SAVANTS

The Chapture 39

Thanksgiving came quickly and went away, the only sign we were celebrating Thanksgiving was having dinner with a turkey in the hospital.

I felt like the beach after the passing of the tidal wave and the edges were thrown onto the beach, all out of place, smashed into pieces.

I realized a great flow of emotions through me, but I couldn't tell the difference, which one was real which one was wrong. I let something slip inside my head and can't control it.

Zed and his brother were cleared of all suspicion by the Las Vegas police department. So why am I accusing them? I was tortured with guilt because I had implicated them in this, too embarrassed to see any of Benedict.

I made my parents promise that they won't let them in—I can't face them. But I couldn't prevent Victor from entering, he came a few times with Farstein to see if I remembered anything. I apologized to him, and the cop, for making a mistake, but I wouldn't be surprised if Victor hated me now.

''Nightmare, Miss Bright—that's how it is, '' Farstein said in a practical tone of voice. "You've been through a terrifying experience and your mind has gone awry.''

He was being nice but I knew he thought I was useless in his question. Everyone agreed that I had been kidnapped, but no one could prove that anyone in the two men in the warehouse was involved. I was the key but I didn't open the door for them.

Farstein brought me a pack of cards and a bunch of flowers on his last visit. "Here you go, Miss Bright, I hope this helps you feel better." He opened the pack of cards and shuffled them. ''I imagine you must be tired of being stuck here. My city is a good place to visit for most people, I'm sorry you had such a bad time with us.'' after shuffling his cards in sharing them with me.

Victor was waiting, watching us from the doorway. ''You're not going to ruin it, are you, Farstein?''

''Can't leave Vegas without betting (gambling) once.''

"I don't know many card games" I admit.

''Then let's play a snap game"

''If I win?''

"You got the flowers."

''If I lose?''

''You still have the flowers, but you have to give me one for my kance hole.''

Farstein left with a flower frame pinned to his collar.

Victor stays behind. He stood looking out the window for a moment, his unease clear.

''Sky, why don't you want to see Zed?''

I closed my eyes.

''He was really desperate. I've never seen him like this. I know he blames himself for what happened to you, but it made him miss a big step.

I can't say anything.

"I'm worried about him."

Victor is not someone who can confide in someone outside his family. He really should be worried. But what can I do? I could hardly find the courage to wake up in the morning.

"He fought last night."

A fight? ''Is he okay?''

''From fighting? Yeah, that's more words than boxing.''

''Who is he fighting?''

''Some people from Aspen. He went looking for her (his kidnapper), Sky. And in answer to your other questions, she's not okay. He's wounded. Like he was bleeding inside, somewhere he thought no one could see.''

''I'm sorry.''

"But you're not gonna do anything to her?"

Tears pierced the back of my eyes. ''What do you want me to do?''

I swallowed my saliva. There was a barrage of cruelty to Victor that didn't let me hide behind the reason for my confusionthat was both frightening and challenging. ''I will ... I will try.''

His hands clenched before he let go. "I hope so, because if something bad happens to my sister, I won't be happy."

''Is that .. a threat?''

''No, just the truth.'' He shook his head, his frustration clear. ''You can get through this, Sky. Start getting out of your comfort zone—it will help you recover quickly.''

At the end of November, I was discharged from the hospital but my parents decided not to return home on the advice of the doctor not to take me straight home.

''There's too much distress at Wrickenridge right now'' said Dr Peters, consultant psychiatrist. 

''Sky needs absolute rest so as not to stress.'' He gave them a recommendation for a recovery house in Aspen and I had been registered and given my own room, he said, something we could only buy thanks to the generosity of an unknown benefactor from Vegas who had heard about my case in the news.

''It's a crazy place, right?'' I asked Simon bluntly as Sally unpacked some of my stuff and stuffed it into the drawer.

 My room has a view of the snowy garden. I could see a woman walking around in circles in a pond, lost in her own world, until a nurse came out to pick her up.

"It's a nursing home," Simon corrected me. ''You're not fit to go back to school yet and we can't stay in Vegas much longer, so this is the best we can think of.''

Sally stood up and pushed the drawer shut. ''We can go back to England, Simon. Sky might feel better among his old friends.''

Old friends? I followed some of them on Facebook but somehow the old closeness has evaporated the longer I go. It's not going to go back to what it used to be.

Simon hugged me with one hand. ''If that's what it takes, we'll do it, but step by step, right?''

''We have classes that we have to teach at the Arts Center, Sally explained. ''But one of us will see you every day. Would you like to see your friends from Wrickenridge?''

I play with the curtain cords. ''What should I say to them later?"

''Just say you have a bad reaction to the trauma of your abduction. Nothing too serious but you need time to recover.''

"They'll think I'm crazy."

"They won't think like that—and because you're not crazy—we can see it."

"I want to see Tina and Zoe. Nelson too if he wants to come.''

''What about Zed?'' ask Simon.

I leaned my head against the cold glass. The gesture gave me a sudden flashback of a high winemaker—, a fluorescent lamp. I shudder.

''Maybe it was him too"

I promised Victor I'd try to meet Zed. Maybe if I see Zed, it'll help straighten things out. ''I want to meet Zed also—just a minute.''

Simon smile. ''Good. The boy was so worried about you, calling us every hour of the day and most of the night.''

"You've changed your tone about him" I whispered, suddenly vividly recalling our quarrel about him a month ago. Didn't Zed say he loved me? So why do I feel as if he is my enemy?

''Well, if you don't want to when you kidnap someone and tie you up in the barn alone he comes to save the girl.''

''He did it?''

''Do you not remember? He was there when you got hurt.''

''Yeah, right, right"

Simon squeezed my shoulder. ''Look, little by little your mind is back.''