After the doctor came around, he did some check up to ensure I was okay. And went off to process my discharge.
Elise gave me my phone. There was a huge dent on it. It was so obvious that the dent was
man made. But I collected it anyways.
The sight of them going around, packing my bags, helping me get ready for discharge was
infuriating. But who would I be if I reject my personal helps.
After all was packed, they lead the way to the drive where their car was packed.
The drive home was awkward. It was
suffocating in fact. Elise kept glancing at her in the rearview mirror with those too-bright eyes, while Richard, ever the passive charmer, cracked soft jokes in an attempt to "lighten the mood."
They tried starting conversations but I didn't plan on making any thing easy for them so I
gave a one word answer or grunt in response. They later took it as their clue to shut up.
Just a glance at Elise's face through the mirror was enough to bring me joy. She
looked like a child about to throw tantrum.
But I stayed silent. Watching. Memorizing.
We arrived at the McKinley estate, a sprawling white mansion nestled behind high gates and a manicured lawn that tried too
hard to impress. Everything looked exactly the same—like it had been preserved in some time capsule.
Waiting at the front door was their youngest son.
"Ethan," Elise called, a little too
cheerfully. "Come help Nevaeh inside."
Ethan McKinley still had the same
unsure gaze, the same quiet, almost sheepish energy. His hair was tousled, and
he wore a faded university T-shirt like he'd just rolled out of bed.
"Nevaeh," he said, giving her a small,
hesitant smile. "Hi… it's nice to meet you?" He added while stretching out his hands to shake mine.
I only stared blankly at him. I have no intention of taking his outstretched hand.
When I saw how embarrassed he became,
I almost broke my character.
Inside, the McKinley home buzzed with
a strange energy. The walls were warm-toned and lined with photos of smiling
faces, fake laughter frozen in glossy frames.
The walls – the photos on the walls.
They serve as a constant reminder of what I went through in the dream. Elise
had always been sure to tell me about how only family members pictures could be
hung on the wall. She was always so vocal about how I needed to work to earn my
place in their family.
It was all fine and good until she
hung Deloris picture on the wall just two weeks after they were introduced. Oh
the pain I felt.
Then she hung Deloris' dog's picture just
a few weeks after. I was so humiliated.
It's so funny, I shouldn't have been
embarrassed or pained. They were just a family of dogs. It's okay to hung their
family member on the wall. Relating them to dogs even feels like a sin.
Then came the others just at the right
time to snap me out of my thoughts.
Michael McKinley—the golden child—walked in, tall, crisp, and bulky – he had always worked out. He looked up from his phone just long enough to offer her a courteous "Hey," then went back to texting someone—probably his fiancée.
And finally, there was Serena.
The only daughter.
Serena McKinley had always been...
complicated. She was beautiful in a poised, curated way, like she'd been airbrushed into reality. Her eyes held the kind of sweetness that came with a sharp blade underneath.
"Nevaeh!" she squealed as she
approached, arms open like they were sisters separated by fate. "Oh my God,
it's so good to finally meet you. I've always known you though – we attend the same
school. Or should I say… attended! I've always liked you. You seem like a big
sister I never had. Now we'll be family and I can finally have a sister."
I didn't move. I wasn't going to say anything but… "I think we all know what happened to my last sister. Besides I can't make do with a low grade replacement." I said it all without even doing as much as blinking.
Serene has always been annoying. I know she hates me so why pretend? She has always been jealous and it's a shame I'm just realizing.
Serena didn't recovered smoothly from
the rejection. Her eyes were laced with tears. It was so obviously she was about to cry so her mother came in.
Patting me gently on the shoulders,
she said "You poor thing. I can't imagine how hard this all must be. But you're safe now. With family."
Family.
Oh, how I wanted to laugh in her face.
I stayed silent as the McKinleys
paraded around me like I was a rescued princess. They served me dishes which
Elise claimed she knew was my favorite —of course she knows, who doesn't like
to study their prey?—played soft music, and kept asking carefully loaded
questions like:
"Do you remember if your mom… or your dad discussed some things with you before
the accident?"
"Do you feel okay talking about what happened?"
"Do you want to maybe talk to someone professionally?"
Professionally, meaning: Someone who can help manipulate your memories.
I kept her responses short. I told
them no.
In the dream, I had offloaded a
lot. To tell I was okay and to somewhat gain her approval. And when she
suggested the therapist, I'd jumped on it 'cause I'd felt she was
worried about me.
Throughout the dinner, I didn't try
helping them at all. It was so awkward – I loved it.
After dinner, I was shown to a room that
will be "my room" for now they said. It was a small room and a bathroom –
it was the same as the one I stayed in the dream. I don't mind the room
at all. In fact, I love it.
What I actually mind is Serena. In the
dream, she did something very cringe or should I say cliché to me on my
first night at their house. She tired to set me up.
So I waited patiently for the moment.
I was rewarded few hours after. I
heard a the key get turn and the door creeped open. She walked in proudly with
a man. I'd switched of all the lights, arranged a figure on my bed and hid behind
the door.
It was so obvious how drugged the man –
men were. Another man came in after them.
I guess I really offended her this time
around. Unlike how I didn't in the dream.
She signed to them to be patient, when
over to the bed stand, put on a candle, set up a camera then as she walked towards
the door, she signified for them to go over to the bed. Just as she was about
to leave, I came out from behind the door, in the exact same dress as her, hit
some acupuncture points that rendered her immobile then slipped out. But not before
whispering to her that I'd won that round.
Off into her room I went, waiting patiently
again but this time for the day to break.