Chapter Seventeen - Suspicious Minds.
When Carla came home with Gina. Gina’s mother eyed her suspiciously. She had overheard Carla talking with Gina the night before and from that conversation, had deduced that Carla had come from wherever it was that her own daughter had come from. Furthermore, Carla didn’t suffer from the memory lapses that Gina suffered from. Gina’s mother wasn’t sure if Carla was there to keep an eye on Gina or to protect her from something else.
“Hello. Girls” Gina’s mother greeted the two girls warmly as if nothing was wrong.
“Hi mom” Gina said happily.
“Hi” Carla said assuredly.
“So, what are you girls up to?” Gina’s mother said, making small talk.
“Just hanging out.” Carla answered. Carla’s eyes darted here and there in an attempt to notice something out of place.
“Is there something wrong Carla?” Gina’s mother asked. She asked because of her suspicion about Caral and that Carla seemed to be looking around the room for no apparent reason.
“No.” Carla said. She stopped looking around as she determined she was being too obvious. Carla took Gina by the arm and they both went into Gina’s room.
Gina’s mother held her ear to Gina’s door. She wanted to know what Carla was up to. She couldn’t hear much and what she did hear wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. After about 10 minutes Gina’s door opened and Carla appeared. She seemed startled to find Gina’s mother at the door.
“I was just coming to see if you girls wanted a snack.” Gina’s mother explained as a reason for being right outside Gina’s door.
“I was just going to get a glass of water. Gina might want something though.” Carla explained. She didn’t wait for a response but went down the hall to the kitchen. She started looking around for something. Anything that might indicate where Gina had gone to get her memory back. She didn’t find anything useful, so she opened the refrigerator and started looking for something else. Way in the back of the crowded refrigerator there was a plastic milk container, but it didn’t have milk in it. It was almost empty, but it still had a few drops left. Carla thought that it might be a potion that brought Gina’s memories back but before she could take it, Gina’s mother interrupted her.
“All we have is tap water?” Gina’s mother explained when she caught Carla going through the refrigerator.
“I don’t want water anymore; I want something else.” Carla explained.
“We don’t really have anything except water and milk.” Gina’s mother offered.
“That’s okay.” Carla responded as she went back to Gina’s room.
After Carla had left, Gina’s mother went through the refrigerator herself to see what Carla might have wanted. She noticed the plastic milk container. She had poured almost all the potion that the strange old man had given her for Gina, but she had left a few drops just in case she changed her mind. She took the remaining drops and poured them down the sink. She threw the now empty milk carton away.
Carla had to figure out some way to get that potion so she could figure out how Gina got her memories back. She didn’t want to have to explain how she was from another time and place and that Gina was also from another time and place. The less she had to try and explain the better.
Gina’s mother came in a few moments later with some store-bought cookies that were knockoff’s of Oero’s. Seeing the “Oreos” gave her an idea.
“I think I’ve changed my mind. I think I will have some milk.” Carla explained.
“I can get you a glass.” Gina’s mother offered.
“That’s okay. I’m used to getting things for myself.” Carla responded cheerfully and got up to go back to the kitchen. When Carla got back to the kitchen. She looked in the refrigerator for the milk carton that had the potion in it, but it wasn’t there. She got out the actual milk and poured herself a glass and went back to Gina’s room. Gina’s mother knew. She knew that Carla was looking for something and when Carla went back to Gina’s room, she got rid of it. Carla would have to think of something else.
The next day at school, Carla tried to meet up with Mark and Toby secretly. She didn’t want Gina to get suspicious. “Did you figure it out?” Mark asked Carla when they finally met up.
“There were a few drops of a potion in the refrigerator. I was going to take it, but Gina’s mom interrupted me and when I got a chance to grab it again, it was gone.” Carla explained.
“That must mean that Gina’s mom is on to you.” Mark reasoned.
“When Gina got her memory back the first time, she must have told her mother about it.” Carla continued.
“She had to have gotten that potion from somewhere, but who in this time even bothers with magic anymore.” Mark thought out loud.
“Well, somebody does, and we need to find them.” Carla went on.
“What did I miss?” Toby asked as he joined the group discussion.
“There is a guy around here who knows how to make potions.” Mark explained.
“That doesn’t sound good.” Toby responded, “He knows about Gina.”
“I wonder if he also knows where she is from.” Mark wondered out loud.
“We have got to find him.” Carla states again.
“I’ll check the internet” Toby offers.
“And I’ll see if anyone around here knows anything.” Mark added.
“Okay,” Carla said, “Let me know if either of you find anything out.”
The group break up and later in the day Carla and Gina meet up.
“I saw you with Mark and Toby again.” Gina states coldly, “After what they did to me, how could you still be talking to them?”
“I don’t want to talk to them. They keep trying to use me to get to you.” Carla explains.
“You’re lying. They haven’t tried even once to approach me.” Gina accuses.
“Gina, I swear, I’m not lying.” Carla states again.
“You’re my best friend, how could you do this to me?” Gina starts to cry.
“I’m not doing anything to you.” Carla says.
“There’s something going on that you are not telling me and if you value our friendship, you better start talking!” Gina demands.