Purgatory

Chapter 16

My parents never liked the idea of sleep overs during the week days.  That never prevented us from at least spending the day with each other.  We lived within walking distance from each other, albeit a long walk, but it became quite normal over the years.  We’d often find ourselves cutting through the cow pastures for a shorter walk, though it would often result in the wrong step into something foul.

It was the summer before eighth grade when Naddia’s mother, Mrs. Holiday, would drive her to my place and stay for an hour.  Naddia would spend time with my mother in her home office during that time, and I would sit with Mrs. Holiday, sometimes chatting about school or boys.  I had a particular crush on a boy named Rolph, but he was more interested in Naddia.

After Naddia’s session, her mother would quietly speak to mine, and she and I would be free to play until dinner time.  I never bothered to invade and ask questions about what went on in that room.  My mother told me many times that whatever happens in her office stays in her office, and that the secrecy should be respected.  While Naddia never really left the room cheery, I always knew what would lift her spirits.

“Come on, let’s go to the fall for a swim,” I whispered to her one afternoon.  She looked deep and distant in thought, and I had to practically drag her from the corridor.  But then she became immovable, her delicate feet firmly planted in the carpet as she looked at me in muted worry.

“I don’t want to go outside,” she said to me.  I looked out the nearest window at the beautiful day.  The sunlight glistened through the glass as it stood brilliantly in the vibrant blue sky.  There wasn’t a cloud for miles, and it was such a hot day.  Everything was perfect for a swim in the frigid creek waters.

“Why not?” I asked in confusion.  “Come on, it’s a nice day.”

I pleaded through my expression and my slumped posture for her to comply, but she merely shook her head ever so slightly, her dark eyes near to tears.  I felt my will cave to her own, and I simply nodded in return and led her to my room.  I did not enjoy being indoors too much as a child, so I was sure to give myself something to do on rainy days when I had company over.  My parents never allowed me to play any console games or use their tablets when Naddia came over because of my overly competitive nature and how quick to anger I would become.

My hands rested on an organized compartment box thoughtfully before I brought it to the floor where Naddia sat.  I smiled at her to hopefully lighten her mood, and unclasped the top to reveal thousands of beads neatly sectioned to squares.  I lifted the chain that hung around my neck and produced the skeleton key that hung from it.

“I was thinking maybe we could make pretty necklaces and use our keys as pendants,” I said as removed the key from the chain.  Naddia gently touched the fabric of her shirt where her key rested beneath, but she did not remove it.  I couldn’t help but be concerned for her.  She usually was never so lost in her thoughts.  “Is everything alright, Naddia?”

Her eyes turned to me, glistening with her tears she held back.  She looked frightened and uncertain, her brow furrowed with her thought.  I noticed the glint of dark lines against her pale skin that revealed itself through her arm cuff.  The lines looked fresh and the skin around it reddened.

“You’ve been cutting again,” I stated, and she lowered her arm to hide the evidence.  “Why do you keep doing that?”

“That’s the only way I can speak to them,” she replied with a slight quiver in her voice.

“The voices, you mean?” I asked her, and she nodded in reply.  For some time now she had revealed how she could hear voices, and often times I would hear them myself.  I knew she wasn’t mad because of it, but our parents see otherwise.  Either way, I did not like the voices, and never particularly cared to talk to them much.  Naddia, on the other hand, couldn’t resist.