Beauty In Her Madness (Winterland Tale #3) - Stacey Marie Brown Page 0,35
a hula skirt stood on the coffee table, shaking her hips so the grass skirt twirled.
A deep chilling snarl hummed in my ear, spiking instant terror in my gut. I knew that sound. Had run from it since a child.
I couldn’t see it, but I knew it was coming for me. It had never stopped hunting me; it was lying in wait this whole time. The growls grew louder, closer, building the panic trembling my bones. I shuddered at the huff of hot air on the back of my neck, the feel of claws scraping down my spine.
A cry burst from my chest, my legs giving out. I crumpled into a ball, trying to hide from the monster.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry.” Words came tumbling from me. There was no reason or logic, just fright.
“Dinah?” A woman’s voice called to me, a blurry figure crouching in front of me. “What do you see, Dinah? What’s there?”
“Mon-monster.” Small and chopped, like a child, my voice shook.
“What monster? Tell me, Dinah. How did it get there?”
The more I tried to search for details, the more they slipped from me, making me feel even more exhausted.
“Dinah?” She reached out and touched my arm. As if a bolt of lightning zapped through my limbs, I jerked, tearing through the haze and fog. The room became clear, the sound of the clock ticking, the space perfectly unthreatening.
Dr. Bell stared at me with no hint of her internal thoughts, but even she had to know. She saw the proof I was going insane.
My chest clenched with shame and humiliation, and I sobbed, turning my head to the side. I tried to say something, but nothing came out, sorrow blocking my airways. I took several breaths.
“Make it stop.” My plea came out small and cracked.
“I’m going to prescribe some pills for you.” Dr. Bell stood up, her joints cracking as she rose, her white canvas shoes striding to her desk.
Biting back my emotions, I got to my feet, feeling empty, weak, and ashamed, like I should have been stronger than a tiny defect in my brain. That I was inadequate by letting this happen to me as well.
Dr. Bell pulled out a bottle of pills. “It will help you.” She handed them to me. A tiny voice wondered why she kept them in her desk, already filled and ready. “Make you see clearer.”
Taking them, I nodded.
“I want to see you next week, check in on how you are doing.” She pushed at her thick-rimmed black glasses. “There will be an adjustment period, so if it gets a little worse, know you are acclimating to them.”
I grabbed my bag and jacket, stuffing the pills deep inside and headed for the door.
“See you soon, Dinah.”
I flicked my head in understanding and walked out, the pills rattling in my bag as if they were singing out, “Dinah is bonkers.”
Climbing into my car, I grabbed my phone, hitting a button. I needed a familiar voice to pull me back from the abyss.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom.” My lashes fluttered. I wanted nothing more than to run home and dive into my Mom and Dad’s arms, feeling safe and secure again.
“Hey, honey. It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Yours too.” I sank back into my seat, biting back the tears.
“You okay?” Her voice was filled with concern. Must be that mother’s intuition kicking in.
“I’m fine.” It was like swallowing glass. “Just wanted to say hi.” And I’m going crazy. You didn’t go through enough with Alice, so I decided to go insane too.
“Dinah.” She said my name as only a mother could. “You are not someone who calls to say hi. What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I just…” Keep it together, Dinah. My mother barely held it together with Alice and still wouldn’t fully deal with it. I couldn’t tell her about my fears. Not yet. Not until I knew for sure. We were a lot alike, and neither did well with things we couldn’t solve. “I actually was curious about my childhood.”
“No, Mom, it’s for an assignment.” Lies fell from my mouth. “Just curious how I was as a kid. Do you know what made me stop believing in Santa Claus?”
She made a noise in her throat, and I knew she wasn’t totally buying my story, but she let it slide. “As a little, little girl, you were actually more of a dreamer than Alice. I mean, you were obsessed with