Wind Catche by Jeff Altabef

Author:Jeff Altabef [Altabef, Jeff]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Thrillers & Suspense, Supernatural, Teen & Young Adult, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Sword & Sorcery
Amazon: B00U555OLU
Publisher: Evolved Publishing LLC
Published: 2015-03-21T05:00:00+00:00

I lie on my hospital bed alone, happy for the solitude. After Ayden finished his story, I told him I need some time, some space to sort things out. He nodded at me before he left. I’m sure he wanted a different reaction from me, but I don’t know what he expects or what I’m feeling. Everything is so new and raw. I need time to sort through my feelings—time to think. He wasn’t the horrible villain I sometimes imagined, but he was a drug dealer and a killer. Even if he killed that man in self-defense, he still confessed he wanted to do it.

I wrestle with my new reality when a doctor strolls into the room with Mom a step behind him. His gray curly hair, short wiry beard and mustache look as if they are made from wool. He’s shorter than Mom and waddles as he walks, probably because he carries a few extra pounds around the middle. His white lab coat flops open and hangs at his sides. He couldn’t button it if he tried. He looks oddly familiar, but I doubt I’ve ever seen him before.

He smiles as he approaches the bed. He has a friendly, reassuring smile, if such a thing is truly possible. It makes me like him before he utters a word. He holds a clipboard in his hands, but he doesn’t look at it. “Hello, Ms. Stone. Is it okay if I call you Juliet?”

I shoot icicles from my eyes at Mom, who maintains her distance, a step behind the doctor with a stony expression carved on her face. Her hand reaches for her hair to twirl it, but by force of willpower, she returns it to her side, its mission unfulfilled.

I look back at the doctor. “Juliet is fine.”

“Good. You can call me Doctor Dan, if that is okay.”

“Sure.”

“Now tell me about these sounds you have been hearing. Your mom says you described them as voices?” His voice rises at the end of his statement, which transforms the assertion into a question.

My self-preservation instinct kicks in. This isn’t an ordinary doctor. The badge hanging from his lab coat reads Dan Epstein - Psychiatrist. I don’t like where this is heading.

I hesitate before answering. “I don’t think... I said anything about voices.” I glance toward the door. “I just had a headache, that’s all.” I don’t like the way he said voices. I certainly don’t want to be the kid who talks to voices in her head. Visions of a straight jacket and padded walls darken my imagination and future. Bartens sucks, but it’s a lot better than a psychiatric hospital.

Doctor Dan doesn’t say anything. He just waits. After a long moment, I look back at him and his small, moss colored eyes.

He sighs and smiles at the same time. “I can’t help unless you’re honest with me. Are you hearing them right now?”

I really wish I were a better liar! Even with all the experience I’ve had lately, he still sees through me in a second.

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