Dana

Chapter Twelve

I woke up in my bed in my room and for a second I thought I was back home. My limbs felt heavy as if they were made of lead. My mouth was dry and everything ached. Sunlight filtered through the curtains and I sighed as I remembered I was in the damned mansion. And then, the numbing pain crashed over me.

The events of the day before flashed through my mind and I felt my stomach lurch.

The fact that my mother was dead hit me like a tidal wave, washing over me and taking me under. I gasped, and sat up in bed. She was gone. Truly and utterly gone. I had failed. I couldn't take care of her. My brother didn't even know she was dead. He would be devastated.

Hot tears streamed down my face as I sobbed, my sobs echoing through the high ceilinged room. I sat in bed for a long time, sobbing and heaving, tears running down my face and wetting the sheets. My nose ran and I didn't make a move to wipe it.

She had been an incredible woman. We loved her and she truly loved us; it didn't matter that she was unstable, that she pushed us away most of the time. She loved us. And now, she was no more. I shut my eyes and all I saw was her face. Her deep grey eyes, so expressive and sometimes haunting.

Her crooked smile, the way she would sometimes look towards the sky for long periods of time, as if searching for something or someone. Her rare laugh. She didn't laugh like a lady, she guffawed with her mouth wide open and spit flying everywhere. I smiled through my tears as her laughing face invaded my mind.

My smile disappeared as an image of her lifeless and bloodied form replaced her laughing face. I would never be able to forget her as I'd seen her last night, just an empty vessel, no longer my mother. The worst part was, she had died for me. To save my life. I would be forever haunted by that fact.

I shook my head, and lay back down on the pillows. I felt weak. The tears ran dry after a while and I lay awake, thinking. I felt resigned to whatever these people decided to do with me. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered.

I knew I should be grateful to Jared for saving my life, even after I shot him, but a life of working as a prostitute here didn't sound appealing at all.

I wouldn't have minded dying. In fact, I would've considered killing myself, but I was a coward. I knew I didn't have the guts to do it. And I couldn't do that to Hunter, I was all he had now that she was gone. If I ever get to see him again, that is. More tears cascaded down my cheeks.

Jared told Marcus last night that he would see me today. I wondered why. What did he want from me? I was puzzling over this as a knock sounded on the door.

I tried to tell whoever it was to go away, because I wasn't in the mood for putting up with anyone at the moment, but my voice got stuck in my throat and I ended up coughing violently.

The person came inside and set a tray on the bedside table and then pressed a glass full of water to my lips. My throat was parched and I drank the whole glass thirstily. I looked up to see Marcus's face and thanked him. He nodded at me.

"Are you okay?"

I didn't reply.

Then he sat down beside me on the bed. I didn't bother to wipe away my tears.

"God Dana, how long have you been crying for?"

I simply shrugged in response.

"I brought you some food. You need to eat."

I didn't say anything, just stared down at my hands in my lap.

He took my hand and said, "it'll be alright. Eat and rest."