#11:

That Wednesday nothing went right for me.
The specialist in charge didn't like the evolutions I had written, he tore out the sheets of the medical records and demanded that I rewrite them.
I was late for lunch and didn't have dessert.
They gave us the results of the last written seminar, and I was the only one with a grade of three, five being the maximum and two being the equivalent of failing.
However, the worst happened during duty.
It had been a quiet night, so I went to bed at around twelve in the boarding school. I don't know how long I had been asleep when they covered my face with a pillow. A pair of unforgiving hands and arms pushed the pillow further and further against my nose and mouth, depriving me of oxygen.
I kicked, struggled, turning my face in different directions but the pillow followed my movements preventing me from breathing, I even screamed against the pillow but my screams didn't go beyond the barrier that was oppressing me. Panic gripped me as I tried to fight the choking that threatened to kill me. At one point during the struggle, I clawed at the perpetrator's hands in a desperate attempt to free myself from his suffocating weight.
I was about to say goodbye to this world, when the pressure that was holding the pillow against my face disappeared. I turned my head to the right, gasping with my mouth open but taking care not to get out from under the pillow, I feared I would find myself face to face with the murderer.
I waited a few minutes until I heard the door open and close again, then little by little I sat up on the bed.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
No. My pillow was in its place, behind my back and just above my legs rested the one that had been used to try to suffocate me.
Looking ahead I observed the figure that had just entered from the corridor, he turned towards me, approaching worried, it was Ramses. I frowned, remembering that he was on call at the orthopedic service where he was rotating.
"Did you just come in?" I asked.
"Yes."
"When you came in…did you see someone leaving?"
"No. Why?"
I raised a shoulder.
" Nothing..." I whispered.
Ramses sat on the edge of my bed, watching me thoughtfully.
"Is something wrong, Rosy?" he insisted.
"No," I whispered. Squeezing the (almost) murder weapon between my hands.- As you said, it was a nightmare. I'm fine.
"Sure?"
"Yes."
"Well then…- he released a yawn.- …I'm going to fall, I'm cracked in pieces!"
He walked away and I took the opportunity to tour the semi-dark boarding school, everyone there seemed sound asleep, both those on top and those on the bottom in the bunk beds, there were some empty beds, the most obvious and chilling being the one that was right next to me, which by the way, was missing the pillow.
*****
"Are you sure you're okay?" Lizet whispered the next day, as we left the hospital parking lot, after the morning visitation pass. "You have dead circles under your eyes... you look like the Corpse bride."
"I know, I know, I look horrendous." I mumbled.
"Did something happen last night, on duty?" she insisted.
"No.- I lied.- it's… it's that I'm worried about my grades. I've been given three in the last two seminars.
"Oh."
"And it's not that I haven't studied, I did, but…
"But…?
"I simply forgot what I new." I compressed my lips, trying to prevent my chin from shaking. "Almost everything I had studied was erased."
"It's to be expected, you have too many problems, you carry too much stress."
" You think so?"
" I'm sure of it.
"Hey Rosario! Rosy wait!
Lizet and I turned around, seeing Ramses, who was running at full speed after us.
"Hey..." he came up to us, catching his breath for a few moments. "Next Sunday is my birthday, and I'd like you to come to my party."
He looked at Lizet and recomposed the sentence.
"I would like you two to come…to my party."
"I can't.- Lisy apologized.- That day I'm going to the beach with my family."
Ramses stared at me, waiting for my answer. I immediately reasoned.
I had decided to get away from the Montalvos, from all of them... but it seemed impossible, they appeared every time I turned a corner. I suspected that Ramses had indeed seen my attacker, but since it was Mark, his own older brother, he said nothing.
That last attack against my physical integrity had upset me enough, so much so that I had stayed awake for the rest of the night, hence my panda bear face the next morning, thinking about the way to put an end to all that but I didn't see a solution , until Ramses offered me a chance.
*She will get into my room…and she will see…*
Mark's words haunted my mind, there was definitely something in Mark's room that he didn't want me to see…something that I could only discover if I went back into the Montalvo house.
"I don't have anything interesting to do...count on me." I smiled, showing him all my teeth.
"Cool! See you there."
"Sure"
The week passed without further unpleasant incidents. When Sunday arrived, I grabbed the gift I had bought and took three buses to get to the Montalvo house. All the way I was saying Our Fathers and Hail Marys, fearing that Matt would be the one to answer the door or worse, Mark and rehearsing over and over again what I would say to give Ramses his gift, however, at the right moment when As soon as the door opened, I recovered a bit of my peace of mind, since it was Lucía who received me.
"Ah hello! Ramses has been biting his nails for two hours every time the doorbell rings. I already knew that he was up to something.- she muttered in a low voice.- but come, come on."
"Thanks."
"The party is back there in the pool," she explained, leading me down the hall to the kitchen and opening the back door that led to the patio. "You've been quite punctual, but I think you've come badly dressed."
Lucia's observation was not out of place. My flowery, knee-length dress and low-heeled sandals were out of place with the other partygoers' outfits. A “pool party” was taking place in the Montalvo patio. Everyone was running around in bikinis, leotards, nylon shorts, or some other appropriate clothing for getting into a pool.
I protested with an internal growl. Crazy Ramses had completely forgotten to explain to me what kind of party it would be!