Blood Red

Roses with Thornes

Nothing. That was all I felt for hours after leaving Dr.Fallis' office. Cori practically had to drag me home. I was lost in the fact that I couldn't stop this thing that going to soon take over my sister's life.

Dr.Fallis had tried to explain to me the logistics of what Cori was going to experience, but it all came out as white noise.

The whole experience reminded me of those Charlie Brown Christmas specials I watched with Cori when we were little.

It was all fun and games until the adults came around. They always made those weird noises that I had been told were trumpets, and like the words that came out of Fallis' mouth, they were incoherent.

The drive home was filled with bitter silence. Cori tried to strike up a conversation a few times, but after the tenth try, she gave up.

We arrived at my house about two hours later. As Cori pulled onto my block, I began to unbuckle my seat belt. Before she could even stop the car, I was already trying to escape the claustrophobic area. Without looking back, I slammed the door and made my way through the dewy grass.

I began to hear an odd whirring noise through my stomps.

"Tamryn!" Cori yelled from the open window.

I stopped in my tracks and gritted my teeth.

"Call me," she moaned softly.

The whirring noise, which I assumed was the car window, rang through my ears just before her car pulled away from the curb.

I stood there, silent. My fingers began to feel numb from the intense pressure of my grip. Usually, high stress situations are my forte, but not this. Not when family is put at risk.

I tread lightly on the grass, as my legs felt as if they were about to give out to the weight of my body. When I reached the door, I stopped. My hand softly stroked the wood. The reason I had purchased this home in the first place was because of how much it reminded me of my childhood home. I didn't mind the fact that I lived alone in the three bedroom home, I just wanted a place I could feel safe. Now, I wasn't sure if anything could make me feel that sense of security again.

I decided it would be best to head straight to bed as soon as stepped foot in the hall. I hopped into the large bed, alone and shivering. The night was warm, but I couldn't stop trembling as if it were thirty below zero. I threw the large blanket over my body, but still continued to tremble. The clothes I had worn that day, which I failed to take off, nestled tightly to my body.

I felt a certain warmth from the clothes, even as I continued to shiver. The scent of my powder blue blouse was sweet, almost as if it was dipped in fine perfume. My mind flashed to the hours spent in Fallis' office. Cori had stroked her hand on my arm and body several times throughout the day.

"Lilacs," I whispered to myself.

Cori's perfume always smelled like lilacs. I soon drifted to sleep with that sweet thought in my mind.

Two days had passed before I rose from my bed. I had awoken several times over the course of the days, usually in a pool of my sweat. I went from being covered by the blanket to just my clothes several times.

The only reason I finally rose from my almost eternal slumber was the sharp trill of my phone when I awoke in a panic. I slowly trudged over to the phone, letting it ring loudly. I finally reached the small table that held the phone after about ten rings.

"Hello?" I answered the phone hoarsely.

"Tam, are you okay?" a familiar voice rang.

"Breccan?" I asked with a new tone.