maria were in the living room, Lila was in Maria's arms.
"Dad, are you insane?" Anthony called as he was still banging. He quit and looked at them all. "I may be, but we have a problem."
"At one in the morning?" Catherine yawned.
"Afraid so."
"What is it?"
"Billie fell down the stairs, because of a small diary entry." Jeff said looking to Kaila.
"Dad, please tell me you didn't read it!" Kaila said as she went red.
"Tell Billie, but blame your mother."
"Mom?" she said looking at Debbie.
"Hey, if you hadn't left it there, it wouldn't have been read, Billie slipped on it." Kaila looked at Billie and opened her mouth.
"Why'd you read it to them?"
"They asked me to." I said looking at her.
"But Catherine, we were wondering if you would watch these brats while we took him to the hospital, I think he may have broken his leg when he fell."
"Can we just go with you?"
"If you really want to."
"I won't be able to get back to sleep, I'm still in shock by my alarm clock." Catherine said as she looked at her father.
"Sorry, but it was important." He replied as we heard a knock at the door. Jeff went to answer it. "Yellow?" he asked as a police officer walked in.
"We had a call from one of your neighbors, they said they heard a loud banging, and thought that we should come and check to see what it was. Would you mind explaining? And, why is he lying on the floor?"
"I fell down the stairs, slipped on something."
"And the noise, I was trying to get them all down here at once, we need to take him to the hospital, to get his ankle checked."
"That's all, no one was being hurt?"
"Our ears, when we were being woke up." Anthony said stubbornly.
"Well okay, as long as no one was actually hurt." The officer said as he walked out the door, not even willing to help. Jeff walked over to the cupboard and replaced the pan and spatula.
"So you guys are coming?" Debbie asked. They all shook their head.
"Yeah, just a minute." I called back to her. I ran to the side of the house and opened the gate that led to the front. When I got to the porch out front my dad was taking Marcy's suitcases and putting them into the car.
"Can you go get your mother's suitcase? It may be a little heavy." My dad asked me.
"Yep." I said running to the front door and grabbing two large suitcases. The weight almost brought me to the ground.
I decided to only take one. The one alone was heavy too, but I made it to the car, handing it to my dad and going to get the other one. As I was heading to get the other one I heard a loud Bang! and when I turned around my dad was lying on the ground, dead.
I woke up in a cold sweat. Why was I having these dreams? Was it because of last night? No, it couldn't have been, I had the first before I went out. I got up and walked downstairs into the bathroom. I turned the light on and went over to the sink. When I looked into the mirror I noticed that I was pale. The faucet turned slowly but let out water, I turned it to cold. The cool water splashing on my face felt good, but I still felt horribly sick. Wait, was I sick? Did I have problems? I don't know...
I turned the water and light off and walked back upstairs to my room, trying to be quiet. I didn't get very far before tripping on the fifth step. I fell hard to the floor and tried to get back up, but the pain in my ankle wouldn't go away. Is this some sort of sign? Have I done something wrong? When I pushed myself back up I realized that I couldn't feel any pain anymore, but then it came back as if I had a knife going through my leg.
"Ow!" I said as quietly as I could. I fell back to the floor, I couldn't bear it.
"Billie! What happened?!" Debbie cried as she came running from her room, Jeff shortly behind.
"I fell." I said. I slipped actually, I thought to myself.
"What were you doing down here anyway?" she asked leaning down and sitting next to me, examining my ankle.
"I had a dream, about my dad. When I woke up I felt sick so-" I was cut off by Jeff.
"Billie, slow down. Tell us what happened, but slowly." He said smiling.
"Okay, I had a dream," I began again, but slower, "and it was about my dad, he'd been shot." Debbie looked at Jeff and shrugged, then back to me. "And?"
"When I woke up I felt sick, so I came down to the bathroom, for water. When I was going back up the stairs I slipped on something." What was it I had slipped on? I hadn't seen anything on the steps when I was coming down the first time.
"What did you slip on?" Jeff asked me.
"I, I don't know." I said. Debbie got up and walked over to the steps and turned the lights on.
"No! turn the lights off! I don't wanna get up!" we heard Daniel yell in his sleep. We laughed quietly. When we looked to the steps there was nothing there, except for a piece of paper.
"What's this?" Debbie picked it up. "It can't have been what you slipped on, it's too small." She said reading it. "Billie, you have good eyes, try to read it." She handed me the paper and I tried to read what it said.
"Dear Diary, May, 20, 1988
Today I met the most wonderful person ever. His name is Johnny. Me and Johnny were partners in science today; Mr. Conner said that he wanted people to work with someone besides who they always do. Johnny was new, so Mr. Conner said that he wanted me to work with him. At first I didn't like the idea of working with a guy, but he turned out to be real nice. He was really good at science too. Me and him, we didn't talk very much, I didn't want anyone to think that I liked him, so I kept my mouth shut, for once! Mom says I'm not allowed to date until I am sixteen, so he will probably be taken, but who knows; maybe I will find someone different by then. But oh, how I wish I could just go on one date with him! Catherine still hasn't gone out with anyone yet, at least that I know of, but maybe she too will find someone that she can love forever. Well, I had better go; I don't want to be later for school!
Sincerely, Kaila Hanson."
I read out loud, but not to loud.
"Oh, Kaila's got her first crush." Debbie said. "And she's actually listening to mom." She smiled to herself.
"Wonder how long that will last." Jeff asked, which I smiled to. They both turned and looked at me.
"I haven't got anyone!" I said quickly. They laughed at this and looked at me again. I couldn't find anything else to say. "What? Don't you think you'd know about it if I did?"
"What, do you have a diary that you write stuff like this in, and now he and I have to go find it and embarrass you for life?"
"I guess I won't be embarrassed for life then, I don't have one." Debbie leaned down and looked at Jeff. "Can you help me? I need to get the others, or else Catherine can watch them."
"Am I goanna die or something?"
"No, we're taking you to the hospital."
"Debb, I don't think they have lie detectors at the hospital, only police stations."
"What, to find out if I have a girlfriends or something?"
"Yes, to find out exactly that."
"What if it proves I'm right?" I laughed
"Then we'll have to try to fix it, we'll know something's gone wrong." Debbie smiled.
"Oh thanks!" I said. Jeff walked into the kitchen and got out and old pot and a large spoon.
"Cover your ears; you'll hear it the best." He warned. Me and Debbie covered our ears as he began to loudly bang on the pan. In less than a minute Kaila, Alice, Catherine, Anthony, Daniel, and Maria were in the living room, Lila was in Maria's arms.
"Dad, are you insane?" Anthony called as he was still banging. He quit and looked at them all. "I may be, but we have a problem."
"At one in the morning?" Catherine yawned.
"Afraid so."
"What is it?"
"Billie fell down the stairs, because of a small diary entry." Jeff said looking to Kaila.
"Dad, please tell me you didn't read it!" Kaila said as she went red.
"Tell Billie, but blame your mother."
"Mom?" she said looking at Debbie.
"Hey, if you hadn't left it there, it wouldn't have been read, Billie slipped on it." Kaila looked at Billie and opened her mouth.
"Why'd you read it to them?"
"They asked me to." I said looking at her.
"But Catherine, we were wondering if you would watch these brats while we took him to the hospital, I think he may have broken his leg when he fell."
"Can we just go with you?"
"If you really want to."
"I won't be able to get back to sleep, I'm still in shock by my alarm clock." Catherine said as she looked at her father.
"Sorry, but it was important." He replied as we heard a knock at the door. Jeff went to answer it. "Yellow?" he asked as a police officer walked in.
"We had a call from one of your neighbors, they said they heard a loud banging, and thought that we should come and check to see what it was. Would you mind explaining? And, why is he lying on the floor?"
"I fell down the stairs, slipped on something."
"And the noise, I was trying to get them all down here at once, we need to take him to the hospital, to get his ankle checked."
"That's all, no one was being hurt?"
"Our ears, when we were being woke up." Anthony said stubbornly.
"Well okay, as long as no one was actually hurt." The officer said as he walked out the door, not even willing to help. Jeff walked over to the cupboard and replaced the pan and spatula.
"So you guys are coming?" Debbie asked. They all shook their head.
