The Forgotten Ones

myself from her grip.
    “You’ve got to try the scallops Jeff’s dad is grilling. Oh, and we made these amazing cookies, too. Come on!” She tugged my arm, leading us all out onto the back deck. As Nicole went on about the food and what I needed to try, I felt the strangest sensation in the back of my head, like someone was tickling my brain with a feather.
    Allison…
    A enchanting, musical voice, unlike any I’d heard before, whispered my name. I looked around.
    Allison, it said again.
    I couldn’t pinpoint who was speaking. It sounded like it was coming from inside my head . But that didn’t make any sense…
    “I’d just love to try some of your cookies, Jeffrey,” I heard Ethan tease. He hadn’t heard it, I guess.
    “Make fun of me all you want, pal. But, I make some mean peanut butter cookies.” Jeff lightly punched Ethan in the shoulder.
    Allison…
    There it was again. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two people standing far away from the crowd. You’ve got to be kidding. Liam and a blonde woman I’d never seen before stood close together. I blinked, and they were gone.
    Four guys, as tall and as built as Ethan, approached us, each with a beer and a plate of food balanced in their hands. They greeted Ethan and Jeff, and it was obvious they knew each other well.
    Ethan stiffened a tiny bit and put his arm around my shoulder. Surprised, I looked up at him.
    “Oh, guys. This is Allison, Nicole’s cousin. Al, these are the guys on our crew—Ted, Jack, Vinny, and Rich.”
    I tried to be polite and smile, but my eyes scanned the yard, trying to track down Liam and the mystery woman.
    Allison.
    The soda can slipped out of my hand and crashed onto the deck, fizzing all over the legs of the men I’d just met. I dropped down onto my knees to grab the offending soda, horrified.
    Snippets of past conversations regarding my mother’s behavior seeped into my mind.
    Aunt Jessie’s soft, concerned tone: “ She’s always so tense. ”
    The deep, baritone of the psychologist: “ It’s paranoid schizophrenia .”
    Gram talking quietly with Pop: “ The voices in her head .”
    Hands trembling visibly, I looked up, and my eyes locked on Liam and the blonde, who were across the yard from me. Liam looked uncomfortable; the woman just looked amused.
    “Let me just get some napkins,” I muttered, searching for anything to clean up the spill.
    Ethan frowned at me and followed me to the table that held napkins. “It’s okay, Al. It’s just a soda, no big deal.”
    I huffed out a breath, realizing what a fool I was making of myself. I pursed my lips and nodded.
    “Hey, where should I put the fireworks?” Sean asked as he and Rachel joined us. I was grateful for their arrival, hoping my embarrassing overreaction would be forgotten. Sean’s arm was wrapped loosely around her waist. Apparently they were on-again today. It didn’t stop her from batting her eyelashes at the guys, though, and of course, she sneered over at me. Then as if I didn’t exist, she turned her back on me and launched into conversation with Nicole.
    I tried to relax, listen to the conversations around me, and have a good time. Just before twilight, the guys went out to the fire pit to get the fireworks ready. Nicole and Rachel were at the picnic table near the pool chatting with a group of friends. I saw my chance to take a minute alone so I headed to get another drink.
    “This is some party,” a familiar voice said from behind me. I turned to see Liam standing in the shadow of the pool house.
    “What are you even doing here?” I asked, looking around for the blonde woman he’d been with earlier.
    Liam smiled, and his eyes flickered to Ethan. “My new contractor invited me, of course.”
    “Where is...where is the blonde you were with before?” I ground out. Not exactly the way to convince me he really still loved my mother as he’d claimed.
    Liam looked tense and ignored my question. “You have every reason to hate me, Allison. I know that. But I’m here to help your mother, not harm her. There were circumstances that kept me away until now.”
    “They must have been some circumstances.”
    “I know that’s vague.” He coughed a little and looked down. “But it’s the most I can tell you at the moment.”
    I laughed, surprised at how cold it sounded. “No comment.”
    “I know that I’m responsible for your mother’s current state. But I really believe I can help her recover.”
    I twisted to look him in the