Page 14 of Reflections of Peonies
My attention turned to our surroundings.
We were in a forest, and the trees arched over us. The space was secluded, and no one could find us unless I wanted it to be so. And that wouldn’t happen. Not even the others could know.
This meeting had to remain secret. They weren’t ready to know—I was hardly prepared. My actions were going to change the dynamics of our relationship.
But why?
“Where am I?” This time, when I spoke, it was under my direction. But the sound still wasn’t my own—the voice was light, and the tenor was too deep.
The woman glanced back at me, and amusement flickered in her eyes. “Where are you now?” she asked, tilting her head. “Are you here, or are you sleeping?”
What a strange question. I was here, wasn’t I?
But I also didn’t know whereherewas. “I don’t know.”
I didn’t know, although the scenery was inherently comforting. This place was old, and it was mine. I knew this, just as I knew her. At the thought, my heart began to race because slowly, trickling into my awareness, was reality.
I’d heard this woman before. This was the voice that’d once haunted my dreams. “You?”
I watched her as I pressed my hands over my pounding heart. Shadowed recollections flashed through my mind. And suddenly, this woman’s presence turned into a threat. Though, I was unable to pinpoint precisely why.
“You called me your imaginary friend.” Her smile was almost sad. “And here I thought our connection was so much more than that.”
Why was she here? “Why—”
Once again, the air moved. Without warning, the scene faded around me, leaving me with a sense of emptiness and longing.
“Don’t wait so long in between visits, Mu.” Her voice circled the air. “We’ve much to catch up on.”
Her words still echoed in my ears as I sat up. My hands shook, and I clutched the sheets, bringing them to my chin.
It washer, the voice that Dr. Reed had asked me about. There was no way this was a coincidence. Even so, I couldn’t tell her it was back. Who knew what kind of things they’d do to me? And Julian, he was already so worried. If he really knew…
Well, there was no way they’d be all right with that. This was something I would need to figure out on my own.
A loud thump drew my attention to the door, and I pulled the sheets tighter around me, barely able to see through the darkness of my tiny room. “W-w-who’s there?”
The door opened, and light streamed in as a younger nurse entered the room.
“She’s awake,” she said, glancing behind her. She tucked her curly brown hair behind her ear as she moved forward. “Let’s get this over with so we can go on break. She’s already had her shower and reading time.”
“Fine,” came a deep male voice in response.
My heart was beating furiously now. Trepidation filled me. They’d taken away my books hours ago, saying it was ‘bedtime,’ leaving me alone in the darkness. With every breath, the room became increasingly out of focus.
Then someone turned on the lights. Spots filled my vision. When I blinked again, I saw two more nurses entering the room. There were three in total: two female nurses and a male, and between them, they were pushing a cart.
My thoughts still felt sluggish, and my body ached from the events with Daniel Cole, but I still had enough clarity to press myself against the corner of the bed opposite them. The bronze of the barred headboard felt cold under my bare arms.
But none of them addressed me even after they’d entered theroom and locked the door behind them. Instead, they were focused on the cart between them.
“W-w-what are you d-d-doing?” I didn’t really expect them to answer—they never did. But I couldn’t help but ask anyway.
To my surprise, the redhead with a pixie cut peeked at me. She was the only nurse I’d seen in days who seemed to regard me with anything close to compassion. “We need to change your bandages.”
I raised my hand and touched my throat.
Really? That might not be so bad. But wasn’t it the middle of the night? I wished I had a window.
