When I get home that night I don't see my parents anywhere in sight. I head down the hallway and hear their voices coming from the office. I slip close to the door and listen in.
"It's just too fast, I don't think it's good for her. How can she adjust so fast to the real world when she's been gone from it for five years!!"
"I don't know, but whatever she's doing it's working. Why change it or try and stop it?"
"I'm just worried; what if this rapid progress catches up to her and something bad happens. What if she has a panic attack and we aren't there?"
"Someone will be there to help."
"How do you know that?! And what about her nightmares? She's having them again."
"It's only been one since we moved here."
"That we know of! I'm taking her to Dr. Roberts this weekend to see if he recommends taking her to a specialist or something."
"Babe, please. Let's just keep an eye on her for now. You know she doesn't want to go to the doctor."
"Well the next nightmare she has I'm taking her and that's final!"
I walk away from the door and head to my room before they catch me eavesdropping. My parents are right. My assimilation into the real world is happening too fast. They don't know how long I practiced leaving the house; two weeks it took me to reach the curb, but once I did leave that curb it's like the floodgates opened. I was exposed to the endless possibilities of a normal life. My agoraphobia seemed to disappear. I still get anxiety about large crowds, what to do in social situations, fear about my parents killer, but is that agoraphobia or something else?
Once upstairs I take a quick bath because cheer boot camp was excruciating and my muscles are sore. Then I finish up the small amount of homework my teachers have given on the first week of classes. I finish pretty fast and spread out on my bed waiting for Mom to call me for dinner and thinking about how to explain to Victor what I need.
I don't want him to know someone is after me. I also don't want to go into too much detail about what I suspect happened to my parents. If I fib a little will he notice? My parents always do.
At dinner I ask my mom at the last minute if it's okay that Victor is coming over for a computer project. I don't label it as a school project because they would know I'm lying. She agrees. About an hour after dinner the doorbell rings.
"Victor! Come on in."
"Hi Princess, I brought my laptop. It's easier for me to use, I hope that's okay."
"Sure, lets go to my room and work on it."
"Absolutely not Doodle Bug!!" My dad interrupts with, "and who is this young fellow?"
"Dad this is Victor, we have to do some computer work. It's easier to use the computer in my room."
YOU ARE READING
Finding My Normal
FanfictionAfter Sang's family died she was moved from foster home to foster home. She has finally found a new life with her adopted parents, but she has yet to leave their property for five years out of fear of what lies in the real world. Sang is desperate...
