Between Two Minds

Part 12

VIOLA

As the door clicks softly behind Gabriel, signalling his departure from the room, I open my eyes. My mind feels like a mess with everything that I saw and felt tonight. The room I entered to hide from Gabriel was pitch black, darkness enveloping each corner. It smelled as if no one had entered in here for decades leaving the air heavy with a musty scent.

Once my eyes adjusted to darkness, a gasp escaped me as I noticed the shadowy figures surrounding me. Dozens of these figures stood silent, draped in brown cloth. Hesitant, I reached out and pulled away the covering from the nearest figure—a man seated on a stool. Like the one in the forest, his face lacked any details, a smooth block of stone capturing an enigmatic expression.

The room was a sanctuary of statues, each one holding a secret within its stone facade. The desire to uncover more pulsed through me, but the urgency of returning to my room took precedence. As I pondered on a plausible plan or excuse, the distant ring of a phone echoed through the house.

"Fuck!" Gabriel's voice, tinged with frustration, accompanied his hurried footsteps toward the sound and I knew that this was my chance. I cautiously opened the door ajar looking around the dimly lit hallway first to the right then to the left, ensuring Gabriel was nowhere in sight, and immediately sprinted back to my bed just in time for him to enter my room.

Now, alone in my room my heart is still racing, but at this point I am not sure why exactly. While I tried my best to pretend to be asleep, I sensed Gabriel sitting on the bed and then just like that he touched my cheek ever so lightly. I can still feel him, his feather light contact with my cheek lingering like a haunting echo. I dismiss the thoughts away, convincing myself that this is just an after effect of all the events that took place tonight.

Thoughts of the nightmare and the room filled with faceless statues swirl around in my mind. I turn and toss in my bed wondering whether I should ask Gabriel about it. Ideally, that is the right thing to do. Common sense dictates yes, but a feeling inside me warns against it. Instead, I decide to investigate the room myself, preferably when Gabriel is away.

Something about those faceless sculptures intrigues me, sending chills down my spine. Even if I can't unlock the secrets of my past, unravelling the mysteries of the manor seems like a worthy distraction.

The following morning greets me considerably later than usual, a consequence of the restless night. The dream, the unsettling events with Gabriel, and the discovery of the room with faceless statues—my mind is a tumultuous storm of thoughts. It's all too much for my fragile state.

Getting out of the bed reluctantly, I freshen up and decide to get some tea to ease the throbbing in my head. In the initial days post-coma, Linda would bring me tea or coffee in bed. It's been a while since I saw her; she never returned from her days off. I add this to my mental list of questions that I need to ask Gabriel.

I set the pot for the tea and peruse one of the magazines on the kitchen counter. I look at the date, especially the year section on one of the articles. It's 2023, three years ago, meaning back in 2020 something happened which led to me losing my memories. I strain my mind, looking for anything, a flash of an image, a voice, a feeling anything that might come to surface, but all is in vain. A clearing of the throat interrupts my futile attempts, followed by a hoarse, "Good morning!"

Typically, Gabriel would be out by now, but today, he seems to have just awakened. His black hair, usually well groomed, is all over the place today as though he had constantly been running his hands through them. The sunlight from a nearby window gives him an ethereal glow. The groggy tone in his greeting, coupled with the sight of him in a simple black vest and grey sweatpants, accelerates my heartbeat once again. My eyes move from his hair to his broad shoulders, skipping his face and then further south.

"Oh, here we go again!", the voice in my head chimes in pulling me out of my reverie. I don't really remember when I started having such reactions towards him. But one thing I know is that it increased a lot after last night. After he left my room, the idea that he might be feeling the same way that I do, gave me a hope, something I hadn't had in a very long time.

Although, deep down, I know that this isn't the time for it. There is a lot that I need to figure out, starting with the manor, the statues and most importantly my past.

I smile towards him, not being able to gather words to respond. He walks into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee and then asks, "Did you sleep well yesterday?"

The thoughts of last night come rushing back to my mind. "He knows it was you!", exclaims the voice inside me. Ignoring it, I respond to him, "Good", and he nods his head.

"Did you by any chance hear any noise?", he asks another question that sets my heart racing. He knows, I seem to agree with my inner demon, but I gather some strength in my voice and deny hearing anything to which he nods again and leaves for work shortly after.

It is only after he leaves that I decide to explore that room again. The room with the statues. I walk towards one of the very large windows and look out to make sure that Gabriel is nowhere around before making way towards the room that seems to be calling for me.

In the day light the room still seems as eery and stuffed as it was last night. All the sunlight is blocked by heavy velvet curtain and lain with a thick layer of dust. The heaviness in the air makes me dizzy, I slide one of the curtains away and open a window to let some air in and turn around towards the statues.

The creepiness aside, these are magnificent, something worth a centre space in a museum. They aren't the kind of art that should be locked up in here. Even without the faces they tell a story, one that I can't seem to hear but feel in my bones. I look at my hands and see goosebumps. Something about this place makes my skin crawl but also makes me want to keep looking at these figures.

I pull the cover off of another one and this one is of a young boy, maybe about 9-10 years old. At this point it isn't a surprise that he doesn't have a face either. I uncover a few more and all of them all the same, people in different postures with no faces. I scoff at my own stupidity for thinking that there might be some conspiracy hidden in an old storage room. I quickly put the cover on each one of them and step out of the room, shutting the door behind me.

I look at the space where I had dropped the vase, but it's all cleaned up. There is no sign of anything broken there. Linda isn't back yet, which means Gabriel cleaned this himself. I sigh and tell my brain to stop cooking up things that are unnecessary while it should be focusing on more important things, for instance, healing.

Disappointed in myself I walk back to my room and go through my journal. I read every dream that I noted down in here, hoping to get some conclusion, something to go by, but give up on that too after a few hours. Maybe that's all they are meaningless dreams, maybe I will never remember who I am. The thought sends a chill through my spine, and I decide to get some coffee for myself.

I walk into the living room and freeze when I see the back of someone's head. It's a woman sitting casually on the couch. But soon the recognition comes, and I realise that it's Seraphina. I don't pay much heed to the fact that she has a key to the house and pack up the weird turmoil inside me into a box and shelf it in the deepest corners of my brain.

"Coffee", I ask from behind her, and she turns around and nods her head, casually. It's almost like any other Tuesday for her it seems. I pour us both 2 cups of coffee and sit next to her this time.

"Waiting for Gabriel again?", I ask her once I have taken the first sip. She sits her own cup down and smirks at me, before responding.

"Actually, I'm here to pick you up."