The Haunted Memories (Forgotten Series, #4)

Chapter 21

I rubbed at my temples, I had woken up with a headache. It had been bad enough that I had actually been tempted to roll over and stay in bed until it passed. I felt completely drained of energy and even my wolf felt lethargic. I had been getting used to the dreams, having the interrupt my sleep, having them run me down but this type of exhaustion was not something I had ever experienced before. It was bone deep and sapped all the strength from my muscles and body. It was just... different for me.

I tried my hardest to focus on what Madeline was trying to tell me. She had been doing really well in remembering to draw her words out and using the various techniques that Elissa-May had taught her. Her speech was still stunted but the healer had said that we wouldn't see any large improvements for a few months at least.

"Ninnet an' Ahhhhllie-"

I held up a finger. "Llllinnnnnette and Olllie." I watched as she scrunched her face up.

"Llllllllinnnnnette annnnnnnduh Awwwwwllie." She drug it out and despite how she got Ollie wrong I ignored it. She was slowly getting better and I wasn't going to nit pick her because she could be stubborn when she wanted. It was not an argument I had the willpower to fight.

"That's better. What about them?" I wiped at my forehead as I slowly put the dishes into the sink, trying to not knock them against the metal basin. I looked at her over my shoulder at her. She was sitting at the table, jam smeared around her mouth.

"Still in bed?" She tilted her head as she pursed her lips before she picked up a piece of scrambled egg and ate it.

"Are they still in bed?" I stressed the words she had missed and she happily chewed the egg. She seemed to be ignoring me and I turned around fully. "Madeline."

She made a slight face before she finally looked at me. "Arrrrreeee thhhhheeeeey still in bed?" She stressed the words out and I nodded.

"Yes." By the tousled and tumbled appearance of Linnette when she had opened the door, I didn't doubt they were going to be in bed for at least the day.

"Why?" The question was almost grating but I ignored it. She was young and as much as my head hurt I would entertain her whys. It wasn't her fault I felt the way I did and I wouldn't take it out on her.

"Because they are spending time together." Quite a bit of... close time together. It also explained where my silver dagger had gone. I had found Madeline rooting through one of my desk drawers and had panicked because that was where the dagger had been. Thankfully it had been missing but she got a talking to about going through my desk without asking.

"Oh... Eat bekfas'?" She tilted her head at me and I let out a small sigh.

"Did they eat the breakfast we made them?" I said the words slowly as I looked at her. "Remember to use all the words." It was a continuous job in reminding her to draw the words out or remember to use all of them.

"Otay!" She nodded happily before she started picking at her eggs, eating the bits and pieces she picked at.

"Ohhh-kaaay." I drew the word out, separating it like Elissa-May had done.

"Hard." She set her jaw in that overwhelmingly familiar position that let me know she wasn't going to play those games with me. I stared at her, she was overbearingly stubborn sometimes. I hated to admit it but she reminded me of myself when I was that age. I hated it because despite how much she looked like Maggie, she had a lot of personality traits that reminded me of myself.

"I am too tired to argue with you, Madeline." I rubbed at my forehead and she gave me a rather bright smile before turning back to her breakfast. I turned back around and slowly continued with the dishes. I felt far too drained to argue with a three year old, my head felt oddly full but hollow at the same time. Everything I was currently feeling was just off, my head felt strange and I wasn't my usual self.