Our Reflection

25• Darling, Everything's On Fire

Marjorie Blossom POV

I woke up in the middle of the night feeling my head pounding, for the past four days I have been having constant nightmares of unpleasant memories from my teenage years.

My conversation with Cheryl had both negative and positive points, but I knew that at one time or another the two of us would reach a point where dialogue was far from being a solution to our problems.

I sat on the end of the bed and stood up without making a sound, I didn't want Tyler to wake up, otherwise I would have to answer a series of boring and unsubstantiated questions.

My feet touched the icy porcelain floor and I walked like a ballerina to the bedroom door, watching the empty, dark corridor.

Melissa was probably dreaming of something pleasant and I passed by her room quickly, the girl had a lighter sleep than her father.

I went down the stairs looking at the steps and made no effort to see if there was anything or anyone sitting on one of the sofas or standing propped up against the walls.

The truth is that since I started taking the medications that Friederick prescribed, I rarely have strange experiences.

"I feel lighter".

I kept repeating to myself while dribbling some furniture towards the kitchen, I needed a glass of water.

I looked at the grandfather clock at the end of the hall and the hands indicated that it was twenty minutes before six in the morning.

In other words, I would have about forty minutes of solitude until the house woke up and everyone started the morning ritual to go out to work and school.

I drummed my nails on the central kitchen counter and smiled when I remembered that this was my mother's habit when I wasn't in the mood for patience.

I let out a nostalgic sigh and picked up the bottle of water in the kitchen, but as soon as I closed the door, my fingers weakened and the glass container shattered on the floor.

"How clumsy you are."

"Melissa, what are you doing up at this hour?"

"I woke up, actually, I didn't sleep very well that night."

"Why? Did you have a nightmare?"

I picked up the glass of the broken bottle, threw it in the trash and put a cloth on the floor.

I opened the fridge and took another bottle, filling two glasses of water and offering one to the little one, who sat on the counter and started to dangle her feet.

"Or have you been playing all night?"

"Actually, I miss Theo."

The mention of Cheryl's son's name made me swallow hard and take a nice sip of water, watching the bottom of the glass.

Knowing that my sister was close to me was always unpleasant, but I couldn't blame the boy for the events between me and his mother.

Melissa has never been this comfortable with anyone and I owe that to her closeness to Theo.

"Didn't you say he was coming back this month yet?"

"Yeah ... Only the last time I spoke to Theo, he told me that Uncle Mark was going to take him on a trip and that he didn't know when he was coming back."

For a moment I thought that maybe Cheryl didn't know what her ex-husband was planning, but if there's one thing I've learned over time, I shouldn't meddle in other people's affairs, including those involving my sister.