BLACK IS THE WARMEST COLOR

Chapter 28

The next day, Mary resolved in her head what she was going to say to Dianne. She finally understood that the first step of dealing with her illness was to first make her accept it. To come to terms with the fact that Candace was gone and nothing could ever bring her back. It was hard but there was nothing anybody could do.

She sat in her car making all the presumptions to her conclusions of anything were to go wrong like maybe Dianne telling her she saw Candace again.

She could also remember when she lost her uncle to Pneumonia back in June. Her aunt lived in denial for months till his will was read. Then and only then did she realize he was never coming back. That was what Mary termed as ‘The final tears’

  Mary stepped out from her car, inhaling the fresh breeze that passed right under her nose. Her tension began to ease slowly as she walked in and to the reception. Busy morning, busy day. As usual she requested to see Dianne but what the nurses said next was the whole game changer for her.

“She escaped. We don't know how or when but immediately we found out we alerted the police”

“And her roommate had no idea concerning that?” Mary asked. She knew she would. Avery was a smart girl but if she were Avery, she wouldn't have spoken either.

The nurse shook her head.

Now Mary was left with the question,
“Where would Dianne go?”

She began making assumptions in her head, at the same time countering those assumptions with the obvious. She couldn't go to her dad's. Hell, she didn't even know where he stayed. She couldn't go to her mom either. It was too obvious and she wouldn't.

It then brought her to the question
“Did Dianne have any friends?"

They would have come to see her if she had any. Maybe they also heard the rumors and made their beliefs about it. Or maybe they just wanted to cut her off from their lives.

  Her last option and possible answer would be Avery.

She must know something, even if she claimed ignorant.
“Can I see the roommate, Avery?”

“Sure"

She made her way up the stairs and to their room. Avery lay in bed, going through something, a magazine. Her one goal right now, she had to make Avery trust her.
She closed the door as soon as she entered but Avery said nothing.

“Hi!" Again, she was ignored.

“You might not know who I am but I'm Dianne's therapist. Well maybe was, since she ran away” she said that all the while paying close attention to Avery's reaction. Nothing.
  But Mary was persistent. She grabbed a chair in a corner and placed it in front of Avery. She suddenly looked up.

“I'm not running away too and I don't know where Dianne is if that's what you're here for.” she finally spoke.

“Look, I know you're not exactly where you should be... Avery glared.
“Or maybe you are, but either way you're coping. You're doing fine.__

“This charade your putting up won't force anything from me.”Avery spat. Avery was a tough one.

A nurse came in. As usual, holding a metal Tay containing tablets, this time for Avery alone. She watched Avery roll her eyes. The way she rolled them, believe me if they could fall out of their sockets, they would.

“Make sure she takes them doc” the nurse said flashing us both smiles as she left. Avery stared at Mary as she emptied the tablets into her palm. She walked towards the toilet before dumping it in.
  “Hope you won't fuckin' run your mouth to the nurses" Avery said as she sat back down.

Mary clicked her tongue.
“Its none of my business.” Avery looked shocked, but tried not to show it. Mary knew she was winning her over. Gradually.
“You had the chance to escape with her. Why didn't you?” she started. Again the stare came.

“I didn't want to” There was silence in the room. This time Avery began tugging at her toenails.

“What's that?” Mary asked as she pointed at a buzzer by Avery's bedside.

“Trackers. Just in case I relapse again” she laughed. Mary nodded.
“You miss her, don't you?” she asked Avery.
“Who? Dianne? No”
“C'mon. You both have been here like three years or so...
“Five years”
“Five years. And you don't miss her now she's gone? I heard she was gone yesterday” she tried using all the tricks in the book but they weren't working.

“Why do you need me to miss her? She chose her path to leave and I chose mine”

“Chose. You used the word chose which means she had long established her plans to escape. She told you” Avery stayed silent. She flunked back on the bed. Perhaps not the best judgemental approach.

“Avery. I'm sorry but you're making this hard for me. I'm not here to pick a fight with you or tell on you. I'm only here because of Dianne. She's all I'm concerned about. Not you. Not anyone.
  And yes, I wouldn't even be talking to you if she hadn't escaped.” Her tone was harsh and selfish, just suitable for a personality like Avery's. It took a selfish one to know a selfish one. For few moments there was silence in the room. Mary began going through her phone. No news yet. No phonecall from Jacob.

“She never liked it here. She kept clamoring on how she ended up here and how she was going to get out. She deserved to leave. I didn't. At least they believed I didn't.”

“How did you get here?” Mary continued.

“I killed my sister. Step sister, not that it made a difference, even if she was my blood, nothing would have changed. Slit her throat, stabbed her on the chest four times”

“Why that amount of stabs though? One would have done it”Avery was beginning to trust her, she thought.

“Seeing her writh in pain was the highlight of my evening. It just goes to show that love doesn't work.”

“And why do you say so?”

“Because I loved her. I didn't enjoy the fact that my dad remarried but when he did I accepted them both, but all they wanted was me out of the picture for good. So they tried to kill me. First attempt was sabotage my car. So when my boyfriend drove it, he never came back.
  Oh how it ruined them to know I wasn't in the car. I tried telling the police but they didn't believe me. Not even my dad believed me. After all, who would believe a teenage girl who had a boyfriend that took drugs.
So that day, she tried to kill me. Again. But I beat her to it, and had the last laugh. Her mother called the police and my dad watched as I was being escorted into the van. He always thought I was crazy. He still does.”

“I'm sorry" Mary sighed. Avery lived in denial over her boyfriend's death. She held a bitter grudge against her dad too. She could try to help her but she needed to find Dianne.

“I didn't tell you this for you to pity me” Avery snapped. Mary simply nodded.

“Do you know if Dianne had any friends?”

“You think she'd be at a friend's place, so that they can easily get her?” Avery went back to being cold again. But she was right.

“Where would Dianne be?”

“please go now" Avery said. She shouldn't push it. She shouldn't persist. She should just go.

“Sure.” she took one last look at Avery before leaving.