Reasoning those mind games

Chapter 8

" Saved 3 lives and provided us with solid proof of the most wanted criminal in the country."

A strong, commanding voice answered, walking up to them. Tracy looked up with tear-filled eyes at the owner of the voice. A blurred figure of a white-haired police officer stood there. He was in uniform and from the authority in his voice, he seemed to be a senior. Tracy shut her eyes tight and blinked a few times to clear her vision. He was the same man in the pictures outside in the hallway.

" Sir! " Said Tom in courtesy, stiffening himself a bit.

" Tracy, meet Mr Harold Wilson, the police commissioner and head of our team. Mr Wilson , Tracy Field, my lovely bride." he introduced them, smiling.

Our team? Tracy couldn't digest those words. Was Tom in the police? But he couldn't because he was mentally unstable. Tracy looked from Tom to Mr Wilson and back in confusion.

" Huh?" she said, shrugging a little.

" Nice to meet you, miss Field", Mr Wilson smiled and greeted Tracy with a nod and turned around towards the doctor who had just finished checking up on Clara. "Can I have a word with you? "

The doctor nodded and walked along with Mr Wilson out of the room talking about some case Tracy had no clue about. Something about the doctor felt odd, but assuming that it was because of her exhaustion, Tracy shrugged it off. Now there were just 3 of them in the room.

"What's going on Tom?" Tracy asked in a weak voice as Tom helped her sit down on a couch beside Clara's bed.

"My princess is saving the world" he replied in a sarcastic tone. Tracy crossed her arms and gave her husband a serious stare, raising one eyebrow at him.

" Huh well.. I think we should.." Tom began with a stutter.

" Tell her the truth," Clara murmured from her bed. She had gained back consciousness and was staring at them.

"Clara!! Thank goodness you're alive. I was so scared", Tracy exclaimed in excitement, and tried to get up, but weakness pulled her back .

"It's OK honey, you did the right thing, don't be so hard on yourself" Clara replied in a hushed tone. Turning her gaze back to Tom, she whispered"Tracy should be aware of the situation."

Tom nodded and turned to Tracy.

" Yesterday when you and Clara went to church. Mrs Robert Steve, who was one of our volunteers to help us get to Robert Steve. That night she saw you going to the woods and thought your life might be in danger, so they sent Mr Kennet to look for you..."

" Amelia Robert?” Tracy gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. Tom nodded in agreement and continued.

" . She told Clara to call your mom and tell her you were staying at Clara's place. Robert Steve sent his people to kill you and Clara but they only found Clara, so they tried to kill her. But thanks to your warning, we were able to save her.We have tranquilized your mother so that she doesn't remember when she wakes up whether you are with Clara or not. By the time Robert knows you are at home and when he sends his men to kill you or me, they will be caught on the spot."

" Mhmm the way you tranquilized me at the wedding, didn't you? And Clara was with you.! " Tracy inquired with utter mistrust.

" It was the antidote," Clara added. " Tom was trying to save you."

" From my MOTHER?? "

Tracy's voice rose a bit now. There was silence. Neither Clara nor Tom could argue with her. They both knew when Tracy raised her voice she wasn’t in a mood to listen to anything . The room glitched in front of Tracy's eyes.

"Are you OK?" Tom's faint echo rang in her ears. Tracy held her head to stabilize and looking Tom right in the eyes she asked..

" Answer me, Tom Christopher! Why are you silent now? Antidote for what? And you're saying that doctors were lying ? ANSWER ME! Do you have an answer?.."

" Because it was his own mother who drugged you. A familiar voice came from behind. She turned around to see a silhouette of the man behind her, similar to the one in the house she went into from the church .. this time standing there right in front of her. A handsome blonde man, with the same eyes as Tracy. Her eyes glittered with joy.

" Sam " she shouted and ran to hug him. " Oh Lord you're alive".

“Hello little princess" Sam smirked, deepening his dimple.

So her mother wasn't lying after all, Tracy thought. But why didn't Clara and Tom tell her before? She turned around but to just see both Tom and Clara staring back at her in horror as if she had seen a ghost..Tracy immediately got their message.

She actually HAD seen a ghost.

" I see.. Hez dead .. right? "

Tom nodded. " Are you OK Tracy?"

Tracy began to sweat as she turned back to her brother who now glitches. Oh no! She was talking to a dead person neither Tom nor Clara could see.

" They won't believe me, Sam" Tracy whined, still convinced that it was her brother. Tom grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to himself.

" They never did little princess, they were just using you" Sam's image spoke and glitched twice. Now Clara and Tom could also see Sam's faint image. Tom's grip on Tracy became firm and he seemed scared. Tracy laughed abruptly.

" Hello Tom, my old friend. Ah, I'm kind of jealous of you having my sister and my wife both in your arms." Sam walked up to Clara, who was as stiff as stone. He sat beside his wife and started running his finger through her hair.

" I missed you so much, my beautiful wife. Did you? Oh, I forgot you had company, didn't you". Tom held Tracy back even more firmly, hurting her arm. Tracy shouted.

" Don't you believe me now ? Huh? I believed YOU when no one did and all this time I got THIS?? Hahaha" Sam smirked in appreciation.

" What do you want, Sam?" Now Tom was calm and his tone was soft.

" A payback I owe you.." Sam's voice almost echoed as his evil grin widened.Tom released Tracy and she rushed to her brother.

" I JUST want Tracy safe ! Do whatever you want with me.", Tom said, but Tracy had heard more than enough lies to trust his care anymore.

" She's my SISTER!" Sam growled.

"EXACTLY Sam.." Tom replied firmly, furrowing his eyebrows.

Sam puffed and grunted but finally gave in.

"Fine.." he said. And then began his side of the story.

Sam had been instructed by the government to fake his own death. Tracy's husband was one of the government agents who had recruited Sam. Sam thought he was helping but little did he know just how bent Tracy's husband really was.

He had been spying on Tracy for years. He wanted Sam out of the way so he could get closer. He told Sam that Tracy was the key to his paranormal research. The day Sam died, Tom was supposed to be there to save him. But no one showed up.

Sam's soul sat beside the grave for days but no one came to help. They left his body buried feet underground till his heart froze. And Clara..

She was innocent till her husband's death. She couldn't bear the loss, so, she started to take injections to keep her partially alive. She could talk and she could walk, almost. Tom took advantage of this and blackmailed her to work with him. Sam tried to warn her many times, but the more he tried, the more Clara believed in Tom's theories, since Sam was just a soul, and she started working with Tracy's husband.

They colluded to conspire against Tracy and her family. Tracy had been able to see the paranormal since she was very young and Clara and Tracy's husband had been watching her for years.

Tom didn't even say a word and listened to the story without interrupting.

" Tell us some more of lies, Tom?"

Sam asked as the story ended. Tracy didn't like the way her brother mocked Tom. She kind of wanted to mistrust him too, but before she could say anything , Tom spoke up

" I wouldn't disagree with Sam."

What on earth? Tracy's mouth almost dropped open. How could he have been so selfish?Now the worries her mother had flashed before her eyes. So she WAS trying to protect her. And Tracy doubted her all that time trying to save a murderer she knew was a murderer...

" But I didn't know Tracy then."

Tom continued.

" I didn't know I'd love her this much..Sam, I do love her and I AM sorry.. please, I'm ready for anything to make up but spare her."

Tom's eyes filled up with tears. Tracy knew Tom would never cry unless he actually was sorry. But after all that she couldn't trust him any more. In fact, she could trust no one. She kept staring obediently at her brother for orders. Who just smirked and after minutes of silence he spoke up.

" Only if I hadn't seen the loyalty and love for my sister in your soul I'd never spare you. But for my sister's sake..but I will take my wife back with me. Can't let her in pain anymore."

Clara's eyes filled up with tears and her face visibly showed how desperate she was to go with Sam. He turned to his sister and smiled.

" Farewell little sister .. I wish you guys a beautiful life. And stay away from that bitchy mother-in-law of yours."

And then disappeared. The room around her started to spin . Tracy closed her eyes and repeated her brother's words in her mind...Stay away from ...

" Mother-in-law", Tracy almost screamed.

" But.."

" But WHAT Tracy?" Tom asked extremely serious

" I sent her the video too..."

The whole room drowns in a frightening hush. A pin drop silence takes over. Even the beeping of machines had disappeared all of a sudden.

"Tracy, please say it's not true! Why did you send the video to her?" Tom asked with concern.

"Tom, please, I'm sorry OK, it wasn't intentional. OK, I was just worried about you. Your mother's name is Clarice. I must have sent it to her as well, with Clara " ;Tracy pleaded.

"She's an innocent bystander in all this. She knows nothing of our research nor that I am in the CIA. All these years I've fooled her into thinking I'm an accountant for a big corporation!" he yelled.

Tom's face was beet red. A vein throbbed on his forehead. His fists were held so tight they almost turned white. Tracy had never seen him this fierce before. She backed away slowly, creating a comfortable distance apart from him. He crept closer with his eyes full of rage.

"If anyone hurts one hair on her head I'll hurt them, NO I'LL KILL THEM! "

He screamed at the top of his lungs and lunged his tight fist into the wall a foot behind Tracy.Squeaking with fright, Tracy covered both her ears and ducked to avoid Tom's punch.

Two policemen rushed in and seized him just in time. The blood-stained drywall crumbled to the hardwood floors below. Followed by Tracy collapsing to her knees. Tears cascade from her eyes and her body starts trembling.

"Please stop this! Please ", Tracy whispers as she gets back up.

"Come back to me. This isn't you. Tom please!" She cried out.

She erupted in tremors as she tried to get back up. Grabbing hold of him, she pulled him closer, only to be calmed by her husband's heartbeat.

" Please.." Tracy puts her hand on his cheek as the doctor comes up to tranquilize Tom. He struggles to free himself. But Tracy gestures to stop. Slowly he came back to reality. Unable to remember all that had just happened, he took a glance at his surroundings. The stinging sensation of his fist grabbed his attention. Looking up in confusion, he notices the destruction he has just caused.

Trying to fit the missing pieces of his memory back together, the feeling of Tracy trembling against his body tears him from his thoughts.

The officers now release their grip as Tom stops struggling just in time for him to grab Tracy's arms and prevent her from falling.

"Tracy, look at me. Are you alright my love?" He shook her, begging her to answer, but Tracy kept getting cold and numb. Unable to respond, she fell into unconsciousness. A tear rolled down her cheek.

" Princess."

She could hear just a fading echo of Tom's voice.