lie though, so of course I wasn’t going to start now. I could feel everyone’s gaze on me as they waited for me to say something. Unfortunately, I knew I was trapped.
Hanging my head a little, I sighed in resignation, and admitted, “Because I already knew.” Loud gasps were heard from either side of me as I felt the combined heat of Sam and Gideon’s stares. They both tried to yank their hands out of my grasp but I wouldn’t let them shake me off. Instead, I squeezed their hands tighter in desperation.
“Let me clarify,” I backtracked hurriedly as I tried to amend my earlier confession. “I must be immune to those damn memory suppression drugs because I remembered everything that happened to me from the moment I woke up here.” Guiltily darting my gaze between Gideon and Sam, I pleaded, “I didn’t want to say anything to you guys about it because I couldn’t stand to have either of you think badly of me. Also, it didn’t occur to me that you may have tried to do what I had done. Subconsciously, I guess I was hoping you guys actually had volunteered for this government program. I don’t like the thought of either of you trying to hurt yourselves.”
Noticing that Sergeant Ramsey was once again sitting in the armchair instead of pacing, I gave him my full attention. He shook his head at me in astonishment before commenting, “You really are full of surprises Teagan. You never cease to amaze me. How could you have known for a full six months and not say anything about it to anyone?” he asked incredulously. He frowned darkly at me as if I had somehow betrayed his trust. “I want you to tell us everything that you remember, and what led you up to your decision to end your life,” he demanded without pretense.
It was almost offensive to me being forced to discuss my attempted suicide so blatantly, but I guess there was no getting around the truth of my actions. Plain and simple, I had tried to take my own life. If anything, I felt that I owed Gideon and Sam an explanation because having their trust meant everything to me. Taking a deep breath, I quickly launched into my story trying to take a neutral approach in an effort to tone down the emotional aspects. After all, I didn’t want or need anyone’s sympathy. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t shed one more tear over my bastard of an ex.
“Okay, here’s the short version. I had a loving family which included my mom and dad, my twin brother, and my grandparents. When I was ten years old, my grandparents on my mom’s side passed away when a tornado ripped through their neighborhood in Oklahoma where they lived. That was my first experience with death. Then when I was fifteen, my grandmother on my dad’s side was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and died less than a year later. The following year, my grandfather passed too. My mom said he died of a broken heart because he missed my grandmother too much. After all, his doctor couldn’t explain his death because he claimed my grandfather was in perfect health. Then, just two years ago, my parents were coming back from vacation when their plane suffered some sort of malfunction and crashed. They both died. I was broken hearted because I loved my parents deeply. At that point, all I had left was my brother Dominic. At my parents’ funeral, we made a pact that we would always be there for one another, and that we would be strong for each other in order to survive the loss of our parents’. Last year, Dominic’s regiment got deployed to Afghanistan and he was killed by a roadside car bomb that had gone off.”
I heard my voice crack at the mention of my beloved older brother, and had to pause to clear my throat before continuing. Even though I tried to keep my story detached and unemotional, I couldn’t suppress my feelings of grief every time I thought about the loss of my precious family, all of whom I had loved so much. I was helpless to stop the tears that flooded my eyes, and
Hanging my head a little, I sighed in resignation, and admitted, “Because I already knew.” Loud gasps were heard from either side of me as I felt the combined heat of Sam and Gideon’s stares. They both tried to yank their hands out of my grasp but I wouldn’t let them shake me off. Instead, I squeezed their hands tighter in desperation.
“Let me clarify,” I backtracked hurriedly as I tried to amend my earlier confession. “I must be immune to those damn memory suppression drugs because I remembered everything that happened to me from the moment I woke up here.” Guiltily darting my gaze between Gideon and Sam, I pleaded, “I didn’t want to say anything to you guys about it because I couldn’t stand to have either of you think badly of me. Also, it didn’t occur to me that you may have tried to do what I had done. Subconsciously, I guess I was hoping you guys actually had volunteered for this government program. I don’t like the thought of either of you trying to hurt yourselves.”
Noticing that Sergeant Ramsey was once again sitting in the armchair instead of pacing, I gave him my full attention. He shook his head at me in astonishment before commenting, “You really are full of surprises Teagan. You never cease to amaze me. How could you have known for a full six months and not say anything about it to anyone?” he asked incredulously. He frowned darkly at me as if I had somehow betrayed his trust. “I want you to tell us everything that you remember, and what led you up to your decision to end your life,” he demanded without pretense.
It was almost offensive to me being forced to discuss my attempted suicide so blatantly, but I guess there was no getting around the truth of my actions. Plain and simple, I had tried to take my own life. If anything, I felt that I owed Gideon and Sam an explanation because having their trust meant everything to me. Taking a deep breath, I quickly launched into my story trying to take a neutral approach in an effort to tone down the emotional aspects. After all, I didn’t want or need anyone’s sympathy. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t shed one more tear over my bastard of an ex.
“Okay, here’s the short version. I had a loving family which included my mom and dad, my twin brother, and my grandparents. When I was ten years old, my grandparents on my mom’s side passed away when a tornado ripped through their neighborhood in Oklahoma where they lived. That was my first experience with death. Then when I was fifteen, my grandmother on my dad’s side was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and died less than a year later. The following year, my grandfather passed too. My mom said he died of a broken heart because he missed my grandmother too much. After all, his doctor couldn’t explain his death because he claimed my grandfather was in perfect health. Then, just two years ago, my parents were coming back from vacation when their plane suffered some sort of malfunction and crashed. They both died. I was broken hearted because I loved my parents deeply. At that point, all I had left was my brother Dominic. At my parents’ funeral, we made a pact that we would always be there for one another, and that we would be strong for each other in order to survive the loss of our parents’. Last year, Dominic’s regiment got deployed to Afghanistan and he was killed by a roadside car bomb that had gone off.”
I heard my voice crack at the mention of my beloved older brother, and had to pause to clear my throat before continuing. Even though I tried to keep my story detached and unemotional, I couldn’t suppress my feelings of grief every time I thought about the loss of my precious family, all of whom I had loved so much. I was helpless to stop the tears that flooded my eyes, and
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