Friends and Enemies

Memories

Emily

I’m looking in the mirror at my reflection. The sun is streaming through the windows and there’s a slight breeze causing the curtains to flap. My hair is curled loosely and down hanging past my breasts. I’m wearing a light blue summer dress. The straps showing my slightly tanned shoulders. My make-up is light, and my cheeks are rosy. I look healthy again. Not the shadow I am now.

“Knock, knock!” Megan peeks around the door looking in my room for me. Glancing around I realise that I am in my mother’s house in my old room. The walls are decorated pastel pink from my childhood, and some phots of my mother, and I are hanging on the wall. On the mirror in front of me there’s a photo of me and Megan.

“Hey, are you ready to go?” Megan asks me. She looks me up and down casting a critical eye before nodding in approval and giving me a spin so that I can see her outfit and make any judgements. Of course, Megan’s auburn hair is around her shoulders and her green eyes are glistening with happiness. She is wearing a green body suit with some denim shorts. I must look confused because she shoots me an annoyed look and tells me “It’s Uncle Harry’s birthday party today. They are holding a BBQ and you agreed to be my plus one!”

Ah! Now I know what this memory is. The day I first met “him.” Me in my memory grins at Megan and we turn linking arms and leaving the house. Megan has insisted on getting a taxi because it wouldn’t be a family gathering without a surplus of alcohol. The taxi pulls up a few minutes later and we both get in the back. Megan gives the driver the address.

10 minutes later we pull up outside Uncle Harry’s home. A typical white picket fence and emerald, green lawn greets us and stepping out of the taxi we can hear the family gathering is in full swing. Megan takes my arm and leads me to the rear of the house and into the back garden.

“Mum! Dad!” Megan is frantically waving towards her parents. Megan is a copy of her mother, Helen. The same auburn hair and green eyes. She has only inherited her father’s nose. Her father Steve has mousy brown hair and hazel eyes. His in his Hawaiian shirt, white shorts, and flip flops. Her mother is wearing a maxi-dress and sandals. They walk over to us and wrap us both in a hug. Helen pulls me away from her looking me up and down.

“How’s your mum, dear?” I can see the traces of pity lining her eyes. Her crows’ feet wrinkled where she tries to smile.

“She’s good now. Chemo hasn’t been too bad this time around. She seems to be in good spirits.” Taking a deep breath in I try to stop the tears before they fall. I can feel them building behind my eyes. Ever the comedian Steve notices my downcast mouth and makes his usual dad joke “maybe we can pick her up an umbrella and lime to go with her cocktail of drugs?”

“Oh, wow! Just where did you pull that joke from? Tumour Humour.com?” Megan just looks at her dad in disbelief, but I chuckle knowing mum would enjoy that joke. Making a mental note to file that joke away for later. She’s in the end stages of her disease now. Small cell lung cancer which has metastasised. The chemo was more of symptom management at this stage.

“No worries, Mr Clark, you know mum would enjoy that joke!” I cannot bear the thought of Megan’s family feeling guilty when they are supporting both mum and I through this. Steve pulls me into a hug and kisses the top of my head. The tears are building behind my eyes again and this time one escapes.

“Please call me Steve and you know we are there to support you both.” I’m pulled away from his hug by a very jealous Megan. She places her arm over my shoulders possessively and glares at her father making me laugh.

“She’s not even YOUR friend!” Megan’s face has turned tomato red, and she looks indignantly at her father. Turning me around with her she leads me through the garden. I feel my breath hitch as we are approached by “him.” Rebecca is hanging off his arm as usual acting like the jealous girlfriend. He smiles at Megan and I. His dark blonde hair is longer in a messy style. He looks young and carefree. I can feel his blue eyes roaming my face, then my body and back up. I forgot how he makes me feel like the world’s sexiest woman. There’s hunger behind his eyes already.

“Megan! How are you? Who is the beautiful woman with you?” He asks. I can feel Rebecca’s eyes boring into me. If looks could kill, I’d be dead for sure!

“Hi, I’m Emily. I think your girlfriend might be upset that you are calling another woman beautiful in her presence.” He makes me feel shy. I can feel the blush rising to my cheeks. He chuckles and pulls Rebecca forward and tells me “Rebecca here is my good friend. We have known each other since childhood. I’m Sebastian by the way.” He holds his hand out for me to shake.

I grab his hand in mine and I can feel electricity shoot up my arm. I gasp in surprise and pull back. I can feel Megan grinning like a fool next to me. She’s never this quiet and I know she’s up to no good. She looks to Rebecca, grabs her arm, and leads her away with a “girl, let’s go grab some food. I’m starving!” I can feel the blush coming back and place my head in my hand avoiding looking at Sebastian. I can hear him chuckle and he pulls my hand from my face.

“You look more beautiful when you are flustered! Can I get you a drink?” He’s still smiling when I look up at him. His smile is dazzling. His jaw chiselled.

“Sure.” I take his arm and let him lead me away.

“Huh!” I wake up with a gasp. A strange time to recall THAT memory. My head is still pounding. I put my hand to my forehead and slowly raise my head to look around my surroundings. The nightmare that is my life is still here. There’s light streaming in through a small window on my right-hand side. Looking at it, it’s small, single-paned. I could probably fit through with a squeeze but breaking the glass would cause noise and I still don’t know where I am. My survival instinct is kicking in though. Fight or flight. My heart rate picking up. I listen to my surroundings but other than the few cars I hear earlier there’s nothing else. If I can make it to the road, I may have a chance.

I get up from the mattress cautiously. It takes me a moment to stabilise myself from the dizziness. Taking a sip of water from the bottle they gave me I bring the bottle with me. I stumble over to the window. I’m still weak from the sedative, lack of nutrition and dehydration. I guess there’s not point feeding a girl with a time limit. I can feel the hunger pangs, but they are in the background right now. The adrenaline is too high for my stomach to even be listed in my list of worries.

Peering through the window, it’s bright and sunny day. It must be early in the morning though as there’s morning dew on the grass in front of me. I must be underground given the grass is eye level to the window. I raise my arm to the window placing my palm flat on the glass enjoying the coolness for a moment. Allowing it to calm me. I take a deep breath and wish to whichever deity is listening to my prayers and push at the latch then push the window open.

It's moving! I gasp in excitement and push harder trying not to create any noise. It squeaks which makes me pause to listen for footsteps. Satisfied no one is coming I push once more trying to open the window enough to give me room to squeeze through. Just as I finish pushing it as far as it will allow me to go, I hear it. A car pulls up on what sounds like a gravel road. It stops and the engine turns off. The door opens and I hear someone get out. The sounds of footsteps walking towards the house have me on edge.

My body knows. Times up. It’s now or never.