The House In The Forest

Chapter XIV

Chapter Fourteen

That following morning, after Dr. Beckett took us out to eat. I hurried to work, I had to work hard so I had a faster break. I wanted to talk with Hattie about some things I couldn't discuss in front of Albert, not that I was hiding things from him, I was just embarrassed. I didn't want him to hear me talk on and on about Sasha, or him. Not that I planned to discuss Albert much or anything, I just wanted to hear Hattie's opinion on a few things, that's all.

Hattie was the one we always relied on, the type of person you could always count on to have your back, whether with good advice or jumping in to fight with you, she'd be there. Not that we ever actually fought anybody, we were good kids. All things considered.

"In my opinion, you should have left him out to dry ages ago," Hattie spoke, crocheting the yarn into something. A piece of clothing I assumed. Looked small though.

"I can't do that, you know that," I told her, sighing. I just leaned my arms on the table, forgoing good posture.

"I do, but I can still say it anyway, you're no Beatrice, Zell," she spoke, handing me a piece of yarn. "You can't be who you're not."

I had to sigh yet again. "I know, I'm not even good at it."

"Your hair took me by surprise, you're not as pretty as a brunette," she told me with a laugh, shaking her head at me. "Oh but maybe young Albert would disagree."

"You think he would?" I asked her, touching the ends of my hair. My dark hair, well, Beatrice's dark hair.

"No, he hasn't seen you as you are, he'll be blown away and you know it."

"I hope so, he's cute isn't he?" I chuckled softly, laying my head on my arms. "He's everything I've always imagined."

"Beatrice would approve," Hattie spoke, "I suppose I do too, though it is strange imagining you with someone my great granddaughter's age, oh how those dark things have hurt you."

I just smiled. "They've never touched me, it's all been Sasha."

"Sasha wouldn't let them touch you, no matter how far he's gone."

I was surprised Hattie would say so. I agreed, but I didn't expect her to. I mean, Sasha's changed so much. But I suppose, he's still him at heart. Or so I hoped.

Honestly, things should have been terrifying, but they weren't because of Sasha. As much as I disliked the events and things that happened, I had always felt safe. I was never in any danger, I didn't fear for my soul or worry about the darkness of the night. I only worried for him, and his soul, and his safety. Which gave me hope, it told me he was still him in some way, that that good boy from our childhood was still present. But I didn't know if I could save him, if I could pull him back from the darkness that had tried to take him from me. In my heart, I wanted to save Sasha, I wanted to keep him from both the dark and death.

But, to tell the truth, in the end, as long as I can save him from the dark I'd be okay. If he must die, I at least want him to die in the light. Then he can be with Beatrice, at the very least. At least two of the trio would be together somewhere, even if it wasn't here in Rubin.

I didn't say such to Hattie, though I know she would agree, she would support my quest. Somehow I knew she'd also lecture me though, how nobody can save somebody's soul but themselves. I knew that, but I also knew that Sasha needed help to save himself. He was only in the dark due to somebody else's influence, it was the words of his parents when he needed help most and the whisper of the dark, so why couldn't somebody else pull him out?

So I told myself, as I walked down the sidewalk of the town, back to the bookstore. I smiled at the candy in my hand, Penny's Parlor had gone up in prices, apparently penny candy wasn't a thing anymore, but it still sold candy. It still stood tall, with colorful signs in the windows and the sweet smell of cheap candy and ice cream would still hit you in the face when you walked in. Something from the past remained, and it gave me hope, as silly as it might sound. The bookstore still stood too, and the bank, and the hospital, but they weren't the same as Penny's. They didn't taste sweet to the tongue, and bring back memories of three toddlers struggling to open the door in the early morning. A snowflake hit my palm as I stared at it, melting onto the bright pink wrapper of the caramel.

My eyes naturally glanced up, the dark clouds above me letting the snow softly fall down, it wasn't much, a few snowflakes here and there. But it was snow. Snow in September, just like senior year and the year that followed. That horrible horrible year that followed.

"Snow, how surprising," a familiar voice spoke. My eyes went to Dr. Beckett, who had just left the store I stopped in front of. Oh, the post office. "It's getting colder, how does coffee sound?"

I glanced at the clock across the street, I still had time. "It sounds warm," I told him with a smile, which he reflected back.

"I'm sorry your house party had to be pushed back," I spoke, sitting at the small table in the coffee shop. The steam rose from the mug in front of me, the sweet scent of hot chocolate with it. I do prefer coffee, but sometimes something sweet is comforting. And they let you pick what color marshmallows you got, I guess some things had changed for the better.

Dr. Beckett just chuckled. "Oh it happens, gave me more time to prepare for it anyhow, I just hope the president will be fine, he said it'd just be a day in the hospital."

"The hospital in Rubin, right?" I asked him.

He sighed. "Unfortunately not, then I could look at his files, but no he goes to some specialist in the city."

"Sad, the hospital in Rubin is top notch."

"It is, our doctors are very charming," he chuckled, sipping his coffee with a satisfied smile. "You know, when I was a kid I spent a lot of time there."

"Truly?" I asked, though I sort of already knew the answer. It was like yesterday to me.

He glanced out the window at the town, where it was still lightly snowing. "I was sickly as a kid, spent a lot of time getting tests and treatment, I'm fine now, thanks to Dr. Seymour," he spoke, smiling at the thought. "I remember when I was little, there were these two girls that'd always hand out the candy at the front desk, and they always gave me a little extra, for my troubles they'd say. I suppose that it's one of my earliest memories I still recall, but it is those girls' fault I'm a doctor today, so I suppose that's why."

"Those girls made you become a doctor?"

"Dr. Seymour's daughter died when I was a kid, and I needed a major surgery my family couldn't afford. He paid for it out of her college fund, said she'd want it to go to good use. He, or rather she, paid for a lot of good people's hospital bills, because she wanted to become a doctor herself one day they said," he spoke, and I just had to stare. I didn't know, it's true though, Beatrice would have wanted that money to be used for something like that. Our parents had saved up since we were babies for us to go to good colleges, I never stopped to think what that money went to after we all disappeared.

Beatrice's dream was to be a doctor, wasn't it? I always sort of forgot, I knew it, but it wasn't anything I could do. Her other dream, being Sasha's wife, I could act that part. So I guess I focused on that and forgot, she wanted to save people. She had always wanted to help anybody she could. Beatrice and I, we were best friends, and yet, I seem to have forgotten what made her so special in my desire to be the perfect her.

Beatrice. What a bad you I've been.