‹ Prequel: Move
Risk
Oh Sister
I opened my front door and walked through with Cassidy behind me. I turned around to face her as Riley came into the living room.
"Who is this?" Riley asked.
I looked at Riley instead of Cassidy. "My sister, Cassidy Greenwood."
Riley folded his arms. "Is it really Greenwood or is it some other name? You know I can pull it out of your brain. Pulling out that kind of stuff can sometimes hurt." He said it to Cassidy.
I walked closer to him and got in his face. "You want the truth? Pull it out of my head then. If you want it, you'll get it. I know you, Riley. You can get every bit of information from my past. It would be a lot easier if you did that than if I told you. My past was difficult."
Riley didn't pull away from me. "Why are you doing this?"
I backed off. "Because, I am sick and tired of keeping everything from you. I don't want to anymore."
Cassidy came up behind me. "Alyssa, are you sure you want to do this?"
I turned and looked at both of them. "Yes, I do." I said calmly.
Riley sighed. "So, you want me to dig through your brain?"
I nodded. "It would be easier if you weren't such a hero."
"That's easy for you to say." Riley said. "You killed a lot of men this past week."
I thought about it. It felt like forever but, it was only a week from when we first found Sam, Peter, and the others.
"Riley, if you want to know more than I even know then, I want you to get the answers." I said. "Just, how does this work exactly?"
Riley shrugged. "We'll enter the past. You won't change but, we'll move through the past together. We'll be walking through the last ten years of your past."
I sighed. "Well, that's not exactly what I wanted to hear." Riley looked at me with concern. "I'll do it though."
Cassidy came between us. "Wouldn't it be easier if your little time traveler could just take us all?"
I looked at her. "Why would you want to see your past?" She frowned.
Riley and I looked at each other. "You may want to sit down." Riley said.
I frowned and moved towards the couch. I sat down. Riley moved the chair over to me and sat across from me.
He looked in my eyes. "Ready?" I nodded.
Riley focused on my face. I froze as he began digging through my brain. It hurt. It was a sharp pain moving through my body. The room around me started moving. I looked around me and we were moving through a city. Cassidy disappeared. My house disappeared. Riley stopped looking through my head. My sitting position stayed as the chair disappeared. The city around us became reality. Riley and I fell to the hard pavement as the chairs completely were gone.
I looked at him. "Where are we?"
Riley looked behind me. "Your house, seven years ago. In Michigan."
I looked behind me. The small tan house spread out in front of us. It looked like an old grandmother house.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked him.
"I didn't bring you here. This is what I found in your memory."
I sat up from the sidewalk in front of the house. Riley did too and he brushed himself off. I began walking towards my childhood home. Riley followed me.
My thoughts zoomed through my head. What was important about this day? I looked around at the trees and the all of the green. Not a house in sight for the next few blocks.
"Alyssa, what are you doing?" Riley whispered.
"You said we aren't really here so, no harm can be done." I said walking cautiously up the front stairs. Riley followed me.
My hand touched the door. Riley grabbed onto me. I pushed my and through the door and walked through. Riley came with me.
He let go of me as we got into my house. We looked around at the long stairs that led upstairs to my room. The living room was on our left and the kitchen was connected to the room. We heard people talking in the kitchen.
I walked through the small living room as the little television blared. The kitchen came into view. I stood in the doorway watching the two people quietly argue. Riley came behind me and watched them too.
"What now, Craig?" The little woman said to the man.
My father folded his arms. "How would I know? Our daughter doesn't like either of us. Cassidy doesn't like me and Hunter isn't mine so, you'll have Hunter and Alyssa will have to take her siblings with her."
"Alyssa's not going anywhere. She is only sixteen."
"She can have her own life, Heather."
"The life she wanted was destroyed when you left. Why did you even come back?"
"You know what?" My father said. "I don't know why I came back. I don't even know why I had children."
My mom sighed. "Great."
A scream came from upstairs.
"Cassidy!" My dad said walking past us towards the stairs. "Cassidy! Cody!" Riley and I followed my dad.
We stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up. Flames came tumbling down the stairs and along the walls. The orange glow filled my eyes. My father ran up the stairs with his hands over his face. He rushed into the flames following the screams.
He disappeared into the heat. I stood there waiting for something to happen. I heard a crash coming from the living room. I looked towards the kitchen and watched the ceiling fall down onto my mother. I looked away. My eyes closed. Riley took my shoulder. I opened my eyes and found myself looking at Riley back in our house. Back in the present.
I gasped in shock. Riley did too. Cassidy came over to me. "Are you guys okay?" I nodded.
"Yeah." Riley sighed.
I looked down at the ground. "I can't believe my dad actually said that. I've never actually been with him for more than ten minutes but, I can't believe he thought that."
"Thinks." Cassidy corrected.
I looked at her. "Pardon?"
She shrugged back. "Did you just totally forget that I have powers too?"
I sighed. "You and dad survived the fire. My mom and Cody did not. Hunter and I weren't there. Hunter was on his way to my house. He supposedly got in a crash and then black suited men came to my door." I said summarizing everything.
Riley looked puzzled. "You had your own house at the age of sixteen?"
I shrugged. "It was smaller than well, what I have now."
Riley smiled. "Okay so, why haven't they tried killing you?"
"Riley," I said, "have you totally forgot about the past week?"
He sighed. "I can tell you two are related." Riley said to Cassidy.
"Now what?" Cassidy said.
I sighed. "Jack's coming over tomorrow. I'll introduce you to everyone and we'll act just like everything is all hunky dory."
"I don't need introduction. If I felt like it, I could make them already feel like they knew me." Cassidy said.
"Let's not do that." I said.
She shrugged. "Want to check the news?"
"I'd rather not."
"Who is this?" Riley asked.
I looked at Riley instead of Cassidy. "My sister, Cassidy Greenwood."
Riley folded his arms. "Is it really Greenwood or is it some other name? You know I can pull it out of your brain. Pulling out that kind of stuff can sometimes hurt." He said it to Cassidy.
I walked closer to him and got in his face. "You want the truth? Pull it out of my head then. If you want it, you'll get it. I know you, Riley. You can get every bit of information from my past. It would be a lot easier if you did that than if I told you. My past was difficult."
Riley didn't pull away from me. "Why are you doing this?"
I backed off. "Because, I am sick and tired of keeping everything from you. I don't want to anymore."
Cassidy came up behind me. "Alyssa, are you sure you want to do this?"
I turned and looked at both of them. "Yes, I do." I said calmly.
Riley sighed. "So, you want me to dig through your brain?"
I nodded. "It would be easier if you weren't such a hero."
"That's easy for you to say." Riley said. "You killed a lot of men this past week."
I thought about it. It felt like forever but, it was only a week from when we first found Sam, Peter, and the others.
"Riley, if you want to know more than I even know then, I want you to get the answers." I said. "Just, how does this work exactly?"
Riley shrugged. "We'll enter the past. You won't change but, we'll move through the past together. We'll be walking through the last ten years of your past."
I sighed. "Well, that's not exactly what I wanted to hear." Riley looked at me with concern. "I'll do it though."
Cassidy came between us. "Wouldn't it be easier if your little time traveler could just take us all?"
I looked at her. "Why would you want to see your past?" She frowned.
Riley and I looked at each other. "You may want to sit down." Riley said.
I frowned and moved towards the couch. I sat down. Riley moved the chair over to me and sat across from me.
He looked in my eyes. "Ready?" I nodded.
Riley focused on my face. I froze as he began digging through my brain. It hurt. It was a sharp pain moving through my body. The room around me started moving. I looked around me and we were moving through a city. Cassidy disappeared. My house disappeared. Riley stopped looking through my head. My sitting position stayed as the chair disappeared. The city around us became reality. Riley and I fell to the hard pavement as the chairs completely were gone.
I looked at him. "Where are we?"
Riley looked behind me. "Your house, seven years ago. In Michigan."
I looked behind me. The small tan house spread out in front of us. It looked like an old grandmother house.
"Why did you bring me here?" I asked him.
"I didn't bring you here. This is what I found in your memory."
I sat up from the sidewalk in front of the house. Riley did too and he brushed himself off. I began walking towards my childhood home. Riley followed me.
My thoughts zoomed through my head. What was important about this day? I looked around at the trees and the all of the green. Not a house in sight for the next few blocks.
"Alyssa, what are you doing?" Riley whispered.
"You said we aren't really here so, no harm can be done." I said walking cautiously up the front stairs. Riley followed me.
My hand touched the door. Riley grabbed onto me. I pushed my and through the door and walked through. Riley came with me.
He let go of me as we got into my house. We looked around at the long stairs that led upstairs to my room. The living room was on our left and the kitchen was connected to the room. We heard people talking in the kitchen.
I walked through the small living room as the little television blared. The kitchen came into view. I stood in the doorway watching the two people quietly argue. Riley came behind me and watched them too.
"What now, Craig?" The little woman said to the man.
My father folded his arms. "How would I know? Our daughter doesn't like either of us. Cassidy doesn't like me and Hunter isn't mine so, you'll have Hunter and Alyssa will have to take her siblings with her."
"Alyssa's not going anywhere. She is only sixteen."
"She can have her own life, Heather."
"The life she wanted was destroyed when you left. Why did you even come back?"
"You know what?" My father said. "I don't know why I came back. I don't even know why I had children."
My mom sighed. "Great."
A scream came from upstairs.
"Cassidy!" My dad said walking past us towards the stairs. "Cassidy! Cody!" Riley and I followed my dad.
We stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked up. Flames came tumbling down the stairs and along the walls. The orange glow filled my eyes. My father ran up the stairs with his hands over his face. He rushed into the flames following the screams.
He disappeared into the heat. I stood there waiting for something to happen. I heard a crash coming from the living room. I looked towards the kitchen and watched the ceiling fall down onto my mother. I looked away. My eyes closed. Riley took my shoulder. I opened my eyes and found myself looking at Riley back in our house. Back in the present.
I gasped in shock. Riley did too. Cassidy came over to me. "Are you guys okay?" I nodded.
"Yeah." Riley sighed.
I looked down at the ground. "I can't believe my dad actually said that. I've never actually been with him for more than ten minutes but, I can't believe he thought that."
"Thinks." Cassidy corrected.
I looked at her. "Pardon?"
She shrugged back. "Did you just totally forget that I have powers too?"
I sighed. "You and dad survived the fire. My mom and Cody did not. Hunter and I weren't there. Hunter was on his way to my house. He supposedly got in a crash and then black suited men came to my door." I said summarizing everything.
Riley looked puzzled. "You had your own house at the age of sixteen?"
I shrugged. "It was smaller than well, what I have now."
Riley smiled. "Okay so, why haven't they tried killing you?"
"Riley," I said, "have you totally forgot about the past week?"
He sighed. "I can tell you two are related." Riley said to Cassidy.
"Now what?" Cassidy said.
I sighed. "Jack's coming over tomorrow. I'll introduce you to everyone and we'll act just like everything is all hunky dory."
"I don't need introduction. If I felt like it, I could make them already feel like they knew me." Cassidy said.
"Let's not do that." I said.
She shrugged. "Want to check the news?"
"I'd rather not."