CHAPTER 55
The faint sound of various life-supporting equipment sounded on as Amelia shifted around in her cabin. Her eyes stared at the ceiling for a moment before realizing that the light was all too real; the overhead fluorescents in the kitchen poured down on her now as she glanced at the ceiling. For a moment she was momentarily confused as she sought to understand where she was and how she had found herself there. Memories, as in a flood, came back to her and then she got up slowly.
The escape. The chase. The fall.
Groaning, she tried to sit up but the weights had done their job and the least movement pained her almost unbearably. In no time at all, a nurse was by her bedside adjusting her back on the pillows.
Suddenly the nurse came and held her gently, ‘Easy there,’ the nurse said right softly. “It has been rather strenuous for you. But as Elijah had assigned the Nurse even when he knew she was already getting better, made her wonder how many people were willing to see her hale and hearty again.
It had to be a joke, Amelia thought, she wanted to say something – to argue, to scream at him, to ask him questions – but the tiny voice in her head that always seemed to get louder when she was too tired to fight kicked in. The seductive quietness made her relax and she let her eyes close again, although her sleep was not a peaceful one. Her life entirely was far from being peaceful at the moment, with everything that was going on.
This that followed was days and nights walking in a fog of painkillers and short glimpses of reality. There were footprints of her nurses who visited her, checking her temperature and the state of the wound that had already healed, she wondered what the nurse was doing there.
Sitting on her bed she recalled how Elijah would always walk in, looking grave and guilty. He just crouched beside her bed and glued his hand to hers and kept saying sorry and sorry. Amelia most time assumed the position of someone asleep, she was not willing to confront him or rather the feelings she had towards him. After knowing that he was her true father.
Elijah will generally walk in with a composed face reflecting anguish seeing her in that state. He talked of justice, about how they had found out a way to deal with Ema, how they would expose her lies and leave her matter to the council to debate the wrongs that were meted out to everyone. Amelia will only pay half attention to the words being spoken for her thoughts where elsewhere, on how she could benefit from this situation.
Day by day, Amelia started regaining her strength back and the weeks began to pass by more surprisingly. She fought through the pain to regain her balance as if walking for the first time. However, day by day a restless feeling started dwelling in her.
The looks of pity were the thing that riled her most. How Elijah would come to visit, with flowers and get-well cards, looking at her with pity and interest.
Amelia felt that she was an object of display – a living symbol of Elijah and Bruce's failure and the anarchy that threatened to destroy the pack.
IT was in the sixth of the four weeks that Amelia was in the house, one day in the afternoon, when she sat down by the chair by the window looking out to the forest, that she was startled by a knock at the door. She looked up to witness her Nurse, Sarah one of the younger members of the pack approaching her, smiling a little shyly.
‘Hello Amelia’ Sarah said in what could be best described as a forced perky voice. “Here dear, I got you muffins, I thought you might need them to brighten up your day. ”
Amelia looked at her encouragingly and pasted a fake smile on as she took the bag. “Oh, thank you, Sarah. You don’t have to do that for me, though. ”
Sarah stayed, all the while wiggling her feet all along the floor. “Oh, that’s good,” I said a little timidly, “I guess um, worried is kind of like how I feel too?”
The usual annoyance rose to the surface in Amelia. He took a deep breath and attempted to make her sound calmer than she was. He immediately caught herself “I’m fine, Sarah. Just tired. ”
“Oh of course!” said Sarah. “I am sorry, I know I am intruding on you but you have to understand this is all of us and we all are feeling so horrible about what happened to you if there is anyone to turn on for help then you have all of us here. ”
Amelia looked at her and nodded, her smile looking more like a frown. “I appreciate that. Really. ”
So asking Sarah to leave the car finally and get the door shut, Amelia exhaled a loud note of disappointment. She was tired of being treated like a delicate piece of china; a woman who was to be looked at with sad, pitying eyes. She was significant beyond her abuse, beyond what was done to her.
Amelia could not sleep all night and when she decided to make her final decision; she slept like a baby. She could not remain here all the time and be in contact with so many things reminding her of all that she went through. She was required to be free and start a new life, a new chapter without the siblings’ constant supervision over her.
After that, over about a week, Amelia started strategizing. She described the patterns of movement of both Sarah and Elijah, eavesdropped on their conversations when they were together and overheard them speaking about her condition, and when she would be set free
In healing completely, she got extra committed and tried to move as hard as she could to gain strength. She had to be prepared whenever the time comes that she should evade Everyone
Seven days went by, Amelia got up and moved to the door when it was the middle of the night and the cabin was empty. She had successfully managed to persuade Sarah that she was almost better and did not require being disturbed as often. Now, her heart thudding loudly, Amelia slides to the floor and gropes her way to dressing.
Afraid, she slid through the somewhat opened doors and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater that Elijah got her from home. She still felt a throbbing pain in her heart, maybe it was because of Ema's betrayal, She wasn't going to wait to think about it and she felt the throb as a sign of motivation to change her state of living. She had endured worse
