Beyond (Niall Horan) (COMPLETED)

Chapter Seventeen

Mariana’s POV

“I can’t be here! I have to go home!” I shriek at my parents as they take me into the Emergency Room. My dad goes up to the front desk and we’re told to wait a few minutes before a doctor can be out to see us.

“Mariana, that ankle could be sprained! Or worse, broken!” Mom exclaims, looking at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. I groan at her as my father comes over to us and sits down in a plastic seat next to Mom.

“What is she going on about?” Dad asks Mom, though looking at me. I open my mouth to shout something at him (I know that I’m acting like a brat, but I honestly don’t care right now), but Mom begins to speak before I can. Unlike me, she sounds calm…yet worried at the same time.

“She says that she has to go home,” Mom tells Dad, causing Dad to look at me with sympathetic eyes that pissed me off more than anything.

“Mariana, we can go home after we get your ankle checked out,” Dad tells me, his voice irritatingly soothing.

“It doesn’t hurt!” I lie, causing some people to look at us with odd expressions on their faces. “I want to go home!”

“Soon Mariana, I promise,” Mom tells me.

To my horror, Dad leans over and whispers, “should we get her a mental examination? I’m worried.” He might think he was being quiet, but I could hear him clear as day.

“I’M NOT FUCKING CRAZY!” I scream. More people begin to stare at us and a baby starts to wail, causing its mother to stand up and glare at me as she takes her baby out of the room to be soothed. But I don’t care.

“Mariana, hush!” Mom scolds. Before I can say anything, a doctor comes up to us. His steps are confident, but I don’t miss the hesitant-and somewhat afraid-expression on his face.

“Um, Mariana Matthews?” He asks, looking down at the clipboard that he holds.

“That’s me,” I grumble.

“Come with me to the back room. We can x-ray your foot there,” he says. Dad gets a wheelchair from the doctor and Mom helps me settle down in it as I am wheeled to the back room. I remain completely silent, refusing to speak a word to either of my parents.

I’m not sure how long the x-rays take, but soon enough Mom, Dad, and I are being escorted to a private hospital room. We sit in complete silence as we wait for the results, but despite my throbbing foot, I eventually speak up.

“I’m not crazy you know. I know what’s in that house!” I exclaim.

“Hush, Mariana,” Mom scolds again. I glare at her, but fall silent…for good this time.

After a few minutes, the same doctor that x-rayed me comes into the room and is holding my x-rays in his hand.

“How bad is it Dr. Wood?” Mom asks. I didn’t even notice his nametag beforehand, but sure enough it says Dr. Wood right on his chest.

“Luckily her ankle is not broken, just sprained,” he says, relieving me somewhat, “I can bandage it up for you and then just remember to replace the bandaging once a day until the ankle is completely healed.”

“All right,” my dad agrees as the doctor gets the ace bandages and kneels down to begin wrapping up my foot. “Oh, and Doctor?”

“Yes?” Doctor Wood asks. He looks up, but doesn’t halt in wrapping up my foot.

Dad lowers his voice, but I can still hear what he is saying clear as day. “Is there any way I can get a mental examination for my daughter?”

“I’m not fucking crazy!” I screech again. My comment-and my language-goes completely ignored by both the stupid doctor and my stupid parents.

“I can probably set up an examination next week,” Doctor Wood agrees, “next Thursday perhaps?”

“That would be great,” Mom sighs in relief.

I glare at both my parents, but they simply ignore me until Doctor Wood is completely done with my foot. The adults exchange some words that I really don’t give a shit about-I think it has something to do with my ‘appointment’ next week-and finally, we’re able to leave.

“Can you walk?” Mom asks. She sounds worried, but I’m too angry to care.

“I’m fine,” I snap as I limp out of the hospital and to the car. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Mom and Dad exchange glances, but they don’t say anything. I get in the backseat and Dad gets in the driver’s seat. Mom sits next to him.

After a fifteen minute car ride we return home. Eric, like when we left, is waiting for us on the front porch.

“Eric! What are you doing out here?” Mom asks as she helps me out of the car. I shrug her away and go straight to my brother.

Eric ignores Mom and instead whispers to me, “I need to show you something. Right away!”

“What is it?” I hiss.

“Just come on,” Eric grabs my arm and tries to tug me inside, but before we can get into the house, Dad calls out to my brother. And boy, does he sound angry.

“Eric Matthews, do NOT ignore your mother!” Dad snaps.

“Oh, sorry,” Eric mutters as he looks at Mom. “What’d you say?”

“I asked what you’re doing out here!” Mom says.

“I was waiting for Mariana,” Eric replies.

“Why?” This time, Dad butts in.

“I wanted to help her inside. You know, with her ankle and all.” Eric and I both know that he is lying, but our parents seem to buy it.

“Can you help your sister up to her room?” Dad asks.

Eric nods. “Yeah, sure Dad.”

Eric helps me inside and we go upstairs, me leaning on Eric’s arm. He takes me to my room and closes the door before whispering, “I need to show you something!”

“What is it?” I ask, wondering what he was talking about.

“I…I did some investigating and I believe you about Niall now. I…um, I found something that proves you’re telling the truth,” Eric says, exciting me greatly.

“Really? Great! Show me now before our stupid parents can send me away,” I mutter.

“Send you away?” Eric asks with wide eyes. Quickly, I explain everything about my stupid “mental examination” that our parents scheduled for me next week.

“Well this will definitely prove you’re not crazy,” Eric says as he begins to go up into the attic, “come on!”

Eagerly, I follow him and he leads me to a corner of an attic that I haven’t explored before. I can see the outline of a chest in the dim attic lighting.

“In here,” Eric whispers, motioning me over to the chest. I get closer and he opens it up, motioning for me to look inside.

I peer inside the chest…and scream.

I was staring down at a dead body.

Double update because I can (x comment and vote if you want!