All The Right Answers

A dark place. Somewhat, a sacred place. Is anyone ever safe? A question asked by many. The only way to answer is by not answering. Some questions are best left a mystery. The death of a loved one may mean the awakening of another. Or not. Life can be very confusing. You never know what might happen. Or what won't. Confused? Confused is just another word for curious, and curiosity is the gateway to answers. Curious? Read on for All The Right Answers.

"Must we be here?" Janine said. "I mean, it is cold and dark and frankly, quite scary". "I understand you don't want to be here, but we have nowhere else to go. I promise you, this will be way better than that jail cell they call an orphanage back in Black Pool", her brother Cam said. Janine and Cam have always been close. Close enough, that they share both friends, and enemies, as creepy as it sounds. "You know what, I am with Janine", their friend Grace said trying to sound convincing. Grace and Janine have been the best of friends for as long as they can remember. They had met in the orphanage, and since, have been "Partners In Crime" as they call it. "I know this is scary, and I don't want to do this either, but just like cam said, anything is better than Black Pool", their finale friend Chris said. Just as Janine and Grace were best of friends, Cam and Chris were also really close. They didn't express it as much, but they still have always had a bond. And as for Black Pool, well that was all behind them. They hoped that by running away, they would find a better life with each other. I mean that's all they need right?

"Can we just stop", Grace yelled. "It has been 3 whole hours, and we have gotten nowhere!". "Can't we just set up camp here for the night". Everyone was tired, and even though they wanted to listen to Grace, they knew that they were still too close to the orphanage. "We can't stop yet. The guards will find us here!", Cam said with a jolt in his voice. No one had ever seen him this way. Ever since the escape, something had changed about him. "Ar...are you ok?", Grace asked also trying to imply an apology. "I'm really sorry guys. I'm not going to lie, this whole thing is super stressful", he said calmly. "Are you kidding. You don't have to apologize for anything. Of course, this is stressful. We are on the run from angry orphanage people, or whatever they call themselves", Janine said trying to be supportive. "Yeah. you have nothing to blame yourself for", Chris said backing up Janine. "Thanks, guys. I needed that" Cam said. "Now we better get going. We need to find a safe place to set camp".

The group slaved up the long mountain like slope with nothing but an extra pair of clothes, and a small canteen of water. "Ok, I don't want to get you worked up again, but I really think we need to stop", Grace said. "Yeah I think I'm with Grace this time", Janine said. "Look, I know that you guys are getting tired, but we are still way too close to the orphanage. Stop now, and they might take us back", Cam said trying to settle things. The thought of being back at that dump of an orphanage was enough to get them all back on track. "Ok, we really do need to stop", Chris said. "It is getting really late, and we don't even have enough water to get us through the next couple of days". They all sighed taking a look at their puny canteen bottle. "You're right. We don't have the energy or the supplies to last even a few more days", Cam said. "Maybe we should give up". Everyone was shocked as to what Cam had just said. That didn't sound like him at all. "Give up. That is not at all what we meant. We are just talking about setting up for the night", Grace said. "Ok face it guys. We don't have any food or supplies. We might as well just turn our selves in", Cam said. Tears built up in his eyes. Did they really get this far just to give up? "You know what. No! We did not get this far just to throw all of our progress down the drain.", Grace said. "Why. It's not like some perfect place will pop out of nowhere", Cam said. The group felt a small chill going down their spine. They could tell that something had changed. "Is this a sign", Janine said raising her expectations. "Come on sis. Things like that never happen in the rea...

"What the heck!", Cam yelled. They all watched with a drop of the jaw. "Was that, is that, what", Chris muttered. "This can't be real", Grace stated. "Woah", Janine said. They all were lost on words. What they saw was too much to explain. If a black cat crosses your path, what does it bring? A man in black never means good. A broken house on the hill means whatever you make of it.

"What are we waiting for", Cam said proudly. Even though he knew that he had not done this, he felt a sense of pride towards it. "Wait! We can't go in there", Grace said. "Who knows what's in there". "You have any better ideas", Chris added in. "I don't know about this guys. Maybe Grace is right", Janine said doubtfully. "Come on. You said it yourself. It's a sign", Cam said nudging her in the arm. "Hrrr! You know that I can't fight my own words. let's go!", Janine said. "Wait, Wait, Wait. Are we really doing this", Grace said. "I mean like. It's an old broken down house!", Grace yelled. "Ok then, stay here", Cam said knowing that she was too fearful to stay on her own. "Oh god. Let's just go", Grace said admitting defeat. "Yes. Let's do this", Cam yelled.

"Woah", everyone said looking at the horendous box-like room. "Are we sure that this is a good idea", Chris said. "Yeah. This does not look like the safest place", Grace added. There was a long moment of silence as the four looked at the cramped room. All they could see was a wooden bench, a small depleted shelf, and what looked like a dead rat. "Come on guys", Cam said. "It's not that bad". They took another long look, and then... Bang! Part of the ceiling fell before them. They all jumped back with a gasp. "Ok. This sucks", Grace said hoping for a solution. "At least it will keep us away from the orphan people", Janine said. "Besides. This is still better than most of the rooms back at the orphanage". They all silently agreed. The orphanage was a horrible, horrible place. Glass shattered everywhere, bloodstains, and worst of all, memories. Memories that would haunt them till the day they died. Everyone took a deep breath. "Guys. This is our life", Cam said. Even though they didn't want too, they all agreed.

Everyone unloaded the few supplies they had left. "We need water", Janine said. "We need food", Grace said. "We need clothes", Chris said. "We need rest", Cam finally said. "We can worry about everything else in the morning. For now, let's just get some sleep. "Where do we sleep?", Grace asked. "I don't know. We will improvise", cam added. "Grace and Janine, you guys get the bench. Chris and I will set up on the floor".

Cam tried his hardest to be brave. That's what his parents would have wanted right. To be honest, that's a mystery it's self. Cam has never known his parents but had still believed that one day, just maybe, he would get to meet them. This came to his mind as he set out the sheet that they had smuggled from the orphanage. It was sad. Cam had always thought that by the time he had left the orphanage, everything would be better, but so far, everything had been worse. Mentally, and physically. I mean, he was laying on the cold, hard floor. The cold hard, sharp floor? "Ow", Cam screeched. Suddenly, he felt a cold drip down his back. A cold, sharp drip. As if the pain from whatever had just stabbed him, had been slicing down his back.

"What the heck", Grace yelled. "Is everything ok. Cam didn't know how to respond. The best he could give was a screech of pain. By now, he was on his knees, the whole body tensed. He crawled slowly around the room in search of breath. There is no way to describe the horrible pain that he had been through that day. Even to date, I stay wake finding new ways to explain the cold sharp pain, but the best I could come up with is blank.

"Oh my god!", Janine yelled. "What is happening!". Everyone felt pressure as if strapped down to a bus. "What do we do!", Chris yelled. At this point, they were all in tears. Cam's face was starting to turn blue, with his shirt dripping red. He crawled frantically reaching from the door. By the time he reached the handle...

"Cam! Cam can you hear me!", Janine said. Everyone but Chris, who was pacing in the back of the room, was in tears. No one knew what to do. "Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god", Chris yelled. He was trying his best to act brave, but it was a lot harder than he thought. How did Cam do it? Once he was stable enough to walk, he took a few steps closer afraid of what might come.

Sometimes, mystery is better than the truth itself. Although it can be annoying being left without closure, that might just be the best part. Confused? Curious? Scared? In Pain? What Is That Noise? Who Is That? I wish I had the Right Answers. But answers, aren't always right. Just ask Cam.