"You are going to die."
The stranger glanced over me a few times for some violent reactions but he did not say anything more than that. Still, in a daze, I watch the stranger go back to Riley's car, started the engine, and drove away as if he couldn't get away from me fast enough. I went inside the house and tried to figure out the last three hours of my life.
I bumped into a mom at the doorway who was raising an eyebrow at me. "You got out of this house early, young lady, and I saw you eyeballing that cute teenager who brought you home without greeting your mother. That's bad manners coming from your boyfriend. I don't approve." She admonished but then she saw my gloomy expression as I looked down on the floor.
"Where have you been?" She raised my chin with a finger and I shake my head. "Have you eaten lunch?"
"Uh---yes?"
"Is that a question, Cassie?"
Well, that sounded like a threat especially that smile that came along with it.
I haven't eaten yet but eating lunch while my mom throws me never-ending questions will be hard to dodge. Especially the mistaken teenage boyfriend topic. I'm not really in the mood to talk because of what happened earlier.
"What did you eat this morning?" She asked gently, concerned.
I forgot what or when I have last eaten. Oh yes, Riley's chips. I vaguely remember eating them in the car but I can't tell mom that. Mom is anti-junk food. She'll box my ears for hours, that's for sure.
"You win, mom. Truth is I haven't eaten yet. " I hugged her briefly to wipe that annoying look of her face and kissed her on the cheek. "Now what is there to eat? What's on the lunch menu? I'm starving."
I walked past her and went to my bedroom, trying to pull myself together. The air inside was heavy and still. I opened all the windows but no breeze blew through them.
What was this weird weather all of a sudden?
I took a cold shower and pulled on a thin tank top and shorts. I can't take my mind off Riley and the cryptic words of that stranger. I needed to do something, anything to do with my hands just to distract myself from my thoughts.
When I went down the stairs and proceeded to the kitchen, I saw my mom heated the leftover lasagna in the microwave. The smell was mouth-wateringly amazing but the house was sweltering hot. I sat on the dinner table, not taking my eyes off the food plate in front of me. I licked my lips and my stomach rumbled as if on cue. Until now, I didn't realize how ravenous I was.
"Thanks, mom." I gave her my sincerest smile, prayed to God thanking Him for the blessings too, and dug in. I shoved it in my mouth and chewed earnestly.
Eat. Chew. Swallow. Repeat.
"What's this on your neck?" Mom asked carefully as she worried about my heart-shaped necklace holding it between her thumb and forefinger. "Given by your ill-mannered boyfriend?"
You have no idea what you're wearing right now.
"Mom, NO!" I swatted my mom's hand away.
You're going to die. The stranger's voice resonated in my ears. I looked around me with tense shoulders and wide eyes, feeling paranoid.
Mom looked hurt at my sudden outburst and asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing," I replied absent-mindedly.
Mom glanced over at me and bit her lower lip. She exhaled before speaking. "I've been thinking Cassie... You should talk to a psychiatrist if you feel something's not right. Mental health is important. If you feel anxious, lonely, or depressed and you think it's not normal anymore, you tell me okay?"
"Mom, I'm fine." I smiled reassuringly as I ran the charm of my necklace along its chain. "I was just feeling out-of-sorts for a minute there."
Who wouldn't in my place? Riley is gone and I can't contact her not without talking to Mr. Stranger. News flash, he isn't answering my questions properly, wouldn't even explain and help me understand what the hell is happening.
"Promise me. Tell me if something went wrong with your mind." Mom pleaded shakily as she held my hand tight. "You are my only child and insanity is genetic on your father's side of the family. At least one relative or sibling ends up in the mental asylum every generation. I lost your father." A single tear fell her cheek and wiped it away. It was heartbreaking to watch. "I can't lose you, too."