My eyes snap open and I gasp. There are bright lights shining above me. My hearing comes back to me and I hear the faint hum of a few machines, I tug on my limbs and realize they're strapped to a medical bed. I sigh and let my head fall back, it was just a dream it wasn't real, I'm in The Glass Box. I turn my head and look for Doctor Res to tell her I'm thirsty. I don't find her, instead, I see Crynn slouching in a chair by the door to the Examination Room, completely alive.
"Crynn?" I croak, I wet my lips. He looks up and comes over to The Box.
"Raylee! Are you okay? Do you need anything?" I look at his tired and worried face.
"What's happened to Father's family? Mother's?" He looks at me confused,
"Why do you want to know all of a sudden?"
"Just answer my question."
"Well, there's been lots of drama, you know our family! But I'll start with who's dead. Uh, Grandma Fifer died two years ago, Grandpa Scalar and Aunt Romola were murdered four years ago." I'm a little taken aback about how monotonic he is about the death of our family. Maybe he didn't like them very much either.
"Grandma Theta's alive, you know Grandpa Ion died 14 years ago right?" At my nod he continues, "Aunt Coralia finally had a son, Aunt Artemisia has four girls, Diablo, Yvette, Wenna, and Chandra. Uncle Drummer has six girls, Jesamie, Nephele, Artemisia Jr., Jocasta who's schizophrenic by the way, Undine, and his wife Capucine is pregnant with baby Ianthe." Crynn looks at me,
"This is going to take a while, are you sure you don't need anything?" I'm terribly thirsty but I don't say anything,
"I'm fine,"
"Uncle Roald has two daughters, Minette and Ellesha who's sick. Uncle Eleazer has no kids or even a wife, Uncle Romill has a boy named Runyon who's seven. I like Runyon, Hiawatha's too much of a baby, and is always reading anyway."
I roll my eyes. I don't even remember who some of these people are but hearing Crynn's voice reassures me that he's alive.
"Uncle Cathal is also single with no kids. So that's Mom's family, now for Dad's. Aunt Freesia's still alive, so is Aunt Letitia, Aunt Kerensa, and Uncle Gulliver. Although he's an illegal heavy smoker, did you know that? Cousin Ludovic is a druggie and has two daughters named Fifer Jr., who lives with her Mom and visits us sometimes, and baby Morwenna Jr. who lives with Ludovic and we haven't seen either of them in months. Mom thinks that she's dying of neglect because he's such a bad person, but anyway. Sim is Ludovic's drug buddy and he's got a two-year-old girl named Araminta. His Mom, Aunt Freesia, has custody of her. We haven't heard of Kassian in seven years, I hardly remember them! Were they a boy or a girl?"
"Boy," I whisper, oddly remembering the reserved 17-year-old boy who had always carried me on his back.
"Oh. Anyway, cousin Per has a six-year-old daughter named Eluned. Whimsy's been on the wrong side of the law ever since she met her boyfriend Puck and their year-old daughter died. Her name was Nephele." My mouth is open, I'm stunned. Quiet, reserved, anti-social Whimsy is a criminal? She was also a mother, how awful to lose a child when she's so young. My cousin must be only 18 right now.
"Endellian has a little girl named Calico, she likes to climb up my legs whenever I see her, she's so annoying! Eulalie has two girls, Jocasta and Petronilla. Uhm, Minette was kidnapped a year ago and she's still missing. She has a little three-year-old boy who's also named Hiawatha."
I let out a breath, when Crynn said there was lots of drama, he meant it! And I know he's not even close to being done.
"Cousin Ceil has two girls named Dancer and Louisiana, Danie's nine and Ana's five. Morwenna has a set of twin girls, Samoa, who's being held hostage at the moment by a jealous ex she won't tell us about, and Ceil Jr. Wow, there are a lot of juniors in our family! Jessamy had an arranged marriage when she was 17 and has five boys, Da-Jon, Rudyard, Drummer, Natt, who unfortunately was in a car accident and is dying, and Thibault. Sheherazade has a two-year-old boy named Merce who's being held hostage by the boy's Dad for a reason we don't know yet. But Dad assured me that the police are investigating both him, Samoa, Minette, and Rhonwen. I'll get to her later. Cousin Umberto is married but doesn't have any kids, same with Story. Taddeo is super homophobic and has a little girl named Frostine. Cousin Osgood has five kids. He has a boy named Salmon, and four daughters. Ottoline, Branween, Jessamy Jr., and Rhonwen is the other who's been taken hostage. Just by some guys that want money is what Osgood thinks though he's been in a foul mood since, which I completely understand. And finally, Bard. Bard has a year old boy named Kermit." Crynn sits back down in exhaustion and I smile,
"Crynn, I know you just said a lot but, what about Mother and Father? What have the past nine years been like for them? And you too I guess."
Crynn suddenly begins to seem really nervous. He won't look me in the eye and he's wrapping his hands in his shirt over and over again, there's something he's not telling me.
"Crynn," I prompt, "What is it?" He runs a hand through his hair and keeps it there,
"Well uh, youkindahavealittlesisteryoudidn'tknowaboutwho'sfour!" He shouts out rapidly,
"What?"
"Aw come on Raylee! That was the whole point of saying it fast, so I could get it over with!"
"Well get it over with again. Just, slower this time. I just woke up in a hospital." Crynn takes a deep breath and I think he's going to rush it again but surprises me by saying,
"You kinda have a little sister you didn't know about who's four."
"What!"
"Raylee!"
"I'm sorry I just- elaborate." He groans,
"Well when a Mommy and a Daddy fall in love-" He stopped himself, "aren't you gonna stop me?" I shrug,
"Why would I?"
"Er, okay. But you were gone nine years Raylee! Apparently, they wanted another kid because I wasn't enough for them, so they, uh, did the thing that they did and Mom had a little girl named Christmas Root Damini. She's four years old and really pretty! She's, like, perfect! She's the most amazing little lady and everyone's favorite, especially the press's! Anywhere she goes she has this little girl army! Chrissy says that she's popular at school and that no one bullies her, which is good because I don't want to beat up a little kid, and that everyone is her friend. Can't you hear Raylee? She's the best little sister ever!"
I'm grimacing, she doesn't sound perfect to me. She sounds like a spoiled little brat that will eventually turn into the queen bee at her school and she's the one who bullies. She sounds like one of those girls who will max her Daddy's credit card and have a million boyfriends and end up with a bun in the oven before she graduates if she even can without help from green paper. She sounds like she'll wear a hundred dollar clothes and have everyone wrapped around her finger. She sounds like the person I should have been worrying about taking my place. I mean come on! How much of an idiot are you Raylee? Of course, they would have another kid! This Christmas Damini sounds like someone who would hate me just because I would take her place as Mommy and Daddy's little angel. And I despise her already.
"Oh. She sounds… interesting Crynn. Uhm, I had an attack didn't I?" He runs a hand through his messy purple hair, relievably not black. I almost completely forgot about my nightmare-memory-whatever you'd call it!
"If that's what you say it was,"
He laughs, thankfully back onto the topic of me in a hospital than on "Princess" Christmas.
"Gosh, Raylee I was so scared! Don't ever do that again!" I attempt a chuckle but it sounds more like a wheeze,
"I have no control over it, Crynn. They let you stay?" he nods his head,
"Only after you calmed down and I told Doctor Ingemar that I'm friends with Alpha."
"And I'm still going to check with her when I get home," The doctor says as she enters the room. Doctor Ingemar opens The Glass Box and directs a bubble of water into it.
"Open," She orders, I do and the bubble gently falls into my mouth and I swallow. Ingemar turns to Crynn,
"There, she's all better. Now go home before I call your parents!" I wave to my brother and he runs out the door. I hope he doesn't get in too much trouble.
"You've been sent to Snowbird, yes?"
I give the doctor a wary look, she returns it with a pointed one.
"Killing you is the humane thing to do, that's why Mr. Candice ordered it at the start of the week."
She begins loosening my straps and preparing new bindings.
"You almost died, Raylee. And your attacks are only going to get worse, at this point the rest of your life is going to be one big gut wound that no one patched up.��� Doctor Ingemar gives me a look like I'm supposed to understand her metaphor,
"You have fight in you Raylee, but you're going to be in pain. The best thing for all of us would be for you to surrender."
Doctor Ingemar pulls away the straps and I sit up, immediately I empty the minuscule contents of my stomach onto the floor. Ingemar looks at the mess and sighs,
"You're going to be delicate," I nod and touch my stomach then look down. I have a clean line of stretch marks traveling through my belly button and disappearing into my pants. I have similar marks going down the middle of my face. The doctor watches me.
"You have fractures in some of your bones as well,"
"How long was I asleep?" She looks at me with pity and sighs,
"Long enough." My heart drops, that means it was longer than a few hours.
"Your brother was in here every day until sundown." I hardly acknowledge what the doctor's saying anymore, every day?
"The good news is, Mr. Candice has decided to make your living situation more comfortable." I numbly nod my head,
"Just take me back to my hall."