Marlee sat in the kitchen watching her mother stir the last of the ingredients into the soup. It was oddly quiet. Unlike the usual fun and laid back household the two lived in, today, Marlee and her mother were barely talking. The usual classic rock and fifties rock stationed that played on the radio was usually on full blast, but today the two decided to play soft rock and pop. The soup was also unusual for the two’s normal routine. Marlee’s mother would make dinners that were very American: hotdogs, chicken and rice, the occasional Lean Cuisine steamed vegetables and most of the time, Kraft mac-and-cheese from the box. But tonight, the meal had many Asian spices and fresh cut vegetables. The smell swirled around the kitchen circling around and back. A pleasant sent to most, but to them, very foreign and almost scary.

Marlee sat next to her geometry homework. Not completing her homework. Just sitting and staring at it, as if the problems would solve themselves. Usually, Marlee would be tapping her foot to the sounds of Twisted Sister and Bobby Day, but today, the sound of Adele’s twenty ex-boyfriends did not appeal to her. Today, she sat in silence watching the endless list of triangles missing their hypotenuse values. Her mother got annoyed of the radio after the forth Katy Perry song and turned it off.

The clock sat on the wall, the soup in the pot, the triangles on the page, all of these a sign of an abnormal evening in Marlee and her mother’s house. The clock was the only noise. Just a constant tick, tick, tick. Marlee’s mother turned off the gas burner on the stove, placed a ladle in the pot and addressed Marlee. “Do you want some soup before your father comes over?” Marlee sat in silence. Marlee’s father was very odd. When Marlee was born, her father disappeared. Not to be seen. Today was the first time they would see each other. Marlee’s mother kept one picture of her and Marlee’s dad. The picture was always hidden in the kitchen cabinet under a false wall. Marlee’s mother did not know that Marlee knew of the secret picture, but Marlee knew more than she should have known. Marlee did not know him as Dad. Just as Alex.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes than the doorbell rang. Marlee’s mother walked to the door, wiping the sweat off of her brow. Marlee peeked from the kitchen waiting to see the man behind the closed door. Marlee’s mother sighed then opened the door with a fake smile on her face. The two embraced one another with fake greetings and remarks. Marlee’s father didn’t even smile.

When Marlee’s mother escorted him into the kitchen, Marlee got a look at the man. He was tall, about six feet tall, skinny, and short black hair. His bright green eyes resembled Marlee’s but were brighter and false looking. He wore all black except around his neck, a chocker with a huge red stone showed in the middle.

“You must be Marlee,” Alex said holding out his hand, “I am your dad.” Marlee grabbed his hand and shook it. His hand shake was firm and unchanging in tension or speed.

“Nice to meet you” she paused noticing his bright green eyes staring into hers, “Dad.”

Marlee’s mother watched in caution. Then she quickly said “Why don’t we sit down for dinner?”

At the dinner table, Alex told his daughter of where he has been for the past sixteen years. “For the first three years or so, I was lost. I didn’t really know where I was. Then I met this friend of mine near a grave yard. He got me back on my feet and gave me this.” Out of his heavy black coat, he showed a blood red pouch. When Marlee looked closer, she could detect the slightest movement coming from inside the pouch. “And for the past ten years or so, I have been looking to find you and your mother. Then I found you.”

Marlee shifted in her seat. She was uneasy to the fact that her father had been stalking up information on her and her mother for ten years. She choked down another spoon full of the soup. Marlee’s mother and Alex talked about how Alex had been working for a magician on his tour around the country. The magician was not well known due to his gory and scary form of magic.

When the meal ended, Marlee was relieved. While her mother and father were saying their goodbye, she snuck back to her homework, knowing that now she could focus. She turned on the usual classic rock station and worked on the problems. She tapped her foot to the music, finding it better to focus with the noise.

Alex walked into the room, “Hey, Marlee.” He hissed. He crossed the kitchen to her.

“Hey, Alex.” She closed her math book and looked at her father.

Alex stopped next to Marlee and the radio turned off. Dead silence. Marlee looked at her dad. “Cool trick, right?” His voice was shaking as if he smokes three packs a day.

“I guess,” she looked at the radio, “but it really helps me focus on what I am doing.”

He started rummaging through the cabinets. “Well in my mind, silence is what gets you far in life.”

“Why are you even in here?” Marlee questioned. “Weren’t you leaving?”

“I thought I would come and say goodbye to my only daughter.”

“Bye.” Marlee blurted.

“Don’t you want to see a magic trick really fast?” He pulled out his red pouch. “I got tons of things up my sleeve.”

“No thanks.”

“One trick?”

“Fine, one trick.” Marlee closed my book in frustration.

“Okay, close your eyes.” He pulled out his red pouch again.

She closed her eyes, “Now how am I supposed to see the trick?”

“Open them.”

She slowly opened them. Alex glared into her eyes. His bright green colliding with Marlee’s dark green. He opened the pouch and laughed.

Marlee blacked out.

“Marlee? Marlee, wake up sweetie.” Marlee’s mother said as Marlee was waking up. She looked around her. The room looked like a tornado had been through the room. Papers and kitchen utensils were scattered across the room. She didn’t know what was going on, but her head hurt and her stomach was in knots. She didn’t know what happened. At least not yet.

Marlee’s mother sat her up, “Are you okay?”

“What happened?” Marlee could feel blood coming from the back of her head.

“I don’t know,” her mother replied. “I was sitting in the living room waiting for Alex to leave then, I don’t know. Something was wrong with the air conditioning or something. But this huge wind came through the kitchen. I heard you fall and came running in to see if Alex had hurt you, but he was not in there.” Marlee didn’t know what to say. It’s almost as if she could not say anything, as if she had no control over her own words.

“Why don’t you just go to bed?” Marlee’s mother suggested, “That seems like the best thing to do right now.”

Marlee went up to her bedroom and went to sleep without thought of doing anything else. She didn’t change her cloths or brush her teeth or hair. She just went to her room and went straight under the covers, falling instantly asleep.

Marlee had strange dreams running through her head that night. Dreams that almost seemed like memories. She saw this person, it wasn’t Marlee, but Marlee was seeing through someone else’s eyes. The person was male, she could tell that much. The man was walking through what looked like the times of the Civil War. Grey suited solders were marching through an 1800’s street with little shops and houses. The man walked into a little, pale yellow house. Marlee saw, through the man’s eyes, a small family, a mother and two sons. When Marlee saw this, her heart started to speed up for some odd reason. The mother was very beautiful, with her dark brown hair and emerald green eye; her dress was dark blue with white lace around the collar and peplum. The two boys had dirty blond hair and the similar green eyes. The two looked similar, but one boy was taller and more mature looking. Marlee concluded that the man who she was seeing through must be the father.

The father went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Marlee saw the feet carry her eyes to the living room with the family. She heard a scream through the man’s ears and then it blacked out. When the picture came too, Marlee saw the man’s bloody hands. The knife was on the floor next to three corpses, all with their green eyes open.

Marlee woke up. Her breath was heavy and she was sweating like a pig. Marlee didn’t know what the dream meant. She just slid back under the covers and fell asleep without another thought.

In the morning, Marlee popped right out of bed. She didn’t change her cloths or take a shower, she didn’t take her allergy medication, and she just went straight down to the kitchen. Her mother was in the kitchen warming up a Hot Pocket in the microwave. The familiar classic rock station was playing on the radio.

“Good morning, Marlee.” Her mother said cheerfully, trying to cover up the still damaged kitchen, “How did you sleep?”

Marlee wanted to tell her mother of the dreams but instead she said in a raspy voice, “Fine.” Marlee tried to correct herself but instead continued, “How about yourself?”

“I was worried about you.” Her mother walked towards Marlee, “How is your head?”

When her mother reached to feel the back of her head, Marlee pushed her hand away without thinking. Marlee wanted to tell her mother that her head still hurts but she pushed the thought back and said, “Fine.”

“That’s good.” The microwaved beeped in a harsh tone. Marlee’s mother pulled out her breakfast. Marlee crossed the room to the fridge and pulled out an onion. “What are you making?” Her mother asked in worry.

“An omelet.” Marlee took a large knife out of the drawer.

“Kind of fancy, don’t you think?”

“No.” Marlee turned towards her mother without thinking. “It’s perfect for the occasion.”

And with that sentence, Marlee blacked out yet again like in her dream. She heard the scram of her mother. Moments went by and still darkness. When she could see again, she saw the same sight she saw in her dream. But the family was replaced by her mother.

Finally in control of her own actions, Marlee sat and wept for several minutes. Then in the heat of the grief, picked up the knife and jabbed it through her own chest.

When the two bodies were discovered, the police saw the two women, lying next to other, their green eyes glowing in the sunlight, their cloths stained with blood and a single knife placed next to them. They did a very long investigation trying to find the killer. They found only the finger prints of the deceased. No one knows what happened to Marlee. No one knows what her dad did to her. But one thing is for sure, when she was sitting there with her skin stained red, those green eyes never looked so peaceful.