Page 33 of Petals and Strings
The haunting melody that filled the air had peace washing through me. It melted away the awful feelings of inadequacy my family brought out and revived something in me I thought was lost.
My memory wasn’t gone, simply locked away, and I was recovering it piece by piece. Whatever he’d done to my medication wasn’t going to best me or send me back into that delusion. I was in control.
I had to be.
As the song crested into something powerful, I felt a smile rise on my face. I felt strong, like I could face anything.
Then it came to a soft, lilting end.
When I blinked open my eyes, Val was beaming down at me. He clapped his hands as a shocked laugh came out.
“Now, missy, I didn’t see that one coming. You’re a professional with that thing and I think the flowers would thrive with you around to play for them. You come on in anytime you want. If anyone gives you trouble, you tell them to speak to me,” he said as his clapping came to an end. I didn’t remember a single time in my life that anyone looked at me with pride.
He did. This man never looked down on me and now he was beaming.
My chest warmed and my smile matched his. He gave me one final nod, sensing I needed a moment, and walked away.
Even after he went inside, I sat there in shock. I felt a little more whole now. My memories were coming back, my brain settling, and I had at least one piece of my former self now.
At least my family was good for something.
Chapter Twelve
Audrey
Something was off. Yesterday, things had seemed normal between us all. After my morning with my parents and reconnecting with my music, we’d gone to dinner. It was just as good as the day before, even if a little quieter.
Of course, Rydell was still a gargoyle, stoic and made of stone, watching over us and never quite joining.
Ansel, was Ansel. The omega was closed off, distant, and never spoke a word. I hadn’t wanted to ask if he could talk, but at this point just let myself assume he didn’t.
Today, it was different.
Caspian had been asleep all morning, finally drifting out of bed near lunchtime with Theo’s help, before he was dragged off to therapy.
By the time daily group therapy rolled around, he was back to his usual stupor. No sign of the man who was present and talking just two days ago.
Ledger hadn’t shown his face outside of therapy, and even he seemed subdued.
What the fuck was going on?
I’d considered skipping dinner to avoid the strange chill over the group, but Nancy found me just before.
“Hey, it’s med check-up time. Dr. Malik is requesting you,” she said in her usual cheerful tone.
“Is that what happened to everyone?” I asked, stomach churning with nerves now. If that was the case, sign me the fuck out of this place. They didn’t get to see us have a good day or two then snatch us back into the fog.
Yet, I didn’t do anything as she led me out. I knew what happened if I didn’t cooperate and I’d take new meds over pure sedation.
The last thing I wanted was to be vulnerable around alphas I didn’t trust. Never again.
Dr. Malik was waiting as usual. His clipboard was in hand and his dark eyes scanned over me in that detached, clinical way he had.
Everything he did or said seemed distant, as if I was an afterthought despite the fact I was supposed to be his focus at the time.
“You seem to have dropped some of your delusions. That’s good. I have a new medication that came in, I think you’ll like it more,” he said without looking at me. His slender fingers curled around his pen as he took notes.
“What does it do? What’s it for?” I asked. He ignored me, not saying a word as if he hadn’t heard me at all.
