‹ Prequel: Inducing Illusions
Status: It goes..
The Apodictic Cure
87
"Brielle?"
Brielle ripped her stare away from the hallway that Miel had left through. With that man.
May she keep her senses about her...
"Brielle?"
She focused back on Andrew, who was calling her name. He took her stare as an invitation to keep talking. "Can I tell you what I'm here for?" He smiled at her, and it seemed genuine, so she nodded.
He took a deep breath and tangled his fingers before his mouth, as Dr. Jonson often did in therapy. "I'm like you." He started. She glared at him and he held his hands up. "Hear me out."
She nodded at him, again, to say "continue".
"I was recently released from this very facility, actually. I was raped by my mother's best friend at very young age." His eyes were no longer on her, but on his fingers, which were now resting on the faded denim on his lap. He sounded distant, like all of his memories were bombarding him, dragging him out of the chair, leaving his body behind.
"It went on for years- Starting when I was fourteen, ending when I moved away for college. That was about four years ago. Of course, I didn't last a week at University. I'd gone to an all-boys private school, and Mrs. An, my mom's friend, said I wasn't aloud to see other girls. The one time I did, she beat me with a belt."
Brielle's eyes widened in surprise. Surely he was lying to her. A woman couldn't possibly do that. He was trying to manipulate her.
"Of course, she beat me regularly, anyway. Sometimes she'd burn me, or cut me. Anything to grind the fact that she owned me into my brain." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get away from his recollection. "She developed a fear of women in my brain. That's why I ended up here for three years. I had a breakdown on my first day of class because a girl sat next to me."
Jessica touched Brielle's shoulder, making her jump. She'd forgotten that she was there. Brielle was all too consumed in Andrew's story.
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" She whispered.
For only a moment, he looked wounded that she'd even asked, but he quickly regained his composure.
He tucked a strand of ginger hair behind his ear and undid the top button of his shirt.
Brielle shot out of her chair, ready to bolt. "You filth! I knew it!"
He held up his hands, again, in surrender. His low voice purred at her, "Please stay. I promise that I will not move any closer to you. I am just answering your question." His brown eyes locked with hers behind her sickly hair. She could not keep his gaze, though. Instead, she looked to Jessica.
She smiled reassuringly and pat the chair. Brielle refused to sit, but she didn't run.
Andrew undid his second shirt button, his eyes never leaving Brielle. Slowly he shrugged the shirt over his left shoulder, exposing a very noticeable scar in the shape of an 'A'. It was obviously very large. The top of the 'A' was unseen, draped over his shoulder. It was fully healed, puckered white skin. It would never go away, Brielle knew. She found herself wanting to feel it, but shook the urge out of her mind with a toss of her hair.
Andrew readjusted his shirt and rebuttoned it. A small, sad smile flickered onto his lips, because she knew now that he was telling the truth.
A tear ran down her cheek. And another. And several more until a steady stream of tears was coming, making some of her hair stick to her face. She lowered her head and her shoulders began to heave with her sobs.
She was confused. How could that woman have become such a monster. V, I need you! This creature stands before me, claiming that women were his monsters. How can that be? Desperately, Brielle wanted to believe that he was lying to her. But she knew that he was not. Not just because of the scar, but because she wanted to connect her problems with his.
I want to get better
The thought was a revelation. She'd never really thought there had been anything wrong with herself. V had always been the one to point out their flaws. Patronizing her, making everything worse...
V is gone.
Andrew stood, unsure of what to do. He didn't want to break his promise to her.
Jessica dismissed him and he reluctantly did as he was told, then she brought Brielle back to her room.
Brielle ripped her stare away from the hallway that Miel had left through. With that man.
May she keep her senses about her...
"Brielle?"
She focused back on Andrew, who was calling her name. He took her stare as an invitation to keep talking. "Can I tell you what I'm here for?" He smiled at her, and it seemed genuine, so she nodded.
He took a deep breath and tangled his fingers before his mouth, as Dr. Jonson often did in therapy. "I'm like you." He started. She glared at him and he held his hands up. "Hear me out."
She nodded at him, again, to say "continue".
"I was recently released from this very facility, actually. I was raped by my mother's best friend at very young age." His eyes were no longer on her, but on his fingers, which were now resting on the faded denim on his lap. He sounded distant, like all of his memories were bombarding him, dragging him out of the chair, leaving his body behind.
"It went on for years- Starting when I was fourteen, ending when I moved away for college. That was about four years ago. Of course, I didn't last a week at University. I'd gone to an all-boys private school, and Mrs. An, my mom's friend, said I wasn't aloud to see other girls. The one time I did, she beat me with a belt."
Brielle's eyes widened in surprise. Surely he was lying to her. A woman couldn't possibly do that. He was trying to manipulate her.
"Of course, she beat me regularly, anyway. Sometimes she'd burn me, or cut me. Anything to grind the fact that she owned me into my brain." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get away from his recollection. "She developed a fear of women in my brain. That's why I ended up here for three years. I had a breakdown on my first day of class because a girl sat next to me."
Jessica touched Brielle's shoulder, making her jump. She'd forgotten that she was there. Brielle was all too consumed in Andrew's story.
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" She whispered.
For only a moment, he looked wounded that she'd even asked, but he quickly regained his composure.
He tucked a strand of ginger hair behind his ear and undid the top button of his shirt.
Brielle shot out of her chair, ready to bolt. "You filth! I knew it!"
He held up his hands, again, in surrender. His low voice purred at her, "Please stay. I promise that I will not move any closer to you. I am just answering your question." His brown eyes locked with hers behind her sickly hair. She could not keep his gaze, though. Instead, she looked to Jessica.
She smiled reassuringly and pat the chair. Brielle refused to sit, but she didn't run.
Andrew undid his second shirt button, his eyes never leaving Brielle. Slowly he shrugged the shirt over his left shoulder, exposing a very noticeable scar in the shape of an 'A'. It was obviously very large. The top of the 'A' was unseen, draped over his shoulder. It was fully healed, puckered white skin. It would never go away, Brielle knew. She found herself wanting to feel it, but shook the urge out of her mind with a toss of her hair.
Andrew readjusted his shirt and rebuttoned it. A small, sad smile flickered onto his lips, because she knew now that he was telling the truth.
A tear ran down her cheek. And another. And several more until a steady stream of tears was coming, making some of her hair stick to her face. She lowered her head and her shoulders began to heave with her sobs.
She was confused. How could that woman have become such a monster. V, I need you! This creature stands before me, claiming that women were his monsters. How can that be? Desperately, Brielle wanted to believe that he was lying to her. But she knew that he was not. Not just because of the scar, but because she wanted to connect her problems with his.
I want to get better
The thought was a revelation. She'd never really thought there had been anything wrong with herself. V had always been the one to point out their flaws. Patronizing her, making everything worse...
V is gone.
Andrew stood, unsure of what to do. He didn't want to break his promise to her.
Jessica dismissed him and he reluctantly did as he was told, then she brought Brielle back to her room.