Monster.
Six.
I had to run to be sick. Maggie cackled behind me at some private joke going on in her head as I made a mad dash to the ward's one bathroom. After emptying what felt like the lining of my empty stomach into the toilet bowl I turned to the sink to wash the dripping sweat off of my face. I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror above and I felt like vomiting all over again. All I could see on the other side was Maggie. My long, thick black hair was wild and matted like hers and my calm grey eyes were gone. Instead I saw the same ferocious madness I had seen in Maggie's. Shaking, I turned away; I couldn't take it anymore. Could we be related? There was no chance I was the child torn from her stomach, was there? My mother, who could possibly be her sister, was a doctor after all. If anyone could do it she could. My head was spinning from the crazy thoughts. Maybe this was another symptom for whatever was wrong me; of course Maggie wasn't my mother. I just wanted to make my life even more dramatic than it already was. Maybe I was just attention seeking, maybe deep down I just wanted my parents to notice me and what would be better for that then going mad?
I made my way back to the ward with great hesitation; I didn't want to have to see Maggie again, to see the similarities between us. My mind couldn't handle the fact that maybe I was her child. Liara was sitting cross legged on her bed waiting for me, staring at me with wide eyes and ignoring Maggie as best as I could I made my way towards her.
'Is everything okay?' she asked, her voice full of concern.
I sat on my bed, unable to control my body shaking and the cold sweat I had broken into.
'I'm fine', I lied, 'It just shocked me a bit. The similarities between me and Maggie.'
'So, are you related or what?' she probed. Liara was obviously as desperate as me to get to the bottom of this mystery.
'I doubt it,' I replied, 'it's probably just one of those doppelganger kind of things'.
I was lying, to Liara and to myself. I was trying to convince myself that's that all it was. The name and where she was from was also just a big coincidence. Unfortunately my brain wouldn't accept this. 'Admit it, you're crazy and you think you're her child because deep down you're just an attention seeking brat' said the horrible voice in my head. I willed it to shut up and thankfully it worked but I knew it would only be a matter of time before it was back. The voice never left for long.
Liara, however, looked extremely disappointed. It seemed my explanation wasn't good enough for her.
'Oh,' she said sadly, 'yeah, maybe that's it. Well, I'm gonna take a nap now Briony'.
With that she got under the covers of her bed and lay with her back to me. I felt bad my practical explanation wasn't enough for her but I needed to make myself believe it and so I wasn't going to go along with the delusion I was Maggie's long lost child just to make someone else happy, especially someone I'd just met and knew next to nothing about. Unsure of what exactly to do in the ward without Liara to talk to I decided to settle down for a nap too.
I woke up determined that I was going to get answers from my parents. I needed to know whether my theory about Maggie was the truth or not. Unfortunately, I hadn't the faintest idea on how to word such a query so I decided to settle on just quizzing them about my mother's long lost sister first. 'Yeah right, I'm sure the parents who don't care about you are going to take the time to reply with answers to aaaaaaaall your questions' screamed the voice in my head.
'Shut up, shut up, shut up', I muttered under my breath, finding myself once again trying to will the voice away.
I jumped at a sudden touch on my shoulder and I bolted upright in my bed to find Liara looking down at me, her expression full of worry.
'Is everything okay Briony?' she whispered softly.
I nodded, 'yeah, just a bad dream is all.' I tried my best to give her what I thought was a calm smile but she looked puzzled.
'Are you su-'
'Do you have a pen and a piece of paper by any chance? I want to write to my parents' I interrupted.
I didn't want an interrogation or sympathy just now. I needed to write this letter before my courage failed me. Liara gave me a big grin and reaching into her bedside cabinet she retrieved a pale purple notebook and a pencil.
'Unfortunately I don't have an envelope' she said, handing me the items, 'you'll have to get that from Nurse Jackson.
'Thank you' I replied and with that she lay back on her bed and immersed herself in yet another celebrity gossip magazine; she seemed to have a secret stash of reading material. Poised with pencil on paper I tried my hardest to articulate my crazy thoughts into a letter.
I made my way back to the ward with great hesitation; I didn't want to have to see Maggie again, to see the similarities between us. My mind couldn't handle the fact that maybe I was her child. Liara was sitting cross legged on her bed waiting for me, staring at me with wide eyes and ignoring Maggie as best as I could I made my way towards her.
'Is everything okay?' she asked, her voice full of concern.
I sat on my bed, unable to control my body shaking and the cold sweat I had broken into.
'I'm fine', I lied, 'It just shocked me a bit. The similarities between me and Maggie.'
'So, are you related or what?' she probed. Liara was obviously as desperate as me to get to the bottom of this mystery.
'I doubt it,' I replied, 'it's probably just one of those doppelganger kind of things'.
I was lying, to Liara and to myself. I was trying to convince myself that's that all it was. The name and where she was from was also just a big coincidence. Unfortunately my brain wouldn't accept this. 'Admit it, you're crazy and you think you're her child because deep down you're just an attention seeking brat' said the horrible voice in my head. I willed it to shut up and thankfully it worked but I knew it would only be a matter of time before it was back. The voice never left for long.
Liara, however, looked extremely disappointed. It seemed my explanation wasn't good enough for her.
'Oh,' she said sadly, 'yeah, maybe that's it. Well, I'm gonna take a nap now Briony'.
With that she got under the covers of her bed and lay with her back to me. I felt bad my practical explanation wasn't enough for her but I needed to make myself believe it and so I wasn't going to go along with the delusion I was Maggie's long lost child just to make someone else happy, especially someone I'd just met and knew next to nothing about. Unsure of what exactly to do in the ward without Liara to talk to I decided to settle down for a nap too.
I woke up determined that I was going to get answers from my parents. I needed to know whether my theory about Maggie was the truth or not. Unfortunately, I hadn't the faintest idea on how to word such a query so I decided to settle on just quizzing them about my mother's long lost sister first. 'Yeah right, I'm sure the parents who don't care about you are going to take the time to reply with answers to aaaaaaaall your questions' screamed the voice in my head.
'Shut up, shut up, shut up', I muttered under my breath, finding myself once again trying to will the voice away.
I jumped at a sudden touch on my shoulder and I bolted upright in my bed to find Liara looking down at me, her expression full of worry.
'Is everything okay Briony?' she whispered softly.
I nodded, 'yeah, just a bad dream is all.' I tried my best to give her what I thought was a calm smile but she looked puzzled.
'Are you su-'
'Do you have a pen and a piece of paper by any chance? I want to write to my parents' I interrupted.
I didn't want an interrogation or sympathy just now. I needed to write this letter before my courage failed me. Liara gave me a big grin and reaching into her bedside cabinet she retrieved a pale purple notebook and a pencil.
'Unfortunately I don't have an envelope' she said, handing me the items, 'you'll have to get that from Nurse Jackson.
'Thank you' I replied and with that she lay back on her bed and immersed herself in yet another celebrity gossip magazine; she seemed to have a secret stash of reading material. Poised with pencil on paper I tried my hardest to articulate my crazy thoughts into a letter.