footsteps slowly approached her side.
“What did you tell her?”
Only silence met her question, and Ava turned to face David.
“What in God’s name did you tell her?!” She said in a deadly hiss.
“Only the truth.” David sat down on the foot of the bed.
“Did she ask you to—“
“No. That’s why I told her. Your father needed to know.” His eyes rested uneasily on Lena’s sleeping form. If he’d known the results would have been this detrimental, he might not have done it.
“You should have waited for her to ask…”
“Your daughter’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I had to give her something to go on, or she wouldn’t have figured it out on her own. Not with Howard going out of his way to hide everything from her.” He stood up and strode to the door, pausing, only for a moment, to look back over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.
When dinner time rolled around, Mrs. Ralston came in with a plate for Ava. The two didn’t speak, and Ava never touched the food. The hours were beginning to wear on Ava, and around ten, she fell asleep in her chair. Time passed as it always did.
Sometime later, Lena’s eyes fluttered. She had been dreaming again, very strange dreams…they weren’t nightmares, like they used to be, but somewhere in her being she feared them just as much. Her eyes opened. She had to still be sleeping... There she was, asleep in a chair. Lena was watching herself sleep. What strange dreams…
Her eyes—well, those of the Lena asleep in the chair—opened very suddenly. Lena jumped. The other Lena smiled…
“Who are… Mom?” Her voice cracked. Her throat was dry, and a monstrous headache was starting to grow. Her gut still hurt like someone had punched her.
Ava nodded and reached her hand out to touch Lena’s cheek. Had Lena been more aware and less unwell, she would have pulled away.
“Oh, Lena…” The woman who looked like her hugged her. A few moments passed as Lena gained control of the situation and her spinning head. She gently pushed the woman away.
“Dad told me you were…Why are you here? What’s going on?” Her brow furrowed, and tears were starting to slide down her cheeks. Her mother had a look of compassion and frustration; Lena was confused and tired. It was too much for her to deal with.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to be a little more specific.” Ava said, leaning forward to rest her chin on her propped up fist.
“What?” Lena shook her head and sat up, and then bent over and held her head in her hands. “What do you mean? Specific?”
“Sweetie, I know this must be strange to you, but you have to ask me very specifically...”
Lena stared down at the sheets. The nuisance of the past week came back to her very slowly—like paint drying…
“Why do I have to be specific?!” She said it more forcefully than she had intended to; but then, here was a woman she didn’t remember, who claimed to be her mother, and everyone was lying to her, and David was crazy, and there were so many dead people in her life, and…
“That’s as good a place as any to start, I guess. I just have to warn you, it’s unsafe for me to tell you anything you’re not ready to hear. It could hurt you…like David hurt you.”
“David didn’t hurt me, I just—“
“Well, yes he did,” Ava looked away, and then quickly looked back, “That’s very, very important.”
“Why? You believe him?” Lena stared at the older copy of herself. She already knew that they had very little in common, and probably wouldn’t get along well.
“I know you’ve got no reason to trust me just yet, so look at it this way: Howard’s been lying to you. I’ll try my hardest not to do that. I’ll even keep your secrets for you. I know things that Howard doesn’t, and you can keep those secrets from him.” The idea of having a secret, and keeping it against Howard and Ralston, was very pleasing. But there was something wrong with the whole
“What did you tell her?”
Only silence met her question, and Ava turned to face David.
“What in God’s name did you tell her?!” She said in a deadly hiss.
“Only the truth.” David sat down on the foot of the bed.
“Did she ask you to—“
“No. That’s why I told her. Your father needed to know.” His eyes rested uneasily on Lena’s sleeping form. If he’d known the results would have been this detrimental, he might not have done it.
“You should have waited for her to ask…”
“Your daughter’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I had to give her something to go on, or she wouldn’t have figured it out on her own. Not with Howard going out of his way to hide everything from her.” He stood up and strode to the door, pausing, only for a moment, to look back over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.
When dinner time rolled around, Mrs. Ralston came in with a plate for Ava. The two didn’t speak, and Ava never touched the food. The hours were beginning to wear on Ava, and around ten, she fell asleep in her chair. Time passed as it always did.
Sometime later, Lena’s eyes fluttered. She had been dreaming again, very strange dreams…they weren’t nightmares, like they used to be, but somewhere in her being she feared them just as much. Her eyes opened. She had to still be sleeping... There she was, asleep in a chair. Lena was watching herself sleep. What strange dreams…
Her eyes—well, those of the Lena asleep in the chair—opened very suddenly. Lena jumped. The other Lena smiled…
“Who are… Mom?” Her voice cracked. Her throat was dry, and a monstrous headache was starting to grow. Her gut still hurt like someone had punched her.
Ava nodded and reached her hand out to touch Lena’s cheek. Had Lena been more aware and less unwell, she would have pulled away.
“Oh, Lena…” The woman who looked like her hugged her. A few moments passed as Lena gained control of the situation and her spinning head. She gently pushed the woman away.
“Dad told me you were…Why are you here? What’s going on?” Her brow furrowed, and tears were starting to slide down her cheeks. Her mother had a look of compassion and frustration; Lena was confused and tired. It was too much for her to deal with.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to be a little more specific.” Ava said, leaning forward to rest her chin on her propped up fist.
“What?” Lena shook her head and sat up, and then bent over and held her head in her hands. “What do you mean? Specific?”
“Sweetie, I know this must be strange to you, but you have to ask me very specifically...”
Lena stared down at the sheets. The nuisance of the past week came back to her very slowly—like paint drying…
“Why do I have to be specific?!” She said it more forcefully than she had intended to; but then, here was a woman she didn’t remember, who claimed to be her mother, and everyone was lying to her, and David was crazy, and there were so many dead people in her life, and…
“That’s as good a place as any to start, I guess. I just have to warn you, it’s unsafe for me to tell you anything you’re not ready to hear. It could hurt you…like David hurt you.”
“David didn’t hurt me, I just—“
“Well, yes he did,” Ava looked away, and then quickly looked back, “That’s very, very important.”
“Why? You believe him?” Lena stared at the older copy of herself. She already knew that they had very little in common, and probably wouldn’t get along well.
“I know you’ve got no reason to trust me just yet, so look at it this way: Howard’s been lying to you. I’ll try my hardest not to do that. I’ll even keep your secrets for you. I know things that Howard doesn’t, and you can keep those secrets from him.” The idea of having a secret, and keeping it against Howard and Ralston, was very pleasing. But there was something wrong with the whole
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