The Devil in the Details

Falling Inside

Chapter Four

I'm still thinking of the boy with the green eyes two hours later when Lia drops me off at Rose's. "It was really nice of you to give your day to show me around Lia, thank you." I'm trying my hardest to focus on being polite and friendly, but my mind is elsewhere. "I think we are going to be great friends Felicity, and I had a fun time so there's no need for thanks." I watch as she turns and walks down the driveway. As soon as Lia is out of sight I race down the hallway to the "gray room" and stand right in front of the painting. I stare for what feels like forever and at first nothing happens but the more I concentrate on the tree the more blurry the tree gets. The whole world seems to fall away until it's just the tree and I surrounded by green grass that stretches on forever, with no end in sight. At first I think I am imagining this, but something in the back of my mind tells me that this is very real, more real than anywhere I have ever been. The kaleidoscope of colors is brighter than in the painting and the tree feels alive with power. I reach out to touch the tree and electricity jolts through me, and I sense that I have been here before even though I know I haven't. The branch that I am holding pulls away from me and then I am falling again and my surroundings disappear, my head is about to explode and colors are popping in my vision and then it stops. The tree is gone, well at least it has been replaced by a tree that is withered and dying, all the colors have faded into shades of black. The grass is no longer green instead it has been transformed from grass to brown soil. Panic wells in my chest as I comprehend that I am stuck in a painting with no idea how to get out. The edges of my vision start to blur and darkness tries to claim me, but I fight to stay conscious. I am afraid that if I faint then I will be lost forever and terror seizes me again before I completely lose myself.

∞

"Felicity! Felicity, wake-up!" Rose's voice floats around in my head like a cloud in the sky. I feel a bit groggy and I wonder where on earth I am. Something hits my face and leaves a sharp stinging in my cheek; I carefully open my eyes and see Rose kneeling over me with a worried expression on her face. "Where I am I? Why did you slap me?" I ask as I try to sit up but dizziness washes over me and I fall back to the ground. "I came to play the piano and I saw you passed out on the floor, you are in the living room." Her words make me remember and everything comes rushing back to me and I wish I was still passed out. I am going to call it a hallucination and blame it on dehydration; it's the only way to explain what happened without me being crazy. Rose is looking at me as if I am crazy but I can plainly see worry in her eyes which makes me curious because Rose never shows much emotion beside disappointment when I am involved. I cautiously try to sit up for the second time and succeed, the dizziness nearly gone. I stare intently at the woman before me her usually harsh eyes are softened, they are not looking at me but through me as if I am not even there, and some gray strands are rebelliously falling out of her carefully done bun. The rosy tint in her cheeks has vanished and she paler than I have ever seen her; she looks old, older than she should. To me, she appears to be a woman who is not bound by time or the number that grows every birthday but young and old, wise yet wishfully naive.  Then the moment is gone and she is Rose again, the Rose I have always known her to be. Rose offers me her hand and I let her help me up so I am standing on my still weak legs. Since I am too scared to turn around and see the painting, I focus on Rose, "Thanks, I am sorry to have worried you Rose, I must have fainted from dehydration or the heat." I can the suspicion in her eyes and feel stupid because I know while both excuses are plausible; they are unlikely especially in an air conditioned house. "Well take it easy, I wouldn't want your mother to find out you are having fainting spells your second day here Felicity, you probably just need to get used to the differences in the weather and you will be fine." I wish I could agree with Rose, but I know what happened and I know that nothing or no one can explain it to me. The feeling of being completely alone and lost, like I am surrounded by people but I can't seem to reach them or understand them, crashes down on me as I watch Rose turn and dismiss me, walking to the piano to play, as she originally intended and I sit down on the chair. I want so badly to ask her about the painting, but I know she would laugh or tell me it doesn't matter when to me it does matter, for some reason it seems to me that I desperately need to know more about the painting. My Father would never have ignored me or called me crazy, I was his precious little girl and he always listened to what I had to say as if I was a rational adult. My mother on the other is more like Rose she views me as an incompetent child who has to be told what to do and is constantly making things up or not thinking them through; our relationship has never been as strong as the bond I shared with my father, the bond that I lost when he died. I push away all thoughts of my broken family and watch as Rose plays the piano, I have always wanted to learn how to play the piano, it is a beautiful instrument. The music invades my soul and touches it, Rose plays very well and it is so easy to get lost in the notes. My eyes involuntarily search the room until they land on the painting, I flinch away afraid of that...thing happening again. When my surroundings don't change I turn my eyes back to the painting and think of how it felt to be standing right there and feel the tree so alive when I touched it then crumble and disappear, much like life fully alive in every joyful moment the completely vanishing in death and sorrow. The painting for once doesn't change as I stare it stays exactly the same which is a great relief. Unable to remain in the room get up and walk out with Rose's playing following me until I pull the door closed behind me and I can't hear the music any longer. I wander around the house and I end up in the sun room at the back of the large house. The room has barely any walls just windows, the floor surprisingly isn't wooden but carpeted, and a day bed is leaning against the only wall, the back wall where the entrance door is. I see another door that is almost completely glass so it blends in perfectly with the windows making it hard to notice. I walk to the door and open it, outside the sun is starting to descend in the sky, but it is still sunny out. Rose has a beautiful rose garden and a lawn swing. I close my eyes and breathe in the smell of the roses, and I am reminded yet again of my past. My father always bought roses for my mother and I on our birthdays. I open my eyes and tell myself to stop getting caught up in my memories. There is something about this place that brings everything back, and makes it impossible to ignore. I walk away from the garden to the front of the house, and sit on the porch steps. The sky is that pretty mix of pink and blue and grey typical of a sunset sky. I survey the area and realize that there are no houses nearby; I wonder how close the nearest house is? I see something move out of the corner of my eye, and turn my head to get a better look but I only see the outline of a person in the quickly falling darkness. I get up and walk partway down the driveway, but stop when I see who it is. I am positive it is the boy from Blue Jays, but why would he be here? I continue walking closer but then trip and fall. My hands are stinging from hitting the ground to brace my fall as I brush my legs off. I look back to the road, but he is gone. I feel like an idiot for falling and losing sight of the boy though I don't know why it feels like such a big deal. I head inside and go to my room. Checking my phone sounds like a good idea, and I find a text from my mother saying that she is doing fine, she misses me, and to call soon. I call her and she picks up on the second ring, "Hello?" "hey mom, it's me, the daughter whom you abandoned." I swear, she still doesn't check the caller ID. "Oh hi honey, how is everything going? Rose told me that you spent the day with her niece, are you two friends?" I figure telling her about the painting wouldn't be wise so I fib and say everything is fine and yes we are sort of friends. "That is great to hear hon, I am so relieved that you are making friends. I have to get going, I have da-business meeting in twenty minutes. I love you, and be good!" The phone call makes me feel lonely again and long for home. I could have sworn that she was going to say date but then changed it to business meeting. She obviously is making friends there. I desperately need company so I head downstairs. I walk to the grey room assuming she will still be there, but the room is completely empty. "Rose" I call and look around the house for her, but I can't find her anywhere. I finally give up after some more searching and go back to my room. Even though it's only eight thirty I throw PJ's on and crawl into bed. I toss and turn all night rarely dreaming, but when I do, I dream that I am searching for a dark boy with green eyes and blond hair.

This is my first story, and I hope you like it. To anyone reading Thank you very much!