Ferocious

19. Watchful

Eggshell white, gold filigree, forget-me-nots, four leaf clover, and a grey line running from rim to bottom. I held the cup gingerly in my hand, trying not to let fear show in my face to Mr. Kopf or Kaylee.

'None of it's broken or chipped.' But no matter how many times I told myself it wasn't there; I couldn't make the crack disappear from the cup.

"Thank you, Mr. Kopf," I said. "We don't want to take up any more of your time."

"Do you me favor, Ms. Hadder and ask your mom to double check under my sister's bed when she's on duty. It makes her feel safer."

"I'm not supposed to talk to her about patients. It violates the doctor privacy code. Sorry," I said.

"Never mind. You both might consider leaving town, too," he said. He ran a hand through his hair and left it at the back of his head. "Or keep your scissors handy."

"Bye. Have a nice day," Kaylee said.

We walked to the car; for my part in a total daze. On the passenger seat, I whispered, "I need hot chocolate."

"Me too. And apple pie."

"Yeah, and a scoop of ice-cream."

"And maybe some more hot chocolate," she said, checking the rear-view mirror to back up the car. "Brooklyn, will you look in the back seat and tell me what you see?"

A chill ran through me, scalp to toes. Very slowly, I twisted to look at the seat, expecting anything from rats to a knife wielding scarecrow. "I see a hairy spider about the size of a hamster," I said, relieved.

"Could you get it out of my car before I have a panic attack?" Kaylee asked.

"Sure." I can handle spiders. I'd rather deal with spiders than phantom rats and strange noises any day of the week. I used a Kleenex to pick it up and toss it into the grass.

"Do you think my aunt has some psychic connection to whatever is going on in this town?" she asked me when I returned.

"It's either that or she has psychotic episodes and hallucinations. She could be the same as Kopf's sister."

"If I convinced her to move out of town, we'd have a place to stay," Kaylee said.

I watched out the window as we drove through the neighborhoods towards Cuppa Joe's. The houses here were for built in the 50's; quaint and square with tidy lawns and lots of white trim. Until we passed one house that was overgrown with ivy and had a red high heel abandoned in the driveway. A shadow moved behind a broken window. Did I see that?

"I don't know what to believe any more. I don't know what to trust or what's real," I said. I was in quicksand and my only plan of action was to not thrash around too much. It was as terrifying as the mud the soldiers pushed me into.

Kaylee shook her head. "Whatever you do, don't get yourself sent to the looney bin, no offense to your mom. They might make you worse. Which is kind of depressing and really scary."

She was right. "Hot chocolate?" I asked.

"Hot chocolate."

After filling ourselves up on hot chocolate and several desserts at Cuppa Joe's, Kaylee dropped me off in my parking lot. She offered to come in, but I told her Señora Ramírez was supposed to be babysitting me.

I waved as she drove off. Climbing the covered stairs to my apartment door, I got my key ready, my mind lost in everything Mr. Kopf had told us. I opened the door and stepped inside. I was closing it when a foot blocked the door, breaking me from my reverie.