Phantom Chained

Chapter 12. Consequences. Ingrid.

What a great start to the day, tripping over your own mother's legs on the way to the toilet.

Mom was relaxing in a reclining chair that was placed in a way to block the entrance to my room. As I lost my footing and grabbed onto the nearest object, which happened to be her blanket, she raised her head.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To the toilet," I responded, still half-asleep. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you realise who you're talking to?" My mother's tone didn't herald anything positive. "Do you understand the position you're in?"

"Mom, what's up with you? Of course I do, why are you angry? Maybe you can give a proper explanation instead of asking pointless questions?"

"Very well." She threw off the rest of her blanket and stood up from the chair. For some reason, she was wearing Olaf's t-shirt which almost reached her knees, paired with knitted leggings. The frail and messy woman now reminded me of a rebellious teenager.

Throwing the door open, she abruptly stated: "Come to the dining room, we are going to have a very serious discussion."

"But I have to go to the toilet."

"You'll have to hold it in for another ten minutes."

"Mom, why are..."

"I said, come downstairs!"

Bewildered, I dashed by her and locked myself in the bathroom. I almost shrieked from the pain in my left hand when I pulled on my pyjama pants; the nail on my middle finger was almost ripped in half with blood already caked underneath. Why? When I went to sleep everything was completely fine!

Mom's glare was angry and full of suspicion as if I'd done something very wrong. A sense of guilt-ridden confusion bubbled inside me, just like the time mom's golden bracelet went missing and she showered me with hints and indirect questions all while eyeing me down with the same maliciously cautious expression. She ended up finding the bracelet later, which ended up falling between the sofa's cushions.

I remember how she didn't even attempt to apologise for her suspicions. I waited but it turned out that the thought hasn't even crossed her mind. Just excitement from finding the lost accessory and not the slightest hint of remorse about suspecting her own daughter of theft.

What will she blame on me today?

I walked downstairs to meet my mom, who was already sitting on her favourite sofa by the window with a grey tunic instead of the oversized shirt. Olaf was busy by the stove and the sweet smell suggested we were having pudding for breakfast. I greeted him and asked if he needed a hand around the kitchen.

However, Olaf just lowered his head and muttered something unintelligible. To my surprise, I saw that his face was turning red.

"Sit." Mom cut.

I obediently sat on the edge of a chair, switching my gaze from Olaf's tomato-red face to my mom's furious grimace.

"Now, be honest with me. Do you take drugs?"

"Wha-a-at?" I felt as if someone poured a bucket of icy water on me. "Mom, what are you on about? Did... did you hit your head? What drugs!"

"Oh, so I'm the crazy one!" She shrieked. "What are you doing with your life..."

"Marie, dear, calm down!" Olaf walked up to her and gave her a gentle hug. "We talked about this..."

"Then talk to this twerp yourself!" Mom yelled, pushing him off. "Maybe you will sort this out alone? Am I bothering you? Maybe I should just leave?"

"Marie!" This time Olaf's soft voice gave way for a strict tone that made mom shut up. He then turned to me and went back to his usual voice:

"You see..." He hesitated for a moment as if carefully picking the right words. "Tell me, do you remember what happened last night?"

"Last night? No, did something happen?"

"So, here's what we're going to do: First, we are going to get you tested and then we will visit a psychiatrist. The sooner the better."

"Marie, stop!" Shouted Olaf and turned to me again. "I'll help you remember, okay?" He wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve before continuing. "Last night, your mother and I couldn't fall asleep for a while. If was about two in the morning when I heard the front door slam and went downstairs to see that it was ajar. Looking outside, I saw... Ingrid, it was pouring outside, cold and windy. And you were walking away in just your pyjamas, barefoot!"

"I-I don't remember," I whispered, glancing at my mother in shock.

"Are you certain your friends haven't fed you any... interesting substances?" She asked with a malicious tone. "Or do you always behave like that when we're not around? Remember what you did when Olaf tried to get you back inside?"

"What did I do?"

"You fought like a rabid dog, Olaf barely restrained you! All while screaming loudly enough to wake the entire street; you're lucky that none of them called the police! Made a huge ruckus, embarrassed me..."

"Mariah!" Olaf grabbed his head. "That's enough!"

"Enough? Enough what? She doesn't remember, what a convenient excuse! No, dear, the fact that you were 'stoned' or whatever your friends call it does not make it any better! Your true colours were revealed, my dear daughter, when you got naked before Olaf and..."

"Shut up!" Olaf shouted, bashing a pot against the stove. "Now!"

But mother dearest already lost control. She sprung from the sofa and went wild.

"Don't you remember what happened after Olaf dragged you back in the house? Well, I'll remind you. You jumped at him like a bitch in heat, not a hint of embarrassment from me standing right there. You then ripped off your clothes, displayed your tits! You don't remember what you said either, do you! Yelled 'If you won't let me leave, then fuck me yourself! What are you waiting for, I'm better than her! She's old and ugly but I am young and beautiful. Fuck me!' I see that you've been eyeing Olaf for a while you slut!"

White face, bulging eyes, twisted grimace. Shouting. My heart was beating so fast that for a few moments all I could hear was my own blood pumping, pulsing in my head with splashes of red. Unable to endure this torture, I bolted upstairs into my room, locked the door and propped a chair against it. I then crumbled onto the bed and burrowed under pillows and blankets like a cornered rabbit. 'Don't look, don't listen, don't think!'

'Don't be, please, don't exist.'

The door moved and clattered. A dispute was roaring in the hallway. Mom doesn't need much to lose herself as is, and this... The pillow did nothing to spare me from the ear-piercing shouting and no matter how hard I clamped my ears I could still hear mom, who has completely lost it at that point, blaming me and Olaf for... That he... That I...

"I will bring you to court for molesting an underage girl!" Mom screamed. "Leave my house immediately, both of you!"

Poor Olaf... Poor me...

A phone screen lit up somewhere to the left of my head. A call.

The shaky fingers didn't listen to me, making me accidentally reject it.

Luckily, the screen lit up again moments later.

Because of the argument blazing at its peak, I only heard chunks of an apology about yesterday's rudeness but that didn't matter to me anymore. Squeezing the phone as tight as I could, I prayed for help in whispered shouts, almost choking on the teary clump in my throat.

"I need you, I really need you right now, just hear me out, help... I'll tell you everything! Save me, Johan, I've gone crazy!"