Permafrost [COMPLETED]

Riley

"I'm Riley." My fingers are wrapped in my hair as I stand in the circle. "My dad is on the other side because he robbed a liquor store while he was drunk."

"Hi, Riley." The circle says back and I smile slightly. "We're sorry for your loss."

Even though he wasn't dead, losing him to the other side was technically like receiving a suicide note. No body. No response.

Whenever you found out someone had a loved one on the other side, that was the appropriate response because 'I'm sorry' was just too simple, I guess.

"Hi, I'm Lori." Lori Roberts. Everybody knew her. "My dad is on the other side for selling drugs to minors after school hours."

"Hi, Lori." The circle responded. "We're sorry for your loss."

"I'm Marcus." You're not the only one. "My step father came home drunk one night and hit my mom. He threatened to hit me. She shot him out of self defense. He died and she's been on the other side ever since."

"Hi, Marcus." You'll get over it. "We're sorry for your loss."

"I'm Griffin. My dad hit my mom in the head with a frying pan and killed her."

"I'm Cade. My dad grilled my step mom's lungs because she refused to bathe him."

"I'm Katie. I had a sister. After my dad got deported, my mom went bat-shit crazy and wrote Stephanie's death day on the calendar. Steph was so scared that day. She didn't eat, she didn't even come out of her room. I even called the Reepers but they couldn't diagnose it as a problem because nothing serious was happening. I stayed with her for a long time. Then she told me to go to sleep, that she'd be fine. My mom broke into her room that night while she was asleep and slit her throat."

"I'm Levi. My dad is on the other side because he tried to kill my mom in her sleep."

"We're sorry for your loss."

This continued on until we got to Luke.

"Hi, I'm Luke. This is my sister Kaitlyn."

"Wait. Luke Shelling?"

"You're mother is Katherine Shelling?

"Katherine Shelling?"

"Yeah?" Luke responds to the voices and they murmur against each other.

"Dude. She's like famous."

"Everyone knows her. She has one of the most mysterious trials."

"Is it true that she's not supposed to be over there?"

"She was falsely accused."

"What happened?" Luke stares at all the faces pushed into his bubble.

"My dad...uh...he fixes computers. He found a hacking software installed on one of the hard drives. And proceeded to pull out about 3.million dollars from RES industries. It was a private software so nobody knew who was responsible. My mother saw the deposit and asked him about it. He got all defensive. She said if he didn't give it back or confess, she was going to tell the border. And have him deported to the other side. Of course, she just said this to scare him. She wasn't actually going to turn him in. She just wanted him to give the money back. But he got terrified and panicked. He called her out on it before she could even defend herself and they immediately took her with no trial because they knew the money was missing." Everybody watches Luke intently.

"He was scared that he was going to get deported so he accused his wife?? For something he did??" Cade asks and Luke nods.

"Yeah. I hate living with him because of it."

"Then why are you hiding from the Reepers?"

"Why not let them take you over there?"

"As much as I hate it over here, I just can't go over there and see my mom. The guilt eats me alive every time I look at her. And I can't tell the border cops because I'm 18 so they could take him and take me for knowing about it for so long and then Kat would be all alone." Luke grabs his sister into a hug and she holds on for dear life.

"God, what Bradley Res would do to keep anyone from finding out what actually happened to Katherine Shelling." Levi says and everybody stares at him. Lena looks away.

"Everyone would try to overthrow him for falsely accusing her. A woman, let alone a mother. Making her do time for a crime she didn't commit. Imagine the protests." Marcus stares at Luke the entire time he's speaking then looks at Lena when he's done.

She continues to try to hide in her coats of self-hate and doubt. Pushing herself further into embarrassment.

"It's not Lena's fault," Griffin interjects. "She has nothing to do with her father's ignorant choices."

He must have a really tiny very small crush on her. Like really small. Not big at all. Whatsoever.

It's so tiny you can't even tell it's there. Except for when you can then it's like a giant zit that you know everyone's looking at.

I don't know why she's hiding with us.

Maybe to get away from her father.

It's not like she would get put over there, anyway.

I mean Bradley might, just because he's cruel.

When she was little, Lena and her mom went to the wall and asked to see Ava Kipsey, Lena's aunt. Molly Res' sister.

Ava had just arrived and was in preparation so she wasn't excepting visitors.

But that didn't stop Molly.

Apparently, Lena and Ava were really close.

Molly threatened the Border Cop and pushed him back full force, not even surprising the guy one bit.

She's with her sister now, both of them sulking about what they did to deserve such gruesome punishments.

As for Ava, she still has another 18 years over there for drugging her children with sleeping pills and drowning them in her bathtub.

It's funny how many people go crazy in this town.

One day they're watering their lawn, doing the dishes, or even enjoying an interesting read.

Then the next day they're breaking into their neighbor's houses and skinning them.

Those poor Walter's.

People are killing their husbands and stealing money and carving satanic rituals into the trees in their yard.

Something is definitely up with this town.

"That's my mom's name," Cade tells Luke and Levi stands there with a stupid look on his face.

"You're mother is Katherine Shelling, too?" Levi asks, his eyes wide in horror.

"Yeah, we're long lost brother's, can't you tell?" Cade tells Levi sarcastically and Levi playfully shoves him, laughter sprouting throughout the cold basement.

For one night, everyone's talking. Laughing. Enjoying themselves.

Not one of them knowing it might be their last laugh. Or their last smile. Their last good night before the rollercoaster.

Everyone together. No sad bodies, no depressed souls, no tired eyes.

Taking these moments for granted is something I'm going to regret.

The last time I'm seeing everyone together in one room and I'm observing and spectating rather than playing the field.

Specific, isn't it? 

It's almost as if I know what's going to happen.