by Anna Collins
I needed a minute to myself to absorb all this. I had been on a roller coaster ride since last night. But how could all this be a lie? How could I have imagined all this? I shut my eyes and rubbed my face with my hands. The cold metal of the ring sent me a shiver. I looked down at the ring and frowned, "Now don't tell me you are also a part of my imagination." Let it go Freya, don't think about this mess, said the voices in my head and I began rising up from the floor. I turned to the door, and a certain “something” literally forced me to look back on the wall next to Eric's bed.
What is this? My eyebrows throbbed as my eyes tried to take in the strange sight of some marks drawn on the white wall. I reached near the wall to get a closer look. Eric had drawn that thing with his pencil; it was a strange picture, and I could not really make out what was it. There was a man in the drawing; he was wearing a hoodie or a cloak, his face, however, was hidden and, there were clouds. A lot of them. The man was trying to hit the clouds, or maybe he was trying to take something out of the clouds. The drawing gave me goosebumps, and suddenly a chill ran down to my spine. That drawing, I had definitely seen it somewhere. I began biting my nails.
Why did Eric draw this? It looked damn creepy, yet familiar. Where had I seen it? It felt like someone hit my head with a hammer. This weird sketch wasn't here on the wall this morning, so this means Eric made it recently and that during his panic attack. What if this had something to do with mom and dad's accident? I looked again closely at the image. Though it was creepy, it somehow appealed to me.
"Freya! Come on, Edward is waiting," Kate shook me by the shoulders.
I blinked in confusion; I was so lost in thought, I didn't even hear her coming.
"Kate, look at this. Does this drawing look familiar to you?" I asked without taking my eyes off the wall.
"Ummm...no idea, but somehow it creeps me out; I don't know why. Eric and his stupid drawings," Kate cringed her face and looked away immediately.
"Now are you going to analyze this immature act of your brother? Go! A hottie is waiting for you," she winked.
"Hottie?" I asked in confusion.
Only Kate had the nerve to joke during this difficult situation.
"Now don't look at me like you have just fallen from the sky. I'm talking about Sir Edward, his highness who saved this damsel in distress," Kate raised her head; her tone reminded me of an English drama I had seen in a theater with my college friends. Like her, the actors in the drama were a pro in overacting.
I gave her a "stop-being-silly" look.
"Ah, don't look at me like that, the guy is super hot. Have you checked him out? Jeez! He could have given a tough competition to Ashton Kutcher with that olive green sweater and black jeans. Dude! If he wasn't into you, I would have asked him out a long time ago," she frowned.
"Who said he's into me?" My jaw fell open.
"The Queen of England. Seriously, are you blind or what? Can't you see the way this man looks at you? It’s as if he's trying to read you. As if he's trying to discover some secret of yours," she shrugged.
"I don't know what you are talking about. And stop assuming things. I'm gonna go and see what Edward has to say about Eric," I let out in a breath. Jeez! This Kate was always lurking over men. I was sure Edward had nothing to do with her 'crazy rumblings.'
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Freya
With tired steps, I reached out of Eric's room. The drawing was standing still in front of my eyes. I was 100% sure this little thing had a connection with my parent's death; I was getting some really strong vibes about it, but I knew no one was going to believe a word of my vibes and intuitions. They would ask me to get in therapy; that could also make people put the tag of crazy in front of my name like they did with my little brother.
I sighed and started to tap my feet on the maple wood floor.
"Is everything calm in 'Freyaland'?" Edward's tone made me look up to him. Jeez! I even forgot he was waiting for me.
"Sorry, I was too caught up in my thoughts. Did anyone offer you coffee or something? I'll just ask them," I said hastily and was about to call the housemaid when he spoke up again. "Will you calm down for a second?" He rose up a mug to me.
Chill Freya! Why are you getting worked up for no reason? Said the voices in my head as I tried to calm my breathing.
"Are you okay?" Edward asked, rubbing lightly on my shoulder.
"If I said yes, I would be lying," My face dropped.
"I understand. You have a lot on your plate, but I also need to tell you something. I just can't keep it to myself anymore. I'm tired of waiting for the right time," he chuckled.
"Is it something about Eric? Please don't tell me his condition got worse," I said in a voice filled with panic.
"You are the one who needs a high dose of sedative! Is there any single moment when you don't get a panicked?" He looked at me in disbelief.
His words just went above my head, "I…don't get it," I murmured.
"Of course you don't," he shook his head.
"Okay, let's give it a rest for now. Call me when your head is clear, then we can talk. Bye for now," he gave a tight squeeze on my wrist and walked away. I kept looking at where he had just left. What was he trying to say?
Darkness and the sound of the roaring engine were his only companions as Edward drove through the snowy path. The long leaves of the continuous wild trees were rubbing on his BMW like the ends of a flowing ball gown. The headlights of his own car were his only source of light in the dark surrounding. His icy blue eyes were searching for something, no maybe he was looking for someone.
After reaching a certain destination, he brought the car to a halt but didn't get out. Instead, he leaned on the leather headrest and closed his eyes.
The other side of the door opened automatically, and a gust of wind entered carrying some snow flurries along with it.
Edward didn't move, nor did he open his eyes. "We are not far from our destination. I think she trusts me," he sighed.
A deep voice hummed in acknowledgment, "Trust is not enough, you need to make her fall for you."
Edward clenched his jaw but didn't open his eyes. He gripped the steering wheel of his car, "Don't you get it, woman! She already loves someone, it's not easy," he protested.
"If it was easy then I wouldn't have asked you to do it. Make her forget Robert, make her hate each and every memory of his," hissed the voice in Edwards' ear, startling him.
"It's impossible! Freya loves Robert with her whole being. She's never gonna hate him," announced Edward in a disturbed voice.
"She will. Just go as per our plan, that crazy brother of hers will be our pathway for this. Got it?" Asked the sharp, sourceless voice.
Edward didn't say anything. He opened his eyes; they were glassy and looked like they were full of pain, "I'm obeying each and every order of yours. Now, please for God's sake, cure my dad. Make him stand on his feet. You don't know how it feels when I see his lifeless body lying on his wheelchair; he has a body that is trying to live, but his brain has already lost all hopes of living," he pleaded.
The voice growled, this time with anger, "He is my husband! Don't tell me what to do."
"Mom, I know you can do anything. Why don’t you end this torment for us?" He demanded.
"I want my revenge and all the power there is in the world. If you want a life for yourself and your useless father, then do as I've told you, otherwise, I can ruin everything in a blink of an eye, as you have seen," she announced.
"Mom! End this. Please don't make us suffer anymore, you've already got everything! How much more do you want?" Edward yelled in the air, his own voice echoed back to him, and when he looked at the passenger seat, he found the door was open.
"Again she left! Is she really my mom? Do moms abandon and kill their own sons?" Exclaimed Edward as a drop of warm tear rolled down his cheek.
Freya
"Girl! I've become a huge fan of yours. How on earth did you manage to stop all of Eric’s wailing a
nd crying?" Kate looked at me in awe as I kissed Eric's forehead and he happily went back into playing his Xbox.
I rolled my eyes at Kate and gestured her to follow me. Now we were in my room. I lay down on the bed under my newly bought white duvet, and it did bring me a much-needed warmth after a whole day of drama, crying and all.
"Will you say something?" Kate was getting impatient.
"I'm too tired Kate, can we talk later?" I urged.
"No! Tell me everything," She demanded.
"Okay!" I sat up, and she too sat on the pink ottoman next to my queen size bed.
"I told him the story where all good people become stars when they die; mom and dad are the brightest stars in the sky, they are watching us all the time, and if he cries, mom and dad will also cry. So we need to be brave and do good things in life so that God can give the best to our parents," I uttered.
"He believed it?" Kate asked in disbelief.
I nodded, "Thanks to the fact that his brain is still thinking like a six-year-old."
Kate's face went gloomy, "Ahh, Freya, I'm so bloody jealous. I wish I could also think like Eric and believe my parents have become stars and are with me."
"These tales are only for kids. But now I will accept the worst and move on. There's no use holding a piece of myth between my fingers, there's no use dreaming of someone who doesn't even exist," I sighed.
"What are you saying?" Kate rolled her eyes.
"There is no Robert, Kate. He's dead," as I said this, my eyes filled with tears and a feeling of suffocation covered my chest.
"But you were so sure this morning." She blinked.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I held up my hand holding the ring in front of her.
She held her head, "Freaking Hell! That's the...how did...you...?" Words didn’t come out of her mouth; she was shocked.
I told her everything, about uncle Joe and how the ring showed me how Robert's car had burned down to ashes.
"A part of me was expecting a miracle would happen and he would come back to me, but...I guess my life is so dark that even a ray of miracle is also lost somewhere," I said while brushing my fingers on the shiny crystal of the ring in my hand.
Kate reached up to me and hugged me, "I don't know how to make you feel better. But you should leave all this behind. Try to welcome the new beginnings, maybe love is still waiting to spread glitters over your dark life," she smiled sadly at me.
"I don't believe in love anymore," I stated rigidly.
Lying in my bed, in the morning, I could already see through the window the snow had claimed its reign over everything. The green trees had lost their color, and the bright and sunny sky was in a total grumpy mood. I had planned to stay in for the day, giving a much-needed rest to both my body and brain. But again, like every single event of my life, I had zero control over my mood swings. This morning the loud buzz of my cell phone shook me awake. When I checked the message, my lazy mood turned into a tensed one.
The message was from Edward, the guy texted me at 7 am. Didn't he sleep or what? In it, he wrote, "Dear Freya, hope you are in a relaxed mood. I am in a miserable condition because whenever I try to do something, your face shows up in front of eyes. It seems like you are stuck in my head, woman. I would like you to solve this problem of mine. I want you to be in my life, because I really, really like you.
I am writing this to you because, whenever you are in front of me, I feel at a loss for words. So, I'm using a text message to convey my feelings to you. I don't know if you feel the same way about me, but let me tell you one thing. You are no longer a want for me, you've become a need. Can't do anything without you, my life depends on you. I know it's cliché, but these are my real feelings. Wanted to tell you at dinner today, but as you already know, I'm not good with words. Will be waiting for your answer. Love Edward ♡".
After reading this, my throat went dry. I was in such a confused condition I wanted the earth to swallow me up. Yes, that would have solved a lot of problems. My sleep ran out the back door and left me with a pinching headache as a goodbye gift. Now I had another thing on my to-do list; ''break the heart of the person who helped you in a moment of crisis". Feeling agitated, I began tugging on my hair, after throwing away my cell phone.
"Planning to kill me or what?" Kate shouted.
Apparently, the phone hit her. I looked at the door and found her crouching next to my phone with a confused expression on her face. As she picked up my phone and looked at it, slowly her expression changed and now she was all smiling and blushing.
Great! She read the text, good job Freya! I gritted my teeth in anger.
"Aha! Look at you, getting pleasant love messages early in the morning. I thought I should check on you before my yoga classes, but it seems like someone else is planning to 'check-you-out,'" she winked, as a naughty smile played on her lips.
"No! Not a word. Currently, I'm not in a situation to hear your babe talk," I warned.
"Freya, he's a good man. Look how cute is the message he wrote. I just wanted to say life is trying to give you a second chance and if I were in your place then I would have taken advantage of it," she stated.
I didn't even have it in me to look at her; I knew she cared for me but...how do I forget a person who gave me so much to remember for someone else?
"I'm going jogging," I said in an expressionless voice; I wanted to escape from all this.
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Freya
It was a cold morning, so along with my gray tracksuit, I had worn a pink colored knit sweater, mittens and a pink woolen hat which had a cute bow on it. My dark hair was up to a high ponytail. As I breathed the morning air, I felt fresh and alive. I ran to the central park, to my surprise it wasn't lonesome at all. Elders and youngsters were busy walking and exercising while the kids made snow angels rubbing themselves over the piles of soft snow. When I looked at the faded leaves and the grass, it made me sad for a bit and reminded me of my own life. Why was I thinking about sadness again? With that thought I turned up the volume on my iPod, letting the music and cold breeze overtake my senses.
"Ouch," I uttered when I landed my foot on a globe of ice, which was probably scattered by those naughty kids. The ground was unusually slippery, and I was having a tough time keeping my balance. Two little boys who were probably 7-8 years old were laughing at my struggle to stand still. Ahh! They made this mischief. I shot them an angry glance, but it did nothing to help me with my trembling balance.
Jeez! What the hell is this? With a loud noise, I fell flat on my butt. My trousers crashed against the grassy ground of the park, and my left foot was stuck in a small hole which I thought was a rabbit's hole. The sounds of laughter around me were now louder as I squinted and yelped in pain. The worst part was that my shoe was stuck and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't pull it out of the black hole. The ground was practically pressing my foot, and it was so damn painful. Having no other way, I cried for help, I felt drops of sweat appearing on my forehead.
Hearing my cries, some of the passersby stepped ahead to help me. Even the children had stopped laughing and were looking at me with a sad face. An old lady ran her hand over my head, "Relax, and try to pull it out slowly," she said softly. If it were some other time, I might have acknowledged her sweetness or at least would have thanked her with a smile, but now my head was fully jammed up. You will be stuck here forever, chanted the voices in my head, scaring the hell out of me. I was confident God was smiling and taking in this sight as His morning entertainment. "Don't cry, it will be okay?" Said an elderly man from the crowd. Was I crying? I had no idea because my vision was completely blurry.
After what seemed like ages, a very tall guy wearing a black hoodie and black jeans made his way near my foot. I could only see his back as he crouched down; maybe he had gestured everyone to step out, that's why the crowd was diminishing. Ahh, the feeling of suffocation was lessening up; it was as if the guy had brought an oxygen mask with him.
It didn't
even take him a minute to pull my foot out of that hole, his hand worked like magic. I tried to move my legs, but the strangling pain was still there. "How will I walk home?" I murmured to myself.
"Clear up, this isn't a circus," said the guy in his thick voice. Maybe my brain wasn't working properly, maybe this was the reason I found his voice to be strangely appealing; it was intriguing and amicable. Eeh! Is this a time to think about all this? I rebuked the voices in my head. "Thank you very much, I..." before I could complete my sentence, he started walking away. Arrogance! Yes, he had done me a big favor, but that didn't give him permission to act pricey. In fact, no one had the right to act pricey in front of Freya Lawrence.
His rude walking away and ignoring what I was saying, fired up the cells in my brain and I tried to get on my feet so I could give him a mouthful. Yes, that might lower my anxiety levels.
I tried to get up. Arghh why was it so difficult to stand up without any support? I pressed my palm to the ground and tried to move my legs. An "Ahh" escaped from my mouth.
Suddenly, I got goosebumps as a pair of hands grabbed me from my waist and within no time, my feet were raised as he carried me up in his arms. I tried on my bit of protest, but his strong arms weren't ready to leave me. Finally, I gave up; at least he was helping me. I could have been sitting and crying on the frozen grass.
"You came back," I uttered, trying to take a look at his face, but the hood didn't allow me to.
"Who are you?" I asked, and this time I also got nothing, but a sharp intake of breath.
This guy was super weird! First, he helped me, then showed arrogance and now he was helping me again. And this hood, it was so damn long I couldn't even see his chin. In spite of his cold attitude, I found his embrace to be very warm, and his scent reminded me of...Ahhh Freya! Don't you dare, scolded the voices in my head.
His bold steps and powerful hold were making me feel safe as he carried me out of the park. My hands were around his shoulders; they were itching to lift up the hood and see the face of this silent stranger.
