The Child by Alaina Fulkerson, Maggie Morris (nonfiction book recommendations .txt) 📕

   Prologue

All my life I have been unwanted. I wasn't even supposed to be born. When my mom was 18 she had me. Of course she loved me because she loves everyone, that's just how she is. But she wouldn't pay for me to go to school, said it is too expensive. So my dad homeschools me, sometimes.

Most of the time he's too busy caring for mom, "Would you like a glass of water?" I mean just because she has cancer doesn't mean she's totally helpless. Have you ever seen The Fault in our Stars? The main girl has the same cancer as Mom does and she acts like a normal girl, going out for picnics, laughing, doing whatever she wants to. But my mom just lays around saying it's because of the cancer. And my grandparents visit so much it's like they live here. Whenever they come over they are like Dad except worse, asking every two seconds if she needs something. No one ever pays attention to me, I’m just like an invisible money spender.

One night I was going to tell Mom and Dad that I was going out when I heard them talking in the kitchen, not just, arguing. "She's six years older than I was when they told me, we need to tell her!" Tell me what?

"It's too dangerous! I'm not going to let her go out, you almost died several times, and your sister did," argued my dad. Whatever they were talking about had to be serious, if people almost died!

"But we were younger! We can't keep this from her for the rest of her life."

My dad responded almost immediately, "But we can try." I ducked behind the sofa as my dad walked out of the room. I stayed there for a few minutes thinking of they what they had said. What were they keeping from me? I slowly walked into the kitchen, the gears in brain turning. Could they be spies? No they almost never left the house. Could I be a demigod like the ones in Percy Jackson books? No. Well whatever it was, I would find out.

I left a note on the table saying I had gone out. But it's not like they would care. I got into my car and drove around for a few hours just wanting to get my mind lose at this point. Then I was hungry so I stopped at the cafe and grabbed a doughnut. The cashier was dumbstruck when he saw me. "You're, you're Sally Slythe the-" he was cut short when his co worker whispered something in his ear, he looked serious suddenly and nodded his head. "Here's your doughnut, miss." I wonder if I could be famous or something and not know it, but how could that get me and mom almost killed?

Angry now at, my parents for keeping a secret that could possibly kill I stormed into the house. "How could you keep-" I cut short seeing the sadness on my dad’s face. "What's wrong, dad?" But before I said it, I knew my mom had died. We knew she wouldn’t live much longer with her cancer. But this was totally unexpected. I needed to get out of the house. I needed my dad to love and comfort me. I grabbed my car keys from off the table and drove to the nearest bar. I know, irresponsible for me, I'm not old enough to be legally drinking but I am eighteen, close enough, right? No. I swallowed down four glasses before I started to feel woozy. But addicted I grabbed another two for the trip to the beach. Before I was even in my car I swallowed down the other two. I then drove to the beach only hitting a few signs and mailboxes. Once I reached the beach I walked or tried to walk to the shore. I fell down halfway There and passed out.

When I woke up I was in a house, not my house, but a house. I looked around and saw a boy probably my age watching tv next to me. Why am I here? Do you live here by yourself? I wanted to ask those questions but it seemed impolite. I won’t get into any detail of what happened there. All I’m going to say is that I made a mistake, a terrible decision. I went home a few hours later when I could drive without hitting anything. Dad was really upset I was gone for so long. I mean why does he care? I don't tell him about anything I did while I was gone when he asked. I was still too shocked mom had died.

That night was months ago. But I still very much regret seeing that boy.

Sally

 I got pregnant. I didn't tell my dad for a few months until it was big to hide. Surprisingly he took the news really well. Now I'm just like a smaller version of my mom. She had me when she was eighteen and I'm having a girl when I'm eighteen. Dad has helped out a lot with everything. I didn't expect him to help as much as he does, I guess he does love me, or else he wouldn't be helping me. Yesterday he bought a really cute red stroller for the baby. I love it so much because my moms favorite color was red, like a rose. Like a rose. My moms name was Rose. The famous Rose, so loved by everyone, so perfect. But enough about my mother.

I was about to be a mother, whether ready or not. I had a week to get ready, just a week before the girl came, but I could make it. I was out shopping for some baby clothes with my dad when I felt it. The pain, then the need to push. I knew I was going into labor early so I called 911. Two deathly minutes later the ambulance arrived. It seemed like hours but eventually I was admitted into the hospital. A few hours later I had a precious girl. I named her, Marie. My dad wanted her to be Rose after my mother, but it was too many memories when I heard that name again.

It was a lot more work caring for a baby than I thought it would be. I had to get a job soon, and my own house. Often I wondered where the boy was that I had been with that night, if he even knew. But my dad forced that out of my head, telling me I would have to do more work since Marie didn't have a father. It was a miracle, Marie was. She was so beautiful and just so... not me. Once Marie was one year old I took up a job. A waitress at Perkins. I get a lot of big tips so I should be happy, but it's not enough for my girl. I can't explain to you how much I love Marie. I can't believe something so wonderful can come from me. She a healthy girl too, for being born early. In just a few days will be her second birthday, May 6. She has already been speaking a few words like, "Mama, Huz, Dada, Fud!" She can't so O correctly yet, been she just replaces it with u. She calls my dad her dad. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. but I know what's a good thing, I almost have enough for a house that I really want! In a few months I should be able to buy it and furniture.

It's May sixth and the house I want just went down by four thousand! That means I have more than enough money to buy it. I'm leaving Marie with Grandpa so she doesn't get bored while I rush over to the house. No one has bought the house, nor made an offer yet! I make an offer, one thousand lower than I would pay. My strategy works, "We will take one thousand more, if you agree." I pretend to be thinking and than say, "Yes I agree." In just an hour  the house is mine and Marie's. I rush back to my dad’s house.

When I enter the room excited bubbly, my dad's sad face looks down on me. The same face when my mother died. I stricken with horror and shock. "No! No, you must, no! She can be taking a nap! No!" I rushed over to the couch, where I had last seen her. There Marie was lying silent in a very tortuous position. "No. There's no explanation for this, with mum’s death there was, but her, no! No! She can't be!" I sat down, with so many emotions bubbling up. My father sat beside me, "I told her I was getting her cake and that I would be right back. So I went into the kitchen and got her cake but then I heard her scream, so I set down the cake and ran to the couch and this is how she looked. I'm sorry Sally." I shook my head, angry now. "Someone must have done this to her, she couldn't have just died by herself." My father nodded his head in agreement, "Sally I should have told you this a long time ago. I'm a spy, so is... was your mother. Your whole family is a spy. Rose's mother and uncles were legendary spies. And you were supposed to be a legendary spie too." I nodded. I remembered the nights of my. Mothers death, the cashier, he strayed to say something. He must be a spy too. "They are all around us, spies are. Aren't they?" My dad nodded but didn't say anything for a minute.

We sat there in silence. "There are three different societies. We belong in A.S.O.G, Awesome Society of Good. We fight off the bad guys like E.S.O.S, Evil Society of Stuff. But the worst society, one that even E.S.O.S is trying to fight off is E.R.I, Evil Russian Industries. But for a few years now A.S.O.G has been shut down. We have no leader, or anyone volunteering to be the leader. Without a leader we crumble down to dust. You are supposed to be the leader, Sally. You."

I pinched myself, sure that I was dreaming. Nope, maybe a slap would do it, Nope. Suddenly I had an urgent feeling that I wanted to see Marie's father, just to tell him that she died... but nobody would understand the pain I have gone through. I sat thinking about everything for a while.

Thinking that I would need to join a counseling session. I picked up my phone and called my old school counselor, yes I remember her phone number, I used to go to her a lot. I walked into my room and locked the door so my dad wouldn't come in. "Hello, Julie. This is Sally. I was wondering if you had any open counseling sessions today." I listened to her say yes and ask why. "I have been going through a lot of things, things nobody would believe. I don't care if you put me in a mental hospital though, it would serve me right." She said the counselling session started in an hour at the church. Since the church was a little less than an hour drive I decided to go now.

"Bye dad I'm heading out." He gave a look, "Don’t do anything dangerous again, Sally!" I rolled my eyes left. During the car drive I practiced what I would say. When I got there, there were a lot of people. A lot of people to witness my craziness.

"Ok let's get