Behind the Hood (Behind the Lives) Read Online Free PDF Page A

turned up even more. “Mummy, Mummy, why you c-c-c-cold? It’s not-not c-c-cold.”
    Caitlin’s stuttering and word repetition was a constant concern for Janice, as her daughter regularly came home from school in tears. In the past week, Caitlin had stopped talking at school, too afraid of being bullied. Janice had an appointment to see her teacher the following day to discuss it, but didn’t want to go. It terrified her. She could only talk to her family and Betsy without feeling overwhelmed.
    “I just need you to hug me tighter, sweetie,” Janice said.
    Caitlin gripped onto Janice’s dressing gown, and squeezed.
    “Ma’am, can you please give us his friend’s addresses,” the female officer asked. “It’s imperative that we find Tama.”
    “G-G-Go away!” Caitlin cried. She leaned into Janice, squashing her teddy bear between them. Caitlin didn’t like the police, blaming them for taking her daddy.
    Janice smoothed down Caitlin’s hair, and glared at the woman. “You’re upsetting my daughter. Please leave.”
    “We need the addresses.”
    “I don’t know them!” Janice didn’t care that it was a lie. The police weren’t here to help her. They just wanted to hurt Tama, like they did Seth. Bastards handcuffed Seth in front of his own daughter. Of course he was going to fight back; no one wants to go to jail.
    “Ma’am—”
    “I said, leave!” Janice clamped her eyes shut.
    She heard the policewoman sigh. “We’re sorry that we’ve upset you, Ma’am. We will be in contact when we have more info on your son.”
    Footsteps receded. Janice opened her eyes as the ranch-slider closed. She leaned back into the vinyl couch Tama had bought her. The cops were wrong about her boy. He was a good kid—considerate to a fault. He was always buying her expensive gifts like the 40-inch flat-screen telly in the corner. She was shocked when Jayden and Tama carried it in one day. It must have cost Tama an arm and a leg. But he’d been really modest about it, saying, “It wuz nuthin’, Mum, just a five finger discount.” Janice didn’t know what sort of special that was, but it must have been great as those tellies cost well over two grand.
    A rat-a-tat-tat on the ranch-slider made Janice jump. Brown curtains blocked her view of the front porch. Was it the cops again?
    She squeezed Caitlin tighter.
    “Ow!” Caitlin yelped.
    Janice loosened her grip. “Sshh ... Sorry, baby, Mummy didn’t mean to hurt you.”
    The rapping grew louder. The door wasn’t locked. Janice started to rock Caitlin back and forth.
    She couldn’t do this alone. “Tivo, please come back. I need you. Please...” She sniffled. “I’m sorry that I ignored you before. But they would’ve put me in the psyche ward. I need to be with Caitlin. Please listen...”
    Tivo shouldn’t have left her. She didn’t have a choice. Plus, she’d sacrificed taking her pills for him. Even though her medication calmed her, they had nasty side effects. They made her sleepy and hungry as well as vanquishing all her spirit guides. She couldn’t give up Tivo. Out of all her spirit guides he was her favourite—he kept her sane and stopped her from feeling lonely.
    Her doctor diagnosed her as schizophrenic. Janice disagreed, saying she didn’t have different personalities. He explained this was a common misconception and that schizophrenia caused her memory lapses, paranoia, anxiety, fear of people, and hallucinations. She had gotten mad with him when he’d said her spirit guides weren’t real. How would he know? He didn’t see them.
    Betsy’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Jan, open up!”
    Caitlin tried to wiggle out of Janice’s grip. “Besy, Besy, Besy...”
    Relieved, Janice let go. Caitlin jumped off her lap, ran to the ranch-slider, and opened it.
    Betsy stepped inside. Her tiny figure was wrapped in a teal dressing gown and her curly black hair piled high in a tidy bun. She looked much younger than her thirty-eight years,