A Blessing And A Curse
“Wakey wakey, bedhead.”
“Mmm... Daniel, let me sleep.”
I honestly wasn’t tired anymore, but I was feeling sooo lazy. It’s not like I can even go anywhere, what with the hole in my chest. It still hurts every time I try to get up and move. I rub my eyes and brush the hair out of my face. So much better. “Whatcha want for breakfast kiddo?”
“Some pancakes would be awesome right now.”
“More pancakes? You’ve been eating a lot of those lately. Don’t you want somethin’ else?”
“You know, some filet mignon with calamari sounds nice.”
“... Pancakes it is.”
Doofus. Maybe when he comes back he can sit down next to me and just talk. Better than doing nothing up here, all by myself. I don’t know why but it’s weird having someone to talk to. I never really got along with any of the other kids at my old foster home. I’d always just keep to myself. Hm. Now I remember all the times I visited the Woodstrom cafe, when Hughes and I would talk about our days. Glad I got to see him yesterday. Nothing like visiting an old friend. I’m pulled out of my thoughts when Daniel comes in holding a plate. “Here you go, my dear. Just for you.”
“Why don’t you have some?”
“I’m fine. I already ate a sandwich. Before you eat that, I need to put a new bandage on that injury of yours.”
I pull my shirt back and he takes off the little bandage off my chest and puts on a new one . “Ew,” he bleated. “The old one’s all crusty and brown.”
“Just like you!”
“Haha. Very funny.”
I’m ready to eat when I notice how much stuff is piled on to my pancakes. There’s strawberries and whipped cream and about half a bottle’s worth of syrup slathered on top. This is a bit excessive. “You expect me to eat all this? My blood sugar’s gonna go through the roof.”
“Hey, if you don’t want it, I’ll take it.”
“Like hell you will, greedy.”
When I’m done with my breakfast I start to feel bloated. I’m pretty sure I have diabetes now. Have to admit, it was delicious. “Did you dream of anything Elicia?”
“I did, actually. We were at school, along with the others. Everyone was the same as they were in real life. I saw my mother...” My mom. Could I have somehow remembered what she looked like or was it just my subconscious trying to fill in the blanks? I guess I stayed quiet longer than I thought because Daniel moved closer a little and puts an arm around my shoulders. I took a deep breath to calm down a bit. “Do you think we’ll ever find our parents?”
“I don’t know, fox. I... honestly don’t want to find mine.”
“Why not? ”
“They clearly didn’t want me, so why should I bother looking for them? Your parents might be a different story, so I hope you find ‘em one day.”
“Thanks. That means a lot. You’re such a big cuddly wolf, you know that?”
“Oh no I’m not... Did you hear that?”
I didn’t know what he was talking about until I listened a tad more carefully. It sounds like there’s people downstairs. Daniel gets up and grabs his revolver from the dresser beside the bed. “Stay here no matter what.” He leaves the room before I can say anything else and closes the door. Dammit. Fucking guy’s gonna get himself killed. Where’s my pistol? Shit. Here it is. Ugh. Every time I move my right arm a shock runs through my entire side. I have to use my left hand, which is my weak hand, unfortunately. I can hear Daniel talking downstairs. “Red? What are you doing? Hey! Get offa me! Ack!” Red? One of the government guys who pay for everything here? I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t wanna find out. My aim’s shaky but I should be able to hit anyone who tries to come in. All of the noise downstairs has stopped. I jump a little when the door to the room opens. Daniel pokes his face in and looks at me. His nose is bleeding slightly and he has a black eye. “Sweety?”
