His Blazing Witch, chapter three

We both know you have been showing some anger management issues, and this is not helping me trust your self-control.”

“When, then?”

I retort. “You can’t keep me here forever just because you don’t trust me! If you never let me experience the outside world, how would you know if I can control myself or not?”

He clicks his ballpoint pen, one, two, three, four times. It’s annoying, but I’m more annoyed at the fact that he’s not answering me. I want to tell him to hurry up, but I need to keep my emotions in check.

I’m already on edge, my hands feel hot. I know I can call my flames out at any second. It’s as if my fire is reacting to my anger.

I could blast this annoying guy, watch him burn down to ashes, walk out that door, and– “Clarissa?”

I flinch. “S-sorry,”

I mumble. “You looked lost in your thoughts just now. Do you want to what you were thinking about with me?”

Oh, that’s not the kind of thing I can tell him. That my instincts are telling me to do whatever the hell I want, including getting rid of my psychiatrist by burning him like a piece of toast and breaking out. “Nothing,”

I lie. He frowns a bit, pushing his pen against his lips. “I’ve noticed you seem to have those short episodes of absences regularly when you’re with me. Does that happen often?”

“I’m not sure…”

It’s the truth this time. I’m not even sure what those are supposed to be. It’s almost as if I’m… someone else, for a few seconds.

Like another voice taking over in my head. Where the heck does that come from? Every time, it’s like someone else is in my head, whispering…

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Clarissa, talk to me. How do you feel right now?”

“Frustrated. I have a hundred questions and no one is willing to give me the answers I want.”

“How about we list your questions down, then?”

I glare at him. Really? After weeks of being locked in here, he thinks everything can be solved with some stupid chit-chat?

“I want to see my sister.”

“I know, but she is–”

“Busy, I get it.”

It’s always the same damn answer. I have only seen my older sister three times since I woke up, and according to everyone here, it’s a damn miracle. Kelsi didn’t even know I had an older sister, I apparently never mentioned her.

I never brought up my family at all, and I didn’t bother to keep any pictures of them in my room either. What kind of family is this? No good family relationships, no friends…

No one even knows what the heck I was doing at the university! He lets out a long sigh and takes out his phone. “Alright, I guess we won’t get anywhere until I actually ask…”

“Put it on speaker.”

He looks at me, surprised. I want to listen to what my older sister says, why she won’t come to see me. I’m tired of always hearing it from someone else.

He nods and calls her. To my surprise, she answers after only two rings. “Dr. Epstein? Something wrong with Clarissa?”

“N-no, Ms. Garnett, but… I’m with your younger sister, and she insists that she really wants to leave the hospital. I am in one of my sessions with her, and Clarissa insisted that I call you personally.”

“I already said no.”

He and I exchange a glance. How can she answer so fast? She could at least consider it, or even ask how I’m doing!

Why is she so bent on that fucking no? Dr. Epstein sighs and looks a bit distressed with me glaring at him. “I think it might be better if you… gave a reason to Miss Clarissa. She is a bit sensitive about her confinement, and–”

“I don’t have any reason to give. She’s my younger sister, I’m her legal guardian. I make the decisions, Clarissa doesn’t need to know why. Is that all? I’m busy.”

“I understand, Ms.–”

I grab the phone from his hand, furious. I don’t give a damn about her being busy! This is my life we are talking about, she is not the one locked up within these four walls!

“Tell me why you won’t let me out!”

I shout. “C-Clarissa?” her voice is more high-pitched, she almost sounds like she’s about to choke.

“Why are you listening to this…?”

“Because I want to know why you are not letting me out!”

I hear her sigh. “You don’t need to know. It’s also for your security. As long as you stay in that hospital, you won’t get into any trouble, and this way, you can be–”

“What security?! You don’t tell me anything! Amy, I can freaking make fire with my hands! What is there that I should be afraid of, what trouble?”

“Clarissa, enough! The police already made us pay for all the damages from that damn building, and I have three lawyers making sure no one sues you! Our people already think I have a crazy, pyromaniac, younger sister, and the damn werewolves are all over me trying to get to you! This city is already complicated enough to deal with!” “…The werewolves? Why would the werewolves want something from me…?”

“Clarissa, stop asking questions. You’re staying where you are and that’s final. We will discuss it more when I come back to Silver City.”

“When is that?”

She sighs at the other end of the phone. Damn, I really feel like a freaking fly trying to squeeze into her agenda. I wait for her answer, a bit too long, in my opinion.

“Give the phone back to Dr. Epstein.”

“I’m listening,” he says.

“I said to take the phone back. If I need to ask again, you’re fired.”

Oh, crap… I didn’t mean to risk his job. Can my older sister even do that?

Does she own the hospital or what? I let the poor man take his phone back, but I already know this is a lost battle. He apologizes non-stop for over a minute before hanging up with a sour face.

“She was a bit… upset,” he says.

“Sorry about that.”

He shakes his head, puts his phone back, and retrieves his things before getting up. “Do not apologize, Miss Clarissa. To be honest, I understand your position too. It’s not easy to be locked up when you have done nothing wrong… by your own family, no less. Unfortunately, there isn’t much I can do to help you. On paper, you are here as a psychiatric patient, and this is hard to overcome when it comes to leaving without your family’s approval.” “…Do you think my sister is lying?”

I ask. He seems to hesitate for a few seconds, playing with the pen between his fingers. After a while, he shrugs.

“From the few exchanges I’ve had with her, all I can say is that your elder sister is probably more stubborn than you are, and very down to earth. However, I do think the fact that she’s the only one in your family who does call you and visit you says… a lot about her character.”

His words confuse me even more. Does he mean to say Amy cares about me? Does she?

What kind of older sister does that? I’m trapped here, she barely visits me… I don’t get it.

“I’ll get going now, Miss Clarissa, I think we are done for the day. Please try to be a little bit more patient, hm? I sincerely hope it will all be solved soon.”

I nod and watch him leave. As soon as he’s gone, I let out a long sigh of frustration and lie down on my bed, with a grimace because I rubbed some of my bandages unintentionally. What the heck is wrong with my family…

None of this makes sense. What was that about the werewolves too? No one ever mentioned them aside from Bonnie until now.

I push the button, but another nurse comes, much to my annoyance. Bonnie’s shift is probably over… Crap.

I wanted to ask her to see if she knows anything. The old lady leaves my dinner there and almost runs out of the room. They all avoid me when I’m unhappy like this.

I stare outside. Another day lost, trapped here. Is Kelsi at her part-time job?

I bite my thumb, nervous and pissed. What am I supposed to do? If things go on like this, Amy will never let me out, or I’m going to go completely crazy before that happens.

I should just walk out… I feel the shadow, crawling in the back of my mind. I should walk out that door, follow my instincts, and leave.

Burn anything and anyone who tries to stop me. I should just end this… Suddenly, I hear some sounds coming from outside.

What the heck? I run to the window, unsure. I don’t see anything, but I can hear someone yelling, a woman screaming.

It seems like it’s coming from below the hospital, in the park. Something’s wrong. Why is no one coming to help her?

The few silhouettes I can see don’t seem bothered at all, what’s wrong with those people?! I take off running out of my room. I hear someone yelling, trying to have me come back, but I ignore them.

I dodge whoever tries to hold me back. I’m almost flying. It’s strange, I can hear that woman’s screams even from inside the corridor.

I run down the stairs, trying to find the way out. A couple of senile grannies stare at me in confusion, I have to squeeze in between them to get out. Two furious nurses are behind me, running after me, but I don’t care, that woman needs help!

I finally see the way out to the park. I’ve been there a few times, so why the heck does it seem so far?! I push through the door to find myself in the park.

The… empty park. I look around, completely at a loss. There is no woman, and no screams anymore.

It can’t be… I just heard them. It was so clear!

Why don’t I see anyone? There’s only an ambulance at the other end, with a red-haired guy smoking his cigarette, who starts walking up to me with a worried look. Crap, what the heck…

What the… What is wrong with me…? I stay stunned in the middle of the park, completely perplexed.

I keep looking around, confused. I don’t understand what just happened. All the screams are gone, and even that strange shadow that was haunting me has vanished.

It’s like I just woke up from some dream… a dream in which I’ve been very much awake the whole time. What the hell is wrong with me? The two nurses that were running after me suddenly arrive and grab my arms.

“Where the heck are you running to?! Go back to your room!” they yell in my ears.