Chapter 18

Abel snaps awake from the sudden knock on the door, grunting as the persistent headache grows momentarily stronger. He holds his head as he slowly gets up, yawning while he walks to open the door.

"I thought this is my day off", he snarls in his briefs to the two men on the door dressed in suits with his workplace's logo on them, so if you don't mind I'd like the two of you to get back to the lab and let me sleep my hangover away".

"T-that's the problem, sire, the subjects are gone", one of them stutters after his partner rushes him to talk.

"The janitor probably left the doors open or something", Abel speculates as he drops by the bathroom to get more painkillers, "I told the idiots to put the trackers on them and to install cameras."

"But-"

"No buts. Print Wanted-posters or put their pictures to milk cartons or something, just let me sleep".

The men bow with an embarrassed look on their faces and walk away from the door. Once Abel sees them turn to the stairs he shuts the door and checks the fridge for something to eat. 'I should've known she wouldn't buy anything to eat', he thinks to himself, 'I guess I have to get something myself'.

He digs a casual suit from his closet and puts it on, avoiding triggering his headache the best he can. He sighs as he finds a grey stain on his dress shirt. 'She's becoming more careless by the day'. He checks that his wallet and phone are in his satchel and once he gets his shoes on he leaves the apartment. As soon as he gets to the tram stop he pulls a business card out of his wallet, types the number on his phone and presses the 'call' button.

"King Armstrong Mental Hospital, Karen on the line"

"This is Abel Willems, I'd like to admit my wife in your care".

"The Abel Willems? I'm a big fan. But it is against the rules to admission without a proper diagnosis --"

"I apologize, and I know it is. But lately she has been extremely careless and switching between sadness and rage and last night she quite clearly attempted to kill herself".

"... I am so sorry, Mister Willems. I believe we can make an exemption. If I may get your address we can send people to get her".

"I already gave the address some days ago alongside a spare key when I got this card. It's supposedly on a post-it note".

"Oh, I see it. I'm sorry. I'll see to it that she'll get treatment as soon as possible".

"That would be great".

"Good-bye and thank you for calling!".

Abel ends the call and puts his phone into his bag. After a few minutes of waiting he takes a tram to the airport and checks in with his phone. 'Five hours to go', he thinks as he glances to the big screen with the flight information. He sits in a table in a nearby fine dining restaurant, orders multiple light, cold dishes, digs his sketchbook out of his bag and starts sketching the people around him, tuning his skill.

Chapter 17

Sila unties her hair from a tight bun and messes it up until she's satisfied. She thinks about kicking the door before leaving but decides against it, instead punching the wall on her way down the stairs. She feels like she's ready to pick a fight with anyone just to let off steam. As she's certain no one'd actually tangle with her she starts digging the nearest trash can and crushes all the empty cans that she finds with her bare hands.

After going through nine cans and three bottles she picks them up from the ground and throws them back into the trash can before the police arrest her for littering. She messes up her hair for the second time and sighs, eventually quieting down. She sits on the stoning on the side of the road. 'I guess I need to switch my tactic. If appearing weak or aggressive won't work, what will?', she thinks to herself, 'That liar thinks I'm an idiot. I know that he has a woman, his assistant, there's no way he's gay.'

She pulls a knife out of her pocket and cuts her arm twice below the scars that she already has. She twitches as the blade passes through her skin. 'Fine. Let's see about who can please him better. I won't lose to likes of her.'

She feels calm as she watches the drops of blood forming different patterns on the concrete. Once the flow dries up she takes two wide bracelets from her pocket to hide the scars. She feels slightly dizzy as she gets up but she doesn't let it stop her. She jogs to the nearest tram stop and once the tram arrives she takes it home.

As she opens the front door she calls out for Thomas and Linnea, growing worried as she gets no response. She checks the kitchen and the bathroom, eventually finding the two in her bedroom. She sneaks in to check what they're doing, doing her best not to get noticed. She notices that her closet is open wide and some of her shirts and dresses laid on her bed. As she taps Linnea and Thomas' shoulders they tense and turn towards her.

"If you want to try on my clothes, ask. It's not very nice to raid other people's closets", she tells them with a slight smile.

"We're sorry! We were just curious!", Linnea shouts nervously, and the two of them lay their heads down.

Sila starts laughing and takes two steps back to avoid falling down, "You're so formal, oh my god!".

"Of course Bel didn't get you any spare clothes, I should've known. Take whatever you want". She wipes the tears from her eyes, "Remind me to take you shopping later".

The twins' faces light up. They start trying out the clothes on the bed, causing Sila to burst into laughter again. They completely stop paying attention to her.

Sila holds her stomach as she walks out of the room, her face completely red. She sits on her sofa and grabs her knife which is still covered in red stains. 'I'm out of space on my arm, huh', she thinks to herself. She pulls up her black shirt and makes a light cut on her stomach.

'Yeah. This'll do.'

After a couple of cuts she pulls her shirt back down, feeling it sticking to the wounds. She wobbles to the kitchen and puts the knife in the washing machine along some dirty dishes that have been piling up. She takes deep breath, trying to get back to her senses as she starts feeling dizzy again. She walks slowly back into her bedroom.

"I didn't even remember I had that shirt", she tells Linnea who turns around in a loose, grey t-shirt that reveals the shoulders.

"These clothes are so pretty!", Linnea yells, bubbling with joy.

"And look at that, you even put your hair up".

Linnea smiles in response.

"Can we keep these?", Thomas asks, wearing a simple navy blue shirt and a leather jacket.

"Sure, I guess they suit you better anyway".

"Don't say that, mother". His face turns slightly gloomy.

"You called me mother, huh. That makes me glad". Sila smiles the best she can, despite feeling like she could faint at any moment. "We should go soon, to catch the train".

The twins nod and start putting the rest of the clothes neatly back into the closet.

Sila walks to the platform next to her door and sits down. She checks that the cut on her stomach has stopped bleeding and sighs in relief. She checks the wrappings on her legs and tightens them until she's satisfied.

"Let's go", she tells the twins once they come to the door, "as far as I know the train leaves in thirty minutes and it takes twenty to get to the station".

"Okay!". Linnea feels excited about the trip. She can't wait until she sees new places, new people and animals. They put their shoes on and leave the house, making their way to the nearest taxi stop.

Chapter 16

Abel wakes up to Cassandra's work cellphone ringing in the hall. While he doesn't hate the song she picked for it he'd rather not hear it as the first thing on a day off. As he tries to sit up he notices Cassandra clutching him in her sleep, refusing to let go. A strong fit of headache gives him shivers as it starts pounding his head like a hammer.

'Give me a break, I barely had any last night', he mutters to himself in his mind as he manages to crawl out of the bed without waking up his sleeping partner. He walks to the hall as smoothly as he can as not to intensify the waves of pain in his head.

"Willems residence", he speaks to the phone after grabbing it from Cassandra's jacket.

"Abel? Is this you?"

"Linnea? Why are you calling, at this hour? And where did you get this number?"

"It was on a note next to the phone. But that's not what's important right now! Mom's gone!"

"She's gone? How?"

"We woke up to her closing the door".

"I think she's coming to you", Thomas interrupts his sister, "I mean, where else could she go?".

Abel presses his fingers to his forehead. "Just what I needed".

"You two, go to the kitchen and make yourselves something to eat, I'll talk to her", he tells the twins, ending the call before they can answer. He grabs a few tablets of aspirin, barely swallowing one and leaving the rest for Cassandra on her bedside table, along with a glass of water.

He barely manages to get dressed as he hears a knock on the door, followed by a ring on the speaker. He presses the button, immediately switching to the phone to keep the noise to minimum.

"I know it's you, Sila"

"Why did you leave me alone last night? I was lonely."

"You have your kids, you should be in the train by now."

"Oh, don't be so cold."

"You can drop them off to your sister or something, just take care of this."

"And then what? Be left by myself for another ten months?"

"Look, I really, really don't need this right now. My head's pounding like crazy and I'm tired as all hell. I know you can do this."

"Can I at least get a kiss before I leave?"

"A hug."

As he opens the door Sila runs into his arms and almost squeezes the life out of him.

"You smell nice", she tells him.

"Hmph."

He quickly hugs her back, then slowly pushes her away.

"Now, if you don't mind me I'll go back to sleeping my headache away."

"I'll remember this!", Sila screams as Abel closes the door, causing him to twitch as the pounding in his head worsens.

He walks back to bed, relieved to find Cassandra still sleeping there, tucks himself in and manages to fall asleep again.

Chapter 15

Abel refuses to stop running until he reaches their apartment and by the time he's gone up the stairs his calves are burning more intensely than ever. He massages them the best he can and once the pain's mostly gone he walks to their door. He grabs the keys from his bag, turns the right one in the lock and grabs the handle. As he slides the door open he hears the increasing sound of water running and a very bad feeling creeps into his mind. He runs to the bathroom, surprised to find it unlocked.

In the bathroom he finds Cassandra, passed out and slouched on the shower floor, with a stream of water coming down over her from the shower head. He reaches to turn off the shower, twitching slightly as the ice cold water hits his arm. He crouches in front of her, relieved as he hears her breathing steadily. He strips her, carries her to the bed and tucks her in under as many warm blankets as he manages to find, simultaneously making sure she's still breathing.

Once he's sure she wont freeze to death he takes off his damp jacket and throws it on the back rest of a nearby chair. He holds his head between his hands, trying to make sense of the thoughts and feelings spinning inside his head like a storm. Deeming rational thinking useless he grabs a nearby vodka bottle and takes a big gulp, despite his dislike towards most alcoholic drinks. As it burns his throat he almost throws up but once it kicks in he feels slightly relieved.

He throws himself on the bed and tries to fall asleep but gets up after realizing it's impossible in the state of mind that he's in. He sighs and begins picking up bottles Cassandra had brought in. As most of them still contain various amounts of alcohol he sets them on a nearby counter to sort out later. He puts their wet clothes on the balcony to dry and throws the pack of cigarettes he finds on the couch to the trash can.

During his cleaning frenzy he finds a small tape recorder, which he decides to play as he's never seen it before. He plugs in a pair of headphones and presses the 'play' button.

"You're a fucking asshole, Abby", he hears Cassandra slurring, "Leaving me alone like this and not even keeping your fucking promise."

The message is interrupted by loud gulping.

"If I die here you can be sure as hell that I'll haunt you until the end of your fucking life, you hear me?!"

He starts hearing nearly incomprehensible sniffling and whining on the tape.

"Please don't leave me... I can't be here by myself...", and the message ends with an artificial female voice saying "1:24 a:m, today".

He takes off his headphones and sits on the floor, hugging himself tightly.

"I'm all right", he tells himself. Once he calms down he climbs on the bed and eventually falls asleep.

Chapter 14

"Here, use the red key, it's in the small pocket inside".

Abel nods towards his bag the best he can as carrying Sila takes up both of his arms. Linnea digs into it, brushing her thick hair and bangs aside in order to see better, and once she finds the key she opens the door to Sila's apartment. She steps inside and after looking around a little she clicks the light switch.

"Light, I summon thee". She jumps on the couch and laughs. Thomas sits down next to her, careful not to break anything.

"Tone it down, please", Abel asks as he walks towards the bedroom, "Don't wake her up". As a response he hears a low groan.

He lays Sila on her bed and after taking off his jacket he sits next to her, putting his fingertips together and resting his face on his hands. He leans forward and closes his eyes, and thoughts flood his mind again. He thinks about what might happen the next morning, if they get caught at the station or if his bosses find out what he did.

Sila breaks his concentration as she climbs up his shoulder and bites his ear. She lets out a sleepy giggle as he rises his head and frowns towards her.

"Good morning, sevgili, how long did I sleep?".

"Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty", he tells her as he checks his watch.

"I was dreaming about you...", she purrs, shifting closer to him. He moves farther and farther away until he reaches the edge of the bed.

She gets a commanding tone to her voice, "Sleep with me, Bel, I love you".

Abel stands up and walks to the door.

"I can't".

"You bastard, come back here right now!".

As he leaves the room he hears loud swear words in Turkish and the sound of a pillow hitting the door. He wipes his shirt the best he can with his hands as he notices some stains on the sleeve Sila was leaning on. He takes off his shirt to take a better look on the stains even though he already knows what they most likely are and a closer inspection confirms it. 'Blood', he thinks to himself, 'Not good'. The worst-case scenario pops into his mind as he throws the shirt on the floor. He runs to the bathroom and opens the door.

Inside the bathroom he finds more blood than he thought he'd find, most of it in the sink but some on the portable stairs that she keeps in her bathroom and on an opened first-aid kit. In the sink he also notices a sharp piece of glass stained with blood, though he can't find its source anywhere.

Linnea  comes behind him and before he can react she looks into the bathroom. She grows visibly pale, grabbing his undershirt to barely stay on her feet. She tears her eyes away from the sight and buries her face into the shirt.

"Wha-what is that?", she asks, her voice shaking, "What happened?".

Abel turns to her and hugs her tightly. "This here is a sign of you mother's inner demons. She isn't feeling very well and feels as if this is the only way to cope with it. The best thing you can do for her is to keep her happy, all right?".

Linnea nods.

"Good girl. I'll clean up this mess. Another thing, I don't think you should mention this to her, it can only bring her down again. And your brother too, unless you're sure he doesn't freak out or become depressed".

As she walks back to the living room Abel takes the cleaning equipment from under the sink and starts cleaning up the room the best he can.

Once he's ready he heads back to the living room, only to find the twins sleeping next to each other. He grabs a blanket from a nearby closet and lays on them, He then checks on Sila, who's sound asleep in her bed after the tantrum, and sets the alarm clock next to her bed to 6:30. He gets his jacket on himself and starts heading home. After he gets outside he checks his watch, which tells him it's 1:30, and begins running.

Chapter 13

"What's that sound?", Thomas asks as he hears the wailing, "Is someone... crying?"

Linnea opens the last ice cream they'd bought and eats it in one bite. "Hrr, that's cold".

She turns to where the sound's coming and stands up.

"Let's go and take a look".

"You sure?"

"Might as well", she tells him as she grabs his hand and pulls him up, "Since the meeting place wasn't exactly specified anyway".

Thomas nods and picks up their bag. He follows Linnea's lead cautiously but when the crying stops he can't help getting incredibly curious. They pick up the pace until they get to where they think the voice originated from.

The only thing that catches their eye is a woman with her face buried in a man's chest. Her suit jacket and pencil skirt are plain and shades of grey but her legs are ceramic and clearly artificial. The man's wearing a pair of brown suit pants, a black leather jacket and a red scarf.

Linnea recognizes the man as the most likely candidate to be the one who wrote the note but before she manage to say a word the woman kisses him. The man doesn't push her away, though he doesn't appear to want it either.

While they've read about kisses in their books and fairy tales they'd never thought it's something that people actually do. The whole concept of pressing your mouth on another's, let alone touching their tongue with yours, is foreign and absurd to them no matter how they try to understand it. All they can do is stare and wait.

Once the woman stops she steps backwards and slaps the man on his cheek. He barely reacts to it, even when he wipes some blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Did you really have to do that?", he asks as he takes a napkin out of his pant pocket and wipes the blood.

"The signs were clear", she responds, massaging her hand, "You men are all after one thing, and when you get it - nothing. So fucking boring".

"I'm not interested in you, Sila."

"I know you are, just admit it."

The man buries his face in  his hand with a frown on his face.

"I'm gay, Sila. I'm interested in men, and men only".

The woman chuckles and slaps the cheek that she hasn't slapped yet. "Don't you fucking lie to me. I know very fucking well the likes of you, coming to a vulnerable woman, in the end always demanding sex. I should've left you standing on my doorstep you bastard".

At some point of her talking the man notices the twins, as by the time she stops talking the three of them are staring at each other, completely ignoring her rant.

Before she can continue the man whispers "shush" to keep her from talking.

"... Are you the one we're supposed to meet here?", Linnea asks after a moment of silence.

"Yes. My name is Abel. I'm very glad to finally meet you two in person", he answers, "And this woman here, her name is Sila, as I think you heard already. She is your biological mother".

Sila turns completely towards the twins, bursting into tears as she hurries to hug them both.

"I've misses you so much", she cries, "I remember when you were just newborn children... Oh, how you've grown!".

Linnea and Thomas don't know what to say so they decide to hug her back. As the minutes go on they grow increasingly uncomfortable. Right before they try to wiggle out of her arms they hear quiet snoring, realizing that she fell asleep.

"What should we do now?", Linnea whispers to Abel, "Mom, she just... fell asleep".

"We should probably get back to her place. I'll carry her", Abel suggests, helping the twins escape her grip and taking her into a bridal carry.

The way back Linnea asks him why he decided to release them.

"I guess I just got tired of seeing the two of you being treated as lab rats. Compared to the whole wide world out here the four rooms of yours seem so restrictive".

"I doubt that's all". Thomas interferes without any warning.

"Maybe, maybe not. And if there's something else I doubt this is the best time to tell you about it".

"Fine". He frowns, clearly less than satisfied with his answer.

"So, how do you make ice cream?", Linnea asks out of nowhere.

"Well...". The rest of their walk Abel explains, in great detail, the ingredients and steps to making ice cream, also suggesting a few different machines to make it faster and easier.

Chapter 12

"May we sit down? My stubs are killing me", Sila asks as she and Abel get to the station, "unless you have something better to do".

"Do you really have to call them that? Yes, yes we may". Abel walks her to a nearby bar and pulls a chair back for her.

"Yes, I do. I still don't trust you". She snorts as she sits down and starts browsing the menu. She pulls the two-way speaker closer to her from the middle of the table and calls out, "A bloody mary, please. And a glass of water".

Abel frowns on the other side of the table. "How generous of you".

"Don't get me wrong - you're paying".

"I expected nothing less of you".

"What's that supposed to mean?".

Sila grunts and crosses her arms, clearly waiting for an answer. After getting none once the drinks arrive she grabs the cocktail she turns herself completely away from Abel, mutters a swarm of curse words in Turkish and starts drinking.

"You  okay over there?", Abel asks after a few minutes of sipping his water in silence. Her expression doesn't even twitch.

"We should start looking for them soon, it's five minutes 'til eleven".

They rise from their seats and walk around the open area in front of the station. Three minutes into the search Sila abruptly stops and starts shivering, wrapping her arms around herself.

Once Abel notices that she isn't walking anymore he hurries back to her and gets a worried look on his face. "Sila, are you all right?"

"I-I don't know. This is all so sudden. What should I do once I see them? What should I say?". She tears up.

Abel stands in front of her, confused by her sudden outburst. He imagines every possible solution that he can think of but they leave him empty-handed. As a last resort he presses her head to his chest, trying to calm her down. To his surprise, she starts crying.

"I want to go home", she weeps, "Please, let me go home. I can't do this".

"If you quit now you'll regret it for the rest of your life. They're your children, Sila".

She tries to object but the words she blubbers come out in incomprehensibly short parts. All she can do is bawl into Abel's clothing.