a DREAM novel: Wonderland

Chapter 3: The big secret.

Betty Lawrence? The bitch that convinced Lucy that I slept with all of her old boyfriends while they were still dating. Of course Lucy believed her only because she had no reason to believe my side of the story that was honest and truthful unlike Betty. 

"Yes, Laurel, it's me, Betty!" She announced. "I'm back from the remains of the school that once stood, Kingslelton High," she gestured towards the big building I rushed out of to help my so-called best friend, Jake. Kinglelton High was replaced? When? How did I not notice that? 

"What are you talking about?" I asked. She was lying to me. This was what she would live to do, make other's lives miserable. 

"The school accidentally caught fire and, well, yeah. Nobody knows who did it but I have an idea..." Betty Bitch looked me up and down then she smiled. How did I miss the big catastrophy? Was I sleeping or something?

"Hey," I whispered to Jake as we got out of the fountain. "When was the fire?"

"Um, somewhere in the beginning of the competition, think," he replied. No wonder why I couldn't remember it. It was at the start of Detehadly where I couldn't remember anything at all, that was when I began to lose my memory.

"Well, it was nice catching up with you," Betty said. "But I have to get going! Too-doo-loo!"

"I am getting tired!" Jake yawned. Everyone dispersed, leaving me alone with Austin and Jake. 

"I'm going to bed, bye!" Jake ran off into the bulding. And then there was two. 

Suddenly, someone shouted, "Oh my goodness!"

Then the rest, I couldn't remember....

~The following day~

I couldn't remember anything that happened the day before and, like always, everything was a mystery to me. Especially when somebody says, "Remember yesterday when..." I hate it so much when somebody says that. It makes me feel so useless and unhelpful even though they insist I would remember, I won't. 

I was in a hospital, I think, it smelt of floor cleaner, alcohol and blood. I was in a blue gown that was tied together by two thin strips of cotton at the back. There was a sharp pain in my head, like there was every other day since Detehadly started, but this one was much worse. It was like my head was going to explode. Whenever I tried sitting up, the pain hit me like a ton of bricks.

Finally noticing my distress, a man in a long white coat that was buttoned up in the front to conceal his brown trousers and his light pink polo underneath, came into the room through the glass door on my right.

"How are you feeling, Ms.... uh," he flipped through the stack of papers that were clipped to his grey clipboard. "Oh yes! Ms. Laurel Vared, I am your doctor, Dr. Louis Johotly and I was asked to examine you,"

"Hold on, mister. Examine me? Why do I need to be examined?"

"They didn't tell you, oh," Dr. Johotly said, surprised. They? Who is they? The doctor gave me an unsure smile and reached into his front pocket for his phone.

"Hello? Yes, this is Louis. I am calling regarding Ms. Vared's examination. She said that she was not informed of the arangements made," Dr. Johotly nodded and constantly said, "Mhmm," I was anxious to know the reason I was brought into the hsopital and why I needed an examintation I wasn't even informed about until now, apparently. Was there something wrong with me?

"No!" Dr. Johotly yelled into the phone. "That would be illegal to do that to a child!" Suddenly, his expression softened and he smirked at me before walking out of the room without another word. 

A wave of drowsiness took over me as a clear liquid was injected into my blood through the transparent tubes that were connected to every percievable area of my skin. 

"It's not going according to plan!" a woman yelled. Her voice was high-pitched and husky. Her vocabulary was extremely colorful as she yelled curse words. 

"No. I will not agree to this. She is too young and it might not even work. I'm telling you, she's not ready!" It was now Dr. Johotly who was speaking but his voice sounded weird. It was less masculine and more, feminine. It was higher and gentler, nothing like how it was when he was talking to me. The sound of a chair scraping the marble emanated the room and the woman continually screaming at the top of her lungs but as soon as there was the sound of a door banging against the wall, the whole room fell silent. I was unable to open my eyes to see what was going on but it was quiet for almost 15 minutes and I was beginning to think that they had left wtihout me knowing. 

"Laurel?" A soft voice whispered. "Wake up, honey," 

"Mom?" My eyes fluttered open and I was greeted by the warm brown eyes of my mother. She smiled. 

"What are you doing here, Mom?'

"I heard that you were hospitalized, so, I came," My mother sat me up by adjusting the pillows behind my back. I loved my mother. She was always there when I needed her but, she was only there when I needed her. If I wasn't in big trouble, I would have never seen my mother. 

"Here, sweetie, drink this," my mother handed me a black beverage. 

"What is this?" I asked. 

"It's your medicine," my mother smiled nervously. Her hands were shaking as she watched me take a sip of the bitter liquid. Suddenly, there was a burning pain all over my body, especially in my head. All the memories I had forgotten flashed before my eyes. My first kiss with Austin, Jake and I meeting and the complications along the way. 

"I knew it!" my mother yelled victoriously. She punched her fists in the air as she ran out of the room to inform Dr. Johotly. I let out a shrill, ear-piercing scream as the burning got worse. My entire body felt like I was being roasted over a fire. Nurses held me down as Dr. Johotly pushed a gigantic needle into my wrist.

Just before I dozed off I heard my mother say, "She's gonna die," and she didn't sound very sad.