Penumbrae: The origin

CHAPTER 4: ABANDONED

I couldn’t open my eyes at first as they felt so heavy but after several tries, I could open my eyes. I instantly close them due to the strong light in the place. I opened my eyes slowly and took around 10 minutes to adapt the brightness of the light. I looked around once my vision was not blurry to acknowledge that I was in my room and my clock indicated that it was 8:00 pm.

I tried to get up, but I was hooked up with something and when I looked to my left, I observed an IV tube stuck in my left arm with white liquid going in. I tried to remove it when I heard a soft shrill. Is making that sound even possible?

I looked up to see Harper, Lincoln and Carter.

“You are up! How are you feeling now?” Harper asked sitting on the right side of the bed while Lincoln made me lay down again and Carter got comfortable in the floor beside my bed.

“I guess I feel better. What happened?” I asked looking down at my body to see nothing was wrong in any way possible.

“you fainted on the road. When I asked you not to move that didn’t mean that you had to stand in the scorching sun and faint on the spot.” Lincoln said looking at my head. Consciously I felt my head to find a bump there.

“Guys elaborate please. What happened to me?” I asked once again being really confused.

“Well the doctors say that due to a lot of studying, heat waves, nightmares, lack of glucose and food overall you fainted. You felt dizzy and immediately fainted and when you dropped down you hit your head on the road resulting in you getting 13 stitches.” Carter said looking around the room.

Then he looked at me and said “Lincoln told us about the lady you thought was stalking you and as soon as we bought food we came back to check up on you, only to find you fainted on the road and a lot of people were surrounding you. So, I picked you up and took you to hospital.”

“How long since I lost my conscious?” I asked looking out the window to see that it was dusk.

“Your accident happened day before yesterday.” Harper said slowly and carefully like talking to a baby.

“You are saying I was sleeping for approximately 56 hours?” I exclaimed.

“approximately yes.” Harper said being shocked at my outburst.

What did Ophelia do to me? Something that completely drained my energy and bought awfully close to death? Something that forced me to sleep for almost 2 days!

“And It took you one hour to buy food?” I asked them recalling the interaction between me and Ophelia as I am sure that it lasted for an hour.

“No. It took us 10 minutes.” Carter said looking at everyone else.

“Yeah Izzy. I left you alone for 10 minutes.” Lincoln confirmed

“And I have exact 13 stitches. Isn’t 13 like an unlucky number or like devil number or something?” I asked them. Nothing was adding up to me. Nothing at all. If others left me for 10 minutes how did I felt Ophelia and her agonizing touch for almost an hour? And why the hell do I have 13 stitches? Why not 12 or 14? I was so shaken up then my hands started trembling and I couldn’t breathe. I needed to be alone right now to think and absorb all the information given to me.

“Guys thank you for bringing me home, but I think I want to be alone right now.” I asked my friends to leave me politely as I needed to write everything that has been happening and see how everything adds up. I want to figure this out.

“Alright. Take some rest.” Harper touched my hand and kissed my forehead before leaving while Lincoln ruined my hair and left. I turned to see if Carter left but he was glued on floor.

“why aren’t you leaving? I said I want to be alone!” I screamed at Carter as I needed to take my anger out on someone. I was tired and I could feel tears brewing.

“Because you want someone to believe you. Because you want someone to listen to your side of story and I am here. I want to help you stop shaking, stop crying and help you with whatever you want. I am here for you and I am not going to judge you.” Carter took Harper’s place and hugged me while my tears stained his shirt. He held me till my tears dried away and helped me out of the stupid IV tube thing.

“Okay so now that you don’t have any tears left to cry begin your side of story.” Carter said handing me water.

“Don’t quote Ariana Grande doofus. Not in this moment.” We both laughed and the environment became a little lighter than before.

“You remember the creepy lady from my Nightmares? I have been getting followed by her for past week. Wherever I would go she would be there. Sometimes in the corner, not visible to human eye and sometimes wide in the open where anyone could see her. At first, I didn’t mind because she was always far away from me but then as the days passed by, I would always catch her much nearer to me. And along with that every shadow I saw moved on their own accord and they had matter. A dense matter which can suffocate you. Day before Yesterday the lady appeared in front of me. Like in front! She commanded the earth to surround me and she even touched me. She said her name was Ophelia and her touch felt like it was death himself who was touching you cause every touch would bring you pain. You wouldn’t understand how intense it was. Then she chanted something and kept on chanting until her entire existence turned into dust.” I explained to Carter quickly in a very summarized way possible. I saw his face and he was carrying face of a shook person.

“So basically, you aren’t having nightmares anymore because your nightmares have turned into reality?” Carter asked me and when he said those words, I felt like the ground have swallowed me whole. He is right! I wasn’t having anymore nightmares because Ophelia disappeared from there and jumped into my reality and with her the moving shadows with eyes also jumped.

“I didn’t even think like that! And now that you are mentioning it, I think you are right. Wait. Are you making fun of me? Or do you honestly believe me?”

“Look Izzy, what you are trying to tell me is hard to grasp. No sane person will understand you- “

“Yeah but Carter you aren’t sane! You are insane! Just like me.”

“true but back to the point where you rudely interrupted me, I need proof. I will believe you and your Ophelia lady after you show me any sign of her being there.” What Carter said is fair. In this world seeing is believing but what evidence do I have? I played with my bracelet from some time thinking of the evidence that I could have when suddenly I froze.

I don’t have bracelets. I don’t wear bracelet. I looked down and saw both of my wrist decorated with bracelets. Loads of them. There was one that stood out. It had a big black, almost translucent stone and the stone was held together by silver chain while the other bracelets were leather and each one of them had ornaments.

“Cool bracelets. I thought you didn’t wear anything on your wrist but a watch. What changed your mind?”

“These aren’t mine Carter. The Ophelia lady touched my wrist while chanting incantation. What if this is the remnant of her?” I asked still looking at the bracelet with confusion.

“Remnant? Yeah, I am too tired for this. How about you sleep? I will also go and rest as your parents would never let me stay here and we will continue tomorrow? You can show me a presentation about your side of story too. All the evidence. More about those bracelets. Wait what are you doing? Are you trying to rip those away from you?” Carter got off my bed and rubbed sleep away from his eyes to only see me trying to rip those bracelets away.

The whole world was on my side that’s why I couldn’t succeeded! Please note my sarcasm.

Whatever I did those bracelets won’t come off.

I finally gave up and looked up to see Carter look at me like I am crazy.

“What? If this is her soul, I don’t want it on me.” I shrugged and got up to gather my clothes.

“I still haven’t gotten my head around it and yet you have already gotten used to it. I need sleep. Goodnight kitty. Sleep tight and don’t let Ophelia bite.” Carter laughs and walks out the door.

“YOU DON’T JOKE ABOUT THAT! And don’t you dare call me kitty i***t!” I yelled back to only hear his laughter. I closed my door, changed into my night pajamas and head to bed but not before praying about some evidence to show Carter tomorrow.

I thought about the amount of sleep I have already done so I wouldn’t be able to sleep but as soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.

My nightmares have turned into reality. Interesting.

                                                                                                *****

I wouldn’t have been awake right now if it weren’t for the screaming. No, it was not the piercing one I heard that night, it was my parents screaming at each other which was every surprising as they loved each other to death.

“YOU ARE TAKING THAT SATAN SPAWN’S SIDE? I thought you loved me!” I heard my mother scream from downstairs.

See the thing is that these are not my real parents, they adopted me. No, they didn’t want me they were forced to take me as I was left in their doorstep. I never knew who my real parents were and why they left me with such family, but I was never welcomed here. My adopted father whose name is Walter is a professor in a university and he teaches Languages. His wife and my adopted mother Courtney is a housewife and works part time in a library. They have two children, and both are younger than me. So, having an extra child was problematic for them. They never got along with me. They gave me a room and left me be but when they were having a worse day, they would take their anger out on me. Mother would never let go of an opportunity to scream at me even if it wasn’t my fault. Father would always scream at me to show me my position in this family; unwanted. The amount of time I tried to run away from this hell was uncountable, but they would never let me go. They would always find ways to bring me back to hell. Don’t even get me started on the younger siblings.

I went downstairs to see all the commotion and as soon as I stepped in the kitchen a glass bottle flew across the kitchen, almost getting my eye and hit the wall behind me. The glass shattered on the wall and one of the pieces scratched my face under the right eye.

“ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU ALMOST MADE ME BLIND!” I screamed at her not caring about the consequences. I just fought off a possible seer. Well not really fought her more like got tortured by one but HEY I survived that.

“Honey no one will mind if you lose a cat eye.” Courtney sickly smiled inching closer.

“I think you should be given away. You are danger to all of us. Now more than ever. I never wanted to take care of you. You came in our perfect little house and snatched away our happiness! You made us all fight and my husband doesn’t even look at me with love because of you! He is always worried about people getting in our house to take you and to kill you that he is so worried he doesn’t know what to do with me. So, I say we kick you out.” Courtney finished and by now she was holding me by my hair and dragging me out.

Walter cared about me? Then why was he mean and always screaming at me? From my infant days till now, I have never heard one polite word thrown my way and now she says he cared? I am not falling for that.

“If you had problem with me Courtney you should have let me run away when I wanted to. You should have let me join the dorm system when the university started and most importantly when I did run away you shouldn’t have brought me back home!”

“You do not talk to your mother like that Isabelle!” Walter screamed at me

“Darling we need to think this through. We can’t just throw her out. She needs my help. I have been training for this moment. This moment will show the purpose why she was sent our way. Just let me tell her and then we can send her on her way. Please darling.” Walter pleaded to his wife who probably was thinking about his proposal.

“NOPE! She is going outside now! You won’t be getting paid for this honey so let it go!” Cortney tightened her hold on my hair and dragged me outside the house. She literally kicked me out and I attacked the floor by falling on it. I heard engine closing and I turned around to see Carter get out of his car and come towards me.

“What’s going on Izzy?” Carter asked helping me up

“I have a feeling I am being-“ I was cut off when I saw my adopted sibling throw all my stuff that was in my room through the window. Carter pushed me away from where we were standing so that we don’t get squashed by luggage.

“I knew you and your adopted parents didn’t get along but that doesn’t mean that they had to kick you out while you are still regaining your health.” Carter was looking at all the stuff they were all throwing outside while I eyed Walter who rushed to his study room and came out holding two thick textbooks and threw them out with rest of the stuff.

“I will love to tell you more about everything, but I think it’s best for my family to stay out of it. Otherwise we will be haunted. You must go and make your own path. May you keep peace between all the worlds.” Walter said eyeing my bracelets and then suddenly all the windows and doors were closed with a loud bang. The bang indicated the start of my new life. The life I wanted before but now I was forced to live. I had nowhere to go and right now the feeling of being abandoned was so high I think it broke the scale. I was on the verge of crying, but I couldn’t cry 2nd time in front of Carter.

I forced my eyes away from the closed door and walked towards all my stuff which wasn’t much actually and packed it all in the backpack. I folded my shirts and two jeans in the backpack and packed one of my two scarves too. I wore the other scarf around my neck and packed some of the books in the bag and took some in my hand and started walking away.

“Wait hold up! Where the hell will you go?” Carter asked catching up to me.

“I don’t know. I will find some shelter. I know many would love to have an adult.” I said sarcastically and hoped that the shelter places keep me.

“You can stay at my place. I bet my sister can share her room with you.”

“Seriously Carter? For how many days? How many days will I spend in your home without paying for the roof or food or anything! I think I need to do this alone.”

“Can you stop for a second.” Carter said stopping in his place while putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. I stopped walking too remembering that Carter have an issue where he gets out of breath easily. He can’t walk and talk or run for a long time. He needs to take break every 5 minutes.

I waited for carter to catch his breath and he spook, “it’s true that you can’t stay with me forever, but I am actually scared for you. I want to help. You promised me an evidence too. How about we go to that favorite diner of yours and eat some food. You can think of that evidence, work with an open mind and full stomach. I will think of your staying problem. Deal?” Carter extended his hands for me to shake to make a confirm the deal.  

What was wrong with his offer? My mind was running a marathon trying find any error in his offer and I wasn’t coming up with anything. I didn’t want Carter to be right.

“Let the mind of yours to rest. Let me be right this time. And hurry up my hand is tired from holding it out for too long.” Carter complained like a whiny baby and I gave in and trusted his offer.

“Stop whining Winnie. I will go with you.” I smiled at him finally shaking his hand.

“NO DON’T CALL ME THAT!” Carter said following me to his car.

We talked about everything and anything for some time in the diner and I was aware that Carter was doing his best not to raise the wrong questions. He was incredibly careful about where to step and he was avoiding all the landmines perfectly. However, I wanted to talk about it.

“Let’s go.”

“Where do you want to go Isabelle?”

“You wanted evidence to believe me right. Well I can’t give you evidence here. We must go to the place it happened. So, we are going to school.”

“Do you even know what to look for?” Carter asked picking up his keys and walking ahead of me. He was as eager as me to believe me. I wanted someone to say 'ah s**t. You were right and you aren’t crazy'. If someone, anyone believe me I will be ecstatic.

“I don’t know what to look for, but I have a gut feeling that I have to go to school right now.”

“And we will trust your gut when you yourself don’t trust it?”

“Carter do you want to believe me or not?”

“Alright let’s go.” Carter said in a defeating manner.