Hide And Go Seek

Thirteen

  

         Thirteen

   I hold the paw up. “I got it.”

   Janine smiles. “The first part to make the potion. One down, two to go.”

   “Yep. Now I just need the tongue of a Demon and the blood of the Pixie Queen. Shouldn’t be too difficult, huh?”

   She laughs. “Maybe, maybe not. Are you going to tell her?”

   I pause. “I’m not sure I’d be welcome. We argued before.”

   She shrugs. “It shouldn’t matter. I’m sure she’ll want to know.”

   “I know she’ll want to know,” I sigh. 

   “You need to think about this. If you fail – which I’m pretty damn sure you won’t – this could be your last chance to be with her.”

   I bite my lip. “She put me through so much. I don’t think I could forgive her.”

   “Pandora... you weren’t exactly a saint yourself. You were both as bad as each other.”

   I glare at her, anger shooting through me.

   “I was bad was I? Just like her? She made me feel like crap every day of my life. Like I was nothing. She wasn’t just tough on us – she was brutal. You got the easy way out, she actually liked you.”

   She shakes her head. “Don’t be silly. She just wanted the best for you, she wanted to be strong.”

   “Well, I guess she got what she wanted. I am strong!” I hiss.

   “Go see her again,” she urges quietly.

   “I wouldn’t know what to say.”

   She gestures towards the Werewolf’s paw. “Maybe that’s where to start.”

   I find myself nodding and just nodding, chewing on my lip hard. I open my mouth to say something – but I don’t know what to say so I just nod again, turn and walk out.

   I start the walk to the hospital. I wish I could have taken my car – but I decided on a flight rather than a drive down here. Quicker.

   Man I’m regretting that now.

   At the sight of police officers crawling everywhere and the flashing blue lights, my heart skips a beat. We burned the Werewolf’s body – there’s no way I could get in trouble for it.

   “What’s happened here?” I ask a nurse at the reception.

   She looks around and then back down at her papers. “I’m not supposed to say.”

   “But –“

   “It’s fine, I’ll tell you,” another nurse pipes up. 

   I look at her and wait for the explanation. All around is hubbub, lots of noise and talking – and if I focused I could probably hear every word.

   “Apparently a patient here got attacked.”

   “You make it sound so dramatic Sonny,” The first nurse mutters.

   “Well it was pretty dramatic!” She mutters. “This woman came in, tall, blonde –beautiful – and she went to see a patient... uh...”

   “Room 64... a woman called Stella Burns.  This woman, whoever she was – she tried to suffocate her,” the first nurse says, seeming interested suddenly.

   I feel my heart begin to race and my palms sweat. “Was the woman alright?”

   “She’s fine but they’re putting her on watch, you know, keeping an eye on her. Why, do you know her?” She asks, head cocked to the side slightly as if noticing the fear in my eyes.

   “Yes – she’s my mother,” I whisper.