Faceless Instincts

Mother's Last Help

The next morning everyone was in the kitchen as Nikolai and I prepared breakfast. He held my gaze a few times and made sure Dorian didn't notice.

I poured everyone some coffee while Nikolai took the plates to the table, "you want me to bring-" he was saying something when Dorian walked up to us.

"Do you people need any help?" He asked and looked at me.

"No, we were just coming out," Nikolai said and took two plates to the table.

"He has been very feisty lately hasn't he?" Dorian asked as I grabbed the cups

"He's been through a lot," I said looking at Nikolai, "from trying to find you to finding out that you're...that you're..."

"...dead?" He said bluntly.

I agreed with a nod, "than facing the truth about your family. It's been pretty hard for him to deal with everything."

"But he had you," he looked at me as he popped an olive in his mouth, "I am sure you would have given him the strength, you always do that."

I smiled and looked down at the floor before looking up at him, "yeah," I glanced at Nikolai, "but this time it wasn't just me, he was there for me equally." I looked at Dorian, "we both there to pick each other up."

He looked at me for a long moment, with a smile on his face that was content. I was still not sure if he was real. It didn't seem real.

"I am glad you are back," I said and he smiled warmly.

"I am glad for it too." He said and wrapped an arm around me.

On the breakfast table, Dorian gave an account of how he ended up in a psychiatric institution, "I had done the most terrible mistake," he looked at me, "I had left you." He said with certain despair in his eyes, "you did everything for me and instead of being grateful, I thought you'd be better off without me, also, I had learned about things that went on with my family, I didn't want to put you in any danger, so I came back here."

"But Lydia and Jonathan said that someone performed your funeral," I said and looked at Nikolai. "They were talking about a man who had destroyed Sussanne's life."

"It means someone executed a very intricate scheme to fake Dorian's death," Nikolai added.

"But why would anyone want to do that? Why Dorian?" I urged and Nikolai frowned deeply.

"Exactly, when I was taken into a psychiatric institution, they had records of my mental illness, detailed conversation records."

"Do you remember any of it?" I asked, "maybe we can piece it together if you can recall whom you had that conversation with."

"Can't, they didn't disclose the records to me."

On the breakfast table, we all mulled over things, "Dorian has seen five psychiatrists-" I said

"Six," he interjected, "including you."

I pursed my lips, "well that would be a tragedy if it's me doing everything while not remembering any of it."

They all looked at me. The doubt and suspicion formed on their faces so strongly that for a second I doubted myself.

"For the love of God." I threw an olive at Nikolai, "really?"

He caught the olive and popped it in his mouth, shrugging, "who knows."

"I was kind of hoping that you'd figure it out by now" Dorian mumbled and I gave him 'the look'

"Yeah? Mighty rich of you to think we'd solve a mystery that you started."

"Not exactly me-"

"Yes, you did." Nikolai declared and threw an olive at Dorian.