Nepenthe • Something that can make you forget grief or suffering.
Never feeling like they belonged was a feeling that Lissa Dragomir lived with, even with her family and life long best friend, although they aided in that feeling not being so strong...
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Adapting to her new life in Oregon was easy enough, she had her own bedroom and despite being bare of any sentimental or major earthly belongings, she had decorated it to be hers, given it personality.
Katherine, or Kate, did share the flat with another two people, two boys, Jeremy, who was an undergraduate in Computer Science and George who was in the first days of his residency in the nearby hospital and also in his final days in the lease of the apartment, preparing to move in with a few of his doctor friends.
Kate had bought her very own laptop, her very first private computer and something that wasn't shared with everyone in the house.
With her past and trauma still ingrained in her mind, Kate knew that she needed to burn her fears down much like her house had when she was 7, so she signed up at the local gym next to her high school, going once a week.
She'd signed up with all the AP classes she could sign up to, needing to be constantly working on something, even if it was boring or if it took up a lot of her time.
She didn't sleep much at night, or rather she took naps and was a rather light sleeper, she was unable to stay asleep for too long without being consumed and plagued by nightmares, so she usually ran on coffee and fumes.
She'd startled her housemates the first few nights when they woke up with her at the door to their bedroom or in their bedroom, staring at them, creepily in their opinion, or found her wandering around the apartment, locking the windows, deadbolting the front door and pushing the heavy bookcase in front of it, alone.
George, despite not being in psychology, told Kate what many doctors had already told her, that she was riddled with PTSD from events that she, herself, might not even remember, the same events that led to her becoming an orphan.
None of the medication she took, prior to being emancipated or prescribed to her by George worked, neither in the short run, nor the long run.
Kate was doomed to be plagued by her trauma and have a physical response to it, most of which happened without her remembering, i.e. the appearing in the doorways of her housemates bedrooms or inside of the bedrooms.
But unlike the previous families, Kate felt comfortable enough with the two boys that she allowed herself to relax in their presence, allowed herself to ask questions when she had doubts or seek help when she needed it.
Kate even allowed herself to walk around in shorts during the hot days, which showed off the 2nd degree burn dark mark on her thigh, her hands had also been burnt but they healed faster, so much so that they showed no indication of ever being burnt.
