I’ve always been called the term “normal” by most people. I had normal friends, went to a normal school, had normal siblings, and a normal life. But the only thing that wasn’t normal were my parents.
My parents were the head of the Las Vegas Institute for Technology. They researched and experimented there, finding new ways to live a better life through technology. They were well known throughout America, making the news and headlines no one could believe, and made millions a year. I would sit at home on the couch with my siblings, watching them on TV get “Scientist of the Year” awards, and they’d thank their co-workers and friends. But never us. And whenever they weren’t at work, they were playing some sort of video game. They’re such game addicts that they named us after video game characters.
But I was the daughter of the greatest scientists that ever lived.
Our home routine was always the same, they’d leave really early before we’d wake up, and they’d come home really late, after we were supposed to be in bed. The three of us would try to stay up to wait for Mom and Dad to come home, but Serah would fall asleep before they got home. Nathan would always pick her up and bring her upstairs to her room and lay her on her bed, and then come back downstairs as we waited for the black Mercedes to roll into the driveway.
That’s how it was every day.
I was nine years old when that routine started, when Nathan was old enough to stay home without a parent. He was twelve at the time, and Serah was six. Mom and Dad obviously wanted more time for work, and some days, even weeks went by where I never talked to them. They’d come home later, and there first response was “Why aren’t you two in bed?”
“We wanted to see you. We haven’t all day.” Nathan would answer.
“Go to bed.” They ordered, and then we walked up to our rooms and went to bed.
That’s how it was every day.
That routine was the same thing for two years. They missed everything we did. Graduations, school plays, sports, awards, everything. They were never there. But they always came home every night.
And we all believed they didn’t care. Two years of them not being there, and I felt that my only family I had were my siblings.
But after that, it all changed.
The night before, they came in so happy, saying “We did it.” and “It actually works.” They didn’t tell us to go to bed, but oddly hugged us. I felt like they were being, instead of scientists, parents for once. We were happy just to see them acknowledge we were there.
The next night, it was somewhere around eleven. Serah was asleep, and we were on the couch, watching TV. They were going to be home at any moment.
Midnight, one, two, three, and somehow eight in the morning came. They never showed up. We were up all night, we know it. I kept Nathan awake as he kept me awake.
“Something’s not right.” Nathan yawned that morning.
“I agree.” I replied, rubbing my eyes and getting up to make coffee for us. “We didn’t fall asleep before they came home, did we?”
“No, we didn’t fall asleep, I made sure.” He replied, grabbing a cup and drinking it down. “Go wake Serah up, I’ll start the car.”
“Where are we going?” I asked, ultimately confused.
“Where else?” He said back, putting his cup in the sink. “The Institute.”
I climbed the stairs and to Serah’s room. I approached her bed and shook her lightly until her eyes blinked open.
“Come on, wake up.” I whispered, sitting her up. “We’re going to Mom and Dad’s work.”
“Okay.” She said as I closed the door so she could get dressed.
“Meet us out at the car, okay?”
“Okay.”
We all climbed into Nathan’s red Mustang and we headed towards the institute. Okay, so technically he wasn’t allowed to drive because he was only fourteen, but we didn’t care. The drive wasn’t far, only about ten minutes. He said Grand Theft Auto taught him all he needed to know. So we climbed in and he started the car. Eight minutes later, we drove into the parking structure, and we saw the black Mercedes.
We climbed out and stared into the massive seventy-five thousand square foot facility. We haven’t been here in maybe… five years? And lab rooms switch around like crazy.
“See, told you I can drive.” Nathan said as we looked through some windows.
“Oh yeah, good job. Hitting lamp posts aren’t bonus points.” I replied.
“Can we just go?” Serah asked, and we nodded.
I took Serah’s hand and I followed Nathan inside. Everywhere there were doors, elevators, people walking around with their work uniforms and such, and we knew finding them would be next to impossible. But they were here, we just had to look.
Nathan took the lead as we followed him around the first and second floor, looking at room names. Our last name was Brooks. That’s what we were looking for.
On the third floor, we got stopped by a guard. Someone must’ve called security on us, even though we didn’t do anything wrong.
“You’re not authorized here.” The guard said, pulling out a shock gun, and Serah and I ducked behind Nathan. “State your purpose.”
“We’re looking for our parents.” Nathan replied calmly. “We’re the Brooks kids.”
The guard lowered his weapon slowly, and shook his head. “The Brooks wish to not be disturbed.”
“They didn’t come home last night!” Nathan shouted, getting some people to turn their heads. “They always come home. Where are they?” He demanded.
I didn’t know that one simple word could change the rest of my life forever.
“Dead.”
~~~~~~~~~~
We came home crying, and almost died from Nathan driving. After a complete search of their lab, they weren’t there. It was locked from the inside, and there were no other doors, no windows. They just weren’t there. They said they did it. But did what? Now they were just gone.
The news spread like wildfire. Their death hit nationally and internationally everywhere, saying the greatest technological scientists in our day were gone. I didn’t want to believe them. How could I? We never found them. They just disappeared.
Nonetheless, their funeral was a week later. People came from everywhere, even the mayor came, some even from out of state. We watched military soldiers go to their memorial and salute to them. Crowds formed, and we were forced to the back. Total strangers to my parents were in front of us. No, we should’ve been in the front.
Eventually our parents’ co-workers brought us to the front with them. Most people didn’t believe they had kids, and thought they were only married. But no, we exist!
We were the last to leave, and we stayed there all day and night. I didn’t want it to be true. That they were really gone.
Because now, all I had left were my siblings. Both our parents were only children, and all our grandparents were dead. What’s worse, I had a feeling we were going to be split up and put into orphanages.
So after the funeral, we were at home, and just cried. We knew we were all alone in this world when our parents were alive because they were never there, but now we really were.
As Serah and I cried, Nathan would hold us together soothingly. “Everything will be okay. It’ll work out.” He told us over and over.
“Mom and Dad are gone, and we’re gonna get split up into separate orphanages.” I argued back, wiping tears from my eyes.
“Kairi, I’m not gonna let that happen. We’re staying together. I promise.” He replied, and I wanted to believe it.
The next day he went over to the homeowners association and put everything in his name. He sold the Mercedes and Mustang and bought a car that ran on electricity. We were okay for about two days when some people showed up at our door. Nathan unknowingly answered it. Serah and I turned down the TV to eavesdrop on the conversation.
“Hello, we’re with the LVPD. We heard numbers of complaints about a kid driving a car about a week and a half ago.”
“What? No, you must have the wrong house.” Nathan lied.
“We have witnesses all over the street.” The second man said.
“Where are your parents?” The first man asked.
“Hey, my parents just died. I’m the legal guardian.” Nathan answered.
“You’re what, thirteen?” The second man asked.
“I’m fourteen, thank you.” Nathan said, and I imagined him glaring at them.
“Doesn’t matter. You’re not old enough to drive, or own a house.” The first man said.
“Whoa, hey!” Nathan shouted, and I saw a man in a suit come into view. The other came in and looked almost exactly like the first, and had Nathan’s arms behind his back. “Run!”
I took Serah’s hand and we launched off the couch, running towards the back door and running outside. One guy was following us, yelling random things I wasn’t focusing on. We ran to the front yard, but I didn’t have a plan. We started running down the street, but God that guy was fast. He caught us both about ten seconds later.
“Ow, hey!” I yelled, and Serah started crying. He dragged us back to the house, where the first guy had Nathan.
“Oh, I bet you’ll have fun in a nice, comfy jail cell.” The guy with Nathan said, jerking him towards the van.
“Okay, we got ‘em.” The guy that had us said and we were put in the back of the van. Suddenly I didn’t think they were LVPD guys.
We arrived at what looked like an apartment building, and I looked around for a sign to tell me what it was. My heart stopped when I saw it.
Las Vegas Girls Home.
“Girls home?” I asked, and one stepped out of the van and came around the back.
“Yep.” The first guy said, grabbing my arm.
“Hey!” Nathan shouted, crawling over to where we were. “Let go of my sister!”
The second guy pushed him back. “Kairi!” I heard him call before he shut the door. I was the only one who came out.
“Whoa, what about my sister?” I asked, but they knocked on the door.
“You were requested to be put into different orphanages.” The second guy said.
“By who?” I asked, but the door opened and a woman answered it.
“Oh, you must be Kairi.” The woman said kindly, waving her hand at the men. “Okay, you can go.”
They nodded and left. My head jerked around as I saw them drive off, taking my siblings with them. Tears formed in my eyes as she brought me inside.
“What’s gonna happen to them?” I asked the woman as she approached a white wooden door and opened it for me.
“Here’s your room.” She told me, completely avoiding my question. “Dinner’s at six.”
“Where are they taking my siblings?” I demanded, and she shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
“Why’d we get separated?”
“I don’t know.”
“Will I ever see them again?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you know!?” I shouted, glaring at her with the evil look.
“That you’re going to school tomorrow.” She told me before exiting, leaving me alone. I sat down on the metal framed bed and buried my face in my hands and cried. I was eleven, what could I do? If I got lucky, Nathan and I would go to the same school. But Serah would be all alone, and Nathan could go to jail! No, he couldn’t. They wouldn’t. Not like that.
I put my hands by my sides and stood up from the bed, approaching the windowsill. It overlooked a large hill, and there were neighborhoods of houses, and I swear I saw mine. But what could I do? Nothing. Just nothing.
“I’ll see you again, guys.” I muttered to myself. “I promise.”