Butterflies

"Hello Ma'am, how can I help you today?" I asked the older lady as I stepped up to the counter.

"I'd like a mocha cappuccino, please." She smiled.

"Would you like to try are special on pancakes today?" I asked with a smile.

"Oh no, dear, that's all for me." She declined, smiling back. I placed her order and told her her cappuccino would be right with her. After a few minutes of waiting for a simple drink, I walked back to the kitchen to see what the hold up was. "Billie Joe, seriously. You've gotta learn to not get side tracked. Boss said no five minute cigarette breaks, anymore." I said, my hand on my hip, staring at him just slightly fed up. He hopped down from the counter and smirked as he tossed the cancer stick out the open window of the kitchen. I nearly choked on his smoke. "And do you realize how unhealthy it is to smoke in the kitchen here? People could report you if they notice this." He just grinned and rolled his eyes as he went about making the cappuccino.

I'd been living with my Auntie and my step cousin Billie now nearly a year, and I must say, I was good at what I do here at the coffee shop. I make quite a bit of money, and the customers seem to take a liking to me.

The best part is, people here in Maine are bigger on the Bush family coming to stay through the summer than they ever were on Michael Jackson. So I was pretty good on not hearing about him half the time. As for the media, well, I hadn't watched TV in a really long time unless it was a channel I was absolutely positive wouldn't show his face, and I don't visit the magazine racks anymore. The radio is simply hard to avoid, I have to have music, but I can turn the station if I catch wind of Michael's name.

People treat me good here. My Auntie treats me better than my own mother did and that crushes my heart every time I think about it. It's gaining on yet another fall and I'll soon be going back home to visit for a couple months through Thanksgiving and Christmas. But I still had a little while till that time came, yet.

"Melacia..Melacia!" I snapped out of my daze to see Billie waving his hand in front of my face. I scrunched my nose at him.

"What?"

"Cappuccino!" I snatched it from him and took it to it's awaited customer.

"Here you go, Ma'am, sorry about the wait." I placed it in front of her and smiled sweetly.

"Oh don't worry about it, dear. I've got nowhere to be. How much?"

"Two dollars and thirty two cents." She grabbed three dollars from her purse and told me to keep the change. I shrugged and dropped the bills into the cash register.

The day went by smoothly as every other day and ended far too quickly for my liking.

"Did you kids have a good day?" My Auntie called as Billie and I walked through the door.

"Yeah, great." Came Billie's reply as he walked to the kitchen to grab a root beer. I grinned and shook my head. She looked at me as if for a better answer.

"It was good." I smiled. "Same as always, but good." She nodded.

"Glad you're enjoying it." She smiled. I nodded in return. "Oh, Annika called for you earlier, she'd like you to call her back." I nodded again.

"Will do." I ran up the stairs to my room grabbing the phone off the charger and landing on my bed. I ran through the contacts in the directory and quickly selected Home. It rang quite a few times and I didn't think anyone would answer. Just when I was about to hang up, my mother's voice came through the line.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded teary and strained. I immediately got an empty feeling in the pit of my gut. My mother and I hadn't spoken since I'd left. Now she was answering my call, in hysterics.

"Mom? Are you alright? What's wrong?" I couldn't keep the worry from showing through my voice.

"No it's -"

"It's what, Mom? Who?" I hadn't even given her the time to try and tell me. She started crying harder, not speaking. "Tell me, Mom! Who?!" I demanded.

"Annika!" She shouted through her tears. My knees went weak. I dropped the phone as the room felt like it was spinning around me. "Melacia? Melacia! Are you there?" I could hear my mother's voice frantic through the phone line, but couldn't seem to do anything about it. That's when the spinning world around me...Went black.

"Melacia? Melacia, can you hear me?" My Auntie's voice. I groaned slightly as my eyes opened and I cringed away from the light. "Turn the light off." I could hear her telling someone, most likely Billie. "Melacia.." I could hear my Auntie's voice again and then I felt something cold and wet being pressed to my forehead, probably a rag. I let my eyes reopen and this time, adjust to the lighting which wasn't as bright this time. It didn't take long for me too remember exactly what happened, so it was reverse when I sat up in an instant.

"Annika!" I shouted, panic clear in my voice.

"Melacia, calm down. You need to tell me what happened up there." I turned my head slowly to meet her gaze.

"It's Annika, something's wrong." I felt my breathing quickening. "Mom answered the phone and was crying and said something was wrong with Annika and I must of passed out or something." I was talking in such a rush now, I didn't know if they'd caught anything I said.

"Billie, go get me the phone." Auntie ordered him. He did as told and came back a few minutes later with the phone in hand. She dialed their number and in no time, got an answer.

"Hello, Mrs. Jennings? Are you alright? Oh dear! That's awful."

"What, what is it?!" My voice was frantic in the background. She silenced me with her hand.

"Of course, right away. Not to worry. Sure thing. Bye bye." She hung up the phone and turned to me with a slightly disturbed expression on her face.

"What is it, Auntie." Billie had come over and started rubbing my back trying to get me relaxed and calmed down. She gulped before speaking.

"Someone broke into your sister's room earlier tonight. Annika was struck down with an unknown forceful object and she's currently unconscious in the hospital." I felt dizzy and sick all over again. I had to literally run from the room. I ran into the bathroom and held my stomach as I spilled the contents of my stomach into the toilet. I leaned against the bathtub and pushed the hair on my forehead out of my eyes. Billie and Auntie ran to my side. "It'll be okay, sweetheart, we're flying you out there to be with your sister." I leaned my head against my Auntie's shoulder as I tried to calm my racing thoughts. I wasn't looking forward to going back so unexpectedly, but I'd do anything for Annika.

The flight the next day was nothing special, at all. I'd wanted to leave the same night, but this is the best we could get. I sighed as I put the plugs of my iPod in my ears and turned up my music. I turned slightly to the window and tried to drift to sleep.

The ride didn't seem to take long, as I'd slept the rest of the way there and a flight attendant had to wake me up.

I rushed as quick as possible to get to the rental car that my Auntie had set up and waiting for me for when I arrived. A man would be waiting with the keys. I spotted him standing, holding a sign that said, "Jennings" on it. I walked over, showed my ID, got my keys, and climbed in the rental.

I wanted to punch on the gas and speed the entire way to the hospital, but I'd rather get there alive and without any speeding tickets.

Twenty minutes tops and I'd arrived. I nearly ran to the front desk and was half out of breath when I'd reached the front desk.

"I need to know which room Annika Jennings is in." I panted, trying to regulate my breathing. The woman told me to hold for a moment while she messed around in her computer.

"Room 305."

"Thank you." I gasped before taking off. I flew towards the elevator and pressed the up button a few times, impatiently, waiting for a set of doors to open. When it started taking to long, I fled from the elevators and went to the stairwell. I started running up the stairs nearly tripping over some, but making it up faster than I would've waiting on an elevator. I was going down the hall so fast, skimming the room numbers as I passed, that I nearly passed 305. I spun on my heel and retreated into her room at full force.

I stopped in my tracks.

Sitting there, at the edge of Annika's hospital bed, with his back towards me, singing softly to her, was the very person I didn't expect or want to see.

"Let's pray for all the lost children. Let's sing for all the lost children. This one's for all the lost children, wishing them well.." Michael trailed off and I heard him sniffle lightly as he brushed her hair back. "I'm wishing you home, Annie." He whispered through his teary voice. I couldn't help the sob that escaped my throat then. Michael turned around abruptly in his seat and his face went from one of anguish to shock.

I didn't know what would happen, or who would be the one to move first. What I did know was that there was nobody else in the room right now except Michael, Annika, and I. Annika being unconscious. So between the two of us, somebody had to do something.