Alora Funk- The Deliverance: Book 1

by Stephanie Daich

  Chapter 18

  The cement room-

  Wednesday June tenth came. At noon, I went to the Country Store to meet with London. The parking lot was empty. I waited until 12:30. When she hadn’t shown up, I headed back home. I hadn’t gotten very far when she came driving down the street. She pulled up next to me and parked, bidding me into her car.

  “Hey Alora, are you sure you still want to go to your old home? I still worry it might be a negative experience for you.”

  “Yes. I really think it will help me discover who I am.”

  “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  We drove on the freeway, surrounded by angry, fast drivers. London stayed cool and composed as she drove the speed limit to the tee. Her obedience to the traffic laws seemed to upset everyone else. She explained to me their desire to break the law should not influence her speed.

  We got off the freeway from the Bountiful exit and ended up driving up a steep street. The homes became larger and larger. The neighborhoods looked very different from Mantua, appearing new and immaculate with well-manicured lawns.

  “How are these house all so big?” I wondered out loud.

  “I don’t know, some people like big houses. I have a big house.”

  “The Sanibels sure could use a big house. They don’t have enough room for everyone as it is,” I said still gasping at the homes we were passing.

  “It might surprise you, but most of the people live in these homes only have a couple of kids. Most people don’t have families as large as yours.”

  “Are you serious? You mean small families live in these HUGE homes, while huge families everywhere else live in small homes?”

  “Yes. But, your home isn’t all that small. It is a good sized home. There are people with much smaller homes than your own.”

  “Hmm, it doesn’t make sense,” I replied.

  “Not much in life makes sense.”

  We pulled into our last street, then London drove into the driveway of a gigantic home.

  “Whoa, is this where I lived?” I asked.

  “No, this is my home.” For the moment, I had forgotten she had lived across the street from the Russians and me.

  “How many kids do you have?” I asked as I stared at her oversized home.

  “Two, but they aren’t here right now. They are both at summer camp.”

  “What is summer camp?”

  “There are lots of summer camps. This one is science based. They get to live there and spend the week doing experiments and learning things.”

  “Do they sleep in tents?”

  London laughed. “Oh no. They are put up in a nice hotel. Their camps are actually held right there in one of the hotel’s conventional room. There they have all the luxuries of modernization. At the end of the week, they will come home.”

  I was so sick of summer, not having anything to do. “I want to do something like that,” I expressed.

  “Talk to your foster parents; however, I doubt they could afford something like that.”

  I thought her last comment was a bit out of place.

  “Why are we at your house?” I asked as she climbed out of the car.

  “I needed a place to park. Don’t worry, we are going across the street right now to see your old home.

  I jumped out of the car and spun around. The house across the street was the same style as London’s. It had different siding colors.

  “That’s my home?” I said as I ran across the street.

  “Alora, get back here.”

  I cruised past the “For Sale” sign and ran up to the door. It was locked. A small grey box hung from the door knob. I was disappointed I couldn’t get in. I remembered London saying how she went in from the back door. London hadn’t even fully crossed the street when I darted to the back sliding door. It was locked. Dejected, I came back to the front and met up with London.

  “If I can’t get in then I won’t get any of my memories back.” I just had to get inside.

  London had a sly smile on. “Well, it’s your lucky day. I know everyone. I have the code to the lock box to get the key out and go inside.” London held the grey box in her hand and turned the numbers. When she was done, she pulled on the box, but nothing happened. I tensed up at her fail. I really wanted to go inside. She tried to pull it open again, and still nothing happened. I clutched my right arm tight. She then tried redoing the numbers, and the box opened. She pulled the silver key out and handed it to me. It shined in my hand.

  “You can do the honors.” I took the key and looked at it, not fully sure how to use it. The Sanibels never locked their door. Placing it to the lock, I couldn’t get it to slide in. I tried again, but it was met with resistance. London watched me struggle then finally grabbed the key from me and unlocked the door with it.

  We went inside. The room was well lit from the large, open windows. None of them had curtains on them like they had in London’s story. There were no small tables or chairs either, the place was bare.

  “Where is everything?” I asked.

  London looked jittery and clapped her hands. “Are your remembering the furniture that used to be here?”

  “No, I remember you saying something about it.”

  “Oh,” she frowned. “They took that all out. The house is for sale now.”

  “Hey, maybe the Sanibels could buy it,” I said with hope.

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea.” London looked frightened by the thought.

  Without an invitation, I explored the main floor. With so much space in the front room and kitchen, I was surprised there were only three bedrooms on the main floor, regardless, they were huge. They could have been closed off and made into three more rooms. Everything was so cramped in the Sanibel home.

  Nothing from the main floor opened my memories at all. Since I had been found in the cement room, maybe my memories were in there. I went downstairs to the large door in the back of the basement. My heart leapt as I realized the infamous room was on the other side. Slowly I turned the door knob, my hand shaking, and I went into the room. My nerves jumped, startled to find London already in it. Unexpectedly seeing her there had scared me.