Insane

•Chapter 6: Waiting for 2 AM•

I stumble to my front door still lovestruck over the event that took place only a few minutes ago. The key clicks the lock back and I open the door. I spot Alice sitting on the couch reading a book. She glances up at my arrival and instantly shoots up.

"Oh my gosh!" She grins from ear to ear, "You guys kissed?"
She runs over to me and grabs both of my arms, a smile forms across my face.
"We did, it was so..." my mind trails off and I bite my lip, "passionate."
"You need to tell me everything, right now sit down."
She brings me towards the couch, trying not to trip over the pile of un-arranged books on the carpet.
"It was breathtaking, I can't really describe it fully..." I glance down to the ground. Rocky sitting near me next to Ella. My mind starts to fumble with the idea of him not being the one or him playing with my emotions. My smile slowly fades and Alice's voice becomes inaudible.
My ears ring, "Scarlett? Hello? Scarlett!" She says waving her hand across my face.
"Oh," I look up at her soft smile, "I'm just thinking."
"About...?"
"What if I'm just another girl to him, just another kiss, just another date?"
"Oh no! Don't start with this please!"
"He is 25, he's probably has at least 3 girlfriends twice a year."
"Scarlett, listen to me. You're just nervous, you've never done this before and you want to try and prevent everything but you can't. You have quite a bit of trust issues."
She stares at me, waiting for a response.
"I guess you're right, I'm just so focused on making sure this goes right." I slide off the couch to the warm carpet. My hands tap on my lap in efforts to call over Rocky. I scratch his thick fur which makes his leg jump.
"Look it's movie night for Chris and I tonight, I'll be back around 2 AM." Alice says grabbing her purse behind the couch.
"Yeah that's fine, make sure to come back though. Don't sleep over there please." I say with my eyes following her footsteps towards the door.
"I love you princess!" She blows a kiss which make the keys in her hand jingle and she disappears through the door.
My eyes redirected onto Rocky who begins to sniff my bag. His nose wiggles back and forth and his steel eyes remain locked on the object. "What is it bud?" I say grabbing the bag, "is it Henry's smell that's got you all worked up?" My hands begin rummaging through it. "Oh..." I'm suddenly reminded of the photo album in my bag. "Well, I don't have anything better to do." I decide on looking through each page to see what I could find.

As my fingers glide over every persons face, I realize it's the same kids. Five pages, with the same two kids plastered on each side. The pictures themselves where black and white, and their expressions were dull, lifeless. Even more so with the brownish filter bringing each picture to a darker, more depressing state. The little girl seems blonde, her light hair confirming she doesn't have dark locks. Then there's the boy, a young boy, 18 maybe 19. He has strong features, carved jaw and a sculptured nose. He seemed familiar though, I just couldn't find the right person to compare him to. I flip to the next page. Each photo in this one seemed tampered with. This time it wasn't just the kids, it was the whole family. My eyes survey the similarities in each picture. The only woman in the picture, the mother perhaps, has a smudge over her face. Like a big, black dirty thumbprint that covers her entire face. And the over the picture of the husband, there appeared to be scratch marks. These marks scarred his face and chest, barely making him recognizable. I rub my finger over the black traces in an attempt to get them off. No use, they will permanently remain there. I study each face and take in each of their outfits. It's a shame they're not in color.

As I continue mesmerized with the photos distinct features a clear drop falls on the picture of the two twins. "Water?" My head tilts as I swipe the water away from the little girls face. Another crystal drop falls square on the boys face. I lift my head to inspect the ceiling, the drips kept falling, getting more and more constant. "Oh no no no...!" I throw the book aside, grab the room keys and jet up the stairs.
"This can't be happening!" I struggle to fit the right key in the lock. "Oh come on!" I quickly look over the balcony to see the puddle forming near Rocky's legs. My hands begin to tremble and my feet begin to feel heavy. I finally insert the right key, the key is the same for both the room and it's matching bathroom. I swing the door open and my eyes immediately go to the overflowing bathtub. "Oh my gosh..." I run over to it, kicking off my heels and leaving them near the door. I throw myself over the edge of the tub to sink my hands and pull the drain plug. My attention is on the front of the tub and the water starts spilling onto my blue dress. I see a platinum blonde, almost white strand float over my hand. "What the hell?" I pull the strand out and set it on the floor. My hands wrap around the drain plug and pull it out. The sound of the water draining followed it right after. I stare at the lowering height of the water and I notice the wet floor under my sore feet. My ears pick up a wince. "Rocky? Rocky, buddy what wrong?" I walk over to the stair case to see Rocky crouching down, with his ears back staring at something. "Rocky?" I begin to walk down the first few steps at the sight of his tense body. "What's wrong boy?" I say in a playful voice. My foot lifts from the last step and my eyes lay upon a doll. A wet doll, sitting on the couch. I swallow deeply. "Did I not throw this away?" That thought is quickly gone as I convince myself that even my thoughts aren't safe. I walk slowly towards the doll, leaving a trail of creaks on the floorboards. I reach the doll and recognize it's painted smile. Her clothes are soggy but her hair seemed perfectly intact. It's bouncy curls left untouched. I follow the form of her soft curls and realize that one side seems fuller than the other. My fingers go through her hair and I realize a patch of ripped out hair. "The hair." I quickly drop the doll and her face cracks. "The hair in the tub!" My fingers run through my hair. "No this can't be..." I grab her by the arm and find the matches in the kitchen drawer. "I'm going to end this, now." I place her beside me as my legs bend to couch next to the fireplace. My hand grips the matchbox and quickly swipe the match outward. The small flame creates a fire. The heat evaporating the water on my damp clothes. My back bends as I reach over for the doll. I turn it over to view the damage on her cheek. I held my breath as I realized her smile was no longer there but replaced with a frown. I scream and my reflexes throw her into the fire. My knees buckle and I fall to the floor. My emotions begin to take over and my silent muffles turn to sobs. I begin to rock myself and I place my hands on my temples. "Please-" I cry out, "you're not crazy Scarlett, you're not crazy." My throats begins to close as I beg for air. My lungs feel squeezed as my cries allow no airflow. The tears in my eyes reflect the burning fire in front of me. I felt like burning the doll took everything away. It gave me a sense of hope almost, rare and uncommon. My exhaustion kicks in and my body feels heavy. As if I was wearing a weight around my neck, like a pearl necklace. The weight slams me to the floor and I give a silent surrender. I don't fight it. I remain on the floor, warmed by the heat of the fire. Suddenly 2 AM seemed too far to wait for. My eyes begin to sag and I finally decide it's time to close them.