The Raven Conspiracy

Chapter 9 - Little Room of Horrors

Chapter 9 – Little Room of Horrors

Unlike the supposed state of Anna’s room, Kairo’s was practically empty. All it contained was a hastily-made double bed, a bare nightstand and a simple, oak wardrobe. I changed quickly and shoved my clothes in my handbag. Anna’s skirt was a little shorter than what I was used to and I walked out, feeling self-conscious.

I dawdled outside the room, examining the painted walls with feigned interest. The door to Anna’s room stood ajar. I nudged it open and peered into the gloom. A heady aroma hit me. Plants of some sort. My fingers found the light switch to reveal an explosion of red and pink. Poppies and tulips sprouted from the wooden floor. A bed rose out of the flowers like a white mountain. I now understood the emergency Anna called about earlier.

The scent was already making me dizzy. Slightly freaked, I backed out of the room. Doubts about Anna’s lack of sanity vanished in the same instant I felt something creep around my ankle.

Instinctively, I pulled my leg back – only to see it was simply a poppy stalk that had tangled around my ankle and wouldn’t budge. I bent down to free it – only to get my hands somehow caught in the greenery. I felt a strong yank, and I was buried in the field of flowers and pulled through the room.

“This can’t be happening,” I thought dimly as the tulip stems grew thorns that pierced my skin. That was when I screamed and struggled.

The scent of the flowers was smothering and leaves caught in my hair. All I could see was red, pink and green. Blood smeared across the plants, blending into the intense colours. The only sounds I could hear above my hysterics were the rustling of the leaves and the crack as stems broke. The clean smell of chlorophyll cut through the floral aroma. Sheer terror blanked out my mind. I was going to be eaten by flowers. I saw white.

I was aware of something grabbing my hand. I resisted feebly, but the force was too powerful. The world tilted and I looked into the concerned gaze of Kairo, and the vaguely interested face of Anna.

“What are you doing in here?” he asked, moving straight into anger.

“I...”

Then, for the second time that day, I fainted because of flowers.

When I came to, I was lying on the couch. Kairo, sitting on the floor, held out a mug of something. I raised myself up, slowly and took the cup. The milky liquid smelt spicy and sweet. I took a cautious sip and murmured a thank you. Reviving heat spread through me.

He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them, watching me. He looked like he wanted to say something.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“They’re worth much more,” he replied, with a terse smile.

The silence stretched considerably longer. I noticed a few things while I sipped the drink. Gardening cutters lay on the floor next to Kairo. Angry scratches criss-crossed his arms. Anna was back in front of the window, tapping the glass once more. I finished the drink and placed it on the side table. My arms felt like something had been rubbed into the skin, under the white bandage covering them. I touched my face tentatively, relieved to find it clear of injury.

“I...” he started. He closed his eyes, paused as if to sort through his words.

“I shouldn’t have hired you. I don’t know what I was thinking when I made that decision. I have to apologize; it wasn’t fair of me to expose you to this...view of the world.”

Outrage built up. Outrage, tempered by hurt.

“Are you firing me? Firing me without an explanation as to what just happened. I got attacked by flowers, and I know it wasn’t a hallucination! You can’t do this.”

He held up a hand to silence me. I realised that I was standing up.

“It would take too long to explain and you probably wouldn’t believe me. Look, it will be best for you to just go home and forget that today ever happened. One day, you can tell the story to your grandkids, but please, for your own sanity, you should leave.”

Despite the fact that I already wanted to quit, I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that he was asking me to leave.

“What if I don’t want to? I took this job, and I think it’s probably unconstitutional for you to fire me just like this! I’ll call my parents’ lawyer!”

“How would you prove that you were ever hired by me? I never interviewed you, you didn’t give me any documents and we didn’t sign a contract. I’d hate for you to go through the legal process when it will get you nowhere. Please, don’t let this get ugly.”

My anger reduced to a simmer. As much as I hated to admit it, he had a point.

“Fine. I’ll...I won’t come back to work tomorrow. The day’s almost over. And it’s not like I planned on staying on long. I was going to quit anyway.”

I hung my head and stood up, dragging my feet as I walked to the door. Biting down on the lump that rose in my throat took all the effort I could muster. As he opened the door for me, I glanced over his shoulder at Anna. She met my gaze with surprising clarity, as if she wanted to tell me something. Before I could find out, there was a barrier of wood blocking me out of a world I had barely glimpsed.

I knew that there was no way I could just go home and forget that today happened, as Kairo wanted me to. There was so much more to today – the phone calls, the jewellery thefts and half-heard truths that I revealed just enough for me to know that the world wasn’t as simple as it once seemed. I would drive myself as insane as Anna if I didn’t find out more. But, my only link was now gone. As much as I hated the thought of it, I would have to find another job. I lost my chance. I cried as I took the bus home.