My hands were in a death grip on my blanket. I was breathing heavily, I hated falling dreams. I heard a nurse in the distance, she was saying that someone was sleeping.
Karver's voice came from outside my door. My heart gushed. Karver had to be my favorite person.
"Alright, I'll leave right after I drop this off," He told the nurse. I closed my eyes quickly, pretending to be asleep. I heard him tiptoe to the side of my bed set something on the nightstand and then turn to leave. I let my "sleep" only seconds more, fluttering my eyes open, in a way I imagined people waking up, in case he were watching. He was.
"Hey," He whispered, grinning. He reached over and grabbed a purple teddy bear. It was wearing two bows with purple and white ribbon. The bear was holding a bright pink card with a drawn bouquet of flowers on it. "The card is from Mandy and the bear is just something I found at the mall," He said handing the teddy bear to me. The bear's purple fur was velvet and warm against my cold hands. I stared at the bear for a moment, petting the leg, watching the fur change from a dark purple to a lighter one. Its small white nose was in the shape of a heart, it was cute. I grabbed the card. On the inside there was a short typed message saying "Feel better." On the inside of the cover was a note written in Mandy's messy cursive.
Larkin,
How are you feeling? Sorry I haven't come to visit. My mom doesn't want me hanging out with you. GRRRR!!!
I giggled smiling. Mandy liked her mother except for when she thought she was being unreasonable. I kept reading.
So...What's with Karver? When I was asking if anyone knew what had happened to you he was the only one that knew anything. He gave me every detail about what happened. I think I ought to come vist...If Karver and your mom are your only source to the outside world you doomed! You'll be freak by the time you get out.
My throat began to close up, I was going to cry, Mandy had said my mom was visiting me. She wasn't. Karver must excluded that detail from his explanation. She ended her not saying she loved and signing her illegible signature.
"Are you okay," Karver asked, wondering my eyes were watering.
"Yes," I said sniffling. I looked up at him and smiled my most convincing smile. My stomach gurgled.
Karver laughed, a deep hearty laugh. His dimples looked like they were laughing too. "Hungry?"
"Yes," I answered wrapping my bandaged arms around my angry stomach. I was inwardly yelling at it, telling it to stop talking. I did not want to embarrass myself again, I don't know if I could get any redder.
"What do you want?" He asked walking toward the door backwards.
"I don't care," I said, I wasn't sure if I was allowed to eat.
When Karver left, the voices saw their opportunity and took it. They started screaming at me, they wanted me to tell Karver to go away. They didn't like not being able to control me. I wouldn't let them make me send him away. The voices were making me angry.
"Go away," I told them loudly. "I'm not going to let you boss me around anymore!" this made them angrier. They told me to stop yelling, they said I was making a scene.
"I'm not making a scene," I screamed. "Your making me make a scene!" I was fuming, angry tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn't care if I was making a fool of myself, no one understands what the voices do to me. The way the things they say don't make sense but I know exactly what they want, any normal person would have died by now. Then again I'm not normal. I'm a freak.
"You can leave," I told them. "He doesn't have to!"
They didn't answer.
I hadn't noticed that I had closed my eyes, and when I opened them a shocked Karver stood staring at me, holding a container of strawberry Jell-O and a plastic spork.
