Masquerade

Chapter 1

Looking into the mirror, I see the same face I see every day. The same brown hair, the same blue eyes, and the same expression. In fact, I don’t have much feeling towards anything over the past few years, and sometimes, I even feel really empty. It’s not that I can’t feel, but there just isn’t many happiness, sadness, or madness in my life anymore after the death of my parents and after “That” happened. I can’t tell you what “That” is because I can’t even remember it myself, which really annoys me. Every time when I try to recall the memory, I always got nothing. It’s like someone has stolen some parts of my memories away from me. But sometimes I feel more like the memory has been blocked behind a door, and I just couldn’t find the key to it.

I pick up a dark-blue tie from my bed which my younger sister bought me a few days ago for tonight. I don’t really care about what to wear, but my sister insists that I should look nice and decent, so that‘s why she always picks up clothes for me, including the tuxedo I am wearing now. After a few minutes of trying, I still fail to wear the tie properly. I have never worn one before at least not wearing by myself, but I thought it wasn’t hard at first. I mean others always seem to wear them easily. Well, it’s a lot easier to see than do, right? .

“Alex, You are gonna be late for the masquerade!” My sister, Katy, shouts from the hallway.

Unlike me, Katy has a long, curly, and beautiful blond hair, which makes her look like an angel. She’s all I’ve got after my parents died, and we only have each other. She is four years younger than me, but I always feel that she’s the older one because she takes care of everything. She does all the social stuffs and most of the house chores. She also takes good care of me, which makes her more like an angel to me and I am really grateful for that.

She walks into my room out of nowhere and stands beside me, looking into the mirror. I can’t tell whether she’s looking at herself or she’s looking at me. Maybe she’s looking at both of us.

“Turn around, Alex.” Katy says.

I do what she said and she starts to help me wear the tie without having to ask. She always knows when I need her help and shows up at the exact time.

“Okay, you handsome young man. I am sure all the girls at the masquerade will fall for you when they see you!” Katy grins at me.

I don’t know what to say, so I give her a quick smile and then head for the door.

“Need me to drive you?”

“No, thanks. You’ve done enough for me.”

“Oh, you know that I’d love to.”

“Well, see you later.”

“Have fun!” She says when I open the door, walking into the dark night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter2

It is a lovely and quiet night. I drive my car slowly, trying to focus on the driving instead of thinking about what might happen at the masquerade. To be honest, I don’t really want to go. I just want to stay at home and maybe watch some old movies with Katy or just do some things that I usually do on Saturday night. I could see the stars shining brightly up in the sky through my car window and I exhale deeply.

I am not doing this for myself.

I don’t know how long I have been driving and I don’t know exactly where the masquerade is, but with the vague memory, I still manage to find the place. Towering in front of me is a big and grand castle and I am totally amazed by it. Although I have been living in this town for years, I have never seen this castle before, which confuses me a little at first, but I soon realize that I stay at home or go to school for the most of my time and seldom go out with my friends, not even with Katy, so it’s not strange at all for me to not having seen this majestic building.

I pull up my car and as soon as I get out of it, I see my best friend, Brian, waving at me. He’s one of the reasons why I attend this masquerade. He kept on persuading me by saying how fun it would be until I finally said yes. But I am doing this mostly for my sister. She always wants me to do what a teenager usually does like hanging out with friends, playing some music, or just not staying at home all the time. I know she worries about me that I can’t get over the past. “Let bygones be bygones.” She always tells me that. But I am just not used to doing any of those anymore. I feel more comfortable to be alone, not having to care about what others think or do. In fact, I am tired of interacting with people. I mean I can’t stand to see the sympathy in others’ eyes anymore. No matter what I say or do, they just regard me as a boy who loses his parents and always want to make me feel good. But I don’t want that. No, I don’t “need” that. That would make me feel that I am abnormal or something. I just want to be seen as a normal teenager. Anyway, I attend this masquerade only because it makes my sister happy. Happy for me. That’s all.

“Hey, buddy! I always tell you that you can look nice, too.”

Brian gives me a playful shove.

I nod at his direction and give him a smile. We have been friends since we were five and he always sees me as who I really am. That’s why we can be friends for so long. I like him, respect him, and I can depend on him no matter what happens.

“Come on, the masquerade is about to start!”

I follow him, walking into the baronial castle and into the first masquerade I have ever been to.

It has already been crowded with a lot of people all dressed in fancy clothes and they are all wearing special masks as I am.

“I am gonna go dancing. How about you?” Brian asks.

“You go ahead. I don’t really feel like to dance.”

“Ok. See you later.” Brian says and soon disappears in the crowd.

I look around, thinking about whether I should go get some drink.

Then I see her.

She’s just standing there, holding a drink in her hand and keeps looking around like she’s waiting for someone. Although the exquisite mask she is wearing covers some parts of her face, that can’t lessen her beauty. I know she’s the one I have been looking for since the first time I saw her. It’s like love at first sight and I just can’t move my eyes from her. After a while, she must have seen me watching her, so she smiles at me. I wither under her smile and as she walks towards me, my heart skips a beat.

“Hi.” She says quietly and looks at me with her beautiful eyes.

“Hey.” I hope I don’t sound so nervous as I am right now.

We just stand there and look at each other for a few minutes and before the nervousness takes over my body, I pluck up my courage and decide to take some action.

“Do you want to dance?”

“Sure.” I could see that her face redden a little.

I lead her through many crowds of people and into the dancing pool. I feel the warmth of her hand on my shoulder as I put my hand on her waist. In fact, I can barely look directly into her eyes since she really beguiles me and I can be easily lost in her stunning eyes. At first, we just dance in silence and then I take the initiative and break the ice.

“You look so fabulous tonight.” I say quietly into her ear.

“Oh, it’s so nice of you to say that!” She giggles.

“Could I have the honor to know what your name is? I am Alex by the way.” I ask as she deftly steps closer to me with her hands holding mine.

“Rosie.” She whispers in my arms.

“It’s a beautiful name,” I lean closer to her “really suits you.”

“Thank you.” She says softly and then blushes with shyness.

Suddenly a thought strikes me.

“Why does she look so familiar? And why am I so acquainted with her name?” I think to myself.

I am a little bewildered.

“Oh, come on, just forget it and relish the beautiful moments!” A voice shouts deep in my mind, and I decide to do what it said.

We dance for almost the whole night and before it’s time to say goodbye, I take her hand, leading her to the fountain beside the castle, which is a lot quieter. I saw it when I was on my way into the castle. It is also well-designed too.

“I really have fun tonight.” I say, looking her in the eyes.

“Me, too.” She gives me a sweet smile.

I walk closer to her, shortening the distance between us. All of a sudden, I see something flashing through her eyes.

Is it nervousness?

No.

Is it excitement?

No.

It is sadness.

But why?

“Is everything okay?”

She doesn’t answer me; instead, she takes my hand and places it on her cheek. Under her warm hands, I can feel her soft skin and I decide to let go of the question. Unknowingly, I bend my head down as she raises hers and we are so close that I can feel her breath brushing through my face and…

“Hey, Alex!” Brian calls me out loud in front of the castle.

I quickly step back and feel a little embarrassed.

“Uh, I am sorry.” I give her an apologetic smile.

“No, it’s okay.” She looks down to the ground, which is a good thing to me because I don’t want her to see the disappointment in my eyes.

“I guess it’s time for me to go.” I nod at Brian’s direction.

“Yeah, I’d better go, too.”

“Will I see you again?”

I wait for her response and she squeezes my hand.

“I hope so.”

~ ~ ~

When I am on my way back home, all I am thinking about is Rosie. I can’t help but think about her lovely face, her stunning eyes, and our almost touching lips. Even now, I can still feel the warmth of her hands when she was holding mine and the touch of her tender face.

Is she thinking about me too?

As I am deep in my thought, I see Rosie walking alone in the dark night.

Where is she going? Does she live around here? If she does, then how could I have never seen her before?

I soon pull up my car and decide to follow her. She walks through masses of trees and into the deep of the forest.

There is a house.

Does she really live here?

Since I was a kid, I have had a strong feeling towards this forest. A bad one. I don’t know why but this forest always makes me feel creepy and I am kind of scared of it, especially at night. But that is not what I can care about right now.

All I care about now is Rosie.

She stops in front of the house and then takes off her mask.

I hide behind a tree, hoping that she could turn around so I can see her one more time tonight. Then as if hearing my thought, she looks around like she is checking whether there is anyone stalking her.

Under the mild moonlight, I see her face and feel thrilled with horror for a split second.

I know why she looks so familiar.

I know who she is.

She was the first girl I fell in love with who died five years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter3

When I get back to my car, I can’t even think.

I can’t believe what I have just seen. How can I see a person who has already died? Am I crazy? Am I insane? Do I lose my mind?

Or maybe Rosie hasn’t die.

I mean I got the news of Rosie’s death from others after she left me, and I didn’t even have the chance to see her for the last time.

And the most unbelievable thing is that I start to remember things. Things that I am unable to recall for a long time. It’s like the door in my head has been opened a little and some memories escaped from it. Now I can remember the days when I was with Rosie.

So that’s why I can’t recognize her when I saw her earlier at the masquerade and it also explains why I am so attracted to her.

Because deep down in my mind, I still have feelings for her.

I still love her.

~ ~ ~

Feeling exhausted, I open the door and see Katy sitting on the couch with a book in her hand.

“Hey, look who’s back!” Katy looks excited.

“Hi.” I say tiredly.

I don’t feel like to talk right now, so I head directly for the stairs and decide to go to bed right away.

“How’s the party? Was it fun?” Katy asks with her eyes full of curiosity.

I stop and turn around, a little unwillingly.

“It was fun, I think.” I manage to give her a weak smile.

“Was there anything special?”

“Um…”

“Did you meet someone?”

“Um…”
“What does she looks like? Is she hot?”

“I…”

“Wait, wait, wait! I want all the details and…”

“Katy!” I shout, a little annoyed “Could you please shut up and we can talk about this tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.” Katy looks shocked and a little frightened because I have never talked so loudly to her before.

“I am sorry. It’s just I am so tired and you kept asking me questions and I…”

“That’s fine. I get it. I should let you rest now.” She gives me a smile with understanding.

“Thank you.”

I see Katy get back to her reading and I don’t know why, but an impulse pops up and there is a voice keeps saying I should tell Katy that...

“I think I saw Rosie again.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter4

“Alex, It’s time to get up!” Katy looks so energetic.

She jumps up my bed and looks at me with her bright eyes.

“I made you some pancakes!”

“Uh, thank you.” I still feel really sleepy.

“Come on! It’s getting late! You don’t want to waste this lovely morning, do you?”

“Okay, okay. Fine. You win.” I shelter my eyes from the blazing sunlight with my hand and manage to get out of the bed.

“I’ll be waiting for you downstairs!” Katy says as I walk into the bathroom.

~ ~ ~

“Here you come!” Katy puts down the newspapers when she sees me walking down the stairs.

She loves to read. “Knowledge is power. And also, reading helps me think and learn all kinds of information. You should read too!” She once said that to me.

“Get ready to enjoy the most delicious pancakes you have ever had!” She says and puts a plate of pancakes in front of me.

“I’ll go get some orange juice.”

I put a mouthful of pancakes into my mouth and it isn’t until now do I realize that I am really starving. The pancakes are really palatable.

“Hey, slow down! You might get choked up.” Katy then fills the empty glass with fresh orange juice.

“So?” Katy smiles mischievously at me. “Do you want to talk about last night?”

I put my fork down and quickly drink up the orange juice.

“Can you just wait until I finish the delicious pancakes?

“Oh, come on! I am really curious!” Katy pleads.

I sigh briefly. “Um… like I said, it was fun.”

“And last night…” Katy tilts her head “You said that you saw Rosie? Is she your classmate?”

My heart skips a beat as I hear the name. That is what I want to talk about with Katy. Although she asks as if she didn’t hear of the name, but from her eyes, I know that she does.

“Come on, you know her, don’t you? She was the first girl I fell in love with who died five years ago.”

“Really? That’s weird, huh.” Katy smirks. Although it is just for a second, I swear that I saw something flashed through Katy’s face.

“Are you alright?” I look at Katy, who seems a little distracted right now.

“Of course.”

“Are you sure? You seem a little pale.”

“I’m good.” Her bright tone sounds a little bit too pretentious.

“And since you have already finished your breakfast, you should get dressed and go outside to do whatever you want. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?”

“Katy, if there is anything wrong, you can tell me.” I look her in the eye, but she avoids it. “Do you know anything about Rosie that I do not know?

“No, why would I?” She starts to pile up the plates. “You can leave now and I’ll clean up the table.”

“Okay then.” I watch her walking into the kitchen and I know that she is hiding something from me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter5

Later that night, I couldn’t even fall asleep. There are too many things stuck in my head and the temptation of knowing the truth is so strong that it keeps me from relaxing.

I know that there is something going wrong.

I get up and go to the bathroom, looking into the mirror.

Holy crap! I look like a mess! In the mirror are my tired eyes and my pale face. But at this moment, I don’t have time to worry about this. All I want is to know what is happening.

~ ~ ~

I pull up my car in front of the forest and take a deep breath. I don’t know exactly what I want to find out or whether I want to or not, but there is a voice keeps telling me that I have to try. Try to figure out what has been bothering me.

It has already been midnight and in spite of all my unwillingness, I walk into the spooky forest again.

The house is still there in the deep of the forest. Isolated and gruesome. Even just standing here and watching the house, I can still remember seeing Rosie’s face under the moonlight.

I pluck up my courage, walk to the door, and Knock it for response. Few minutes have passed and no one answers. Just as I am about to leave, the door opens abruptly.

Standing in front of me is Rosie, the girl I have loved with all my heart and soul.

“What are you doing here? You shouldn’t have come. It’s too dangerous!” Fear is manifest on her face.

“Why?” I look at her beautiful eyes. “What is going on?”

Instead of answering me, she takes my hand and leads me into the dark woods.

~ ~ ~

“Listen,” Rosie fixes me with a serious look. “You are not supposed to be here, okay? And why do you know where I live?”

“I’m sorry, but I followed you home last night.” I pause, looking her in the eye. “I really miss you.”

“So you remember who I am? I mean that you remember the days when we were together?”

“Yeah.” My hand brushes through her soft and long hair. “The moment when I saw your face last night, I remembered everything.”

“Oh, god! I thought you would never regain your memories!” She holds me tight in her arms and I wish this moment could last forever.

“How could you be here? I thought you were dead. Or am I dreaming?” I give myself a pinch on the face to make sure that it is all real.

“Of course not! And I miss you too. I miss you so, so much.” She giggles and then squeezes my hand slightly.

“Why would I lose my memories? It’s like someone stole them from me.”

“They took away some parts of my memories too. But somehow, the memories came back, little by little.”

“Who are they?”

“I am not quite sure.” She shrugs. “To be honest, I don’t know. All I know is that they wanted to kill me, so that’s why I pretended to be dead and managed to escape from them.”

She fixes her beautiful eyes on me. “It’s been a long time since we last met. You can’t imagine how glad I am to see you again, to touch you again, and to feel you again.” She caresses my face with her warm hand. “How are you doing over the past five years?”

“Well, if I say I am good, then that will be a lie. I feel so … so numb for such a long time. It’s like there is a hole inside of me and I don’t know how to stop that feeling. I just don’t know what to do. Thank god that I still have my sister. She’s the only reason why I can get through all of this. I can’t live without her.”

Suddenly, the softness in Rosie’s eyes changes, turning into vigilance.

“You can’t trust her.”

“What? Why?” I say in perplexity.

“Maybe she’s not your sister.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I am not sure about anything right now, except for that I love my sister!”

“Perhaps she’s one of them. Believe me, you can’t trust anyone.”

“Then why the hell should I trust you?” I glare at Rosie.

“I love you, Alex. You are my one and only. I will never ever lie to you. You got to believe me, please.” She pleads.

“Rosie! Where the fuck are you? You’d better come back to the fucking house! You hear me?”

“Oh, shit! He’s back.” Rosie mutters.

“Who’s back?”

“You have to go now. You can’t let him see you. He’ll kill you!”

“Wait! You haven’t told me…”

“Go! Now!” Before Rosie pushes me away, she quickly kisses me on the lip. So tender and sweet that I’ll never forget.

I look back and she’s still standing there. Although she doesn’t say it out loud, but I know that she’s saying goodbye and there is an awful feeling that it will be the last goodbye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter6

I don’t go back to my car; instead, I watch Rosie walk out of the woods and to her house. I want to know who the man is.

With my ear against the door, I manage to hear their conversation.

“Didn’t I tell you not to get the fucking out of the house?” The man says angrily.

“I’m sorry.” Rosie says with her voice a little trembling.

“Did you have any idea that you could’ve put yourself in danger? And I haven’t forgiven you for attending that goddamn masquerade. What if anyone saw you? And why the hell did you dance with Alex? He’s coming for you now. I know you were just talking to him. You made my efforts all in vain! Do you know how hard it is to keep you safe?” Although I cannot see the man, I am sure that he is hitting the ceiling right now.

“I’m sorry, but you know that I hate to stay at home alone and couldn’t go out to enjoy my life! It’s driving crazy. As for Alex, I really miss him…” Rosie trails off.

“Look, I’m not angry with you and I’m sorry that I yelled at you, but all I want is to protect you. You are the only one I care about in this world and the last thing I want to do is to jeopardize you. You are my sister, Rosie, and I can sacrifice everything for you.” I hear Rosie start to sob and the conversation is over.

I feel so shocked and had to force myself to stand up and head for the car or I might just kneel down at the door forever.

The man is Rosie’s brother and I recognize his voice because I hear it all the time.

He Is … Brian.

~ ~ ~

On my way back home, I try my best to concentrate on driving since their conversation keeps repeating in my head, which really distracts me.

I see Katy watching an old movie on TV and sitting casually on the sofa when I return home.

“Where have you been? I’m so worried.”

“Uh, just went out for a walk. I couldn’t sleep.”

“With a car?”

“I wanted to go a little farther from home.”

“Oh, okay. Would you wanna join me and watch the movie?” Looking at Katy now, I suddenly wonder whether she is my real sister or not.

“Um, actually I want to ask you something.” Katy knows something that I don’t and I need her to confide in me.

“Okay. Let’s go to the dining table and have a profound brother-and-sister talk!”

 

 

“So, what do want to ask me?” She says with her eyes blazing.

“How much do you know about Rosie?”

“Not much. Why?” Her smile suddenly fades away and she looks serious right now.

“When we talked about Rosie last time, you look really surprised and shocked. Do you know anything about her that I don’t?”

“All I know is that she is a totally bastard! The only reason she was willing to be with you was that she wanted to exploit you out of your money!” I look at her in disbelief. Rosie couldn’t have done that to me, I mean she loves me…, or could she?

“I can’t believe that! Is that true?” My eyes are wide.

“I am your sister, Alex. Why the hell do I lie to you? It was such a relief when I heard that she was dead because she would never hurt you anymore. Now, you said that she’s still alive and came back to you. I am starting to worry about you, Alex. But I promise that everything will be fine, okay? You got to let all those shit behind you and move on with your life. I’m sure that Rosie will no longer bother you.” Looking at my sister, I suddenly fail to say anything.

“Do you want some lavender tea? It’ll make you feel calm.” She tries to lighten the mood between us.

“Just some water, please.”

Who should I trust now? Rosie or Katy? Holy shit, I’m screwed. But I have faith in my sister. We have watched each other’s back for so long and there is no way that she would lie to me. I see it now. Rosie is such a liar.

After a while, Katy hands me a glass of water.

“Drink it and you’ll feel better.” She makes herself some tea though, and she is sipping that while I quickly drink up mine.

“How do you feel?”

“I feel…” My head becomes more and more heavy and I am really dizzy right now.

“It is okay, Alex. You are under so much pressure and all you need to do is relax and have some sleep.” I see Katy smiling at me.

Then all I can see is dark.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter7

I am in the dark alone, looking for my parents and my sister.

Where are they?

The eerie ambiance keeps me in suspense and sends a chill down my spine.

“Where are you?” I shout at the empty space.

“Dad?” No one answers.

“Mom?” No one responds.

“Katy?” I exclaim.

But all I get in response is silence.

Just as I am going to find someone for help, some noise makes me back to the house.

“Dad, is that you? Mom? Katy?”

I walk up the stairs, trying to find where the noise is.

Suddenly, I blanch at the sight of the blood. What I see is my mom and dad lying on the floor with their eyes closed and they are bleeding!

“Mom! Dad!” I cry out loud.

I hold them tightly, hoping they can open their eyes and talk to me, but nothing changes. They don’t even move a bit.

“Oh, god! Please don’t die on me! Mom, Dad, please wake up!” I cry louder and touch their faces.

They are cold like ice, so I hold them tighter, trying to keep them warm.

Why are they cold?

Why don’t they wake up?

Why don’t they talk to me?

I feel so helpless and all my hands are stained with blood.

I want to scream. I want to run. I want to get out of here.

But I can’t leave them alone.

Then I see someone stand in front of me and I notice that there is big green diamond ring on her left hand’s little finger.

“It’s gonna be okay.” She says to me, but her face is blurred.

“What happened?” I cry.

“It’s gonna be okay.” She says again and then she hugs me.

Suddenly I see. I see there is a man standing in the dark of the room, but I can’t see clearly who he is.

What really got my intention is that he is holding a gun!

I rouse suddenly from my sleep. This is the dream I have always dreamed of recently and it is so … real like it really happened to me before.

Although I try hard to remember what happened after I got home last night, the only thing I could think of is that my sister helped me climb up the stairs and tucked me in before I finally drifted into a dark and troubled sleep.

Feeling starving and thirsty, I go downstairs to grab something to eat.

Sitting on the couch is my sister and … a woman.

“Who’s that?” I ask Katy vigilantly.

Katy doesn’t answer me; instead, she looks at me in a really weird way.

“I’m your stepmother.” The woman says to me.

“What the hell? There is only me and my sister! Katy, tell her! Tell her that we don’t have any motherfucking stepmother!”

I look at Katy, but she remains silent.

“Shit, Katy! What wrong with you? Just tell her that we have nothing to do with her!” Now I am really agitated and irritated.

“Please calm down, Alex. What I said is true. I AM your stepmother and she’s not your sister by the way. Her name is Kathleen.” The woman says with her eyes still looking at me.

“So you are telling me that you never take care of me and not even let me know you, but now, you just show up and want me to accept that you are my stepmother?” I yell at her.

“I have no choice. After your parents and your sister died, I just wanted to do my best to help you because your father was a good friend of mine. Your father, Mr. Stewart, was a really good man though. But you were just so upset and didn’t want me to walk into your life, so I had Kathleen to take care of you for me. And I guess it was because you refused to believe that all your family members had already gone, so you took Kathleen as your sister. It’s a good thing though. I’m really happy to see you two get along. But you have to believe that I care about you all the time. Just try to accept the truth, please.”

“You are insane! I don’t and will never believe any fucking word you said!”

“Alex!” The woman shouts as I run out of the house.

The world I used to know has just collapsed.

I just want to escape from my house, from the town, and from this world.

I wander along the street, feeling like a five-year-old child got lost in an unfamiliar place. Everything seems so different now and I don’t know where to go.

What has changed? The world? Or it is me that have changed?

I lie down on the ground and close my eyes. When I am about to fall asleep, I see something out of the blue.

I see who the man holding a gun in my dream is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter8

I rush to Rosie’s house and bump hard on the door so as to make it open.

I run into the house as soon as the door opens and search for Brian.

“Brian, where the fuck are you? Get the fucking out! You coward!” I yelled angrily as I see Rosie walking down the stairs and she blanches at the sight of me.

“What are you doing here?” She asks with misgivings.

“I know what your brother has done to me. Now tell him to come the motherfucking out!”

“What the…” I see Brian walking down the stairs and standing in front of Rosie.

“You killed my parents and my sister! You son of a bitch! I thought we were friends!” I shouted.

“Friends?” Brian sneers. “You thought we were friends but I didn’t. I don’t give a shit to you. You are nothing to me, okay?” Looking at Brian, I know my friend is gone. Standing in front of me is a totally stranger.

“I want to kill you!”

I rush to Brian as he takes out his gun and he shots me in the abdomen before we both fall to the ground. Thanks god that the gun is closer to me and I take it in spite of the pain.

I see him running to me and I pull the trigger.

“No! He’s my brother!”

What I see next is Rosie falling down in front of me and I feel my shirt saturated by my blood. I can barely move now.

“What the fuck have you done!” Brian burrs.

Out of nowhere, there are two stout men coming to the house and one of them pulls Brian out while the other takes Rosie’s body up from the floor.

“It’s gonna be okay.” Standing in front of me is the woman who claimed to be my stepmother and she reaches out her hands, trying to give me a hug.

Almost instantly, I see that there is a big green diamond ring on her left hand’s little finger, and it dawns on me that she is the woman who appears in my dream.

Then I soon pass out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter9

I see myself running happily on a field full of green and fresh grass with my parents and Katy. It is weird to see myself in this way because it is like I am just a spirit, looking down from the sky. But I am really happy to see the scene because it makes me feel that my family still stays with me.

“Alex!” I hear someone saying my name.

I look around, trying to find where the voice is from.

“Alex!” Someone keeps calling me but I can’t find who the person is and…

“Alex!” My eyes suddenly open and I see “the woman” looking down at me with a worried look.

“How do you feel?” She asks.

“Why are you here? And where am I?” I say vigilantly.

“Please calm down. I’m your doctor. You can call me Maryann. And you are in Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital now.”

“Why am I here?”

She sighs as a girl comes in. It is … Katy!

“Katy! What are you doing here?”

“Hey!” She gives me a warm smile. “Of course I am here, knucklehead! I take care of you. I am Kathleen, your nurse.”

She hands me a glass of water. “Drink it. It’ll make you feel better.”

“What the fuck? Katy, it’s me! Your brother, Alex! Don’t you remember? What did they do to you?”

“Oh, I know who you are, Alex. Now, be a good boy and drink it.” From her eyes, I know she just sees me as a patient.

I take the glass of water but don’t drink it immediately. There are still some things I want to know.

“What happened to me?” I look at both of them, who give each other a quick glimpse and then turn to look at me.

“It’s better that you tell him, darling.” Says Maryann.

“Okay.” Kathleen then clears her throat.

“Alex, you are one of our patients in this hospital.” She pauses, waiting for my reaction. I gasp sharply and feel my heart skips a beat. What the hell is she talking about?

“You’ve been here for five years after your parents and your sister were murdered.”

No! It can’t be true!

“Stop it!” I exclaim.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true, Alex.” Maryann stops for a while and continues. “You’ve been resisting to face the truth, so you created your own world. A world that goes in your way. I really want to let you stay in that world. I do. But you got to came back to earth now, Alex.”

Looking at her, I suddenly don’t know what to believe.

“You became too violent and fierce over the past few weeks, leaving me with no choice. You killed another patient and were injured by her brother, so that’s why you are lying on this bed, waiting for your recovery.”

I look down at the glass of water and couldn’t say a word.

I am sick. I am a patient. I lose my mind.

“Now we should go and let you rest.” Maryann writes something down in her notebook and goes out with Kathleen, leaving me alone in the empty and cold ward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter10

I got out of the bed, trying to do some stretches because my body suffers from soreness after lying on the bed for too long.

Outside the window is a boundless field which is really verdant and full of energy with the sun shining brightly up in the sky. Everything just seems to be so … perfect.

Then I see that there is a little desk by my bed. Inside one of the drawers is a diary. My diary.

 

I don’t know how long I have been here, and I don’t give a shit. At first, being here is totally a nightmare, but now, I’m kind of getting used to it. Every day is just another shitty day.

 

 

Today, I met a girl. Her name is Rosie and she is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. She just makes here not so motherfucking anymore and she also has a brother here with her. I don’t know why they were sent here, but I really thank god for bringing us together.

I overheard that they were working on a project to carry out on me the other day and today, they gave me a new kind of medicine. They told me that it would help me get rid of my illusions, but I don’t have any goddamn illusions, so I spit it out without their knowledge. Gods know what they are planning to do next.

I haven’t seen Rosie or her brother for quite a long time now and I am starting to worry about them. The fucking guard isn’t willing to tell me what is happening to them and all I can do is to pray for them even though I am not really a devout Christian.

They took me to another room which is in another building today and there isn’t any other person here, so I am locked here alone except for the guards. I have no idea what they’re up to. Maybe they just leave me here and let me wait for myself to die.

 

 

It looks like I do am a patient here.

Suddenly, there is a photo falling out from the book. I pick it up and turn it over. It’s an old photo and there are four people in it.

There are my parents, my sister, and—me. On the opposite side of the photo are some words written on it:

To Alex and Katy,

Love mom and dad

Why is this photo in this diary? And Katy looks just like … Kathleen. I am so concentrated on the photo that I don’t notice Kathleen is standing behind me. She leans and whispers something into my ear “When are we gonna get the fucking out of here?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 05.06.2015

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