Nine

I was jogging with Leib and April, I was lagging behind them to give them space to flirt with each other. I giggled at the thought—them flirting—nothing would be more awkward than two awkward people doing that. I was watching them talk when my visions were suddenly obscured. I felt—I knew—the existence of the black canvas bag that was put on my head, their fibers tightly weaved that no light peeked as I struggled to get free from the hands that held me immobile. I foresaw what was about to happen, and no matter how I sucked my stomach in so that the prongs of the Taser wouldn't reach me, in the end, the current still ran through my body resulting to its uncontrollable seizing, but amazingly I never felt the pain—and I knew it was painful. A very loud sound that jolted me awake...I think. Was I really awake, or was I in another dream? It was like lifting weights with my eyes as I wrestled to pry them open, they were very heavy. The white ceiling was instantaneously there—though blurry at first—when I got my sight and so with the blindingly bright light. Ah, another dream. I became aware of the murmurs that got clearer as seconds passed. '...wake up make her take these." 'Thank you." I knew I had to and it will hurt like heck, but I did it anyway. 'Leib?" Freaking hell, just like swallowing barbwires! 'Oh sweetheart, you're awake." I didn't respond as I was trying to pinpoint where I heard that familiar voice. 'Your brother went to school." My mother gently stroked my probably-oily head and I could tell she was trying not to cry by how shaky her voice was. 'The doctor told us to make you take these." She handed me a medicine cup and within it were two white pills. Ah, I'm awake then. I chucked the meds in my mouth followed by a sip of water in the strawed-styrocup. Even though it tasted weird, the lukewarm liquid going down my throat eased a bit of its dryness. Mom took her gaze away from me to look somewhere before returning them to me. Her green eyes were tired and sad, and I knew it was because of me. 'Honey, the doctor recommended that you," She caressed my left cheek. Her hands were cold. 'He told us that you need to take a break from school, and we thought you should know." But school just started. 'He told us that crowded environments might trigger your episodes and that it might cause you harm." 'Episodes?" Hmm, my throat still felt like a desert made of sand papers and they were rubbing together. I sat up slowly and immediately saw the other person standing at the foot of the bed. 'Hi, dad." Water, I need to down a liter of water. I saw his eyes glisten but it was momentary and was gone the second he blinked. He walked to where mom was and stood beside her, his hands held her shoulders as if to readily catch her if ever she fell. I returned my gaze on my mother, silently asking her about what she said earlier. 'You were having hallucinations, memory losses and seizures," She sobs. It hurts to see mom like this that it brought my own tears out. 'They said that your brain is physically well but its activities were abnormal, that you might hurt yourself or others." Which meant? I wanted to reassure my parents that I was fine, but I, myself didn't believe that. 'So, I guess I will be camping at the house, then?" I croaked. My mom's face became sadder. 'Sweetheart," Dad's voice was deep and clear. My parents' hands were both on mine this time and it was very warm. 'They told us to put you in a psychiatric facility." I could only shake my head at what I heard. 'I know, sweetheart, you won't go there. You will stay in our house." Came my mother's reassuring voice. I couldn't see their faces anymore, everything was in a blur. The warmth that I was feeling earlier vanished instantly when I heard my mom's words. I don't want to stay in a mental hospital. I am not crazy. I am not. ●●●●● True to their words, my parents made me stay in our house instead of the mental facility the doctor recommended when I was discharged. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder which earned me tons of medications. 'So you're crazy?" Les concluded when I finished my hospital story. 'No I'm not, and that's all you can say after the long-ass things that I told you?" We were in my room and it was a Monday, marking my fifth-day school absence. My best friend came every day with class notes and foods, sometimes she was with Scotty and they would share stories about things happening at school. 'Are you seeing something right now?" She asked again. I noticed that Les started to talk more—like five to eight sentences max. I darted my eyes to the corners of my room. 'Nothing." Thanks to the prescribed medicines, I never experienced any hallucinations since I came out of the hospital. 'What happened to you, Kat?" I don't know either. 'I feel like you are not telling me something." There was no doubt in her expression, only concern. I could only shake my head. 'Even I don't know." The day was always not enough with Les, it seemed that there was a lot to talk about and a day was not enough. As usual, she waved me a ‘goodbye' before she entered her boyfriend's car and I stared at the vehicle moving farther until I couldn't see it anymore did I go back in the house. I was entering my room when the ringing of my phone caught my attention. It was Leib. 'Yep?" 'You with mom and dad?" I frowned, he was supposed to be home already. 'No, dad's waiting for mom at the university and mom's gonna be late." 'What time do you think they'll get home?" 'Why?" Something's suspicious. 'Get ready and wait for me, I'll come get you." I wasn't able to let any questions after that because he hung up on me. Where would we be going at this time and it was already dark? I only changed me flips to sneakers and remained in my sweats. Leib's not taking us to a party, is he? ●●●●● Fifteen minutes later, I heard the familiar honk of his car and went out. 'Where are we going?" I asked him as soon as I got in the passenger seat, 'To school," He answered while maneuvering the car. 'I have to test a theory." 'What theory, what does it have to do with me, and this late? We'll be dead if our parents get home before us." He didn't reply. ●●●●● Leib parked at the back of our school and of course it was closed, so we had to climb the wall to get inside it. 'Where are we going?" I asked in a loud whisper. 'What if the guards sees us?" I heard no answer from him like the last time. We just walked in silence, with him holding my hand while I followed him in the darkness of the school corridors. 'Leib!" I whispered again. He led us in a dark room and closed its door rendering us blind from the total lack of light. I nearly screamed when I saw April Mabry's face suddenly appear not far from us if not for my brother's hand on my mouth. What are they doing? When we reached her, she sat down on the floor and with her were assortments of apparatuses. 'Hi." She greeted in a whisper. Still, she gave me the creeps with that flashlight positioned under her chin. 'What are we doing here?" I asked her this time. 'You'll see." She smiled and it was not the gentle one that I was used to seeing but a sinister one, all because of that flashlight. 'Silent your phone just in case." I did. While Leib bustled silently somewhere in the room, I took time to identify what was in front of me. A microscope, a rack of test tubes, slides, dropper and three packets of lancets..? 'Okay." My brother sat down with us on the cold, tiled-floor. 'Kat, I will be needing a bit of your blood." What? 'What, why?" What the heck? 'To test my theory." Was all he said and handed me a pack of lancet. 'What exactly is your theory?" Instead of answering, this weird couple just stared, shined the light at me and the unopened blade I was holding. 'You guys are getting weirder every second." I told them but pricked my thumb anyway. Ouch. A globule of blood formed on my wounded finger. 'What now?" Leib gently took my thumb and smeared the liquid on one of the glass slides, got up and opened the flashlight of his phone and disappeared somewhere in the room again. Now, I'm confused. 'What is it that we're trying to do here, April?" I pressed the cotton that she gave me on my wound. 'Your brother thinks that something was altered in you, hence this little experiment." Little? This could get us all in trouble if somebody found us. My brother sat with us once more and unceremoniously popped the prepared slide he was holding in to the microscope. He turned it on, peered and adjusted its objectives and view. Still not talking, he took a photo of what was inside the device before adjusting it again. Even with the absence of words, it was clear from Leib's face that he found something or something was bothering him. He did the photo-taking several times more before taking out my blood specimen from the microscope and wrapped it with a cloth or something close to it. 'Let's pack up." He told us. 'Kat, keep your cotton with you. We must not leave any of your DNA here." Okay? I just sat there while they hastily and silently put everything in order. The slight clinks and clutters of glasses were so loud, I feared that someone would be able to hear them, and seconds after that grazed my thoughts did the door handle jiggle. Leib and April's movements stopped. The lights were instantaneously off. I dared not breathe as the door slowly opened with a creak and footsteps went in the room.