The Serial Killer Named Time

3. Tea Parties and Disseverment

"If you lie down with dogs, then you'll get fleas."

I woke up in a sweat, unaware of where I was and who I am. It might have sounded like something that would have came out of a horror film or a soap opera but for that one minute of my life I forgot about everything, last nights meeting, Misha and the time machine. But I saw a flash of last nights' events and remembered it was tea time today, meaning my mother would either brew one of my favourite black teas or one of dad's fruity teas he left up in the cupboard, untouched since the early morning when he went out for his flight to Beijing. Dr. Ivanov was supposedly going to mind control or trick my mother into letting me leave the country but I still had no idea of how he was going to do that.

The sound of my mother's agitated voice awoke me, she stood in the kitchen holding the old phone to her ear that was connected to the wall by a helix cord. She was talking about last nights' events and the substance she found in poor Misha's bag, I still didn't know why he had to take it from me and I still haven't given it to Delores yet, oh the next time Delores sees me she is going to murder me.

"Yes, yes and yes I understand." My mother spoke softly on the phone but as usual she was stressed, "Yes and also they are coming too, Eva told me it was for Delores." I leaned behind the kitchen door and continued to eavesdrop, turns out my mother spoke just as loudly as she walked, "Delores is a good girl and Misha says so?" I felt chills go down my spine as soon as my mother said the name Misha. My old friend who I haven't spoken to in a year, my ex best friend and now that friendship has shattered on the floor like my grandmother's china. "See you later, I'll bake some scones for the occasion I suppose." She slammed the phone onto the wall and reached for her cellphone, I walked into the room after lingering around like a quiet phantom.

"Mom, who was that?"

She raised her thin eyebrows and replied with the usual saying, "Santa Claus." Whenever she said that I begin to feel a twitch of anger beginning to boil in my stomach.

"Be serious, is that about Misha and the Delores incident? Have you told Ted yet?" My mouth continued to rammer on, "And you know Misha would never do that, that rich boy that lives beside her gave it to me to give to her and as a matter of fact Delores cornered me as I visited her house yesterday to get it for her or else."

My mother raised an eyebrow, "Why did you visit Ted's house, you knew I was at work."

I bit my lip, I remembered I wanted money for the mall and lied to Ted saying my mother was too embarrassed to ask him for money so I did and now I was caught in another lie. Being my usual self I fibbed, "I went there to search for you, it was your break and I thought you were having lunch there and I wanted to ask you for some money so I could buy a Rueben at the little café down the street." Mother knew I was obsessed with that new little café ever since it opened up, it even had a groovy name that suited it, Coffee, Coffee, Coffee! It was simple yet flamboyant and created a lot of attention.

"Fine, and Delores and Ted are coming over for tea, even Misha and his father." My mother tucked her hair beneath her out of style pea-green turtleneck that made me want to hurl. She took lemon-poppy seed scones out of the package and heated them up in the oven to make it appear as if she could bake well. While she was occupied with that I set the table using my mother's white plates with little red roses in the center on them, the tablecloth matched and was sewn by my Oma and it was surely as beautiful as the thought of leaving this town that imprisoned me.

After a tepid bath, I got out with chills covering my limbs and I rushed over to the closet in my room and placed my white dress on that exposed my shoulders. To me they appeared straight but not pointy like the tips of knives and my collar-bones were slightly exposed yet I was not fat. My hips were wide and my thighs were thick and strong yet I wished them to be slim and tall. I would do this sometimes and stare at myself in the mirror and concentrate on everything I hated about myself, I honestly and literally felt as if I was unlovable and undesirable. I left my room soon afterwards with a face full of makeup and my hair straightened and perfected like a dolls.