Under Lock and Key

Autumn's POV

There was more to my anti social behavior than anybody outside of my home knew. As light shined on a new day in this small neighborhood, another memory suppressed into a dream was in the process of being scribbled out on paper.

To Do List:
Have enough space for all of my junk.
Find my dream journal and keep tabs on the never-fading memories

I sat on my bed, my blanket forming a safety zone for me as I wrote my horrifying nightmare down into words. It was always an instant replay in my mind, showing me the most terrifying time of my life. My parents, mainly because of my father, have always used the excuse that I was shy and that's why I wouldn't talk outside the family. He had a reputation to protect. It's the reason I hate people because they don't realize those who are guilty when they're in their clutches.

A knock at my door startled me, causing me to jump slightly. I quickly hid the journal which my parents didn't know about. According to them, I had forgotten about it all years ago in an attempt to block out the pain. "Yeah?" I spoke softly, shoving the book underneath my stack of pillows.

"Can I come in?" It was my mother, of course. I gave her permission and she entered, closing the door behind her. "Hmm, I see the room is already getting messy. Maybe thrown all over the dresser and unorganized, clothes from yesterday scattered on the floor. Now that's the Autumn I know." She laughed. "Well your sister is coming to see the new house and visit us from College tomorrow for about a week or two. I just wanted to know if you'd like to go to the store with me and get her a few things. She could use some new supplies and maybe some new clothes, plus I want to have a welcome home party for her, just something small though."

I smiled. "Thanks for the invite, mom, but I'm quite content with staying home by myself. It gives me a chance to warm up to the idea of being alone in this house when you and dad leave again for work. . . Where is he anyway?"

She shook her head. "It's not like we want to leave you all the time, honey. It's how we make a living though. Your father is actually at the new place he transferred over to. He probably won't be home for the rest of the day. Are you sure you don't want to come with me? I don't know how long I'm going to be gone." I nodded. "Alrighty then. I'll see ya later then." She spun the car keys around her finger as she made her way out of my room. As soon as I heard the front door slam and the car drive away, I finished up my thoughts in my dream journal and hid it away from the world.

I was able to drag myself out of bed even though it wasn't even early. I slept in a little late today, which was very out of character for me. When I walked down the steps and reached the bottom, it was sort of an accomplishment considering how unsteady I was feeling today. Unfortunately, I was already off to a bad start.

I walked around the house, trying to get a feel for the place. It wasn't some newly built expensive house. It was something more suitable for a family of my size. The furniture was neatly set up and aligned well. I began growing tired of walking along the same area for so long so I forced myself back up the stairs and to get dressed.

I threw on a pair of plaid shorts which featured many shades of blue and a plain white tank top to match. I slipped on a pair of flip flops, did my hair and makeup along with brushing my teeth, and walked back down the stairs before plopping down onto the couch. I stretched out across it and grabbed the remote, flipping the television on while I grew extremely attached to the very comfortable pillow I was using.

I felt my eyes continually drooping but I wasn't letting myself fall asleep again. Last night was enough. Besides, My mother tends to have people check on me every now and then when she's gone for long periods of time to make sure I'm still alive because I don't socialize. Even though she just met the neighbors, I was waiting for a knock at the door. Personally I believe it's because of my bad experience when I was younger, but that's just a guess.

I continually flipped through the channels until landing on something that caught my interest.

Spongebob

Yes, Spongebob. I was one of those teenagers who watched it religiously even though it's very obnoxious and childish. I got joy out of watching a sea sponge and his best starfish pal running around the ocean floor being obnoxious and jelly fishing, especially when they try forcing a Krabby Patty down a squids throat.

When my little fixation on the television ended from an episode coming to closure, I stood up and began walking toward the kitchen. I was still waiting on that knock. A sudden wave a dizziness struck me quickly out of nowhere. I felt my head whirling and the room began spinning.

Well this was certainly not good.

I gripped the counter in an attempt to steady myself. I rubbed my eyes and closed them tightly in an attempt to stop the room from spinning or at least watching it that way. Everything was closing in on me and I hated it. I knew what this meant but before I could collect my thoughts, I was on the floor.

* * * * * * *

I opened my eyes due to freezing hands on my face and very calmly spoken words attempting to wake me up. "There ya' go." The voice spoke softly. I pushed the hands away and pushed myself up so I was sitting, leaning against the cabinets underneath the counter. I glanced over at the door which was wide open. "Don't worry, I didn't break in." They laughed. "Your mother called my house, she wanted you to be checked on because apparently you have a tendency to leave for, I believe she said, days at a time. When I knocked on the door and there was no answer, I peaked through the windows and there you were on the floor" He smiled at first.

Did I forget to mention that I used to run away a lot?

I touched my face, wiping the small amount of water off of my cheeks roughly then wiping my hands on my shirt. "Everything else I tried didn't work so it was the only way I could wake you up. No need to give me the death stare. How did this happen anyway?" I simply shrugged. He looked deep in thought as he contemplated possibilities. "When was the last time you drank something?"

I turned my head, refusing to speak as usual. His hands firmly gripped my face and forced me to look at him. "Seriously Autumn, I need to know because that could possibly be the reason why you passed out and if it is, I won't force you into my damn car and take you to the hospital. Sometimes there's bigger and badder reasons behind passing out then just some small stupid little reason."

I sighed. "I- A few days ago, I guess." I spoke in a very low whisper. He nodded before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and handing it to me. I pulled the cap off and downed the bottle quickly. He sat on the floor across from me and stared for a long moment.

"Does your head hurt at all?" He questioned. I shook my head. I felt absolutely fine aside from the fact that I felt like I was being interrogated. "Are you absolutely positive?" He continued on. I nodded, clearly getting annoyed. He looked a little irritated as well.

He let out a breath of pure annoyance and stood up. I closed my eyes tightly, hoping and praying that he'd leave. When the front door slammed shut, I felt a little more calm. I leaned my head back against the cabinets, but just as soon as it made contact I pulled it away. . . There was the sting that my head slamming against the tile had received. My hand automatically shot up, gripping the back of my head where my hand was met with a warm liquid. If my head was bleeding then where was the puddle on the floor?

I lifted my legs slightly, peeking underneath them. There was my red puddle that I had been looking for. "Fuck!" I cursed to myself. My head didn't hurt at all until it made contact with something. I didn't even feel the blood before. . . I pulled my hand away from my head and stared at my soaked finger tips. This was just wonderful. I had just moved in and I possibly already left a blood stain on the tile. . . My father wasn't going to be too thrilled about this.

I scrambled to my feet and quickly grabbed the mop, trying desperately to clean the blood off the floor. I was successful but it all came with the stinging from the back of my head, causing me to gasp. Now I felt the throbbing pain and the warm liquid which continued to drip. I didn't want to admit it, but maybe it would've been better if Jesse stuck around.

I put the mop back down in its place and scrubbed the edge of the cabinet, removing any of the blood I left from when I leaned back. I was thankful to be finished. The throbbing was really starting to get to me. I wasn't feeling totally well balanced, even a little sick. . . "Autumn?" I turned around quickly, sucking in a breath. It was Jesse. Why did he come back? His hand reached over to the counter where he grabbed a hold of something. "Realized I left my keys here when I went out to my car. You're bleeding," He stated, walking around me to view the damage on the back of my head. Before I could even blink he had a hold on my arm, pulling me toward the front door. I tried to pull away but it was useless. "Stop struggling, you're not going to get anywhere. I know you're freaking out because you don't know me and you're probably afraid." He pulled the door shut and continued walking towards the road, still dragging me along. "But right now is not the time to assume I'm some creep when you have a huge gash in your head that's bleeding horribly. Right now, we just have to get you to a hospital."

I started slapping his arm with little effect. I hated hospitals. I hated needles and I hated being examined, although I've never had a problem speaking to doctors if it was for my own health. He shoved me into the passenger seat and locked the door the moment he was in the car. He began driving and I simply sat there with my arms across my chest, the fires of hell burning deeply within me. I closed my eyes tightly when the pain struck again, sucking in a breath. When it disappeared, I was thankful and let out a breath of relief. "Are you alright?" I ignored him. "Whatever, be mad at me but it's for your own good."

My own good? He didn't even know me. How could he know what was good for me?

When we finally pulled up to the hospital building, he pulled me from the passenger seat and lead me inside where I was automatically taken off to some room. I sat on some bed and waited. "Hello dear." A man with a clip board finally spoke, ready to take down my information. "I'm Dr. Ryan Carter. Your name is?"

"Autumn Brace." I responded. "And my idiot neighbor brought me here so you won't find my parents anywhere, you'll have to call them when you find out there's absolutely nothing wrong with me except for a stupid little cut on my head."

He chuckled. "I think I'll be the judge of that." His hands pushed hair away from the cut on my head where he examined very closely. "Well, the bleeding has stopped on it's own, so that's a good sign." He pushed down in one area in particular, causing me to gasp and shut my eyes tightly. "But this area is tender apparently. This cut will heal on it's own, even though it was definitely a heavy bleeder. Have you felt anything unusual since you hit your head? Such as confusion, dizziness, nausea, headaches, blurred vision, or anything along those lines?" He released my head and stood in front of me, beginning to write on his clip board.

"Uhm, dizziness, nausea, and possibly a little dizziness, but that could've just been the way I rushed onto my feet." I explained.

"Hmm." He placed the pen securely down on the clip board. "It sounds like your, and I quote, 'stupid neighbor' isn't so stupid after all. It's a good thing he brought you here. I suspect a minor concussion. I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you and your parents both agreed to allow you to stay here for the night where we can run a few further tests and come to a definite conclusion, and then possibly prescribe you some pain medication for those killer headaches you're going to get if I'm right. Is there a number that I can contact your parents at?"

I sighed. "My father is at work right now and my mother is out shopping because my sister will be home from college tomorrow. I don't know if she has her cell phone, but you can try calling it. Where can I write down the number?" He handed me the pen and clip board and pointed to the "parent/guardian Cell phone" line. I scribbled down the number quickly, including the different area code because of the recent move out of our old state. I handed him the clipboard and he walked out of the room, stopping slightly outside the doorway, nodding, and continued walking on his merry way to calmly mother.

I pulled my legs onto the bed and crossed them, resting my elbows down on my folded knees along with resting my chin in my hand while the TV continued to blare with some childhood television show. "I take it he's calling your mother?" I continued looking straight toward the television when his voice trailed toward me. I didn't even hear his approaching footsteps.

Definite creeper status.

"You know something Autumn. . . You can ignore me all you want but that's not going to make any of this go away. So what, you got hurt and a complete stranger who had to make sure you were still at home because of your mother just so happened to have to take you to the hospital, big whoop! Seriously, just get over it cause that cold shoulder. . . Well, it isn't causing me to freeze."

My intention wasn't to make him feel bad. It was just to get him to go away. I didn't want him here because I didn't want to be here. My idea of a good day wasn't really being locked up in a hospital room waiting on my mother to make an arrival if that even happened so she could convince them to let me go home. Jesse sighed and did what I suppose was giving up on me as he stood up and exited the room. Yes, I was extremely irritating but so was sitting in a hospital when there's nothing wrong with you. "Alrighty Autumn, your mother seems to be very quick at making decisions. I don't think she was on the phone for more than thirty seconds." Doctor Carter's voice chimed in. "She dropped everything she was doing and she's on her way now. I take it your new to town?"

"Yeah, we just moved here. It might take her a while to get here, we're not familiar with the area yet. . . Or at least I'm not. She was coming here and exploring the neighborhood for quite some time before she and my father decided to move us out here." He simply nodded and pulled up a chair, relaxing and taking notes on my behavior and how often the stinging occurred and the pain. He finally called in a nurse.

"We need some pain medication for the the minor head injury. Just a small dosage, nothing that will cause her to get loopy or become too tired." She nodded and walked off to the medicine cart, returning with two small pills and a small Dixie cup filled with water.

"Any allergies I should know about before I hand this off to you young lady?" She questioned, hesitating to hand me the meds.

"Only cats and peanuts minorly, hot dogs make me throw up but I don't think I'm allergic to them." She nodded and handed me the medication on the simple standards of trust. I downed them quickly and prayed for a fast effect to take on. When they finally kicked in, I began feeling drowsy. The nurse was still present and simply shook her head.

"It's very rare for people to fall asleep from that medication. Everybody reacts differently though. She might just be one of those people who self medicated at home so her bodies not used to taking anything like this. She's not the first this has happened too, Doctor." He chuckled as my eyes started closing on their own, but I fought them.

"I know, it's perfectly fine." I felt the wrapping of some sort of fabric around my head before Doctor. Carter pushed down on my shoulders gently, causing me to fall onto the bed easily. The soft pillows didn't hurt my cut surprisingly, but then again, that could have been the meds talking.

* * * * * * *

It wasn't a struggle to open my eyes. I was surprised the Doctor let me sleep even though he suspected a concussion. Whenever I watched television shows, you were supposed to stay awake for twenty-four hours but I guess that was only in extreme cases where stitches are needed in the head and death almost occurred. I had a small gash and that was the worst of it. I sat up in the still brightly lit room and pushed the blanket away from me, tearing the gauze that were so carefully wrapped, off of my head. I threw them onto the floor and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands, yawning. The medicine had worn off and I knew this from the head ache I currently had. Great. "Hey. You know those gauze were supposed to stay on, right?" I froze, knowing that smart ass voice already even though I barely knew him. What the hell was he still doing here? "I know what you're thinking. . . Why am I still here and where is your mother."

There was no winning with him! "Well she had to go pick up your sister and I'm your ride home. It's about," He stopped speaking and looked at his watch, "Eleven in the morning. Damn, those meds knocked you on your ass! Hows the head feel?" I turned my face the other way, arms crossed over my chest. "Well they ran some tests on you last night while you were sleeping and nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. They said you're good to go home with a bottle of pain killers today. You're mother already signed for your release when she left this morning."

I was becoming very good at this ignoring thing. "Well are you at least ready to go? I don't really want to spend my day in some hospital room that I don't need to be in." I stood up from the bed, slightly shaky. It took me a moment to steady myself and walk out the door, positive that Jesse was following behind me. Once I was checked out and in the car, Jesse continued to try and make pointless conversation that I could simply continue to ignore. It seemed to me that Mr. Cocky was getting angrier each second I didn't pay him any mind.