ELARA
The next morning, I went straight to the hospital.
I had tried reaching Dr. T, but he hadn't answered his phone. Mentally, he hadn't replied either. So all I could do was go to the hospital and try to find him there. I was sick of this game. I wanted answers. And I was sure as hell that he knew a lot. He just didn't want to tell me. What I couldn't understand was why. I couldn't find the answers on my own. I'd been trying for a long time, only to hit dead ends every single time.
When I arrived at the hospital, I stopped by my uncle's room first. I couldn't completely ignore him. As I entered, I found my aunt sitting beside his bed, peeling an orange while they talked.
"Morning," I said.
"Morning," they both replied at the same time.
"How are you feeling?" I asked my uncle.
"Better today," he said with a faint smile.
"Your parents?" my aunt asked.
"I don't know. I haven't spoken to them today."
I could tell she wanted to ask something else, but instead she turned back to my uncle and handed him the rest of the peeled orange.
At that moment, a nurse entered the room.
"Hello. I'm just here for a quick routine check," she said politely.
"Usually Dr. T comes," I said.
"He's not here today. He requested a few days of leave."
Of course he did. Exactly now. God! I hated him in moments like this.
Without saying anything else, I left the room and headed for the only place I could think of—the restaurant. Maybe I'd find him there. Five minutes later, I walked inside. The owner greeted me politely.
"Hi. Have you seen Dr. T today?" I asked.
"Who?" he asked, looking confused.
"You know... Dr. T. The guy I've come here with the last few times."
"Oh!" His eyes widened. "You mean Lord Threshold?"
I blinked.
"The who?"
"The Threshold. The man you were with is the Threshold. You didn't know?"
Now he looked both surprised and confused.
"No." The answer came out sharper than intended.
Then I added, "Have you seen him?"
"No. From what I've heard, he'll be busy for a few days. I guess some supernatural beings acted out again."
That only gave me more questions.
"What do you mean, acted out? Is he above all supernatural beings, like a king?"
"King?" he scoffed. Then he shook his head. "He's more than a king."
No wonder nothing had happened to him when my grandmother was testing him.
"Thank you," I said. Then I left.
I wandered aimlessly through the streets. At this point, I didn't even know where I was going. And honestly, it didn't matter. My mind felt like a puzzle with half the pieces missing. I kept trying to connect everything I knew so far. Some things were finally starting to make sense. At this point, I was sure my mother and grandmother were afraid of Dr. T. No. The Threshold. But what did that have to do with me? How was I connected to him? Why was I connected to him? What exactly was this connection between us?
Without realising it, I eventually found myself in the park. Humans filled the pathways. Some walked their dogs. Others strolled with friends, boyfriends, husbands, wives. And among them moved supernatural beings. Even they seemed to be walking in pairs. Then there was me. The lonely wolf. The thought only made me feel worse.
"You look terrible." A voice suddenly came from my right.
I turned and saw a woman. Or rather—a ghost. She looked almost human. Almost. The biggest clue was that people walked straight through her without noticing. Only supernatural beings moved around her instead. She was beautiful. Cute, even.
"Thanks, I guess," I replied awkwardly.
"Today will be nice weather," she said, looking up at the sky.
I followed her gaze. Not a single cloud. Suddenly, I wished it would rain. At least then the weather would match my mood.
"I didn't even notice."
"Who upset you?" she asked.
"My family. My life. I guess both."
"They say nothing is better than family." She snorted. "I think that's bullshit."
I looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because sometimes the people who hurt you most are the ones closest to you." Her smile faded. "They're supposed to understand you better than anyone. Instead, they're the ones who hurt you."
"What happened to you?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter anymore." She forced a smile.
"You can talk about it if you want. I have time."
Instead of answering, she smiled again. Then she turned around and practically skipped away.
"Just ignore her." Another voice came from my left.
I turned. A vampire stood beside me.
"Why?" I asked.
"She likes attention."
"Maybe she's lonely."
"Her?" He laughed softly. "She's many things. Lonely isn't one of them."
"She has friends?"
"You could say that." He looked ahead. "She causes trouble wherever she goes."
"She seemed nice to me."
The vampire stopped walking and turned toward me.
"Not everything is what it seems." His expression became serious. "You should be careful. Being too nice to supernatural beings or ghosts can go very wrong."
I stared at him. I couldn't argue. I couldn't come up with a response. Because suddenly, realization hit me like a truck. I knew absolutely nothing about the supernatural world. I didn't even know where I stood in it. I didn't know what I was. I couldn't even remove this stupid necklace. That thought only made me more frustrated. Honestly, this was one of those moments when I would've thanked someone for kidnapping me and hiding me away for a few days. At least then I'd get a break from everything.
"I think alcohol is the best choice for today," I muttered.
The vampire chuckled.
"I don't know what you're going through, but don't force yourself. Time resolves everything."
"Well, fuck time. I've had enough patience."
"Then get drunk today." A small smile appeared on his face. "Tomorrow will be a better day."
"Yeah, right. Better."
"You aren't very optimistic for such a powerful being."
I froze.
"A what?" I stared at him. "Am I a what?"
"You don't know what you are?"
"Do I look like I know?"
"Well..." He shrugged. "No wonder your mood is so bad." Then he pointed toward my necklace. "Take that necklace off and you'll find your answer."
I groaned.
"Can somebody just give me answers instead of speaking in riddles?"
"Sometimes you have to discover things yourself."
"Well, I'm doing a terrible job at it. Someone showing up and explaining everything would be amazing."
"Don't spend all your time with people," he said. "They'll only hold you back."
This time, I didn't respond. I simply stared at him. And, annoyingly enough, part of me thought he might be right.
"I'll leave you now, my lady." He smiled. "Have fun drinking."
And then he was gone.
Well. I guess coming here hadn't been a complete waste after all. Before calling a taxi, I stopped at a shop and bought three bottles of wine. I didn't trust anything at home. Who knew if my grandmother would suddenly decide to spike my drink? Who would've thought I'd have trust issues this bad with my own family? It wasn't normal. I should've felt safest around them. Instead, it was the exact opposite. And that realization made me incredibly sad.
Thirty minutes later, I arrived home. William was sitting in the living room with a glass of whisky.
"I love it when we think alike," I said.
I sat beside him, pulled out one of the wine bottles, opened it, and drank straight from it. I couldn't even be bothered finding a glass.
"Are you okay?" William asked, concern obvious in his voice.
"No." The answer came easily.
When I looked at him, I saw the sadness in his eyes. He hated it when we argued. And honestly? So did I. But no matter how badly I wanted to explain everything, I couldn't. He wouldn't believe me. He'd think I was crazy. Even now, without knowing anything, he already joked that I was weird.
"I hate us arguing," he admitted quietly.
"I hate it too."
"Today is an alcohol day?" A small smirk appeared on his face.
"We could add clubbing to the list." A matching smirk appeared on mine.
Neither of us said anything else.
We simply started drinking as if our lives depended on it.