I woke up to heard heavy machinery. So dad had brought it to remove the rocks. He wants a pool or jacuzzi. Either will do. Mom wanted a pool too. I planted potatoes. Mom joked about the infinite glitch where I can have unlimited french fries. I shook my head as I planted garlic and spring onions. Dad used the dreaded excavator to dig until he reached a depth he was pleased with. I was happy he was having a blast with it. But I missed the quiet. I went upstairs to put the noise cancelling headphones and listened to a podcast. It was about the most talk about unsolved murder case. The Amy Hickson case. I heard of it first when I was five. I was kept in my room mostly but after a few months mom calmed down. It was locked room case. The was locked from the inside and everyone was accounted for. The external camera on strategic points show no intruders. The prevailing theory is that there is a secret passage. The Lowman building was very old so it is possible to have a few secret paths as shortcuts. The callers were ecelectic.
One caller mentioned finding a fishing wire which may have been used to lock the door. He believes that one end was tied to the deadbolt. The other to the window. So when the killer closed it the bolt shut it itself. The next one casually mentioned a portable magnet. She really believed it was used to lock the deadbolt. The next one mentioned a skeleton key. Each one has a theory and a supporting evidence but it was speculations. Their theories carried little weight. So mostly it was all yelling. Annoyance crept in and I exited from the podcast and tried to do yoga. It didn't help the agitation either. I cooked lasagna and ate by myself. Mom and dad were busy with the pool. I was certain that I would be behind my class. After I checked all my homeworks for mistakes. I sent it to the supervisor. He sent it to the teachers while I got a few new set of homework. One on English literature. One on maths and one biology. I cleaned up the kitchen and sat down to finish my assignments. My dad walked in and double checked my calculations were right before he corrected a few. The rest was up to me.
He ordered pizza and waited till I had finished my assignments. Then we watched fire show where people were using different pyrotechnics purely for entertainment. One held on to what appears to be a fat pipe. It had a two feet wide circumference. Sparks flew from the top and bottom. Then with the sound cannon fire I saw a controlled explosion coming from the top and bottom. One of the guy explained how he had suffered injuries and yet stayed since it was what made him happy. The next one were the fire-eaters. They spun flaming batons and spat fire in the air. The next was someone who jumped through flaming hoops. I got bored a d switched off the TV before he had a chance. The pizza guy arrived. Dad paid him and opened the box. It was my favourite. Four cheese pizza. Dad and mom like anchovies pizza. We drizzled chilli oil on ours and dove right in. I missed pizza. I missed a lot being in that hospital. I ordered pizza the day I came home but I just came from the hospital. Food delivery was off the table. I was angry but now I was busy being happy to care about such ideas.
The news broke of the virus going strong as many more people were sent into isolation ward for treatment. The doctors spoke indirectly via chat room. They had called a press conference asking the public to be careful. Once infected doesn't mean they are immune. They could get it a second time. They were social distancing and make sure they keep a record for doctors to do contact tracing. Permits were for only an hour for essentials only. The military were present physically. They asked everyone to ignore the graffiti. They tried very hard to explain that they are the good guys. They are not here to cause harm. They are here to ensure safety. Once the pandemic lifted things will go back to normal. The public wanted to know why road closure were a requirement. They explained that it was to contain further infection. The more they spoke the more I felt distrust for the soldiers. Something about them just screamed trouble. I just couldn't put my finger on it. I will find out why eventually.
Once the debacle was over I switched to the cooking show. There was a guy who would cook on a budget. He can make very delicious meals from next nothing. The conspiracy radio called in the know was explaining how the pandemic was a targeted attack on civilians. It was to damage our bodies so they can happily overcharge us. We would have no choice but to pay. There were reports of people being harassed by the army. They had no choice but to hide or get killed. Their bodies were tested and burned. These were the guys who painted the message. Don't tell them you can see. Trust no one. It finally clicked. These were people who had the ability to see like me. Visionaries. They were being killed or kidnapped. The only way to prove they are one is if they report a crime. But if they stay silent. Then no one will know. That's why it was written like that. If they wrote don't tell anyone you have psychic ability. Then everyone would know they exist. This will create problems. But if the message say you can see then no one will take seriously except the one the message refers to.
The doorbell rang and mom opened the door to see two FBI agents. I took a deep breath and kept repeating thinking don't trust the Feds. They came and placed a briefcase on the table. They asked mom if I was well behaved. Dad showed them security footage proving that I follow the rules. They saw distrust in my eyes and asked me. I replied, "I told you guys about the serial killer. You took him for a seventy two hour examination and set him free. I still have the report you gave me saying that I shouldn't have accused an innocent man. I gave the evidence to the police and they announced to the city about the serial killer who had killed seventeen girls. Then you people showed up so your faces will appear in the news. Once I am free I will sue you." One of them protested, "You can't do that!" I laughed, "I have asked every lawyer I could find. According to them I have legal grounds to do so." The agents stared blankly. Mom and dad gave me a pat on the shoulders for my bravery. Dad asked them why they were here. Mom angrily demanded an apology. They didn't say a word.
I smiled, "Arrogant to their last breath. Can't even say sorry. How pathetic. Is that an ankle monitor the conspiracy radio has been talking about for the past ten days" They stared at one another and stated in a matter of fact tone, "We are here because a few teenagers had broken quarantine." I smiled, "Security footage proves that I was home all day and night. So exactly how did I get to be in two places at once? Since I wasn't amongst the rule breaker you cant put that ankle monitor since I can legally sue you" The woman with the buzz cut hair spoke carefully, "We are trying our best to stop the infection from spreading." I shook my head, "I have not left the house. I stay in the kitchen, the bedroom and the attic. The entire house has security cameras. So I can't escape even if I tried to. I have done nothing illegal so I don't consent to the ankle monitor" mom and dad agreed. Dad video called his lawyer friend. They argued back and forth. They wanted to search the house. Which was a violation till they could say something. The lawyer explained that he was recording this conversation and it is admissible in court. So they took the briefcase and let themselves out. I asked permission to sleep. Mom asked me to go upstairs. I did. Tonight sleep was easy. Who knows how it will be tomorrow.