Episode 2: Happy Birthday 

*Morning*

*When you walk away... you don't hear me say... pleeeaaassse oh baby, don't go!*

Ven groans and turns off the ringer of his cell phone.

*Wait a minute... if I can hear the song then...*

Ven's eyes flip open and he gasps loudly. He looks down and finds himself dressed in his pajamas, but he doesn’t remember changing out of his clothes and he doesn't remember falling asleep. The only thing that he remembers for sure is the beating he got from Jamie and his gang. He leaps out of his bed and rushes to the bathroom and examines himself in the mirror, looking for the scrapes and bruises he received from the day before. 

To his surprise, there isn't a mark. 

He comes out of the bathroom and looks around his room. His Yu Yu Hakusho and Dragon Ball Z posters are still on the wall, his Millennium Falcon LEGO is on his nightstand accompanied by a Mobile Suit Gundam figure. Nothing is out of place. 

Nothing out of the ordinary.

Odd

Confused, he races downstairs in search of his mother and finds her dancing and cooking breakfast, whistling an unfamiliar tune.

“Mom,” Ven says dryly.

“Good morning my teenager!” She replies cheerfully. “Happy sixteenth birthday!”

She motions for him to take a seat.

“I’m almost done making your breakfast.”

“Thanks mom.” 

He takes a seat at the table.

“What happened last night?”

“What do you mean?” she replies while cracking an egg into a hot pan.

“I-“ he clears his throat before continuing. “I got into a fight, didn’t I?”

She cocks her head. “No? You came home unscathed, watched TV, and fell asleep on your bed.”

“Are you sure?” he asks, studying her face for any sign that she is lying. She wasn't a very good liar....or so he thought.

“Positive.” She smiles warmly. 

She slides the perfectly fried egg from the pan onto a plate, beside a bed of spinach and buttered toast. 

"Here." 

She places the plate infront of Ven, whose mouth immediately begins to water.

“That’s so weird. I remember getting jumped on the way home yesterday," he says while taking a bite.

Delicious, as always.

Auroa shrugs.

“Must've been a dream. Anyway, I’m letting you stay home from school today. I do however, need you to run a few errands for me while I set up your surprise!” she says excitedly. 

She kisses his cheek.

 “Everything will make sense to you soon. You’ll see.”

*That Afternoon*

After Ven finishes his breakfast, he takes a hot shower, brushes his teeth and gets dressed to go to the mall for his mother. He assumes that maybe she is finally taking him on “the” trip that she promised him since he was a small child. His mother never let him leave the city. He never knew why. Whenever he asked, she would simply tell him he was forbidden from leaving and that if she ever found out he had done so, he would be in serious trouble. 

Possibly killed.

She only promised him that she would take him on a “trip” when he was “older.”

She never said where.

She never said when.

He looks at the list she gave him:

Toilet Paper

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Deodorant

Soap

Underwear

Nothing out of the ordinary. 

He spends about two hours at the mall, gathering everything before heading back home. 

As he nears his home, Ven's ears perk up.

 A sudden feeling washes over him and he feels that he is being followed.

He turns around.

No one.

Ven

A cold whisper brushes against his ear.

 He whips around.

Nothing.

A gust of frigid air passes through him, yet the leaves on the trees remain perfectly still.

“I have to be imagining this. This is the same feeling that I had yesterday. I don’t understand,” Ven mumbles to himself.

He shakes off the eerie feeling off and hurries home.

As he approaches the steps to his home, he notices the front door standing wide open.

Odd

His mother never left the door open.

Ever.

He steps forward.

An icy chill pours from the inside of the house, carrying a pungent metallic smell.

Something is wrong.

He drops the shopping bags and sprints inside.

He freezes at the sight infront of him.

Black blood sprayed across the walls.

Shattered glass litters the floor.

Furniture lies overtuned.

“Mom?!” he calls as he slowly walks down the hallway, following a long trail of black blood. “Mom?” His voice trembles. With every step, the feeling of dread grows heavier.

No answer.

The trail leads him into the kitchen. Normally spotless, it's in complete disarray. 

Pots and pans are scattered everywhere.

Silverware and shattered glass are all over the floor. 

Black and red blood splatter the walls and countertops.

He turns towards the dining table and finds his mother motionless on the floor in a pool of blood.

“MOM!!!” he screams.