It was midnight and everyone went to sleep, Perfida was dreaming the time when she was in that car crash when she was eight, she was lying on the back seat and she couldn't move her body. All of a sudden, she saw two blurry silhouette standing right in front of her then their hands reaching out to her.
After that, Perfida woke up gasping for air "what..wh..what happened?" Perdita asked, she was just lying next to her on the bed and she was startled that her sister woke up wheezing, "Peach! what's wrong?"
"Purdy..." Perfida uttered in distress.
"What...what happened?" Perdita saw that fright on her face and she was starting to worry.
"Nothing, I just had a nightmare," Perfida panted.
"What did you see?" Perdita was freaking out again.
"It's nothing, really."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," Perfida felt she was sweating like crazy so she put her hands on her forehead then to her neck and she did felt nausea.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't know, I don't feel good."
------
It was morning, Archie was going over his laptop while having breakfast with Bryce and Jeffers and Harrison was also eating the same thing with pellets of dry food on his bowl, Berta was putting food on the table "Archie, put that down and eat first," she nagged.
"I'm just checking if there was any news about this goon put Perfida in danger."
"Anything?"
"No, nothing about the alley that she said or any familiar information."
"Perfida said that this other guy... you know so it's not that this offender will be coming back."
"You're right," Archie closed his laptop and put it aside. "It's a good thing Perfida was able to escape in one piece, where is Perfida? Isn't she awake yet?"
Perfida just walked in the kitchen feeling so unwell "I'm up," she yawned still feeling but that was not all she was feeling and Archie noticed it.
"Are you okay?" Archie asked.
"No, I feel dizzy," she answered.
Berta placed another plate of food on the table then put her hand to her forehead "you're burning up," Berta said. "You're sick."
"Ooh... maybe you should eat your breakfast in your room so that Bryce won't get sick too," Archie told her.
"Okay, Papoli," Perfida moaned, she was sent back to her room and ate her breakfast burrito on her bed with a lap table.
"Here, drink some medicine after eating," Berta said.
"Okay, Thanks, Berta," Perfida replied, Berta left the room, Perfida was eating but not as much, her fever was too high that all she taste was bitterness but she knew she had to eat.
"Thanks! Purdey," then Perfida's phone rang, it was Ophelia. "Mom?"
"Just answer it," Perdita said, Perfida put it on speaker phone.
"Hello! Mom."
"Hey, Peachy, we're here in the base camp," Ophelia informed.
"That's great, mom."
"By the way, you're grandpa said you're having a fever."
"Yes, mom."
"Are you okay? I can drive back there."
"No mom, it's fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, mom, grandpa is taking care of me just fine."
"Okay, I'll talk you again later, bye!"
"Bye, mom. Love you," then Perfida puts down the phone. "Whew! I thought she must've found out the stranger in the alley."
"Just relax and have your breakfast, I'll be with Bryce."
"Thanks, Purdy."
Perfida was sleeping again from the medicine she took, it was a quiet afternoon and everyone were just going about their day, she was having a nightmare again, she was shaking and sweating more and more. It was the same dream, the crash and two figures coming right at her.
Perdita was in Bryce's room watching TV with him "Purdey, is Peachy going to be alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, she just needs rests, okay?"
"Why did Papoli not want me to take care of her?"
"You might get sick too, she'll be okay."
Archie began dabbing the cold wet towel on her head while she was asleep again, Perdita came in the room and saw Archie, "Papoli, what are you doing?" she asked, maybe because she was a soul that she couldn't understand the essence of wiping ones forehead when their sick.
"I'm just swabbing."
"For?"
"This is the old ways of taking care of the sick, so that her temperature will go down."
"Oh!"
"My Papoli used to do it to me and I used to do it to your dad."
"Oh yeah... I remember and he would tickle me when he got to my armpit."
"I taught him that."
Perfida was still sleeping, dreaming that she was back in the place, in the wood where the crash was, Perdita and Apollo weren't there even the car, it was dark like before, she was scared because she remembered it then she heard a whispering sound. "Hello?" she gulped and looked around to see who it was. It was getting creepy and she didn't know what to do.
------
Back in the room, Perdita and Archie could feel that the energy of the room was getting heavy, "it's so dark... I think it's getting cloudy, I'll just open the window," Archie stuttered.
"Yeah, sure," Perdita stuttered back then the room got cold.
"Why is it freezing here?"
"Maybe your getting sick too, Papoli."
"No, no, that can't be it. It's almost lunch time, maybe I should cook my special steak ale soup."
"Okay, Papoli, I'll keep an eye on her."
Perfida woke up after that, she panted as she sat up on the bed, she realized that she was in her room again and it was almost night time as she saw through the window. It was time for dinner, Archie was still cooking and Berta was helping him in the kitchen, Bryce wearing a face mask and rubber gloves because Archie told him to and Perdita were still watching cartoon in his tablet, Perfida came limping and she was still feeling a bit weak but better than this morning, Archie saw her and turned the stove to low heat. "Peachy, how are you feeling?" he asked.
"Sort of getting better," Perfida answered but her face was scrunched up.
"Let me check," Archie closed the lid on the pot and washed his hand, he walked over to her as he wiped his hand on his pants then put it on her forehead. "Your temperature seem to be going down but you're not exaclty well yet, go sit on the coach, my steak ale soup is almost ready."
"Okay, Papoli," the food was ready, everyone except Perdita were eating Archie's steak ale soup with brown rice. "This is good."
"Yeah, Papoli," Bryce agreed.
"I'm glad you two liked it, I haven't made that in years, Fat tire ale is not that easy to find here."
"What's fat tire ale?" Bryce asked, Perfida and Archie looked at each other then at Bryce.
"Soup stuff."
"Oh!"
"Peachy, here, put some cayenne pepper to help you sweat more," Archie handed her the spicey seasoning, Perfida sprinkled some and tried it, it was a mildly spicey but she could handle it.
"Oh! God, that helps," Perfida felt the spice burning and soothing her throat and made her body sweat so she drank a glass of cold water, Perdita sensed that her sister was having a problem, she felt that there was something bothering her. Perfida was back in her room, she drank her medicine then drank some water and Perdita was there too to look out for her, Perfida saw there were messages from her friends, March, Leyo and Vance, asking if she was okay so she replied that she was feeling a bit better.
"Are you okay?" Perdita asked.
"My fever is starting to go down," Perfida answered.
"No.. not that. There's something bothering you," Perdita said, Perfida felt like she knew that. "What's up with you?"
"I had a weird dream when I was sleeping."
"What was it?"
"I was in the woods where... we crashed".
"Really?".
"Yeah, except I was the only one there, you and dad and the car weren't. That was the scariest thing that ever happened.. to us," Perfida recalled, Perdita knew how she felt because it was the time that took her and their father's lives. "I don't know... it just keeps playing all over again in my dreams."
"Probably effect from the fever."
"Could be."
-----
The next morning, Perfida woke up and she sat up on her bed then rubbed her eyes then she saw a blurry dark figure thinking it was the ones in her dream standing at the corner, she gulped and her eyes widened so she quickly puts on her specs and it was just a stand with her black jacket and sighed in relief. Perfida wasn't still feeling well and having a video chat with March, "Oh! my God, that was intense, Peach," he expressed, she explained what had happened to her. "It's a good thing you were saved but it's freaky that you got sick after."
"Tell me about it," Perfida sighed.
"So how are you feeling? are still feeling sick?"
"Yeah but I think I'm getting better, my fever is going down."
"That's good to hear, so I was thinking of taking Vance to the local Art Exhibit the one near Ro.... sanna Garrr...den," he stammered as he saw Perfida cringed. "Nevermind."
"No.. no.. it's fine."
"Are you sure? we can just take him somewhere else."
"Yeah, I have to face it sooner or later."
"Well.. okay, I have to go, my dad is calling me."
"Okay."
"I'll talk to you later, bye," March turned off his call, the room seem to get dimmer which annoyed her because Perfida had to see things darker with her specs so she stood up from her bed and opened the curtains, the room got a little brighter from the natural light but then the room got mysteriously cold, it was summer after all, she shivered so she took out a thick woolly knitted sweater from her closet and wore it, she climbed back to her bed to entertain herself by surfing on her tablet but five minutes after, she just got drowsy again and puts her tablet on the side then doze off in the middle of the day.
Archie was just outside of his own home with Perdita, having a quiet time for fishing and smoking cigars. "I hope I'll catch one, it will be our dinner," he said as he put together his fishing rod.
"Good luck, Papoli."
"Thank you, Purdy," Archie started to throw the hook to the water and just wait from there.
"So, how long do you have to wait to catch a fish?"
"If I'm lucky, within five minutes."
"Oh!" Perdita nodded. "What if you don't?"
"We'll.... have pizza."
"Cool."
"By the way, is everything okay with Perfida?"
"She said she was getting better."
"No, I mean... I just feel like something was bothering her."
"Probably from that alley incident."
"Maybe," then Archie's phone rang right beside him. "It's your mom. Ophelia, hi!"
"Hey! Archie, is everything okay there?" she asked. "I tried calling Perfida but she's not answering."
"Maybe, she's just sleeping," he replied then his fishing pole made this reeling sound and the splashing of the lake which Ophelia could hear from the phone.
"Where are you?"
"I'm just outside fishing for dinner, why?"
"And where is that?"
"Just outside my house by the lake."
"So who's keeping an eye on the kids?"
"Harrison," he sarcastically said and Perdita giggled but Ophelia was obviously not amuse. "Oh! come on, have a sense of humour."
"Archie!" she growled.
"Berta. Berta is there."
"Okay, fine."
"Bye, Ophelia," he puts down his phone and rolled his eyes then continued his fishing.
Perfida was still asleep, she dreamt that there were people holding her down, slitting her wrist and her blood was poured into a saucer after that, there was a strange ritual. She woke up feeling fightened from that nightmare from her phone ringing, it was Ophelia calling "yes, mom, I'm okay now," she assured her mom.
"That's good, I'll see you soon," Ophelia said.
"Okay, mom. Bye!" Perfida puts down her phone and turned to Perdita.
"So are you really feeling well?" Perdita asked.
"Yeah, my head doesn't hurt and my temperature is down."
"So you can go to Rosanna Garden tomorrow?"
"I'll be passing there anyway."
"Alright."
"Hopefully, I could sleep tonight after that hours of sleep in the afternoon."
"I know, let's have a late movie night."
"Great idea."
"Let's watch the 'Parent Trap'."
"You read my mind! come on, walk with me to the kitchen, I want to get some snacks."
"Okay!"
The twins walked out of the room, the lights were off because everyone were asleep, they head to the kitchen and opened the fridge "Hmm... out of apple ice tea, I guess the lemon will do."
"Don't you want the ice cream?"
"Nah.. sugar will just keep me up all night," Perfida closed the fridge door and head to the pantry. "They have pringles, let's see BBQ or Sour cream? I'll go with sour cream."
"Good choice," Perdita said then they both heard footstep going to the kitchen but the two didn't seem to care because it must be Archie.
"Ahem," he cleared his throat.
"Oh! hey, Papoli, I'm just getting some snack," Perfida said to him then she and Perdita turned to face him then gasped in horror, Perfida dropped her pringles and bottle of ice tea on the ground because it wasn't Archie or anyone in the house, it was a strange man standing right in front of them in the kitchen.