Striking Blue

7. WRONG...

The name that reached my mother's ears shook her apart. The name was familiar...a bit too familiar.

"THE LADY AND HER BROTHER WERE CANCER RESEARCHERS. FINALLY ONE DAY SHE DISCOVERED THAT A CERTAIN COMBINATION OF DRUGS AND CHEMOTHERAPY COULD CURE CANCER." the receptionist narrated.

"THEN?" I was at the edge of my seat.

"BUT SHE COULDN'T GIVE IT TO HER PATIENTS WITHOUT TESTING IT. SO SHE TESTED IT ON HERSELF. IT WORKED. BUT SHE DIDN'T HAVE CANCER, SO SHE DIDN'T NEED IT. MORE PRECISELY, SHE COULDN'T TAKE IT AND DIDN'T SURVIVE IT." the receptionist's story left me in a painful headspace.

"SO HER BROTHER CONTINUED THE TREATMENT WHICH PROVED TO CURE CANCER AND HAD ONLY ONE DISTINCTIVE SIDE AFFECT....THE DULLING OF THE EYE COLOR." the receptionist continued.

"THEY SAY THE LAST THING HER BROTHER SAW OF HER....WAS... " she began.

My phone rang. I jumped in the stretching anxiety of the moment. I saw the caller ID...mother.

My mother's steps were hurried. She was walking as fast as she could. Tears streaming down her face. "HELLO DEAR. COME HOME. NOW. SOMETHING IS WRONG." her voice was shaking.

"WRONG? WHAT?" the other line spoke.

"THE GIRLS WHO WERE MURDERED, THEY WERE..."

The receptionist handed me a list of names while I was still on the call with my mother. I glanced at it - 10 names. 'Patients of the new treatment' - the heading read. I mouthed the words 'Thank You' and began to read through the list.

First name....Bald girl. Okay. 2nd name...3rd name...unknown. I was searching for one more name. Where was it?

*************************************************************************

The sister sat staring at her computer screen repeating the words....no no no. As she sat trembling on her bed on the 15th floor of our apartment, she had traced the exact location of the registered phone number. And it was right below her, 14th floor - My house.

4th name...no...5th name....oh my god. I did not expect to see this name! My best friend had cancer? God. There's the connection between the two murdered girls, they were in the same cancer program. I stood up, ready to leave.

But I kept reading. 6th name...no...7th name....no...where was the one that I was searching for? 8th name...no! Ah! found it, 9th name - Me.

"HELLO DEAR? ARE YOU THERE? COME HOME FAST, PLEASE." it was my mother's voice. Her feet were rushing against the stone grey steps. Almost there...10th floor. Just 4 more.

"HELLO? YEAH...WHAT'S WRONG?" came the voice from the other end of the phone.

"ALL THE GIRLS WERE....YOUR FATHER'S PATIENTS...JUST LIKE YOU." my mother's voice was strangely placid.

I could hear a sudden thrash from the other end of the phone. "MOM? MOM?" my voice had turned itself into a scream. The line cut with a beep and I jolted into a sprint.

I was near my building now, my heart racing uncontrollably. I could feel a buzz in my ears as the lift rushed me up. My palms were cold. My breath hung in the silence of my unimaginable fate.