Gurney City - Book Two

Irrationality

“Is she awake yet?” mum’s voice brings me back to reality. I feel someone – perhaps mum – stroking my hair softly while I lie on the soft bed motionless.

“Just give her some time, Cassandra. She was nearly drowned and was told that her dead parents are actually alive all this while,” a very-sarcastic person whom I do not recognize his voice says.

“You don’t have to be an arse about it, Doc,” dad tells him. “Besides, love, he’s right. I would be worried if she actually managed to handle the truth without fainting or throwing a tantrum.”

“She’s been asleep for more than twelve hours, of course, I’m worried,” mum argues like a protective fat man over his last donut.

I open my eyes slowly to see an unfamiliar white ceiling. It is kind of bright, but not bright enough to hurt my eyes. I blink a few times to see my father and mother’s faces in my sight.

“Oh God this is all real,” I yell in realization, rolling over until I fall to the ground. Pain courses in my veins, but I easily ignore it.

“Melanie, sweetheart, calm down,” dad says, approaching towards me.

“I would suggest you give her some space, Nicholas,” a man in white coat tells him. He is the guy who was sarcastic to my mum earlier. Not to mention he’s a doctor.

I look in panic at dad’s worried face, then mum’s frightened one, and finally to the doctor’s bored one. Dad is wearing a black polo shirt and pants, just like Nate would wear.

“Nate,” I say. “Where is Nate?”

“Melanie,” the doctor says robotically. It does nothing to calm me down. “I need you to move yourself on the bed so I can check quickly on your health.”

I can’t comprehend his words. I’m too busy thinking of ways to save Nate from someone who I thought to trust.

Thomas is going to be the first person I kill.

“Melanie,” dad says softly just like he did when Nate and I were younger.

Too many happy memories.

Too many happy thoughts.

That makes me even more insane than before.

“Where is he?” I yell at them. “Where is my twin brother? How dare you just leave him in the hands of such a man? How dare you all sit around doing nothing while my brother is out there suffering? You should all be ashamed of yourselves!”

“She’s hysterical,” the doctor comments.

At the second thought, Thomas will be the second person I’ll kill. This doctor will be the first.

At an instant, I take the knife that had been in my boots the entire time and lunge for the doctor.

“Melanie! Don’t!” dad yells, trying to grab me. I’m too quick. My knife has already planted itself into the doctor’s forearm, earning a scream of pain from him. Just before I can take out the knife to stab again, a strong pair of hands stops me from doing so.

“Oh God,” mum says in horror.

I scream like a wild animal, trying to make my way back to the wounded doctor just like I did with Athena. I feel my control slipping away. I feel myself turning into something that is not myself.

“Don’t shift. Don’t shift,” dad keeps chanting while holding onto me. “Augustus! I need you here!”

What do I need? Why do I exist? Why did Thomas picked me to be Director? Why did Nate end up with me as a twin sister? What did I do to cause this much of a mess?