Horrid Thoughts with Hard Questions
Vertigo
“Lizzy!? Lizzy! Are you okay?! Wake up!”
“Claire, calm down. She’s fine. Stop shaking her so much!”
As I come to consciousness, I hear Claire’s worried voice and Annabelle’s cool one. I can hear Claire panicking. Annabelle makes shushing noises to comfort her.
I move my arms, trying to figure out where I am. I’m in my bed. I attempt to open my eyes.
“Lizzy!” Claire shrieks as she races to my side. She smothers me in a hug. Annabelle comes over to pull her off.
“Claire, dear, let her breathe.”
“What happened?” I mumble, trying to remember why and how I ended up here.
Then it comes rushing back. Oh shit…
I sit up with a start, making myself dizzy in the process. When the feeling turns to nausea, I fall back down.
“Whoa, Liz, watch it.” Adrian must have walked in during my strike of vertigo. He makes his way to my other side and puts his hand on my forehead. “She isn’t sick. That bump on the head must have just been harder than we thought,” he says warmly, that crooked smile shining brightly.
“Bump on the head?” What the hell is he talking about?
“Don’t you remember? You were coming downstairs for a snack, and you accidently slipped and knocked your noggin against the hardwood floor.” He’s still smiling, but I can see it in his eyes. He wants me to play along. I nod and look at my hands, still kind of unstable.
“My head hurts…” The sobs want to escape my throat, but I hold them in. My voice couldn’t help but tremble just a little bit.
“Oh Lizzy…” Claire starts to say, until Adrian interrupts her, “I think Lizzy needs to rest. Come on you two, out. Now.” He sounds a bit harsher than before, but he smiles at them before they leave the room, frantic whispers echoing behind them.
I look up at Adrian to find him looking at me, his face expressionless.
“Adrian, where is he?”
“I took care of it.”
“What do you mean you took care of it?!”
“He won’t be one of our returning customers.”
His face is blank.
I stare at my hands again. “I-I didn’t mean to…I don’t know what happened…”
He kneels down next to me and takes my hands. “Elizabeth, don’t start. This wasn’t your fault.” He smiles, “I’m just glad I got to you in time. Now I want you to rest, and try to forget about all of this. I’ll come back and personally check on you later.” He squeezes my hands and stands up.
I have to ask, “What do I do about Claire?”
He looks at me, puzzled. “What about Claire?”
“I haven’t told her about what I’ve been doing…”
His eyes soften. “Claire is a strong girl. She can take care of herself. You can’t protect her from
everything, Liz.” He bends down and kisses me on the head. He smells like mint and cinnamon. It’s a comforting smell. After smiling at me one last time, he walks towards the door.
“Adrian?”
He stops in the doorway, not even turning around.
“Thank you.”
And then he’s gone.
“Claire, calm down. She’s fine. Stop shaking her so much!”
As I come to consciousness, I hear Claire’s worried voice and Annabelle’s cool one. I can hear Claire panicking. Annabelle makes shushing noises to comfort her.
I move my arms, trying to figure out where I am. I’m in my bed. I attempt to open my eyes.
“Lizzy!” Claire shrieks as she races to my side. She smothers me in a hug. Annabelle comes over to pull her off.
“Claire, dear, let her breathe.”
“What happened?” I mumble, trying to remember why and how I ended up here.
Then it comes rushing back. Oh shit…
I sit up with a start, making myself dizzy in the process. When the feeling turns to nausea, I fall back down.
“Whoa, Liz, watch it.” Adrian must have walked in during my strike of vertigo. He makes his way to my other side and puts his hand on my forehead. “She isn’t sick. That bump on the head must have just been harder than we thought,” he says warmly, that crooked smile shining brightly.
“Bump on the head?” What the hell is he talking about?
“Don’t you remember? You were coming downstairs for a snack, and you accidently slipped and knocked your noggin against the hardwood floor.” He’s still smiling, but I can see it in his eyes. He wants me to play along. I nod and look at my hands, still kind of unstable.
“My head hurts…” The sobs want to escape my throat, but I hold them in. My voice couldn’t help but tremble just a little bit.
“Oh Lizzy…” Claire starts to say, until Adrian interrupts her, “I think Lizzy needs to rest. Come on you two, out. Now.” He sounds a bit harsher than before, but he smiles at them before they leave the room, frantic whispers echoing behind them.
I look up at Adrian to find him looking at me, his face expressionless.
“Adrian, where is he?”
“I took care of it.”
“What do you mean you took care of it?!”
“He won’t be one of our returning customers.”
His face is blank.
I stare at my hands again. “I-I didn’t mean to…I don’t know what happened…”
He kneels down next to me and takes my hands. “Elizabeth, don’t start. This wasn’t your fault.” He smiles, “I’m just glad I got to you in time. Now I want you to rest, and try to forget about all of this. I’ll come back and personally check on you later.” He squeezes my hands and stands up.
I have to ask, “What do I do about Claire?”
He looks at me, puzzled. “What about Claire?”
“I haven’t told her about what I’ve been doing…”
His eyes soften. “Claire is a strong girl. She can take care of herself. You can’t protect her from
everything, Liz.” He bends down and kisses me on the head. He smells like mint and cinnamon. It’s a comforting smell. After smiling at me one last time, he walks towards the door.
“Adrian?”
He stops in the doorway, not even turning around.
“Thank you.”
And then he’s gone.