The known stranger

1. Bad omen

I silently watched as everyone, except my sister and Brittney left the dingy hospital room one by one.

Brittney broke out into one of her sympathetic smiles, I proceeded to roll my eyes at her, "So what really happened?" I asked, my throat felt like sandpaper "water" I managed to add.

Emily rose from her seat swiftly, her blush pink skirt flowing as she moved, she raised the movable bed and handed me one of those disposable paper cups with a simple 'Oakland Hospital' printed on it in blue font, after gulping down its contents in one go, I idly traced the letters with my fingers and tried to ignore the numbing pain in my shoulder and head.

"The glass broke due to storm and fell on your arm, and then you hit your head on the table too...I swear to god both of us were so scared Damn you for frightening us like that girl" Brittney furrowed her brows at me, Emily shook her head at her "it wasn't her fault Bree, and did you even notice how pale Mr. Thomas (i.e., one of the trustees) was? Maybe if he believed in getting the old building repaired from time to time, many lives would be in less danger" Brittney nodded furiously.

"Anyways how are you really feeling now ?" My best friend asked, I looked at her for a second and then at the ceiling above me "quite terrible" I said while holding back a mocking smile.

"You were out for a few hours, medics had to stitch up your arm to stop the bleeding" Emily merely whispered and at the end, her eyes were distant.

"Did you even eat anything? both of you ?" Emily looked at Brittney and then at me "yeah, umm we" she began to speak while positioning her hands on her hips, it was a childhood habit she acted upon whenever she got nervous, just then the door creaked open and a man in his middle age wearing a stethoscope and white lab coat along with that same nurse stepped in. He came forward to examine my arm "we"ll have to check for any concussions too, they told me you banged your head pretty hard" he said in a robotic voice.

"My dears, if you'll please leave the room" the old nurse said to Emily and Brittney, Brittney opened her mouth to retort but Emily grabbed her hand and dragged her out.

2 hours, some examinations and a few hundred pleadings later, they finally discharged me. I was sitting in our car as Emily drove when a certain pair of eyes crossed my thoughts "did anyone come to visit while I was out?" I asked my sister whose attention was fixed on the road in front of us, she turned her head towards me for a nano second and looked straight again "why, no?" She said while squinting her eyes as if trying to recall anything.

"Nevermind" I slumped back into my seat.

"Mum's going to catch a flight just after her meetings" she stated.

I told Emily to not to tell her, but of course she did. Mother was not in town currently, owing to a really stressful business trip, I didn't want to stress her out even more.

"Maybe you should listen to me every once in a while" I said silently.

"Then, maybe you should start taking yourself seriously every once in a while"

She was stubborn, just like our mother. They were quite alike in many ways, both had light brown silky hair and light blue eyes with a similar oval face whereas I was a redhead with thick unmanageable and wavy hair and hazel eyes, also there were light brown freckles on my nose and cheeks I used to be really embarrassed of.

"I..um saw a dream last night" Mel merely whispered, leaning back on my seat I slowly turned my head towards her "it was... more of a nightmare" she gulped down "and it wasn't necessarily about me" she spoke a bit too calmly when she was actually freaking out.
I placed my uninjured hand on her shoulder hoping she'll loosen up.
"Tell me"

When I told you about her being similar to my mom it included her getting freaked out over most trivial of the things like our mother too. "Mel"
"I don't know, you were tied and it was dark and...your teeth were falling out and you were crying..."

"Hey"

"I obviously thought nothing of it, but when that accident happened today, I just couldn't move"

Suddenly a flashback of Emily's terrified eyes at the time of accident played in front of my eyes. "It's okay Mel, I'll be totally fine really soon"

"Uhmhh"

"Come on now, we're almost there" I said as she took the last turn.

I woke up late in the evening, only when the effect of painkillers was wearing off and throbbing pain both in my head and arm was seeping in.
Dang it ! I kicked my pillow in frustration, it landed on the floor and then I stared at it for a good half an hour, until Emily barged in. "Feel better?" She jumped on my bed
"Uhmm yeah I guess" when I tried moved my head a little I practically winced in pain. Fuck.

"Easy sis"

"Where are my painkillers?"

"You need to eat something before taking them"

I didn't felt like eating but there was no point in arguing with my sister.

"I ordered pizza" I lightened up a bit at that.

The painkillers made me feel hazy and I didn't want to get up, but I needed to pee, so slowly I got up and walked to the washroom, trying to ignore the fact that my head hurt like a bitch while moving.

Did I really hurt my head that bad ?
Were my mental capabilities going to remain intact or what ?

I pushed the thoughts away at once when I looked in mirror, the girl in it looked pale and groggy like a ghost, I sighed. When I walked back into my room Emily was sitting on my bed with her blankets and everything.

"I decided to sleep here...in case you need something"

She said hurriedly while looking away and covered her face with quilt.

I opened my mouth to protest.

"And I already switched off the lights of lobby and ran here, so I'm not going back"she said from under the blanket.
I rolled my eyes and smiled nevertheless. Emily, my sister ladies and gentlemen was afraid of the dark, I remember when we were small and if she ever needed to use the loo during night she'd always ask either me or mom to accompany her and tell us to stand outside and at least twice she would call out to make sure we were still there, I chuckled a bit at the old memory but my head hurt again so I shut up.

Emily was already asleep, and an hour later I was still wide awake.

The window of my room was creaking and I was one of those people who slept only in dead silence. Slowly I got up and dragged my body towards the window of my room, I was closing it when my eyes landed on something or better, someone standing outside on the road below. My breathe hitched and I took a step back, under the flickering streetlight I couldn't make out the shadow properly but it was that of a man, he had dark hair and he stood there staring in the direction of my house. I glanced back at the digital clock beside my bed it was past 1 in the morning. When I looked back analysing whether I should be concerned or not he was gone.