Smoke and Mirrors
A Wonderful Nightmare
Chapter 5
Clarissa heard a beep in the distance, and a sterile smell reached her nostrils. When her eyes opened, all she saw was white. A few moments later, she distinguished the foot of the bed, the door, machines, and a sleeping form on a chair beside the bed.
“Jayce?”
His eyes opened, and he turned to her, but he wasn't Jayce.
“Clarissa!”
She couldn't get anything out.
“Are you okay?How do you feel?”
“I-I'm f-fine.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Have you been sleeping here?”
“Yeah, uh, Jayce too. He just exited to get you some flowers.”
Every day that passed she liked Jayce more. He had slept all night there, and had gone to get her flowers. Gestures like those really touched her.
“How sweet of him.”
“Yeah...”
“Thanks for coming too.”
“I want to be here.”
There was an awkward silence.
“So, what happened exactly?”
“You were poisoned.”
She sighed. The “killer” was at it again.
“Do you remember everything you ate?”
“Well, I drank the juice Jayce gave me, the hot dog, and the cotton candy.”
“It wasn't the hot dog.”
“Or the juice.”
“Did you recognize the guy that gave you the cotton candy?”
“No, do you think it was him?”
“Probably. Unless you were poisoned before we went to the picnic.”
“I'd rather stop talking about it, please.”
“No problem.”
“I've always hated hospitals. They're so depressing, and the smell in here is horrible.”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice much softer.
“Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it.”
Grey's father had died ago from a heart failure. Although she was connected to a million machines, Clarissa managed to hug him. He started shaking a bit, and it took her a while to realize he was crying. Whenever she saw someone cry, even if they were on TV, she did too. Her eyes filled with bitter tears. His father was a great person, and his loss had hurt her too.
After a while, Grey composed himself, and they both wiped their eyes.
“Sorry for bringing it up.”
“Don't worry about it.”
They pulled apart from the embrace, their faces were inches apart. Clarissa felt a strange sensation in her stomach, like the day she had met Jayce.
He leaned in closer. Could it be that she li-
Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door. They quickly parted. The person happened to be Jayce, and, luckily, he didn't see anything.
“Clarissa, how are you?”
Worry plastered his handsome face, and she instantly felt bad for the scene seconds ago. In his hands he held a bouquet of white roses, her favorite. Grey slipped out the door as Jayce neared the bed.
“Fine, my head hurts a bit, but otherwise, fine.”
“When I find the person that's doing this-”
His face contorted into pure hate towards the unknown person.
“Hey, it's okay.”
“I brought you some flowers,” he said, changing the subject, and his expression. He handed them to her.
“My favorite! Thanks so much.”
He reddened a bit, and shuffled his feet, looking down.
“When do you get to go home?”
“Soon, I hope. I think they might let met tomorrow morning.”
“Okay. I'm sorry, I can't stay any longer. My mom's sick and I need to help her around the house.”
He always seemed to be helping someone out. Few were the times she had seen him refuse to do a favor.
“It's alright. Tell her to get well soon.”
“Bye.”
He pecked her on the cheek and left. Jayce wasn't one to kiss her where someone might see them, or barge in.
Clarissa's eyelids started getting heavy, and she felt the desperate need to sleep, although she had done nothing but that. She dreamed she was kissing Jayce, but then he turned into Grey.
She woke up suddenly, it was the middle of the night . Grey was sitting on a chair beside the door, sleeping. He must really worry about her.
It was just a dream, she assured herself, but why had she dreamed it? Surely she didn't like Grey. Of course not even a bit, but she closed her eyes and wished the dream to reappear.
Clarissa heard a beep in the distance, and a sterile smell reached her nostrils. When her eyes opened, all she saw was white. A few moments later, she distinguished the foot of the bed, the door, machines, and a sleeping form on a chair beside the bed.
“Jayce?”
His eyes opened, and he turned to her, but he wasn't Jayce.
“Clarissa!”
She couldn't get anything out.
“Are you okay?How do you feel?”
“I-I'm f-fine.”
“Thank goodness.”
“Have you been sleeping here?”
“Yeah, uh, Jayce too. He just exited to get you some flowers.”
Every day that passed she liked Jayce more. He had slept all night there, and had gone to get her flowers. Gestures like those really touched her.
“How sweet of him.”
“Yeah...”
“Thanks for coming too.”
“I want to be here.”
There was an awkward silence.
“So, what happened exactly?”
“You were poisoned.”
She sighed. The “killer” was at it again.
“Do you remember everything you ate?”
“Well, I drank the juice Jayce gave me, the hot dog, and the cotton candy.”
“It wasn't the hot dog.”
“Or the juice.”
“Did you recognize the guy that gave you the cotton candy?”
“No, do you think it was him?”
“Probably. Unless you were poisoned before we went to the picnic.”
“I'd rather stop talking about it, please.”
“No problem.”
“I've always hated hospitals. They're so depressing, and the smell in here is horrible.”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice much softer.
“Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it.”
Grey's father had died ago from a heart failure. Although she was connected to a million machines, Clarissa managed to hug him. He started shaking a bit, and it took her a while to realize he was crying. Whenever she saw someone cry, even if they were on TV, she did too. Her eyes filled with bitter tears. His father was a great person, and his loss had hurt her too.
After a while, Grey composed himself, and they both wiped their eyes.
“Sorry for bringing it up.”
“Don't worry about it.”
They pulled apart from the embrace, their faces were inches apart. Clarissa felt a strange sensation in her stomach, like the day she had met Jayce.
He leaned in closer. Could it be that she li-
Her thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door. They quickly parted. The person happened to be Jayce, and, luckily, he didn't see anything.
“Clarissa, how are you?”
Worry plastered his handsome face, and she instantly felt bad for the scene seconds ago. In his hands he held a bouquet of white roses, her favorite. Grey slipped out the door as Jayce neared the bed.
“Fine, my head hurts a bit, but otherwise, fine.”
“When I find the person that's doing this-”
His face contorted into pure hate towards the unknown person.
“Hey, it's okay.”
“I brought you some flowers,” he said, changing the subject, and his expression. He handed them to her.
“My favorite! Thanks so much.”
He reddened a bit, and shuffled his feet, looking down.
“When do you get to go home?”
“Soon, I hope. I think they might let met tomorrow morning.”
“Okay. I'm sorry, I can't stay any longer. My mom's sick and I need to help her around the house.”
He always seemed to be helping someone out. Few were the times she had seen him refuse to do a favor.
“It's alright. Tell her to get well soon.”
“Bye.”
He pecked her on the cheek and left. Jayce wasn't one to kiss her where someone might see them, or barge in.
Clarissa's eyelids started getting heavy, and she felt the desperate need to sleep, although she had done nothing but that. She dreamed she was kissing Jayce, but then he turned into Grey.
She woke up suddenly, it was the middle of the night . Grey was sitting on a chair beside the door, sleeping. He must really worry about her.
It was just a dream, she assured herself, but why had she dreamed it? Surely she didn't like Grey. Of course not even a bit, but she closed her eyes and wished the dream to reappear.