A Voice Forgotten

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Chapter 4: Home

{...Natalie, why do you stay there?

...What is your purpose?}

"...Natalie!" She heard his voice. It wasn't clear to what he was saying, but it was his voice that woke her. "Natalie!" She opened her tired, heavy eyes once again to see Daniel's face hovering above her. "Hey, are you feeling better now?"

"You gave us a shock back there. We're glad you're ok though!" That sounded like Audrey.

Natalie sat up from the bed she had been placed on. Again she was at the Harris Clinic, the same place she first met Daniel and his family. This time instead of just Daniel, Audrey and Lisa joined to support her well being. She was a bit embarrassed to be in this state again. But seeing that scene of the wrecked cars... It reminded her too much of...

"Ashley," Natalie turned her eyes over to Daniel. His face of seriousness, and without a doubt curiosity. "That's the name you were shouting out."

"Idiot." Her voice raised in anger, but it hadn't affected Daniel any longer unlike Audrey and Lisa. "Why can't you just stop with-,!"

"Look." Daniel pressed the girlish toy bunny against Natalie's face knowing that it would cause her to shut up. Ever since he found out that Natalie was very vulnerable in her Chappy daze, he'd meant to use it against her one of these days. And without a second to spare, Natalie held the doll in her hands and gazed upon it, entering her dream state. "Serves you right." Daniel wheeled his chair to where he placed his school bag.

"Daniel..." Lisa gawked at Natalie, unable to tell what was happening. "What is she doing?"

Daniel answered from where he was digging into his bag. "Every time she sees or embraces that bunny thing, she goes into this weird daze that's not easy to get her out of." He wheeled himself back over to Natalie while holding a juice box in his hand. "This time for sure," He whispered quietly to himself steadying his hand while wheeling himself back to Natalie. He finally inserted the straw from the juice box up her nose and without a moment to spare he squeezed the carton as the juice streamed up her nose.

The moment the juice streamed up her nose Natalie opened her eyes and swallowed the juice. She touched her nose confused as to why that happened. It was the same as last time. "I'm no longer parched."

"Is that so?" Daniel asked her with a straight face holding no juice box.

"That wasn't very nice.. You ought to tell Natalie.." Audrey mumbled to him.

"Don't know what you're talking about."

Natalie sighed softly to herself, watching as her classmates talked amongst themselves. She hadn't interested herself into their three way conversation. She just focused on the voice she heard in her head when she had blacked out. Her purpose... She had to stay for something important. She repeated the question by mouthing it out in a whisper barely heard by anyone. She narrowed her eyes from her petite hands to Daniel and then to the window. It was already getting close to sunset. She could tell by the colors of the sky. Lisa and Audrey were the first to wish her to get well and to say their goodbyes.

"Are you going home?" Daniel asked, but there was no response from her at all. She only kept her eyes on her hands. Asking about this Ashley person was obviously out of the question. "You live with your brother right? Derrick?"

With just that he received a response. "My brother cannot see me even if I go home to him," This was all so puzzling to him. "Not after what happened to my sister Ashley..."

*Family problem huh*, Daniel had thought. He didn't know much about having family issues since his got along well, but what Natalie said have him an idea of why there was such an issue. "...I don't know what's up with your family, but I'm sure that Derrick is worried about you even if he doesn't show it, like you said before."

"Derrick... Is he really worried about me?" Natalie had asked herself, but Daniel answered her anyway, scratching his head.

"He ought to... I mean you're brother and sister right?"

"He is my... brother-in-law. Ashley is my real sister and she married him.

There really wasn't much to say to that statement, but Natalie made her decision by going back to her home. After giving her proper thanks to Daniel once again for taking her in, Natalie walked back to her house, the one place that she was scared to go to. But now here she was, at the Parker residence. The same house with the same look but it was all different now. There wasn't anyone there who was the same now. Not even her.

She entered through the entrance gate, following the stone path reaching the front door. She turned the doorknob pushing the door and entering the house. Closing the door she took off her shoes, putting her house slippers on and walking into the living room. It was tidy and clean, just how she and Ashley liked it. She looked left and right seeing the vast and decorative rooms in the household. Then she walked into the kitchen, ready to make Derrick his tea that he always enjoyed drinking peacefully after work. Whenever she made it for him he would comment on how the taste was so enriching. It was something that she had always liked to hear because it made not only her smile, but Ashley as well. Doing so she only poured one cup of tea, warm and ready for her brother. In the dining room sitting down on her knees resting her arms on the small table, she watched as the steam rose from the cup.

Just after making the tea, the door unlocked as Derrick passed through closing and locking it. He came home early from work and yet he still seemed exhausted. He replaced his work shoes for his house slippers. He walked straight into the hallway entering his room to change out of his work clothes. The moment he walked out of his room and into the dining room he stopped and looked to where Natalie was. Looking up at his face had made her heart ache even more than before, so she lowered her head. "Welcome back Derrick." She had whispered.

Derrick walked near the table and sat down on his knees to the right of Natalie. He looked down at the cup of tea reaching his hand out for the cup's handle and sipped the sweet tangy tea. Just how Natalie made it. He placed the cup down on its plate on the table. For that moment he sat there in silence. He wondered how this cup of tea was set on his table, knowing that nobody else was in his house but him.