Harsh Reality, Marie [best business books of all time TXT] 📗

“When some people got there, they were government type-looking people. They weren’t actually in black-ties and suits. But just the way they held themselves, talked and just did it, like they’d done it before.”

I leaned against the wall now, for support. Just remembering it took its toll on me. But talking about it? That was bound to do something more to me. The way that these people had gotten the job done was almost eerie. Maybe they were just the clean-up people that clean up dead bodies.

“They didn’t even check for survivors. Just set the whole car on fire and let it burn until they could put it out just by stomping on it.”

“You don’t have to tell me any more if you don’t want to.” He assured.

“No, I’m almost done.” I objected. “The next day on the news, we were on it. But they had never asked for an interview or anything. The news listed us as dead. A few days later, some video showed Gina’s and I’s funeral. Our gravestones were put next to each other because my grandparents wanted us to be since we were always so close, even for sisters.”

I looked up at Shawn, who was still taking it pretty well, almost as if he’d expected it, but it was still a bit of a surprise for him. Like your birthday, you kind of know what to expect when everyone cheesily acts as if they’ve forgotten your birthday. My parents would’ve never forgotten my birthday, but that might be a whole different story for you. Anyways, you’re expecting the surprise birthday party. When it really happens, you’re still kind of surprised, even though you braced yourself for it the entire time. I’m just making assumptions here, and usually my assumptions are right, but I think that’s kind of how Shawn felt at that moment.

“So you think it’s the government’s fault?” He concluded.

“My dad was the best driver that I knew. He drove freaking semi trucks during blizzards. He tried out for NASCAR but didn’t go on with the try-outs because my mom got pregnant with me and he didn’t want to take that big of a risk of dying before his daughter was born.” I explained. “Something was wrong with the car for sure and I’m not saying it was their fault. I’m just saying that possibly the car was messed with.”

“Did your dad do anything to piss them off? Anything that you know of?”

“My dad smoked pot once and a while. That’s about it.” I recalled.

“No, that wouldn’t piss them off enough, about 50% of the population has done it one time or another. We can really have 50% of our country’s population just in jail.” He snapped.

“How do you know this?” I demanded.

“Sedona…I-

“No, you have to tell me the truth, I told you the truth. And if you want me to trust you, you’re going to have to tell me your story too.” I cut him off.

He reached for me, but I stepped back just enough so his hand just barely grazed my jacket. But even just that sent a jolt through me. What was he not telling me? I already have enough on my hands not knowing where my own sister is. But my best friend, my soul brother (aka, your brother that’s not blood related to you but is totally a bother…most of the time anyways) wasn’t telling me what I needed to know, information that I sensed could possibly help find Gina. Even if it couldn’t I still wanted to know.

Our eyes met, which was usually enough to reassure one another. But it wasn’t going to work this time. I needed to know.

“Tell me.” I whispered. He nodded his agreement.

***

I was shaking. I never shake, even when I read the letter from Gina I wasn’t shaking.

Didn’t shake up until now.

Until I find this out.

Was he planning on keeping this a secret from me his whole life? Was he ever going to tell me?

“I never really thought something like this would come up, you know?” That was Shawn’s explanation, like he was going to get off that easy after telling me something like this.

“I think you did, you just hoped that it wouldn’t.” Did I blame him? Nope. But he needed to be prepared.

“Yeah, kind of.” He muttered.

We hadn’t bothered moving to the living room floor. It seemed like there were way too many windows there, too many places for the glass the be blown in, shattered across our skin then bleed to death. Or we bleed so much that we don’t have enough strength to get up so we end up dying there from starvation or dehydration. Or for the people to see us as a target and then shoot us easily. If they were planning on killing us too, we weren’t going to make it a walk in the park for them. We weren’t just going to hand over the trophy (which would be our head, or blood, with this new vampire craze it might very well be the damn blood). Do you really blame us?

At the very moment, I was very willing to put up much of a fight. Of course Shawn would find a way out somehow, even it was impossible, he always finds a way out. Otherwise, we would’ve been killed so many times out there. It’s like he has this natural sense of just surviving. Even when he doesn’t necessarily desire to survive, he does anyways. Anyone that he wants to have live, will live too. No, I’m not really sure that this statement is true, but it’s just a little theory of mine that may or may not be true.

“So you’re really saying that your dad is responsible for this?” I concluded.

“Well, the accident was in the area that he mainly works in. The way you described them reminds me exactly of what I used to see as a child and that’s the type of work my dad does.”

We were sitting on opposite sides of the hallway. My head was resting on the wall behind me, my knees curled up to my chest with my arms wrapped tightly around them. Shawn had his head bowed down though, as almost ashamed of himself because he was the kid of this…monster. One leg bent a little, the other sprawled out all the way like he usually sits when he’s on the floor. This isn’t all that often. If there’s no place to sit, he’ll often stand or find something to sit on like a log or a tree stump. I guess it’s just part of his personality to not sit on the ground. This was definitely an exception though.

“Are you sure?” I wanted so desperately for it not to be true, but I don’t think that it was going to happen this time. Something I’ve learned at a very early age; life isn’t fair. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something (isn’t that line from a movie called The Princess Bride?) .

He only nodded, like he was inept of saying anything.

“I’m going to go now.” I informed him. “I have to find my sister. Life won’t be worth living if I don’t find her.”

“Let me go get changed real quick.” He said. “Then we’ll be right on our way.”

I shook my head.

“This is something I’m going to have to do on my own, Shawn.”

“No, I’m not going to-

“If you want to help me, go find your dad. This is pretty much a suicide mission. It won’t be of any help if you’re killed too. Maybe your dad is responsible for this and you can get her back.”

“I really doubt that this is him. If it was him, he wouldn’t have allowed the note to be written. And if it was him…she’d be, um, dead right now. He doesn’t keep prisoners, he just kills.”

“Still, maybe you can find some information.” I suggested.

Now it was his turn to shake his head at me.

“Please, Shawn, I don’t want you to get hurt too.”

I could tell that this was painful for him. He didn’t want to let me go. I didn’t want to let him go.

“You’ll find me again, you always do.” I assured him.

“You better be there for me to find.” He warned.

Yeah, I hope so.
Imprint

Publication Date: 11-18-2010

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
To my sister, Anna, who has Gina written all over her.