HOME | DD

Description
     Aliah screamed and began bawling instantly. I still sat upright like some kind of sick-minded piano player, ready to play at her own mother's wake. I could not believe this was happening. It had to be some kind of cruel joke. I mean, my mother was famous. Maybe she convinced everyone to go along with it, some late April Fool's joke or something. I refused to believe she was really dead. We arrived at my house and I got out, running to the door and scrambling to unlock it. Aliah followed close behind, shouting and crying, a mess of emotion. That was when we saw her. Propped on the couch was her body. My mother's body. I dropped to my knees and everything else whirled around me. I had no peripheries anymore, Aliah was gone, the walls around me collapsed and the air in my lungs was taken instantly. Tears came pouring, and screams erupted from my throat, scratching my tongue. I crawled to the couch and grabbed my mother's hand, it was freezing cold, a corpse's flesh replaced my mother's once beautiful, neatly tanned skin. I squeezed it and felt no movement. Only ice. The room spun around me and I felt my head hit the ground. Aliah's screams infected the air and I heard sirens in the distance...tasted blood. Felt the straps of an oxygen mask being attached to my face. Heard bits of conversation.
     "Be alright...."
     "Been searching for the body everywhere...."
     "Too much kept private...."
But only one fact really stuck in my mind.
My mother was dead.

     I awoke in the hospital, an IV in my arm and an oxygen mask attached to my face. Aliah was sitting on a chair in front of the bed, her face pale and her eyes sunken and blue. She was lifeless. Immediately she rose and came over to me, shaking her head.
     "They told me they were looking for the body for almost two weeks while we were away in Paris. They couldn't find her address anywhere because so much was kept private due to her being famous and all, I guess. It strikes me that the police wouldn't have a record of that anywhere, but it's too late now." She began crying again.
     "Hanna I am so sorry. I loved your mom, I really did. She saved me." She pulled her hair into a pony tail and wiped her eyes.
     "Who thought it would come to this?" I mumbled from beneath my mask. It all felt so surreal. Aliah shook her head and touched my arm, this time her fingers were cold against the sweat of my skin. It felt refreshing.
     "I just want to go home." I said.
     "You hit your head pretty hard when you fainted," Aliah said. "I will call in the nurse."
I ended up having to spend another night in the hospital, more IVs were stuck in me and they told me I was dehydrated. It hurt to lift my head at first, then turned into just a slight headache when I blinked, and finally me and Aliah were standing outside waiting for the limo to pull up. Well, she was standing. I was in a wheelchair. At least I got to leave. I needed a shower. We were going to stay with Aliah's grandmother while the police investigated the rest of the scene around my house.
     "Are you okay?" Aliah asked just as the limo arrived.
     "Yeah, I just need a shower," I said, squinting into the sun. "And maybe my sunglasses." Aliah smiled and handed them to me.
     "Thanks." I said. We got into the limo and as we drove I bent over and picked up my cell phone that was still lying on the floor. If my mother was dead, then who was texting and emailing me from her address?
     "Aliah did you talk to the police about the odd emails and texts?" I asked.
     "Yeah I did, they said they would look into it and required the password to your email and your cell phone. They told me they would give you a new one while they investigated your old one."
We passed the diner a few minutes away from my house, I told the driver to take me home first so I could speak to the police, hoping they would be there. The driver did just that and I gaped as we pulled into my driveway. Yellow caution tape was everywhere, policemen, cameras and swat cars were in every direction. I looked at the front porch and remembered my father, mother and I playing charades there in the sweet August sun. My mother bringing out lemonade as my father tackled me into a hug. Now it was turned into some kind of investigation scene from a cop movie. I had to look away as I walked up to the first policeman I could find.
     "Excuse me sir, my name is Hanna Carson, my mother is the one you're investigating."
The officer gave me a knowing look.
     "How can I help you?" He asked.
     "I've been receiving some strange texts from my mother's email address and phone number and was just wondering if there was anyone looking into it."
The officer nodded.
     "Your friend told us everything. We have our best investigators on the job, however I will need your phone and email information. We will give you a new phone for the time being." He took my phone and replaced it with a shiny new one, then looked at me expectantly. I fed him my email information.
     "I hope I can trust you guys." I added.
     "Of course you can, Ms. Carson!" The officer laughed and patted me on the back. I walked back to the limo, relieved to be sitting down again. Standing and actually walking was proving to be too much on my head right away.

     Finally the limo pulled into Aliah's grandmother's driveway. We got out and went inside, her grandmother greeting us right away with fresh tea and the smell of something cooking in the kitchen.
     "Hi Mrs. Applewood." I smiled. She was the sweetest thing.
     "Well hello there girls!" She floated over to us and took our bags and coats. Aliah and I hugged her and sat down at the kitchen table.
     "How have you been, grandma?" Aliah asked.
     "Oh, I've been well." Nancy responded. "And Hanna darling, please call me Nancy. Mrs. Applewood makes me sound as old as I am!" She let out a strong laugh and I felt so at home, so relieved. But still without a mother. I began to cry and Nancy came over to me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders as the sobs escaped.
     "It's alright honey, I promise it will be alright." Nancy cooed. I stood up and she let her arm drop back down to her side.
     "Do you mind if I clean up a bit?" I asked, tears still rolling.
     "Of course not." Nancy said.
     I went off to the back of the house, trailing my bags behind me. The home was actually very nice although it was nothing extravagant like I was so used to. It was a quaint little ranch on the beach, the outside was painted a light blue color, and there were flowers all around. A stone pathway led to the door. The inside was even nicer, soft plush carpeting and pictures covering every wall as if someone was afraid to lose even a single memory. I wished I had some pictures left. Even just a couple to remind me I used to have something. I had nearly no family left. One uncle in Florida was as close as it came. I felt more related to Nancy and Aliah. It was sad, really. Growing up with no idea that everything would be taken so fast. I tried to push the thought away as I stepped into the steam of a blissfully hot shower. The burning sensation of the water seemed to melt away my emotions. I cleaned up and emerged in my robe to see Aliah and Nancy in the living room, watching The Food Network. I smiled. Tomorrow was another visit to Marie, the therapist I'd been seeing since my father passed away. I had a feeling she would help tremendously as well. For now I just needed to let the police do their job. I closed my eyes and saw my mother's cold body curled up on the regal couch.
I just hoped they would hurry up.