Lemuria: The City of Mysts

Chapter 21: Trauma

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Cheska met his gaze. His eyes held pain, the physical and the emotional kind.

“They said it was a hit-and-run accident that killed her.”

“Did they find out who did it?”

“No.” He looked away. James did. I only knew because of one story. Whoever wrote it knew more than I thought. “Does it still matter when —?”

“I’m right here”, she finished for him.

It’s not that. Fred refrained from telling her Louis’s vision. Instead, he said, “Louis recently found out that his sister is probably alive.”

“And you believe him.”

“Yes.”

“And you think I’m his sister.”

“I don’t know. Are you Electra or just another person that looks like her?” His wry smile slipped into a frown. Is that why I got angry? In vain, he tried to remember. It was like swimming in murky waters which only exhausted him.

Unknown to Fred, Cheska worried at his troubled expression.

“I’m probably just her doppelganger”, she struggled for a light tone. “My parents died in a car crash. I’m the only one who survived. Afterwards, my uncle took me in. Sometimes, I wish I could remember their faces”, Cheska added wistfully.

“You can’t remember them?”

“Doctors said that the collision must have traumatised me or I had a pretty bad childhood that I subconsciously blocked out my memories after the accident.”

“Don’t you have pictures of them?”

“No. While I was in hospital, the state tried to identify who I was since the I.D.’s they found in the car were fakes. I was put in foster care until Uncle Gerry came. He said he was an acquaintance of my father but he would talk about my folks. I think my uncle felt sorry for me though. That’s why he pulled me out of the system.”

“I see”, Fred said. Cheska’s story was convincing that he fell silent. If it were true, Louis would be disappointed.

He had dozed when a cool hand on his forehead woke him.

“You have a fever”, she said.

“It’ll be gone by tomorrow. Electra—” his heavy-lidded eyes and lazy smile made Cheska realise that Fred might be dreaming “—can you keep a secret?”

“Sure. What is it, Fred?” she played along. He had expected the worst case scenario and warned Louis, Tony and her earlier. Cheska felt for the prescription in her pocket that Fred had made her write down earlier.

“I heal fast.” He sighed. The pause that followed made Cheska think Fred had fallen asleep. She was about to return to her book when he continued, “After the accident – my body –it heals faster than anyone. But,” He chuckled, his eyes fluttered sleepily.

“Go on”, she urged him.

“It gets worse before – better. I had a cold once”, he rambled. “It was itchy.” Fred lifted a hand to his throat. “I coughed a lot – lost my voice – couldn’t leave house. She couldn’t leave”, he added.

“She?”

“You.” He smiled sadly at her. Fred’s fingers trailed on her cheek in a soft caress. “So noble and brave for Louis. Electra, I—” The door creaked open as Tony entered with Louis in tow. “— I like Tony. He’s smart. Why isn’t he in school?”

“Did you give him something?” Tony asked Cheska. His gaze flickered between her and Fred, who grinned at him. The doctor sounded like he was drunk.

“He’s dreaming, I think”, Cheska said. She rummaged through the bag Tony had brought and took out glass vials labelled Arnica and Belladonna. Louis handed her a bottle of Natrum sulph.

Cheska double checked the prescription and administered the medicines. Then, she assigned each of them to take turns in watching over their patient.

At past midnight, Cheska stared at the ceiling of her studio. Tony and Louis were fast asleep in the living room. Although they were still wary of each other, Fed’s condition had forced them to enter into a sort of truce. She got up and crept to her bedroom. She padded towards the occupied bed. Cheska switched on the bedside lamp. She couldn’t help admiring Fred’s features. His thick and long eyelashes were wasted on him. His face was free of freckles and smooth, except for the stubble in his chin. Asleep, he looked innocent. She occasionally heard about him in the news but that person was distant and unreachable. The man in her room was flawed – more human, so much more... Cheska shook her head.

What are you doing? she scolded herself. It’s late. Do what you came for and go. She checked his temperature. The fever had gone down. Cheska straightened and was about to turn when a hand grabbed her arm.

Her gaze dropped to the hand which held her and travelled to Fred’s face. Her eyes met his.

She had replaced her sunglasses with new contact lenses. Tony had brought it from the eye centre after retrieving the doctor’s belongings. Knowing the effect her face had with Louis and Fred, Cheska withheld wearing it until everyone was asleep.

“Stay with me”, Fred said.

Cheska couldn’t read the emotion on his face. He still thinks I’m Electra, she thought.

“I’ll be right here”, she said and sat beside him.

“Thank you”, Fred said. His hand lowered to clasp hers.

His eyelids fluttered once, twice. Soon, his breathing deepened. Cheska quietly slipped from the room.

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A/N: More on Fred and Cheska in the next chapter. Stay tuned! :)

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