| Jazmee27
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On tape six, just before the morning meal, Connor tries to lob a magical blast at his mother. And what does she do wrong? Why, only try to wake the kid!
Maria: Connor, you’re going to be late for breakfast.
Connor: Who needs that?
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Reply #881. Jun 15 12, 10:34 AM
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| Jazmee27
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Preston: Tell Maria to meet me with Connor at the pool.
Since the nine-year-old is more defiant than usual, Devlyn helps to restrain him:
Connor: Let go of me, you dufus!
At the pool, Preston determines that Connor is indeed possessed, his eyes having changed to a sickly yellow color.
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Reply #882. Jun 15 12, 10:37 AM
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| Jazmee27
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Preston: Dufus? What the hell kind of demon do we have in here? … I sure hope this demon is afraid of water, or this won’t work.
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Reply #883. Jun 15 12, 10:38 AM
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| Jazmee27
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Unfortunately, after a few seconds it becomes apparent an “old-fashioned” exorcism, the type that has resulted in more children dying than the other kind, Is needed.
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Reply #884. Jun 15 12, 10:39 AM
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| Jazmee27
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If I can figure out a way to incorporate it into my story, I will because the exchange is just so hilarious. ‘I wonder where I get my playful moods from,’ I thought as I considered yesterday’s exchange.
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Reply #885. Jun 16 12, 8:06 PM
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| Jazmee27
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Sometimes, it’s hard to tell when Mom’s just playing with me and when she’s serious. At others, it’s so obvious it’s just… makes me wonder how often im the past I fell for stuff like that.
Mom: I got you something. Want to know what it is?
Me: That… depends.
Mom: I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise.
Me: Thought as much.
Mom: Doesn’t work anymore, does it?
Not quite, as she has a tendency to pull stuff like this when she’s relaxed.
Mom: You’ll like it.
I have no doubt (since when have I *not liked something Mom picked out?)
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Reply #886. Jun 16 12, 8:07 PM
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| Jazmee27
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TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH
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I just realized that the problem I had yesterday was worse than I expected. ‘This isn’t good—something’s been triggered!’ Meaning I should have called the police a long time ago—before it got to this point. But, of course, it can’t be helped now—and hopefully, with the passage of time, this will pass.
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Reply #887. Jun 16 12, 8:08 PM
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| Jazmee27
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The stuffier it gets in here, the harder it is to breathe—and the more I need air flowing in the apartment. As I turned on the AC, I remembered my conversation with Deb Bybee on Tuesday—the part when I mentioned some of the ladies don’t use theirs. “I encounter the same thing when I go to visit my mother. Their skin is so thin that the air makes them shiver. Yet, they still need it. They just don’t realize it.” ‘The air’s filtered, and that’s what makes it easier to breathe.’
I only wish I’d remembered that earlier, when I shut the air off because I was freezing. ‘Well, “better late than never,” as the saying goes.’
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Reply #888. Jun 16 12, 8:10 PM
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| Jazmee27
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“I’m not lying, denying/That I feel so much better now” – Three Days’ Grace, “Gone Forever
After Mom’s break-up with Edy, I listened to this song all the time. Mom didn’t understand that I was truly glad to have him out of our lives; whatever little respect I’d had for the man had gone down the toilet after all those days of listening to him scream at Mom.
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Reply #889. Jun 16 12, 8:11 PM
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| Jazmee27
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I, on the other hand, couldn’t understand why she defended him, still claimed he wasn’t a bad person.After all, on at least one occasion he’d become oppositional, forcing her to tell him to “back off”. And there was that other day when he said—in the heat of anger—that he didn’t care about me. This was when I was downstairs, enjoying a glass of iced tea. ‘Oh,’ I thought, ‘I don’t care about you, either.’ And the difference was, whereas he didn’t intend it the way it came out, I most certainly did—and though I never said a word to him, I’m sure he sensed that my attitude toard him had changed.
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Reply #890. Jun 16 12, 8:11 PM
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| Jazmee27
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AUGUST 23, 2011
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When Mom came to help me with the laundry, she asked if I’d felt the quake. “Since when do we have earthquakes?” The answer: they’re rare, but not unheard of. Put another way, “Pennsylvania experiences a low level of earthquake activity compared to active states such as Alaska or California (Pennsylvania Geological Survey Web Site).
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Reply #891. Jun 16 12, 8:14 PM
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| Jazmee27
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The quake, which was centered around Virginia, was listed in some sources as a magnitude 5.8, whereas one Public News outlet said 5.9.Regardless, it was felt as far north as Canada and as far south as North Carolina.
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Reply #892. Jun 16 12, 8:14 PM
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| Jazmee27
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I remember the only thing I thought when the ground was shaking was, ‘what the hell?’ Actually, that was my first thought; my second: ‘whatever you do, **don’t *move!’
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Reply #893. Jun 16 12, 8:15 PM
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| Jazmee27
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AUGUST 27, 2011
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“They’re gonna find you, just believe/You’re not a person, you’re a disease.” – Daughtry, “All These Lives”
It’s been about a year since I read “Zeitoun,” but last night certain details came back to me. In spite of the AC, it was still very hot in the apartment, reminding me of how stifling it must have been in the story before Katrina hit. Over and over, I kept hearing the phrase “it’s the calm before the storm.” And as I sank deeper and deeper into sleep, I became conscious of a loud roaring in my ears; and each time I needed to use the bathroom I found it difficult to rouse myself, and harder still to wake up this morning.
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Reply #894. Jun 16 12, 8:17 PM
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| Jazmee27
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I’ve known nightmares—even had recurrent ones—most of which involve either running through a forest or being otherwise trapped. Those times, the vivid images fly away as soon as I wake; if anything, I’m left with a pervasive sense of terror. But just this week, there have been two exceptions to the rule, although last night’s was certainly more vivid, presumably due to how frayed my nerves were yesterday, what with the upcoming storm and Michael going to the hospital. But the other dreamwas just as terrifying—the only difference is, for the most part it faded when I woke, except for the terror—and the knowledge that I’d been running away from two *names. Not people, just the names of said people.
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Reply #895. Jun 16 12, 8:18 PM
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| Jazmee27
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My heart clenches whenever I think of the countless hours spent with Edward and Elysha when they were younger, playing various games. Some were played outdoors, but most were indoor—and, though it got me in trouble, I didn’t force them to sit sstill and listen to a book, or play cards or a board game, that Is unless they wanted to.Mom, and their father, thought I set a poor example for them; but I was, and still am, of the opinion that attempting to stamp out their creativity and need for constant action was a bad idea. Therefore, I let them dictate what we did.
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Reply #896. Jun 16 12, 8:19 PM
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| Jazmee27
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When we first moved into the same house, I was 21, and Edward and Elysha eight and nine. Some, but by no means all, of our games were:
- Bird;
- Vampires;
- Quentin, Ariel and Victorio (and later, Bianca);
- Ruler and servant; and
- School
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Reply #897. Jun 16 12, 8:20 PM
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| Jazmee27
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En route to Park City this afternoon to look for school supplies for his birthday present, Edward let Mom know he’d canceled plans to go to church that evening because he wanted to spend more time with her: “I rarely see you; can’t we just spend the day together?” Of course, Mom had other plans—and with the storm coming…
Anyway, Mom and the kids got to the mall and began their shopping. Mom wasn’t too crazy about going to Park City, but as that’s where the kids wanted to go, she agreed—on the condition they watch their spending: “I put them on a budget,” she explained to her friend Stephanie.
And all went well, except for “at one point, Elysha started acting out because she wasn’t getting enough attention. I tried redirecting her, which really doesn’t work because she gets even more of an attitude. Edward called to me from the tee-shirt aisle, saying he needed help. When I got over there, he told me, ‘I don’t really need anything. I just don’t want you two to start bickering. I don’t want her to ruin the day.’
“I feel kind of bad, because he’ll bend over backwards for her, but she can be so manipulative… she can be sweet as honey when she wants to, and other times she’s real nasty.” |
Reply #898. Jun 16 12, 8:22 PM
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| Jazmee27
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And that’s why, in the end, I distanced myself from her. I’d tried, again and again, to befriend her, to be nice, but… The one time, she stole my bus money—about fifty or sixty dollars—then lied about it! I didn’t have the box locked because I’d broken it somehow—and I never expected dishonesty from either of the children. From that time on, I (a)bought a lock for my bedroom door, (b) had next to no respect for the innocent-sounding girl, and )c) kept my cash in an undisclosed location.
Then again, thinking back, Edward has always gotten in trouble with his teachers for his behavior—and there were several times he snuck into my room in order to scare me. But when he found stuff on the floor, he’d pick it up and give it to me—there may have been one incident with him taking a cell phone bag or something, but he apologized later and gave it back. And, whereas Elysha always had an ulterior motive when she called me “Big Sis,” Edward didn’t—he’s always been the more sentimental of the two.
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Reply #899. Jun 16 12, 8:23 PM
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| Jazmee27
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From what Mom saw on the TV, Maryland’s being hammered by Hurricane Irene. “The most we’ll have to deal with is flooding, but you won’t have any flooding,” Mom said when we were on the phone earlier. The most you’ll have, and even that’s doubtful, but the winds might cause your windows to break. In that case, the fire department’s down the street from you, and it’s fully staffed. BvcThey’re all volunteers, but given this oncoming storm, they’re awake and ready to help anyone who needs it. And I have your key, so if you need me I can get in.”
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Reply #900. Jun 16 12, 8:24 PM
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