Stolen From My Eyes

Her unease was joined by a little awe when the town car pulled into a curving driveway in front of a handsome little manor. On second thought, maybe little wasn’t the correct word. Everything was well taken care of, from the perfectly green grass to the pristine paint job on the house itself. “Welcome home, Elise!” Her father said happily, squeezing her shoulder and gazing fondly up at the house.

For a moment she let her glance waver to him. It wasn’t the first time she had been taken back by how genuinely happy he seemed to be that she was going home. He must be an amazing actor.

She felt the car turn off, and the driver hopped out and opened the door for her. “Miss,” He said, bowing slightly.

Taking that as her cue to exit the car, she got out on slightly unsteady legs and craned her neck to look at the building before her. “Come on then, let’s go inside.” Her father insisted. “Williams will get your bag and take it up to your room.”

They climbed a small set of steps up to double front doors. Pulling a key out of his pocket, her father and unlocked the door and stepped inside, Elise following close behind.

She found that they were standing in a very large entry hall, with rooms leading off in various directions. There were exquisite pieces of art arranged on walls and sitting in glass cupboards. She probably would have been more impressed if all of her attention wasn’t focused on the winding staircase before her.

Looking up, she could see the landing where her mother had taken her last breath. And where, apparently, she had taken a fall so awful that it robbed her of her past. Nervously she wondered what would happen when she climbed those stairs. Did she really want to remember the accident?

Thankfully she was spared from having to face it right then. Her father held out his arm and she took it, allowing him to whisk her around. He showed her the parlor, where a very large television was situated, and the dining area where he had so severely admonished her years earlier. The kitchen was large and boasted many gleaming appliances. There were various other rooms, but she was mostly tuned out. Until he suggested they take a look upstairs, having seen the last of the first floor.

It took all of her will power to make her feet move towards that staircase. She had a very, very bad feeling about this. Struggling not to alert her father that something was amiss, she put a numb foot on the first stair and began the climb. He was following behind, chatting aimlessly about this and that. Again she was tuning him out, making noises in all the right places while her brain whirled around inside her head.

She let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding as she reached the middle of the staircase. So far, so good, but that didn’t mean it would last. For whatever reason she just knew that she would have another vision at some point, and that it would either on or near the stairs.

Still nothing had happened as she hesitated a split second on the last stair that would put her on the landing. Mustering up a courage that she couldn’t really feel, she placed her foot down on the landing. Nothing happened. She moved forward to allow her father space to get up too. She paused uncertainly, wondering why nothing had happened; she had been so sure. Her father took her pause to mean she was waiting for him to begin the tour of the upstairs. “Ah yes. So, your room is right down this hall, here. I left it just as it was, ready and waiting for your return…” He continued babbling.

Elise moved over to the railing on the landing, figuring her father would be talking a bit more before they moved on. She felt the need to lean against something. Her body and mind felt so drained; all that worrying, and absolutely nothing had happened.

Or at least, nothing had happened until she placed her hand on the railing. Then quite a few things happened at once, the first being another memory.

Elise was curled up on her bed, sobbing heavily into her arms. Gerard sat at the end of the bed, looking at her with concern and guilt. He reached a hand out and patted her leg, but she jerked away from him. “Don’t touch me!” She cried at him, the sound of it slightly muffled by the sobs and her arms.

He recoiled immediately, looking like he had just been slapped. “Elise, I’m sorry,” It was so easy to hear the pain in his voice. “I only went because you ordered me too. If I had known…of course, I would have been here.”

Now she was sitting up, her face and eyes red from crying and now anger. “You knew what he was like!” She accused, eyes narrowed. “When I said ‘go away’ I just meant leave me alone. You didn’t have to leave the damn house too! You left her unprotected. You helped kill her!”

Gerard seemed to shrink in on himself. “Elise,” He sounded so feeble and scared.

“But now I mean it.” Her voice had gotten dangerously quiet. “I want you to leave. Leave this house, this city and never come back! I don’t ever want to see you again!”

He tried reaching out to her again, but she slapped his hand away. “What if he finds out you saw?” He pleaded. “He could do the same to you. I can’t leave you unprotected; I won’t.”

“I don’t care!” She exclaimed, folding her arms. “Mother is dead now, because of you. Forget what I said to you about us. Just go, forget about me. I might as well be dead too.”

“No, don’t say that!” He clutched at his heart, as if her words had stabbed him there.

She stood suddenly, eyes burning into his. “I hate you! GET OUT!”

A single tear rolled down his cheek as he looked at her with pleading eyes. But it was no use; he could see she wasn’t going to change her mind. In the blink of an eye he was gone.

Elise was now clutching at the railing as if her life depended on it. Her father had stopped talking and was looking at her with worry. “Are you alright?” He asked, stepping towards her.

“Don’t touch her.”

The unexpected voice sent a dagger of guilt and fear through her. Edmund whirled, his eyes coming to rest on the dark figure who was standing firmly where the landing turned into the hallway. “You,” Edmund’s voice changed from pleasant to deadly in an instant. “You stay away from my daughter. Stop poisoning her mind with your tricks!”

Confusion settled over Elise, who had somewhat regained her composure from the memory. “What are you talking about, Father?”

He turned his eyes on her, unsure of whether to let Gerard out of his sight or not. “Elise, sweetheart, he’s been using you. Putting things into your head to turn you against me.” Her father said slowly, his eyes showing desperation.

“Don’t listen to him, Elise. He’s a very good liar.” Gerard warned.

Edmund took a step back towards Elise, receiving a growl from Gerard in response. “I’m going to assume he’s been visiting you at the hospital. I’m sure you’ve noticed his knack for knowing things that you’re thinking.” Edmund was talking quietly now, his voice measured. “He can get in your head, Elise. Lord knows he’s done it to me and your poor mother.”

And then Edmund said something that caught her completely off guard. “He killed your mother, Elise. And he plans on killing you.”