Page 100 of Mind Maze

im goin 2 b back ltr save me seat

Maybe Bastian needs to go back to first grade like me.

I force a smile at my brother, pretending that his sharing has helped me, and turn my attention back to my small backpack of toys. Whenever we go places, I always bring it with me so I don’t get bored. Dad says when I get bored, I like to explore and get into things. He doesn’t like that.

“Look,” Bastian says, voice low as he puts an arm around me. “I know you’re sad. But things will be better soon. Dad told me there are ways to help you forget all the bad stuff.”

Forgetting bad things sounds nice.

Will I forget the good stuff too?

“Will Neil save me a seat too?” I ask, voice small. At least that’s what I think his note to him said.

Bastian chuckles. “Of course, kiddo.”

His words are tight and rushed. He always talks like that whenever he lies. I’ve heard it when he speaks to Dad, to his best friend, Neil, and even to me. I don’t like it when Bastian lies. It hurts my feelings.

“Look,” Bastian says, pointing out through the window. “We’re here. This place is really cool, Romy. I wonder if they have horses.”

I perk up at the mention of horses. I’ve asked Dad for a horse every birthday and Christmas. This past Christmas, he got me a huge stuffed horse that’s taller than me for my bedroom. I have to tell him next time I want a real horse that I can ride.

The driveway to the place we’re going is long. A huge home sits surrounded by trees and big fields. There aren’t any fences or barns. Probably no horses.

I notice an ambulance sitting out in front of the big house. Is someone hurt?

“Don’t worry,” Bastian explains, “you’ll be better in no time. Then you can come back home.”

Wait… Come back home? Are they leaving me here?

Before I can protest, the car stops and Bastian unbuckles my seat belt. The door opens and Dad waits, offering me to take his hand. I start to grab my bag, but he stops me with a gruff, “Just take one toy. No need for a bag full of distractions here.”

I stare down at my backpack and wonder how I’ll choose just one toy to play with. Bastian unzips it for me and pulls out a doll. Then Dad tugs me out of the vehicle.

Staring up at the huge house, clutching my doll to me, I wonder what’s going to happen.

I’m scared.

I think they’re going to drop me off and leave.

If I promise to forget the bad stuff right now, can we turn around and go back home?

“Our methods are leaps and bounds above everyone else’s,” a deep voice says, drawing me from my sleepy memories to the present. “You’ll see.”

I rub the sleep out of my eyes, noting that the sun is lower than before. It might be four in the afternoon. Maybe even later. Wherever this place is, it’s not close.

The driver turns onto a road and a sense of dread washes over me. I know this place. I’ve been here before.

Snow-dusted fields stretch as far as the eye can see and thicker, fuller trees curl around the stately home as if protecting it from the elements.

They took me here when I was a child.

To forget.

To scrub my brain and fill it with other nonsense for me to believe.

Here, they turned truth into lies.

It’s at this place they created the mind maze in hopes I’d never navigate my way through it.

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