New Beginnings (undergoing editing)

Chapter(9) Spiking

By: Julia Brennan
Not my song it's from YouTube
Liza's POV
I wonder how long this is going to go on before they tell me that they are spiking my drinks. I'm not a complete and utter moron.

Mark then suddenly picks me up and drags me back into the living room. I giggle as he picks me up and carries me into the living room. He sets me down on to Lewis's lap and he gets out the things to clean to my cuts.

"Hey now look away. Watch the tv it'll make it worse if you see the cuts." He says putting on the hydrogen peroxide to where my nails had dug themselves into my skin. I listen to him and look at the tv, not really listening just thinking. Am I ever going to go back to school? I mean I don't want to... but I need to, sometime don't I? So I don't know... can have a decent future? Have a good and fulfilling life?

I don't want to mention it though because if I did, they'd make me go back and I don't want to... but I need a future. So should I ask?

I don't even notice that Mark has wrapped my arms once more and that they are talking to me and waving their hands in front of my face. "Hey hun how about we come back to earth and we watch a movie called Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs! Come on, back to earth kiddo please". They finally stop waving their hands in front of my face, and Lewis gently lies me down and shakes me. So then eventually I come back to earth.
"Yeah?" I ask them
"You zoned out we couldn't get you out of it. So we laid you down and then gently shook you back to earth. Mark used to be really bad for that, now is everything okay up there in that head of yours?" Lewis asks me looking me right in the eyes as he says this.

He sits me up on the couch like I was paralyzed and couldn't do it myself. Which I could've but honestly, I didn't feel like it. I sit in the middle of Mark and Lewis on the couch, I twiddle my thumbs trying to distract myself.

"Am I ever going to go back to school? Do I have to? I don't like it there... but I want a future...." I say trailing off not really knowing where the hell I was going with all of this. I hate school, people beat me up there; but I want a future.

"We, and when I say we I mean James, Lewis, Toby and myself have decided that in your condition right now, we don't think it's best to send you to school. Maybe a little bit in the future when you've been consistently okay and only if you want to. We are going to homeschool you. Which might mean that your stuck in some offices or at a desk. But it might be better for you and our sanity, that way there we know you're okay. Now are you okay? Is that okay? Do you wanna talk or watch a movie or do something else? What's going on in that head of yours?" Mark asks me.

I sigh inhale and exhale. Just have to remember to breathe. "Y-ye-yeah that's awesome thank you." I say hugging everyone that would get close to me. "Alright Lew I'm going to go attempt to make our bed, I'll be down in a minute. Start the movie without me I'll be back in a few minutes okay? And Liz no scratching!!"

Mark says to me and Lewis. We nod and he pops in the movie 'Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs,' he kisses my forehead and kisses Lewis's cheek. Then he disappears upstairs, I ignore him and block out everything else but the movie.

Mark's POV

I run up the stairs and go into mine and Lewis's bedroom. I shut the door and slide down it. I bring my knees up to my chest and rest my head on my knees. I inhale and exhale deeply trying to calm myself down. I don't know what happened to me. I just freaked out. I don't know why. I think my anxiety is acting up again. My anxiety hasn't bothered me since I was nineteen.

All of us that live in this house seem to have some sort of problem. Like I have depression and anxiety along with Lew that's what he has as well. James and Toby have the same problem. I'm also pretty sure that Liz has depression, anxiety and slight PTSD. I love her but she's been through a lot and often that comes with problems, but hell we all have our problems.

I keep deep breathing and then after a few seconds and the feeling that there's an elephant sitting on my chest I get up. I walk over to mine and Lew's bed and grab my pills. I pop a couple, (the healthy amount of course) and sit down on our bed and take a few deep breaths. I wipe away a few tears that came outta no where's and then get up from the bed. I make it and then go downstairs to see my husband and Liza. Who is like my daughter now.

I sit down with my hubby and Liza. She immediately notices that I've sat down, and she lays down across both mine and Lew's lap. Her head sits on my thighs and her torso lays over Lew's lap with her feet just barely hitting the other side of the couch that we are laying on. The movie gets about halfway through and I see Liz's eyelids start to droop closed.

I gently run my fingers through her hair as she starts to fall asleep on us. The moment that Liza is definitely asleep, Lew immediately pauses the movie. He snaps his head around to face me so fast that I think he got whiplash. "Hey babe you okay?" He asks me I nod, and he doesn't seem it buy it. "You ran up those stairs like your life depended on it. Now stop lying to me and answer me truthfully. What the hell is going on?!" Lewis asks me with urgency and sadness in his tone.

"Um it's nothing really just my anxiety decided to act up. So I popped a couple pills to help calm me down. Don't worry babe it's just an off day and I'll tell you if it's anything more hon. I love you" I say stretching out the 'u' in you.

"Okay babe. I love you too, don't forget that." Lewis says to me taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. When he stops and resumes the movie, I put my hand over his shoulder, and he leans into my side and we keep watching the movie.

The quiet only lasts a few minutes though because then Liz starts to panic and whimper. She starts to roll left and right, me and Lew stopping her body from falling off the side of the couch. I gently rub her arm whispering "it's okay, your okay calm down" again trying to calm her down a little bit.

It doesn't work though because she wakes up a few seconds later and turns over then burying her head into my left hip, sobbing. I gently stroke her hair as she cries into my hip. I pick up her up and hold her like a child to my chest. She sobs into my shirt and I just let her do her thing while I hold her while rocking her back and forth.

"Shh sweetheart it's okay. It's okay." I tell her as she cries. She's going to need a glass of water after this, I gently shush her in a attempt to calm her down. I notice Lew get up and go to the kitchen probably to get her a glass of water.

Lew comes back into the living room and sets the water glass down on the living room table that is sitting in front of the couch. Liz's sobs slow down and then stop. I pull her up to my collarbone and hug her. "I'm sorry." She whispers under her breath.

"It's okay kiddo." I tell her she sniffles and hugs me back. After a few minutes of sweet silence I lower her, so her head sits at the end of my rib cage. I give her the cup of water and she drinks it.

"Thanks" she says to me. I just nod my head and ask. "Do you want to talk about it?" I ask her. She shakes her head again.

"It was bad, but right now I want lunch." She says to me. I laugh, finally she wants to eat, and we don't have to force her or remind her. I pick her up and carry her over to the kitchen, Lew following close behind us.

I sit her down on her now reserved spot on the counter and start to make food. Well try to, turns out I'm still bad at making edible food. Lew steps in and starts to make grilled cheeses. He hands me a loaf of white bread and some butter and says, "butter both sides of the bread, can you handle that babe?" He says laughing at me. I huff and take the bread and butter.

"Well of course!" I say huffing and faking to be hurt by his insult. I sit a piece of bread down on the counter and start to butter it. The bread rips in two almost immediately and I sigh. Then I try to use butter as a glue and stick the two ripped pieces of bread together. "Yes" I say stretching out the 's' in yes in my new accomplishment.

Liz sees my fail in trying to butter some bread. She bursts out laughing I pout and cross my arms on my chest. She takes the bread and butter from me and starts to butter the bread. She hands Lew the buttered pieces of bread.

Before long we all have grilled cheeses in front of us and we're watching Ellen. And that's the way we spent our day. In our pjs cuddled on our couch watching Ellen and eating grilled cheeses. This was great.

1744 words