Run

6

"Ma." I called out.

I was lying down on the sofa, the old lady just looking at me, as if she was studying my every move like they mattered. She had stopped talking as soon as the her voice went into my head earlier. She had lay me down, and just... looked at me.

I wasn't even sure what was happening right now. Did I see what I think I saw? This old lady... was actually a young man? And that he.. she.. they talked in my head?

"Yes, honey. I'm coming." Mom walks into the living room with a tray. On it was a small bowl that I sometimes put my pill in, and two glasses of water. She looks over to the old lady. "Alex, would you like some?"

My eyebrows shot up as I eyed the old lady. Her name is Alex?

"Ahh, where are my manners." The old lady got down on her knees to hug me. She pulls away slightly to look into my eyes. Her eyes swirl different colours, from hazel brown to purple, back to brown. My breath caught in my throat, the message from earlier ringing in my head. My head pounds loudly.

In due time, young one. It will all make sense.

"My name is Alexandra, but you can call me Alex."

That's it. I'm hallucinating. I'm imagining this whole thing in my mind. This poor old lady was probably just that. I give a tight smile.

"Nice to meet you, Alex."

She cocks her head to the side with an amused smile playing on her lips. Her eyes swirled once more, as if telling me i'm not conjuring this up in my own mind. I almost gulped. Bear in mind, this old lady was barely an inch from my face. If I could lean back any further into the sofa, I would.

She nods her head at me as she steps backwards, as if satisfied about something. I wonder what she was satisfied about. My mind becomes slightly clearer.

"Yes, water would be lovely." She says as she turns and takes a glass.

"Ma, what brings her here? It must be something real important if you skipped a day of work." I suddenly become blunt. I've got a feeling that if I decided to play along or beat around the bush, out will jump Alex from that very same bush with a stick of her own to beat me back with. If you get that analogy.

"Not now, honey. You have to take your pills. You must be really in pain." Only a dull ache hits me, definitely not as strong as before. I snapped my head to Alex. I almost didn't notice that the pain was almost... numb. Was this her doing?

Damn it, Andrea. I talked to myself in my head. Have you gone mad? What do you mean Alex, an old lady, help numb to crazy excessive pain you have felt throughout your life somehow. With what? A look?

Alex tilts her glasses to me as if saying, yes.

Mom plops the pills into my mouth. This was another way to get the pills down, but I'm not such a fan of it. I choked once on a pill when I was slightly younger, as if something in my body was trying to reject it, and now I prefer to take it by mixing it with water. It's
a constant flow pushing it away, weakening it. But times like this I just suck it up and eat the pill. I don't want to bother my mom too much.

She tilts my head so she can feed me the water.

"Ma, I can do it." I reach out for the glass.

She shakes her head and put its the cup to my lips. I sigh, taking in a mouthful of water and swallow the pills. I twitch, a burn going through me. Oh no.

Before I knew it, I was out.