The sixth sense

Chapter 18

EMMA

I sit down on a couch and close my eyes, trying to wrap my mind around everything that just happened. I saw Lili in Adam's embrace, and it was so . . . intimate. I shake my head as if blocking the memories of that moment. After all, it could be just a trick of my imagination.
"I'm shocked," Paul says. "Like really shocked." He sits down next to me and fidgets. "Nice pillows."
I open my eyes and nod. "Yeah. Amelia decided to add a little comfort here and there."
He takes one of the white pillows with pale-pink peonies on it. "Do you like living with her?"
"To be honest, I was scared it would bother me a lot. But she's very sensitive and attentive. And she tries to stay away from what's none of her business. Though she's always there for me when I need her. She and Dad make a great couple. I couldn't be happier for him."
"I see."
I feel like Paul wants to ask something else. His fingers are drumming against the sofa and his feet against the floor.
"Just spit it, Paul," I say, studying his face.
He sighs and lowers his eyes. "Do you think Adam and Lili are a little too . . ." He doesn't end the line and hesitates before saying, "Close?"
I draw a sharp breath and my heart cringes to the size of a crumb.
"I thought I was the only one who noticed that," I confess.
Paul shakes his head. "No, unfortunately. It's like they know each other for years. And the way she leaned into him . . ."
Another hesitation follows.
I shake my head. "I'm sure it's not what it looks like. Adam was the first to react to the situation. And Lili was clearly scared and lost."
Paul gives me a skeptical look but doesn't give voice to the rest of his assumptions. I don't believe my own words though but still hope there's a logical explanation to everything he and I witnessed. I look at my phone. Dad hasn't called back and I can't decide what to do: to wait for his call or text him about Lili. I don't want to scare him or Amelia. On the other hand, I have no idea what to do next. And the most important thing is I have no idea how to help Lili if she needs help, of course. She looked so tired when we returned home and I didn't want to bother her with my questions.
"Where are our parents?" I ask aloud and swear under my breath.
As if by magic, the lock of the front door turns and I hear the sound of the keys turning and the voices, coming from the hall. Amelia and my father are laughing at something. I stand from the couch, dropping my phone, and run out of the room. Dad looks at me and I know he knows something's wrong with me.
"What happened?"
"I called you so many times!" I say, nervous. "Lili has had a panic attack!"
Amelia looks puzzled. She frowns, asking, "Are you sure?"
Paul walks up to me and stands behind me. "Positive."
"She's in her room now," I say. "She said she needed to take a shower. She couldn't breathe . . . she looked like she was suffocating."
My words make Amelia's face pale. She drops her bag to the floor and runs to her daughter's room.
"Looks like it's not a usual thing for Lili to act like that," Paul mumbles.
And watching Amelia's reaction, I know he's right.
"Okay, I think I'd better go," Paul says. "You're not alone anymore."
Dad walks him to the door.
"Thanks for staying with us," I say, waving goodbye. I rub my eyes tiredly and sigh. It's been one hell of a day for us.
Amelia returns a few moments later. She tiptoes to us, trying to be quiet. The floor in our apartment is terrible.
"She's asleep now. I don't think she took a shower," she whispers.
"What happened to her, Emma?" Dad asks.
They walk into the living me, staring wide-eyed at me, waiting for the response.
"We saw a theft today and he stole a woman's bag. You know, one of those expensive Birkin bags, made of crocodile leather? Or at least so it looked like. It happened in the daylight, right in the middle of the street, in front of everyone's eyes. The man was trying to run away." I feel nervous under their piercing stares. My words are fast and subtle. "Lili saw him and got scared. And then she started suffocating. But I swear, everything happened so fast, we didn't get a chance to call the ambulance. But Lili managed to restore her breathing thanks to Adam. He somehow helped her calm down."
Amelia closes her eyes and rubs her temples. "My poor girl," she whispers.
Dad puts his hands around her shoulders. "What happened next?" he asks.
"We came home and she went to her room. I know my story is too short, but it's all I can remember."
Dad nods. "Bring Amelia a glass of water, please."
I clench my fists at the memories of the day. It was the first time in my life that I witnessed something like that. I go to the kitchen and come back with a glass of water in my hands.
"What exactly did Adam do to calm her down?" Amelia asks in a raspy voice.
"I'm not sure . . . but his reaction was fast and he told her something to help her restore her breathing," I say, not sure how to describe what he did. "He spoke to her . . ." I pause. I don't want to tell them about everything my boyfriend did.
I give water to Amelia and take a seat in a chair.
"Thanks, Emma," she says and then takes a few small sips.
"Why did Lili get so scared?" I ask. "Is there anything you're not telling me about her?"
Amelia gives me a sad look. "It happened some time ago when she was returning from vacation . . . she was attacked. The men who did that were going to rape her. The scar on the palm is from that night . . . she covered her face with her hand when one of the men threatened her with a knife."
Terrified, I stare at my stepmother.
As if reading my mind, she nods, saying, "Yeah, it was terrible . . . she'd been having nightmares after that. She couldn't sleep at night. But then everything changed. I thought she was over it. She visited a therapist and took sedatives. I was sure they worked because she didn't want to continue her therapy and I didn't know if I should force her into it." Amelia looks worried and tired. "I wish she never went to Italy at all!"
"Italy?" I ask, shocked.
"Yes. She and her friend decided to go on a spontaneous vacation."
"How long ago did it happen?"
Amelia takes another sip of water and my heart starts racing, waiting for her response.
"It was during her fall break. At the very beginning of the school year. She missed so many classes after that but panic attacks never happened during the day. I remember her feeling uneasy in the dark places and I had to buy her a bedside lamp. But with the time, the nightmares stopped."
"I think it was the situation itself that scared her today," my father says. "It worked like a trigger or something of the sort."
Amelia nods. "I think you're right. We need to call her therapist and tell him everything."
"Yes, we need to know what to do next," Dad agrees and his embrace around Amelia tightens. "Everything will be fine. We'll find a way to fix it."
"I'm still angry at her," Amelia says. "How could she buy a ticket for a night bus? Why did she decide to walk in the night? What was she thinking?"
Dad runs his palm down her hair tenderly. "Come on, Amelia, don't you remember how reckless you were her age? When you're young, you're fearless. At least that's what everyone thinks."
She agrees and I stand from the chair and wordlessly walk to my room. The news about Lili's trip to Italy shocked me. I try to tell myself it's just a coincidence; that millions of people go to Italy on vacation. Besides, Adam's girlfriend was Italian. And that is the moment I realize he never actually told me she was Italian. It was my assumption. She could be from anywhere! One scary thought is followed by another. I remember Pauline's question about the girl.
"How did she contact him?" she asked.
"I don't know. Maybe she called him."
"No, Emma. A call is just a call. You can't break up with someone because of one call. They should have met somewhere."
"No, it's impossible . . . how could they meet? And where?"
"Well, if she's in Paris now . . ."
"He would have told me . . . maybe," I said, uncertain. I wasn't sure about anything anymore.
Pauline frowned and thought for a few seconds. "Break up with him, Emma. Be the first to make that decision. If he still remembers her after all those months you two spent together and one meeting with her made him put an end to your relationship, he isn't worth your time. Break up with him and say screw him!"
I stared at her, not knowing what to say. She talked about Adam. My Adam! To break up with him . . . impossible, unbelievable. He's a part of me. The best part of me.
I pass by Lili's room. The door is half-open and she's still asleep. She can't be the girl from Adam's story. Or can she? I'm about to lose my mind, seeing things. My inner voice tells me to stop being an idiot and admit the obvious truth. But I'm not ready for it. I'm not ready to face the ugly truth . . .