Childish Tendencies

Contemplation

Fae
"How long?" I asked him, lacing and re-lacing my fingers nervously. I had to leave Alia with Ms. Gretchen after the call from Arthur, she couldn't know yet.

"A week, I would say," Arthur's eyes bloomed with pain as he checked my temperature. The clean stench of the hospital room filled the thick air around me as the nurse fiddled with the tubes penetrating through my arm. "Fae, you should tell her already."

"Arthur, please, you know I can't." I heard my voice break, my throat choking up with grief.

"She needs to know, for the baby. She's hormonal already, the babies forming, you have to tell her so it's not a surprise and she can prepare."

"What does she need to prepare for? She's getting all of my inheritance! That's more than enough money for her entire existence!"

"It's not only about the money Fae," the doctor said in exaparation, "we're not all cold-hearted, self-centered bitches like you. Some of us have emotions!"

I stared at him in shock, "Well, some of us don't fucking care! Let me handle this, doctor, it is a personal matter and you are being unprofessional," I narrowed my eyes at him, "and also, you can suck my ass." Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I strutted out of the room.

Alia
The book felt heavy in my hands as I walked home, the sluggish road making the dark fog inside my head a deep black. I felt the fog dismantle into rain clouds and the first tremors of rain fell inside my thoughts.
It's raining, it's pouring,
This could not be happening right now. Get yourself in control, Alia. The last time this happened, you fainted. You cannot faint, you might hurt the baby.
The old man is snoring,
Come on Alia, you're almost home. Ignore the tapping of the rain thoughts. Ignore it. This could not be happening.
He went to bed,
Almost home. Almost. Come on, home. Fae's home. She'll know what to do. Not this again. Tip, tap, tip, tap. It's getting stronger.
And he bumped his head,
Home. You're home. One step, two step. Count the steps, Alia. Count them. Okay, now ring the doorbell. Try to block out the splashing.
And he couldn't wake up in the morning.
Everything disappeared.

***

I opened my eyes to a familiar set swarming on top of me. The eyes leaned closer to me and I felt lips brush against my nose.

"Hey babe, how you feeling?" Fae's voice sang. I turned to my side, pulling the silk blanket with me. My head rested on Fae's lap and a bottle of aspirin sat near the table. "It happened again. Did you feel the same way as before? Like too much was happening at once? The rain?" Her voice was filled with urgency and my palm flung to my stomach.

"The baby?" My voice was hoarse.

"I caught you before you reached the floor. Don't worry darling. Now tell me if it was the same?"

"It was." I looked at her, searching for disappointment but all I saw was undying lov- want.

"Do you have any idea what triggered it?"

"Uhm, I, I.." I glanced at her. She would know if I lied. Letting out a deep sigh I began, "Mia's a murder."

"What?"

"She murdered a man- or a woman, I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"She gave me a book to read. Her journal, I think. She said it'll explain everything."

"Have you read it?"

"Not yet." I looked away from her. I wasn't going to read it, "I'm not going back there."

"You should go back there, Alia, she might have an explanation. Read the book, and if you really can't face her, don't. She might have a reason thought. Give her a chance. She is crazy after all."

And I have crazy feelings for her, I groaned. "She's not anymore. She knows she's not five. She's been lying."

"She might have an explanation for that too. Read the book, here her out. That's the least you can do. And stop stressing over small stuff. She really likes you, and you don't stop talking about her so you like her too."

Gosh, am I that obvious?

"You guys are great friends," I let out the breath I was holding in anticipation when those words flew out of Fae's mouth. Friends, right. "Now go to sleep for a while, you're a bit tense, come on, sleep little baby." Fae's lips brushed my forehead this time and she came down to the bed, cuddling with me. With a slow yawn into her hair, I fell asleep and for a moment I was oblivious about everything and everyone.