'Jay, you are obviously oblivious to the cards that you hold.' These words kept circling around in my head like an annoying fly trapped in a window. What does that mean? What in the hell was he talking about? I'm no different from the rest of them. Am I? The more I thought about it the more my head began to pound, I was confused and needed to get away from all of them for a little while so I could clear my head.

I ended up staying with Tom and Lacy for a few days, we did nothing but party and drink almost the entire time I was there. I'm not going to lie, I love my vodka, it helps me escape. Maybe people are right, maybe I do drink too much, but what exactly is too much when your inner demons refuse to release you from their tight grip and getting the bastards drunk is the only way you know to make them loosen up so you can breathe for a while?

Tom is my best friend, so he knows me better than anyone else, and because of that I wanted to share with him the odd circumstances in the conversation I had with Ace. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Tom knows me as a human being, not as a freak, the only thing he does not know about me is that I can hear people's thoughts, and whatever other kind of weird shit I can do that I am obviously unaware of myself. If I was to share this information, I would have to explain how I could hear his thoughts, which would most likely have a negative effect on our friendship; I don't want that.

The weekend full of parties and drinking came to an end and it was time for Tom and Lacy to get back to work, so I left and decided to face my demons. I went back to my parent's house. This would later turn out to be a huge mistake. At first, my parents seemed to have changed their ways over the years. I did not see the evil that lurked in their eyes the way I did when I was growing up. Things seemed to have calmed down quite a bit. So, I settled in.

Mom gave me one of the rooms that had a full bathroom attached, she and dad both treated me kindness and respect (something they never did when I was a kid) and told me to make myself at home. They actually said that they were thrilled to have me back home. These actions and words floored me, I was on edge because I thought they were up to something, but in an odd way I was relieved and felt happy. Happiness is something that I struggle with, it is not an easy emotion for me to accept and I never understood why. It is not like I want to be unhappy; happiness is something I have wanted my whole life.

Things went well for a while after I moved in, it really felt like I finally had a place where I belonged, I was fitting in well, everyone was always in a great mood, it was a weight off my shoulders. But of course, just like every story you hear or read, just when things are finally at peace there is always something or someone that comes in just to destroy that peace. Our peace breaker just so happened to be Ace. Broad ass daylight, no one home but me. Ace just randomly appears in front of me. Here I am sitting on the couch, minding my own business, sipping some vodka, watching t.v, and BOOM! I spill my drink all over myself, the couch, and the floor (mom is going to kill me).

"What the fuck man!" I yelled with my arms out continuing to sit.

"Haha! You have to admit, that was good!" Ace laughed. "Here let me help you clean that up!" he offered.

"Help me hell! You are cleaning this mess up yourself! You did it, you clean it!"

"Technically, you spilled the drink."

"Technically, you are still going to clean it, smart ass!"

"Ok, watch and learn my boy!" he said and held his hands out over the mess. Droplets began to rise into the air, stopping two inches from his hand. The droplets joined together to form one single ball, then vanished. There were no stains or wetness left behind; like it never happened (ok, maybe mom won't know, and she won't kill me).

"Don't worry son, she will never know." Ace assured me.

"Great." I said sarcastically and got up to refresh my drink.

"So, have you thought about our conversation?" He asked happily.

"Well, to be honest with you, I tried not to."

"And why is that?"

"Because your problem with my parents and their problem with you is a damn mystery to me. I do not know, nor do I understand the issues. So, as far as I am concerned. You guys can hash it out on your own and leave me out of it."

Ace considered my comment while I finished preparing another drink and sat back on the couch. Finally, his face twisted into a serious and devilish grin, "Let me take you back!" he said in nearly a whisper.

"What the fuck? We aren't dating! You don't have the right kind of package that I'm into anyway sugar. I like tacos, not sausages. Now scram."

"You know what I meant. Let me take you back to that day that haunts you! Let me show you what happened!"

"Yea? And how do you plan to do that, oh mighty one?"

Ace raised his hand and slammed his palm into my forehead. My vision faded black, and I began to see the night the intruders came into the house when I was young.

I was once again sitting on the staircase of our old home, watching my parents play poker at the kitchen table with their friends. Only this time, I was watching myself and the whole scene play out from a different perspective. I stood at the bottom of the stairs in a ghost-like form, watching. I could see the fear cross over into my younger self's eyes when the intruders came through the front door. It was Ace. The first man with a beanie pulled down over his face was Ace. I could see his face through the mask only for a second, just long enough to know who he was. The others I could not identify. When I was a kid, watching this happen, I could not hear the conversation, this time, I heard every word.

Ace brought me back, "Now watch this." he said and pushed me into another memory. My father cutting a man up in the garage with an axe. I caught a glimpse of the victim's face. I recognized him to be one of the men that broke into my parent's house that night with Ace. My dad had caught one of the intruders and made him pay for the damage he caused.

Again, Ace brought me back. "So, you see. You have in fact been a part of this little shindig since day one. You have just missed out on all the fun we have had. Those two wonderful memories that you hold so dear to your heart, well son, that proves that you were a part of this, because you were there, you witnessed key pieces to the puzzle. You are stuck."

Before I could respond he vanished, "You will have to choose a side soon!" I heard a faint whisper say. "Pphh, yea right! I'm not choosing either of you crazy people. I am a loner, always have been, and always will be!" I said and propped my feet up on the coffee table, sipped my vodka, and slipped back into a comfortable position to continue watching t.v, forgetting about what just happened.