Within the Demon's Grip: Part One

Chapter Five

"Mind my own business? Sandra, what did Robin do to you?" Natalia barked, her hands gripping Sandra's shoulders. "What did that bastard do to you?"

Sandra's eyes overflowed with tears, and she wrenched out of Natalia's grasp, batting her hands away. "Stop it! Just stop it!" she cried.

Startled by Sandra's unexpected outburst, Natalia withdrew her hands, eyes wide. They stared at each other, silent, unmoving. It was Sandra who finally broke the silence. She wrapped her arms around her chest, and gave a wavering sigh.

"It wasn't Robin, okay," she whispered.

Natalia's eyes widened, clearly judgmental. "It wasn't?" Her voice drained of emotion, left a bitter taste to the conversation.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sandra was with two guys in one night? Drunk. Natalia knew she shouldn't have left her alone. What kind of friend was she? She shook her head, ashamed.

Sandra's eyes were accusing. "No, Natalia, it wasn't! Guess I'm just a great, big slut, huh?"

Natalia sighed, "I never said you were a slut."

"You didn't have to say anything. It's written all over your face!" Sandra snapped.

Natalia swallowed the escalating tension, powering through with a breath. "Hey," she said. "I thought we weren't fighting."

This caused Sandra to compose herself. A small smile crept over her lips. Although clearly forced, it eased a little of the tension. "Y-Yeah. Yeah, you're right." She shook her head with a sigh. "Guess I got defensive."

"That was my fault. I'm sorry," Natalia said. She gestured again to the couch. "Let's just sit down and talk, okay? I can make us some coffee. A lot has happened. Between the both of us, obviously, so, sit down. I'll just be a moment--"

Sandra hesitated, apparently considering the offer. Finally, she shook her head. "Sorry, Natalia. I can't." She shook her head again, and frowned. "I have to go."

Natalia blinked. "What, wait," she called.

Sandra stopped at the door, and glanced back. Her face really did look abnormally pale. Not quite as pale as Candice's, or even the woman on the sidewalk ... but still, it wasn't like Sandra at all. Sandra always had a healthy glow to her complexion. Even without makeup. It was something she was complimented on often.

"I have to go," Sandra repeated, a twinge of sorrow in her voice.

"Okay," Natalia frowned. "We'll talk later, then?"

"Yeah," Sandra said, just as the door was clasping shut, and shadows were trailing in from the hallway like dirt tracked inside by grimy, old boots.

Natalia showered and dressed for school (an old black sweat-shirt over skinny jeans), but her head was too full of last night, too full of Robin's party, and this morning. She didn't think she'd get anything out of her classes. She needed answers. Ones school couldn't provide. She decided to visit Candice at the hospital.

It took her nearly forty minutes to get to the hospital, but she didn't feel any need to hurry. It wasn't like Candice was expecting her. Once there, Natalia went straight to the front desk and queried the whereabouts of Candice's room. Although she had the room number, she wasn't very familiar with the building's layout, and didn't want to spend the whole day hunting for her room. Thankfully, the older woman was very helpful, and she had no trouble finding it.

The stench of disinfectant assaulted her nose the instant she stepped inside Candice's room.

It was white. The walls, the bed sheets, Candice's bandaged arm ... her clothes. Even her complexion nearly matched. The only pop of color in the entire room was Candice's dark, dark hair. It looked perfectly smooth on the pillow, like she hadn't moved at all.

Natalia glanced around uneasily. She hadn't expected Candice to be asleep when she visited. She wasn't sure what to do. Just as she was considering her options ... Candice's eyes opened.

"Good morning," she said.

"Hey, Candice," Natalia replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Been better," Candice chuckled, her voice proving to be a little livelier than last night.

"Yeah."

"I'm surprised to see you," Candice smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile, though. "You don't exactly know me."

"True," Natalia agreed. "But I wanted to make sure you were alright. Freaked me out a little last night, you know?"

Candice closed her eyes. "You did your good deed getting me here. There's really no other reason for you to stick around."

Natalia was quiet. She couldn't decide whether to be offended or not.

"Unless--" Candice's eyes snapped back open, alert. "Of course. I should have known." She chuckled dryly. "It all makes perfect sense now."

Natalia pursed her lips, agitated. "What are you talking about?"

What was her deal? She should have been grateful for Natalia's help. Anything could have happened to her last night. Maybe even something worse than what she'd already experienced.

"The reason you're here, of course," Candice chimed. "You're curious. You want to know how I got the mark on my arm, and why I was running." She raised her eyebrows. "What I was running from."

"I also wanted to make sure you were okay," Natalia argued.

"Oh, sure," Candice smirked. "You really need to make sure I'm okay ... after all, I'm only in a hospital."

Natalia just glared.

"It's okay," Candice continued. "Anyone would be curious. I was practically hysterical."

Natalia couldn't believe what she was hearing. The audacity! She helped this woman! Drove out of her way to the hospital-- twice, and this was the thanks she got? Natalia couldn't find any words to express the sudden anger she was feeling. She just continued to glare.

Candice pursed her lips as if to keep from laughing. "Sorry to have burst your bubble, Natalia, was it? I'm just confused. Most people wouldn't--"

"Well, I'm not most people," Natalia huffed.

"Obviously not," Candice agreed. "Your acting is a lot better. Way more believable."

"Whatever," Natalia grumbled, already moving toward the door in swift, angry strides. She didn't need this shit! Candice was right. She had done a good deed. Candice was safe. She should have been grateful, but she was just a bitch, and now it was time to wash her hands of this whole fucking ordeal--

"Wait," Candice called, and Natalia stopped. "Tell me the real reason you came here." When Natalia neither budged nor spoke, Candice sighed. "Look, I'm ... sorry I offended you. Okay?"

Natalia crossed her arms, and turned back around. Her face was hard, trying to hold back all the emotion roiling inside her, threatening to break through like a massive tidal-wave. She let Candice speak first.

"You've seen it around, haven't you? The marks... the bandages... the sickly complexions. It's everywhere, and you think I know why. Don't you? You think I have the answer."

Natalia's arms dropped to her sides. A rush of emotion overtook her face, and she sighed heavily. "Yes."

Candice averted her gaze to the window, concealed by window-blinds. She stayed silent ... to the point that Natalia felt she might go insane from the clutter of unanswered questions buzzing around inside of her head. Droning. Monotonous. Like flies on a corpse.

Candice's eyes rolled back to Natalia, and she gave a small smile. It was a feeble attempt at reassurance, Natalia figured, but it didn't help at all.

"You won't believe me. Hell, I'm not even sure I believe it, myself," she said, and there was a new tension in the air, one that thrived with electricity. One that made Natalia feel weak in her knees, on the verge of having them buckle beneath her.

Natalia shook her head, eyes pleading. "Just tell me. I need to know."