Before Her Eyes

Chapter 15

I walked up the steps after mentally preparing for what Dana would say or how she'd react this time.

I reached for the lock with my key until I saw a flash reflect off the door. I turned around in search of the source, but there was nothing but bushes, vacant houses, and empty streets. It didn't look like there was anyone outside, but I let my eyes linger towards the bushes in front of the houses before I proceeded to unlock the door.

I quietly shut the front door and let my eyes adjust to the dark room. I could just barely see the outlines of objects closest to me with the little bit of light that was let in from the sheer curtains. The farther I looked in the room, the darker it was.

Once again, I was met with a deafening silence. My heart started to pick up due to the anxiety I was feeling. Something told me I should try and feel around for the lights, but my anxiety kept me in my place.

"I'm sorry," I called out. It was hard to ignore the other presence in the room. Even in the dark, I could feel her burning holes in the side of my head.

"I'm sorry, D-," I tried to say, but the lights flicked on, causing me to stop speaking. I was right. Dana was in the room but only closer than what I expected.

She looked tired. The dark circles around her red eyes were prominent.

"Dana....?"

She didn't say anything and only continued to stare at me with no expression.

"My phone died, and I los-" I tried to explain.

"Give me your phone, and we'll talk about it in the morning," She said in an even and cool tone, with one hand held out. There was no hint of anger or irritation present in her voice.

I didn't even wait to pull out my phone and slowly walked towards her. Although I didn't want to give her my phone, I gave it to her anyway because her calmness scared me more than her anger. I stopped in front of her and hesitated to put my phone in her palm when I noticed cuts running up her arm.

I looked back towards her with a frown, but she only continued to give me the same emotionless look from before, so I placed my phone in her palm.

"Goodnight," she said in her oddly calm tone.

"Goodnight...." I replied in a defeated tone and made my way towards the stairs.

As I was going up the stairs, I noticed Dana was still in the same spot as before, watching me as I headed to my room.

What is up with her today?

Once I made it into my room, I headed straight towards my window and lifted it open. I breathed in deeply and sighed as the cool air rushed into my room. I felt like I was able to breathe again.

I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a gray long sleeve with little white hearts and a matching pair of shorts, and headed towards the bathroom.

Once I finished running the water, I slipped into the scalding hot water, hoping it would help me relax my anxious and confused mind.

At first, the water was so hot that I couldn't think about anything else, but after being submerged for a while, my body was acclimated to the water. My mind was unfortunately comfortable enough to start up its non-stop thoughts.

"Why was I ok after drinking alcohol?"

"Why did I enjoy spending time with someone I barely knew?"

"Did Valon mean what he said about me?"

"Was I going to be locked away again?"

"Why did Dana have all those cuts on her arm?"

The only possible answer I had was for my last thought. She must've been in the garden again trying to keep those lilies alive.