Hidden Among Humans

Chapter 7

It had been a dreadful week. As much as I tried to stay away from Zander, he would appear everywhere I went. Fortunately, Amanda had stayed clear of me. Mostly because Zander told her to, as long as she left me alone, I didn’t care why she left me alone. I spent all of my free periods alone. No one would approach me, even those who claimed to be my friends. Anyone who would pass me acted as if they were scared of me or at least frightened by something. Then I heard the whispers, clearing up everything for me.

“Isn’t that Izza, we should go say hello,” I looked up to find Emily being pulled by another girl. Emily was known for her kindness towards others. I had not seen her in months. When I felt ill, she had already left for a trip with her father abroad.

“No, you can’t, Amanda will have our heads if we even speak to her.” I heard Emily struggle to understand what was going on. But after a short time, she was convinced to walk away and not look back. I could not understand why Amanda hated me so much. For as long as I could remember, we had been inseparable. The only motivation I had to try out for sports was because she insisted I try out with her. Even when the captain position became available, she was my number one supporter. I felt like I needed to know what caused the change, but after Zander, our relationship would never be the same.

With Zander and Amanda at school, it left me little motivation to go home to my parents. I wasn't sure who was worse to deal with. Fortunately, for the last week, I was able to avoid them. Our house was so big, I could easily hide. Not to brag or anything, but I basically lived in a castle. It wasn't too hard to hide from them, even in my condition.

The trick was to hide in plain sight. Long ago, my grandfather had gifted us a king's chair, fit for a king. We placed it directly in front of the chimney. I never used it when the fire was on. Now that the weather was beginning to cool outside, the chimney was always lit. With a large area to search for, no one bothered to look behind the chair.

To be honest, though, the castle did feel cold and lonely.

But I knew I couldn’t hide from them forever. One late night, as I tried to sneak into the kitchen unnoticed, I was caught red-handed. My abilities were not always at their finest, especially these days. I did not hear my dad's footsteps as he made his way towards me.

“Izza?” I turned to find dad staring at me, his hand crossed around his chest. A new stress line had emerged since I had seen him. It was hardly noticeable, but I could tell. Dad was a handsome man; I had always heard the whispers from the other children's mothers when I was around him. How could you blame them? He could be Brad Pit’s younger brother.

“Well, young lady,” mom yawned as she came into view. Mom was just as beautiful as dad was. Some would even say I had taken her looks; they would be in for a shock after they learned I was adopted. I watched as she tried to wake herself by rubbing her eyes just as aggressively as I had done at the hospital. I had wondered where I learned that from. Maybe they hadn't been the best parents these last two months, but they gave me everything the moment I first walked in those doors.

“We had to set up a motion detector just to catch you,” dad tapped his foot on the floor. “We are your parents,” I huffed as he dared to speak those words. Fred the driver had been closer to acting like a parent than they had in the last two months. All the anger I had bottled up towards them rushed through my veins.

“Well, how pathetic it is to be outmaneuvered by a cripple, “I stared directly into their eyes. Although he had been surprised by my outburst, I think he understood where it came from. Still, he was not happy with my remark. It was out of character for me, but the last two months had pushed me beyond my limit.

“Now, listen to me young lady,” dad began to speak, and that was when all hell broke loose. Well, at least for me it did.

“NO! You listen to me,” I blurted out. “You abandoned me for two months without a word.” I began to cry as I spoke. “I called you too many times to count, “I gasped for air, not realizing it was the first warning. “Not one call.” At this point, it was impossible to stop the tears. “You left me all alone!” I yelled as tried to wipe the tears away.

“Honey, we made sure you had help,” mom spoke as she took a few steps forward. She tried to hug me, but I pushed her away with the little force I had.

“I wasn't aware that,” I paused as I used my hand to make quotation marks before speaking, “the help,” I stared at them intensely “you know, the ones you pay to be here were a substitute for my parents.” At this point, my breathing had become more labored.

“Are you feeling okay?” mom said with worry. Once again, she tried to get closer.

“No, I don’t want your pity. I have enough of that already,” Just as I stepped away a daze came over me. The room began to spin in all directions. As I tried to focus on my surroundings, it became clear that it was only getting darker and darker. “Help,” I called out, but then there was nothing.

The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital. My parents were sleeping in a chair right beside me. They always resembled angles when they slept. I was pulled from their image by a warm sensation that generated from my right hand. I looked down to find a large hand draped over mine. It held me so tight, it was as if I were afraid I would run away. I let out a giggle as I thought about my situation. I could hardly walk, much less run anywhere.

A smile made its way to my lips when I found none other than Zander also sleeping in a chair. His head rested on the side of my bed. Certainly, he was uncomfortable. For a moment, it felt like everything I had lived in the past two months had only been a dream. Just then, I took a breath of fresh air, hoping I could stay in this moment forever. But I knew I couldn’t live in the memories of what wasn't real for long and just as quickly as my smile came it vanished. I tried pulling my hand away, but his hand was heavy over mine.

“Izza, your awake,” I turned to find mom stretching her arms over her head. Not a single strand of hair was out of place. She quickly got up and threw her hands over me.

“You're hurting me,” I tried to pull away from her embrace.

“I’m sorry honey,” she slowly pulled away. All I really wanted was for her to let me go. I wasn't ready for this emotional party she brought with her. Something inside told me it was all an act, although I didn’t understand why she would be doing that.

“Izza!” I turned back towards Zander, who almost cried as he pulled his arms around me. I could force myself to tell him to let go. My heart told me to hold on and not let go, but I knew better.

“How long this time?” I asked without emotion. I still hadn't pulled away, after all, the butterflies were still going strong as he held me.

“Ten days,” dad answered. I was prepared to have lost more time; this was my new normal. Life had not changed, and everything was still the same.

“Why are you here?” I finally mustered the words, forcing Zander to pull away. He stared at me blankly with no idea what to say. “Leave.” I could feel my body go numb as I spoke. He didn’t seem surprised that I told him to leave, it was as if he was expecting it. Still, his eyes told me he wanted to stay.

“Izza? Why would you speak to Zander like that, he has been worried sick?” Maybe they were right, I could always read Zander well. I just didn’t care.

“After you didn’t return to school, I went to check on you,” Zander said with a small crackle in his voice. “I came here as soon as I could.” He cleared his throat before speaking again. “I just needed to make sure you were alright,” I told myself to be strong, I knew better than to fall into his lies. But I wasn't sure that he was lying.

“Father, Mother,” I turned to look at them before I continued. “You don’t know anything about my life. Zander is not welcomed here, at least not by me.” I made a gentle turn towards Zander, who had his face glued to the baseboards. “As you can see, I am fine, now leave.” Zander slowly pushed his chair back as he made his way towards the door. He made sure not to look up as he made his way out. My heart raced as he disappeared from my sight. I was so confused, but I knew I needed to keep away from him.

I remained in silence as my parents whispered into each other's ears. Unfortunately for them, I could make out every word. Before they dared to speak, Dr. Brown walked in, only to pull my parents into the hallways. But it didn’t matter, I could hear it all.

“I recommend that she stays here with us. We can repeat lab work and studies to ensure we didn’t miss anything the first time. In rare occurrences, the result comes back normal when in fact it’s not. All her symptoms present themselves as one of two things; an autoimmune disorder, or a type of cancer. I recommended we consult with a specialist for a second look into the case.” He paused, waiting for a reply.

“Whatever it takes,” my father said without hesitation. I wasn't sure if he really wanted the best for me or if he just wanted me out of the house.

“I will place the consultation orders right away,” he said, right before he returned to his station.

The next thing I knew, my parents had returned to my room. Helplessly, they sat in a corner, trying to figure out a way to tell me everything. Over the years, they always tried to keep secrets from me, but they always failed. After a few years, they gave up with surprises. They never knew how I did it.

“Don’t even bother, I already know.” I turned to look out the window before I spoke again. The skies were somber, I could sense rain would be coming soon. It's not that I hated the rain, it was only when I got caught in it. I always seemed to smell like a wet dog after being caught in the rain. However, when the first rains hit the soil, it was a different story.

“It won't be for long, they will figure it out,” they both rushed to my corner, blocking the view outside. Their attempt to comfort me failed, but they kept trying. “We can even bring things from home to make your time here less stressful.”

Less stressful, they say, it was not like I had a choice in the matter. I looked up with a fake smile, trying to pretend as none of it mattered. I said the only words that could come to mind.

“Home sweet home.”