Truth or Dare? [REWRITTEN]

¤Chapter 10¤

¤Chapter Ten¤

I jolt awake, perturbed.

My night was bad and now, so is my morning. How wonderful. With a sigh, I rolled out of bed and took a quick shower to wash away the dried sweat in my hair and on my body. I'm used to this. The temperature is always cold in our house, yet I still wake up drenched. These nightmares —no, flashbacks happen occasionally. The only thing mom has been able to tell me about them is that they're caused by triggers. What the triggers are and how to stop them is undetermined. I might have to live in this... darkness for the rest of my life.

Dr. Elizabeth Fields begs to differ however, she thinks this will all pass. I scoffed as I brushed through my air-dried hair in the mirror. It fell in gentle waves past my shoulders. The red streaks look bold and intense today, matching my mood perfectly. Dr. Fields is a great doctor, but if she thinks this will all pass like a light breeze then maybe she needs to re-evaluate her degree. Then again, she's not a psychologist —just a mother trying to help her daughter regain self-control and sanity.

"Good morning father" I wrapped my arms around dad's shoulders once I arrived downstairs. His brows rose in response.

"You're up early today," Mom noted hesitantly after I gave her a back hug. "Bad dream?"

Instead of replying, I grabbed a piece of toast and some Nutella and joined them around the table. We ate in silence for a while before dad folded his newspaper and addressed me, "Madi, speak."

Although his voice was firm, concern was clear and visible in his weary eyes.

I've only ignored my parents once and that was when a certain someone caused me to become incredibly depressed. I glanced at mom, she's already gone into doctor mode, trying to analyze me through her specks. My parents worried about me a lot back then so I guess it's natural for them to panic every time I suddenly get silent.

"I can't remember this one, but yes" I finally answered her question, staring blankly at the  orange juice in front of me.

"Would you say it's gotten better or worse?" Dr. Fields interlocked her fingers so her chin can rest on top.

I took a sip of the tangy juice before responding. "Better, I think"

"Good," Dad released a shaky breath. "You're gaining control of your emotions Madi"

That reminds me.

"Do you think we can squeeze in some training time soon?" I asked hopeful. I don't want to admit it but my big 'win' with Owen last night was pure luck. It was dark, we were probably both not thinking straight and at that moment, I knew exactly what to say to rattle him. I stand by my statement of course, I'm just not sure why I told him that.

"Why?" Dad sat up in his chair and looked over nervously at mom. "Did something happen?"

I should've known he would want to know why.

"Oh" I stood up and grabbed my backpack, preparing to bolt if things got weird. "Um, there's this... person that I find it difficult to read sometimes and—"

"Oh my" Mom gasped, switching out of her doctor mode. "Frank, I think our daughter might be smitten for someone"

Dad laughed, his demeanor seeming to relax a bit. Why was he so tense in the first place? "You think so Liz?"

"No," I hastily interjected before she had the chance to speak for me. "I just—" I struggled to find the right words. "...want to improve my control and skill in certain situations."