Dancing with the Dead ✔

Chapter Thirty-Five - The Past Is Nothing But a Memory

After the meeting is over, I come out of the room to find that Dean already left. Thinking this might be a good time to talk to Sheila, I decide to knock on her door.

"Sheila?"

"Come in," she answers from inside.

I push the door and enter the room. The fact that a teenage boy is sitting on the chair next to her bed nearly startles me.

"Oh, hey doc!" Jonah greets me. Both of them have big, happy smiles on their faces. It looks like they finally patch things up with each other.

"You two know each other?" Sheila stares at Jonah quizzically.

He glances at me before he replies, "Yeah, she's the doctor I told you about."

As if sensing my intention to talk one-on-one with the girl, he stands up. "Well, I think I better head home now. It's already quite late and my father's going to kill me if I'm not home by ten."

Lucas is right. Doctor Brighton's supposed confession seems to give certain ease to the people in this town. A few days ago, everyone would've locked themselves in their home by eight. But now, it's a different story. I just don't think if that's really a good idea.

Jonah picks up his jacket, which was hanged on the back of the chair, and walks to the door. He waves goodbye to me and Sheila. The girl waves back with a somewhat shy smile on her face. Then, as soon as he goes out of the room, things turn quite awkward for the two of us.

"So, how are you?" I ask, trying to melt the ice.

"The doctors told me I can move to the regular ward tomorrow, so I guess I must be doing pretty well," she replies.

"That's great," I say with a warm smile. I stop right beside her bed and take a seat on the chair Jonah was sitting on. "Look, I have a couple of questions for you. Can you help me with that?"

Right then, I can see fear starts building up in her blue eyes. "Sure," she replies, her voice soft.

"Look, I know the one who prescribed you the Adderalls was Doctor Brighton. But how exactly did you get it?" I don't exactly know what to expect when I ask the question, but I just feel it's necessary.

She pulls her arms closer towards her body. "I... I get it from him... I call him when I need new supplies," she replies softly, now avoiding my gaze. I'm not a human lie detector, but the way she speaks and acts convinces me she's hiding something.

"Are you sure?" I ask her once more although I try my best not to push her too much.

She nods repeatedly in a response that I find a little too fast. "He came to our basketball practice once in a while as a guest coach. One day, he found out that I've been having some trouble with my grades and offered me the pills. That's how it started," she explains.

She's definitely hiding something, Alexis.

I know. Just a little over a week ago she was so adamant in keeping her secret. But now she suddenly tells me everything? I didn't even ask her about the details, yet she tells me every single thing. The fact that she tries to shield her gaze from me when she talks convinces me she's hiding something.

She doesn't necessarily lie about everything though, maybe just the part that it was Doctor Brighton who approached her. The way I see it, there are two possible reasons why she might lie. Either the person behind this scared her too much or she's trying to protect that person. Whichever it is, I don't think she would have the courage to step up and tell the truth anytime soon. So, I resort to my last weapon, one that I certainly don't want to use unless necessary.