Lauren Cimorelli Sick and Sad

I Know I'm Better On My Own

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Christina's POV
Stunned. That's one of the words I would use to explain how I'm feeling. Hurt. There was another good one. Ashamed maybe? Angry. Then finally stunned again. Why did she want us to go so suddenly? Why did she want us to go at all? I looked at her face again and wished I hadn't. The tears on her cheeks were nearly dry and her eyes were dead. Something that I would expect looking at a corpse. No light shone in them. It was like staring straight into the pit of despair that she had hidden in her heart for so long. I shuddered and looked away. I couldn't see my little sister like that.

"Lauren...what are you talking about?"

"I don't want you guys to be here anymore." Her voice cut daggers into my heart. She got off the bed and walked across the room to the door. She didn't look back once as she strode out of the room. I nudged Katherine forcefully to wake her up before following after Lauren.

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Lauren's POV
I was in my room. I don't even know what I was doing but I was in there. My sisters were no where to be found. I couldn't see them. Wondering where in the world they might be I walked out into the hall and to the kitchen. Maybe they were all eating? The hall seemed to shrink before me and within three steps I was standing in the entryway to the kitchen. They weren't sitting around the table or over by the stove cooking something. Where in the world could they be? Were they back in the rooms? Walking back nervously I knocked on each of their doors to see if any would open. None did. What in the world was going on?

Trying to think of another place they could be I thought of the video room. That was the last place they could possibly be. I was panicking now. Had they left me? I ran into the room to see they weren't there either. This was bad. Walking further into the room to see if I had missed something the walls suddenly seemed to close in on me. Every video that my sisters had seen flashed on them as they drew ever nearer. I stepped back towards the door, eyes wide and scared. It was like reliving my worst memories all at the same time. The sound, the scenes, the people in them. It all became overwhelming as the walls compressed towards me.

Pushing my hands over my ears and squeezing my eyes shut I tried to block out the violence all around me. With tears in my eyes I knew that it wasn't helping at all. The ground rushed up to meet me and I realized that that I had fallen to my knees. My vision blurred and just as the sound reached a crescendo of screams and wails it stopped. The silence was almost deafening. Peeking my eyes open slowly I saw that I wasn't in the movie room anymore but in a room that looked like a police interrogation room. I was on the side of the glass that looked like a window while anyone on the other could only see a mirror. Still on my knees I couldn't see who was on the other side.

Unsteadily I pushed myself back to my feet and looked behind me before looking at the window. Searching, I saw that no one was in the room with me but there were speakers on the wall. What were those for? Turning back around I almost fell down again when I saw my sisters each strapped into an electric chair. Franticly I looked around the room once again for a door. There isn't one. I turn back to the glass pounding my fist against it, yelling and screaming for them to hold on. I'm going to get them out. I hadn't the faintest clue how but I would find a way. They don't seem to hear me.

So caught up in my panic I don't notice the speakers crackle to life until Cynthia's voice filters through the room.

"It looks like you have quit the dilemma Lauren. They're in a bit of danger aren't they? To bad you can't get out of the room. Oh wait..." Her voice trails off and I know exactly what she will say, " I'm sure that you could easily faze through that wall there Lauren. I'll give you five minutes to get into the room and unbuckle their shackles. That should be plenty of time right? If not, your sisters are about to experience a fair amount of pain. Your time starts now." The speakers cut out and my mind begins to race. What am I going to do? I still don't know how to faze every time! What if I can't do it? My thoughts slammed to a sudden halt as I realized that I needed to be fazing now. I still needed to unbuckle them. I placed my hands on the glass and focused on disappearing. My thoughts still swirled and my concentration broke several times. Looking up at my sisters and seeing the fear in their eyes brought tears to my own. Sobs broke through my mouth as I realized how hopeless this was. As if the universe was trying to prove my point the speakers turned on again.