Soap Opera 2: The New Beginnings

[Gymnaststar]

A band played in the background and flowers rested in her lap. 8 year old Grace cried at the loss of her mother. She wore a long black dress and a black veil that covered her face, tears ran down her cheek. Next to her, her new stepfather squeezed her wrist and whispered in her ear, "You listen here, you won't give me no touble, or you'll really cry." Pain streaked through her body as she nodded stiffly.

[Aeris]

Salila lay in the hospital bed, weak. The doctor came in to look at the young 8 year old.

"Are you feeling better, Salila?" He asked comfortingly. She nodded, though she felt a sudden pain on her neck. She brought her hand up to touch it, and felt a bandage. Her mouth opened but words did not come out. Her eyes widened in fear as if to say, 'what's going on!'

The doctor smiled at her, a sad smile. "It'll be alright. You are in shock. A week ago you and your parents were rescued from a car crash, barely alive. Luckily your parents are also alive, with only minor injuries." Salila nodded, then pointed to the sharp pain in her neck.

"Yes... unfortunately a sharp piece of glass flew into your neck. It will forever leave a scar, and it harmed your throat. So now you have no voice, but you'll recover. You just won't be able to scream. Ok?" He smiled at her warmly. "Now then, get some sleep." The doctor left, and Salila rolled over, going back to sleep.

[Gymnaststar]

Trying to stay warm on a freezing winters night under an abandon bridge, a little boy stood next to his mother and sister in his rags. His hair sticky, and his skin dirty, the young boy looked at the stars and made a wish. -I hope one day mommy gets a job, and we can a have a real home, and real clothes.- " Damien dear! Lets go to sleep." Turning to the sound of his mother he went to lay on the cot by which she stood next to. " Dont forget to say your prayers." Bending down, he recived a kiss on the cheek by her and watched her go fetch his sister for bed. -Dear god, please let mommy get a job so that we wont ever have to go to bed hungry again, and please bring daddy back, mommy misses him so much- Holding his sister in his arms to keep her warm, Damien closed his eyes and tryed to sleep.

[Aeris]

Dylan sat in a chair in a hospital room opposite from Salila's, yet neither knew it. He held his father's hand in his. "Dad..." he said softly. His father opened his eyes. "Hello Dylan. Back again?" Dylan nodded. "Dad? When can you come home? Why are you here?" The 8 year old young boy did not understand what was going on.

His dad sighed. "Dylan... I told you. I'm a police officer. I need to take risks. And I was chasing a criminal... a week ago. That's why I couldn't come to your band concert. And this criminal... well... there was a traffic jam... And he crashed right into a whole bunch of cars while my partner and I were chasing him... He's wanted for robbery... but the idiot crashed right into those cars! He killed a few people... including my partner..." Dylan's dad grew silent. Dylan tilted his head, not quite comprehending what his father was saying. The doctor came in, the same one that had spoken to Salila. "It's time to go now Dylan." He led the young boy out of the room, who looked back at his pale father as he walked out. Dylan walked down the hall, glimpsing an even paler 8 year old girl, her eyes closed and her arms folded across her chest. But it was just a glimpse, and before he could look closer, the nurses hurried him away.

[Gymnaststar]

Trees, houses, joggers, all passed by the window. Silently Olivia, a small 8 year old girl, sat in the back seat of a police car. The cops in the front seat spoke among themselves forgetting all about the little girl. Although quite, her mind raced and screamed the last 24 hours. -( the voice of the officer), "Olivia, hunny, do you know what happened to your father? Do you know why your here and not at home with him?" (silence) (the officer), " Well, he's a cop you know, and he needed to persue a case that he was on. Its his job. And whail he was doing this, he was caught in a car accident. Olivia, Im sorry, but he died there." (muffled tears)
The memory of being told of her fathers death, young Olivia began to silently cry. The tears stung as they weeled up in her eyes and began to roll down her cheeks. Looking out the window, she relized how much she is going to miss him, his smile, his storys, his laugh. Whipping the tears away, she saw the house that she was to forever spend the rest of her life in, with people she has never met, and she once again began to soundlessly cry.

[Aeris]

Mandi unlatched the shutters and opened her window. She could hear the voices of her parents outside in the hall and the policewoman talking to them. She was careful to be very quiet as she slipped out of the window onto the ground that was only a few feet below.

The brave 8 year old girl crouched in the grass in case any of her parents were looking out the window. It was dark, and she crawled to the sidewalk and scampered for a few feet before rising and standing. She sighed, rubbing her sore legs. She needed somewhere quiet and peaceful to go.

Mandi walked down to the corner park and looked around the deserted playground. She sat down in a swing and let the breeze lightly push her. Her golden hair softly blew around her, as tears slid down from her large green eyes. As quiet as her parents had tried to be, she had overheard. And she knew that her twin sister, who was being driven to a ballet recital by their mom's friend, had been in the passenger seat of a car crash. Her twin sister, Amanda, whom Mandi loved with all her heart, was now dead.

Mandi choked on her sobs, tears streaming down her dirt streaked face. She rocked back and forth in the swing, whispering to herself, "It's not true. She's alive. It's not true. She can't be dead..." all the while knowing that her beloved sister was, in fact, dead.

[Gymnaststar]

" No! No its not true! Your lieing!" Pushing past the officer and the babysitter, 8 year old Joel ran out the door and across the yard. Running down his street he heard his mother calling his name through the darkness of the night. He ran until his feet hurt and then began to walk slowly. Looking behind him, he noticed he was about a mile away from home. Blindly he walked in the night not knowing were he was until he saw a small light in the corner of his eye. Popping the collar of his jean jacket he turned his head toward the light and saw that it shown over a little girl who had her back faced to him. Not knowing who she was, he faced forward and continued walking not giving it a second thought.

Getting to a lake, the young boy sat on a rock and huddeled his knees to his chest. Watching the water as it glittered in the moonlight, he began to cry. " Daddy...dad why did you have to go? You were only supposed to go get pizza and come back." Tears landed on his knees, wetting his jeans, and as he recalled that night, he began to get angry, " Why did I have to bug you so much?" Standing up he picked up a small rock that was by his foot. " I shouldn't have made you get that pizza. Its all my fault, if I had just ate the ziti like you said and not wanted the pizza so bad, you wouldnt be dead!" He threw the rock as hard as he could into the lake and watched it sink to the bottom. Falling to the ground, he cried as loud and hard as he could, for the pain of the loss of his fathers was to great to keep inside to himself.

[Aeris]

Cody's tears fell freely as he watched his grandmother's funeral. He couldn't believe she was dead. All his life, he'd lived with her. He loved her with all his heart, and she had loved him. But she was old, and it was her time to die. But Cody shook his head. His mother had died giving birth to him, and his father had committed suicide, not wanting to live without his wife. Cody would be alone without his grandmother.
"No..." he whispered. "She can't be dead... please...." A man, his grandmother's lawyer, stood next to him.
"Quiet Cody. Now don't worry. We have it all settled. You will be going to live with your aunt and uncle. They have a daughter, you know. She's your age. I'm sure you'll all get along very well." But Cody wasn't listening. He watched as his grandmother's body was lowered into the ground.
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Cody timidly rang the doorbell, his few bags that held his belongings were at his feet. No one answered. He turned to look at the lawyer, who waved his hand impatiently, motioning for Cody to ring the doorbell again. The nervous boy raised his hand to do so, but then the door opened, revealing a man whose eyes were red and swollen. Cody's eyes widened.
"Uncle Kai?" The man nodded.
"Come in, Cody." Cody stepped inside, carrying his bags as the screen door slammed shut behind him. He heard his grandma's lawyer speed away in his car.
"I'm sorry you had to arrive at such a bad time, Cody," Uncle Kai said as he sat back down at the dining room table, his head in his hands. "I have bad news," his voice was muffled. "Your Aunt Teya and your cousin Diana have... well they were caught in a car crash. And they're dead. It happened yesterday. I'm sorry you never got to meet them."
Cody dropped his bags. "Dead?" He asked, not believing it. "I'm a curse..." he whispered. Uncle Kai raised his head.
"What?"
"A curse!" Cody screamed at him, and he ran into one of the bedrooms and locked the door. "A curse..." he muttered to himself, sobs racking his throat as he leaned against the door and slid down the floor. "A curse..."

[Gymnaststar]

The sound of painful cries rang throughout the house, " Frank! Fraaaank stop!!! I'm sorry!!!" Blood streamed down her face, and as the wooden rolling pin hit the now 14 year old Grace's finger, horrifying shreeks could be heard outside the house and across the street. " I told you to make your bed! I told you to clean the house before I got home!! I told you to never! Ever! Talk back to me!!!" Yelled Frank to the bloody figure infront of him on the floor. Raising the pin above him, he went to take another swing at her head, when it was suddenly taken from his hand. Turning around, he was hit in the neck and fell to the floor. " Grace! Grace, hunny, comeon." Picking up the child, the lady who was orginally going to be droping by for a quick visit, is now on the way to the hospital with the child she once helped raise

Nurses swormed around the child as soon as they saw her. Taking her from the blood covered hands of the lady, they placed her on a gerne and began to take her to the emerencey room. Running along side of the gerne the lady asked the nurses if shed be okay. " Who are you? Are you the mother?" said one of the nurses that was taking Grace's pulse. " No, her mother is....dead. Im a very close friend. She knows me." The nurse gave the lady a disbalieving look and went back to Grace. " Grace, Grace, do you know this lady? Grace can you hear me?" Waiting for a reply that she knew she wasnt going to get, the nurse pulled away from the sworm of docters and assistants. Looking at the bloody, desperate woman that stood before her, she became very sincear,
" I'll let you in as soon as we get her stable, in the mean time sit here and just wait." Nodding thankfully, the lady couldnt help but wonder how the docters all knew Grace's name. " Ma'am, how do you all know her name? And, do I need to fill out any forms?" Shaking her head the nurse sighed, " Well over the past 6 years, Grace has been in the hospital about 26 times.....and you begin to learn her name. The funny thing is, she has always been brought by a diffent person." Taking a seat, the lady thought about everything, taking the nurses hand, she introduced herself," My name is Lisa, and Im a really close friend of the family. If i have my way, she wont ever be in here again." The nurse smiled," Well i hope not, but i will miss her, shes a sweet girl, I just wish that i could see her under different circumstances......Well I better get in there so that you can see her." Letting go of Lisa's hand she went to leave the waitng room when the woman stoped her," Miss?! Um, do i have to fill out any forms?" The nurse frowned," No, she was in here two days ago, there is no need to fill out forms twice a week on the same person." With that said she left the room and headed into the room that Grace was being worked on in. Lisa looked down at her blood covered overshirt and began to unbotton it. Taking off her shirt, she folded it up, placed it in her lap and sat back in her chair. -What did I let happen?-

[Aeris]

Salila walked out onto her balcony, wrapping a blue fleece sweater around her. The calm, summer evening air blew around her raven black hair as she leaned against the railing. The sun was setting, and Salila gazed at her foggy reflection in the pool water a few yards below. The blue highlights in her hair blended in with the water. Salila sighed, and sat on the rail so that her legs were hanging over the pool.

She sat there for a moment, listening. The house was quiet, meaning the old lady of a babysitter had stopped cleaning and was now probably resting, but most likely sleeping. Salila placed her hands on the rail, and put her feet on the edge of the balcony. Slowly, she lowered herself down above the grass that surrounded the pool. Due to the fact that she was still short for her age, 14 years, Salila still let go of the balcony and fell a few feet down to the ground, unharmed. She wiped the grass stains off her jeans and unchained her bike, which leaned against the tall fence surrounding the pool and her house.

Salila mounted her bike and rode onto the sidewalk silently, about to go to the store to buy some soda. Even though the closest store was a few blocks away and it would be dark very soon, Salila had to get out of the house. She wanted to be away from all the snobby "friends" who called her mute and the crazy babysitter who was obsessed with cleaning. The girl's neck was scarred for life, but she could still talk. Salila sighed as she rode, wishing her parents would stop going on so many business trips. Ten minutes later, she reached the store.

[Gymnaststar]

Sirans ecoed in the small allyway of the store that had just been robbed. 14 year old Damien ran only 20 feet infront of the police cars holding a bag of bread and a carton of milk. Panting, he wipped the cold sweat that ran down his face with his free hand. The cop cars began to get closer with every second, and the faster he tried to run, the more he tripped over himself.
He was now only a block away from his hide out, were he would be safe to hide from the cops until to cost was clear. Comming to the corner he heard the loudspeaker from one of the cars behind him, " Please stop, we have you surronded." Smiling at their stupidity, Damien went to cross the corner when two cop cars pulled up infront of him. " Put the stolen goods down and put your hands above your head." said one of the cops that came out of the closest car. Droping the items, he fell to his knees and raised his hands above his head. Closing his eyes, he listened to the footsteps of the aproching officers, the sirens getting louder, and the unlaching of handcuffs. His hands one by one being forced behind his back and locked in handcuffs, the officer raised Damien to his feet and lead him to the car. " Get in son." Said the officer deeply. Opening his eyes, Damien took a seat in the back and watched the door close. The cop cars slowly backed up and began to exit the alleyway. The engin started and the car reversed and began to also exit the alleyway. Watching the groceries fade farther and farther into the darkness of the night, he couldnt help but think,-If i could only run faster.....-

[Aeris]

Dylan watched the 14 year old boy run out of the store, shrugged, and paid for the 2 large bottles of soda. There were robberies here all the time. "Here you go," the clerk handed him the heavy bag.
"Thanks," Dylan replied, almost dropping the bag.
"You sure you gonna be able to carry that home?" The clerk asked, concerned.
"Yes," the 14 year old boy replied, glaring at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"
The clerk shrugged. "Next!" Salila dropped her own bottle of Coke on the counter as Dylan glanced at Salila, glared at the clerk one last time, and quickly walked away.
"That'll be 82 cents." The clerk said as he handed her the soda in a bag.

"Gimme your soda Doherty! Or should I say shorty?" The bully taunted as he grabbed at the bag Dylan held.
"Leave me alone Thorpe. Get your own soda," Dylan said as he started to walk in the opposite direction.
"Shorty, shorty, nah nah na boo boo," Jimmy shouted.
"Shut up Thorpe!" Dylan yelled, getting angry.
"All that soda must've stunted your growth, shorty !"
"That's it!" Dylan punched Jimmy right in the nose.
"Ooo you're gonna pay Doherty!" Jimmy said angrily as he rushed out of the store to tend to his nose.

[Gymnaststar]

"Oh Olivia! Ooooh Olivia!" Called Aunt Kate from the bottom of the spiral stair case. Distracted by her current magazine of sports illustrated, she read an article on the newest hockey and soccer equipment. -blah blah blah blah blah blah, Knee pads with tripple the padding half price?! blah blah blah blah blah, NASA desighned soccer balls that will never deflate under presser....hm, sounds cool.- Loud punding on her bedroom door startled Olivia. " Olivia! Mum wants you." Called her plump cousion David. Getting up from her bed she opened the door and pushed him to the wall, " She is NOT my mother. Do you understand me?" Droping the twinki that was in his hand he nodded with fear in his eyes. Sighing with disgust, Olivia let go of him and went to walk away. Stoping she turned to him," Next time we talk, do me the favor and swallow your food first." Turning back around, she headed down the stairs and stoped halfway, " Yes Aunt Kate?" From the bottom of the staircase, the smile quickly disappeared once her eyes focused on the young lady before her. " Were is the dress i bought you? I told you to put that on, not some jeans and your soccer jersey.Now go change." Opening her mouth to fight back her aunt quickly put an end to it, " Now young lady! And no if, ands, or buts about it. I mean it." Walking away into the other room, she began to untie the apron that was around her waist. Sighing loudly, Olivia turned around to go get changed.

[Aeris]

-----A few months before-----

Mandi, a slim 14 year old girl, fingered the dollhouse that had once belonged to Amanda, her now dead twin sister.
"What are you doing in there Mandi?" Her mom called from the kitchen. She walked into the family room, drying a plate. "Oh Mandi, how many times have I told you to stop touching Amanda's stuff? You might break it. You wouldn't want that to happen, now would you?"
Mandi turned her large green eyes on her mother. She stared at her silently for a few moments.
"Oh no Mandi. Come on! You are a teenager! Don't cr-"
Mandi burst into tears. She covered her face with her hands and ran into her room, sobbing uncontrollably.

----that night as Mandi is lying "asleep" in her room----

"Jack, we should move."
"Why Julie? Don't you like this house?"
"Of course I do, Jack. But your job is 45 minutes away, and Mandi starts crying whenever she sees something that reminds her of Amanda. Little, sweet, dear Amanda..." It was silent for a few minutes as they remembered their favorite daughter.
"Too bad Mandi's not like her," Jack said, shaking his head.

Mandi turned in her bed, sniffling as quiet tears spilled onto her pillow. She could hear her parents. They didn't know that, but she wished they did. Maybe then they might take care to not hurt her feelings where she could hear.

"Alright Julie. We'll move. Start packing and I'll find us a house, far away from here."
"Thank you Jack."

----now in the present time------

Mandi stared forlorngly at the bleak house that stood before her. "Is there a corner park?" She asked her mother, who was carrying boxes into their new home.
"No hon. But there is a corner store. You can go there instead."
Mandi sighed. She would miss being able to sneak away and ride the swings whenever she felt sad.
"The high school is only a few blocks away," Mandi's dad added as he came out of the house. "I also heard of a really good psychiatrist who lives nearby. Isn't that good news?"
Mandi glared at him. She lifted out the only box that belonged to her in the large moving van and stomped into the house.
Jack grunted as he lifted out a couple more boxes.
"That girl needs a good psychiatrist. She never smiles! Never laughs! Only cries!"

Mandi unpacked her things. She placed a framed picture of her and her sister on the bedside table. She covered her bed with her favorite purple sheets and blanket. Mandi placed the few clothes she had, which consisted mainly of jeans and sweaters, into the small closet. She brushed back her thick, wavy, golden hair into a ponytail and sat at her desk, fingering the laptop that she'd be given after her parents bought a new and better computer for themselves. With this laptop she'd be able to type up her poetry. Mandi could've almost smiled, but she didn't, even though there was no one around. The heaviness in her heart wouldn't let her smile. There was a knock on her bedroom door, and Mandi quickly loosened her hair and rose to answer it.

[Gymnaststar]

" Rench." said a muffled voice.
" Rench." Repeated another voice.
" ...you bubling idiot!" The 14 year old boy slid from under the car that he was preveuosly working on. Holing up the tool that was just passed to him he sighed loudly. " This, is a scewdriver, not a rench." Digging trough the tool box, his redish brown hair slid infront of his eyes. He picked up a rench and the screwdriver and held them infront of his assistant. " The one in my right hand is a rench. The one in my left is a screwdriver. They look nothing alike.....ur an idiot." He said to him impationetly. Lying back down on the board, he slid back under the car and continued to fix it. " Okay, now pass me the right one this time...i need a blow toarch. Can you do that?" said the boy under the car. The sound of rumaging throught the tool box could be heard and the assistant call to the mechanic, " Its not in the tool box." Completly agravated now, the mechanic slid back out and took the blow toarch off of the table, showed it to the assistant, and slid back under the car, " Wat an idiot."
"
" JOEL!" Screamed a tipsey women that stood at the entrance of the garage holding a hlaf bottle of beer. Startled, Joel's hand shook burning a hole through the oil tank that sprayed oil all over him. Suprised he slid out from under the car as fast as he could and turned off the blow toarch. He stood up and wippedthe oil from around his eyes and mouth. " Joel I want you to come home, you've been out all........week." Confused by this, he noticed the beer bottle in her hand. Handing the tourch to his assistant he went over to his mother. " Mom, I've only been out of the house for 3 hours." She went to open her mouth to speak, but ended up turning around to throw up. " Oh mom." Patting her back, he waited for her to stop." C'on, lets go home." He took his mom by the waist and put her arm around his shoulder and led her home.