A Mind Like A Glitchy Bulb
[MARINA]
With her face emotionless. She added, "now, now, do you want my father to die twice?"
Doctor Bedelia felt energy leaving her body, it happened earlier, and she chose to ignore it. However, something else transpired after that unfortunately, she didn't recall. The last thing she remembered was ordering her right-hand woman to bring her some water.
A few minutes before Marina stepped out of the lift with Cecil, High Priestess Manne was telling Bedelia that she lost consciousness, her phone kept ringing it was Pepper. She informed her that Rinzler went back into the packhouse and only some wolves had just left.
Doctor Bedelia didn't know what was worse and whom she should blame. That wasn't how the plan was supposed to go, surely, by now she would have been holding her brother in her arms, then, after a while, she would shake him vigorously as she ranted how much she hated what transpired.
No. She wasn't angry with the High Priestess for taking care of things, at Rinzler for not being there for Marina's arrival. If Manne didn't, Marina would have been suspicious, and by the looks of things, she would have gone berserk.
Have we failed? Are you okay, brother? Now, what next? Where are you, Rinzler?
Questions after questions flooded her mind. She felt useless. How could she get an answer when she was in agony, hoping Marina would hug her again instead of asking if they wanted her father to die twice? She was her friend, her confidante, and most importantly, they shared a special connection.
"Is this a joke?" Cecil mumbled, standing behind Marina.
"I am not joking, that is my father, and he must be cared for. Who did it?" Marina seethed in anger, her eyes flashing.
Doctor Bedelia took a step backward, wondering what they have done. Her niece wasn't her niece anymore. Yes, Marina was cold. Yes, she never smiled as often. But the lady in front of her wasn't her niece. She looked at High Priestess Manne, her eyes filled with puzzles.
A tight smile formed on her lips, and High Priestess linked her hands behind her back, "I am sorry for your loss Alpha Marina."
"That doesn't answer what I asked."
"It was me."
Marina menacingly glared at High Priestess Manne; she ordered her to take care of her father before she showed her who she was. High Priestess' breath hitched, and she looked at Doctor Bedelia, after finding the woman clutching her stomach, she walked past Marina while holding her breath to avoid snapping at her.
"Aunt. Are you okay?" Marina asked, approaching Bedelia. If her intestines weren't eating themselves, she would have told Marina that even if she was mourning, she should bring down her rudeness a little bit.
Marina supported Doctor Bedelia before she fell. "What is wrong?" She asked softly.
"I don't know, Marie."
"Cecil," Marina called. Cecil rushed beside her and took Marina's bag. They walked to Doctor Bedelia's room, and after ensuring Doctor Bedelia was safely tucked into the bed, she left her bedside and waited for Cecil outside.
Promising to bring some medicine soon, Cecil followed Marina outside. Marina immediately asked Cecil to hand her handbag, she took it, glanced in the direction of her chamber then asked Cecil, "you want to see the lake?"
Her mother asked her to take care of Marina, everyone had their way of mourning, and as such, they shouldn't try harder to dissect Marina's reactions and her hurtful words to her mother. Rather, she should stay by her side all the time. If Marina screamed at her, she should still stick by her side.
So, instead of dwelling on Marina's weirdness, she nodded approvingly at her.
*
Meanwhile, outside the packhouse, everyone spoke in a hushed tone. Pondering what was happening at the moment. Hunger sipped through their blood; they wanted some juicy information as they heard an hour ago. Yep! Someone saw Marina slapping Beta Shark. As expected, the wolf informed everyone of what had transpired.
Surely, was no one mourning? What did Alpha Fisher do to deserve this? If only he was somewhere watching, he would be disappointed with his poor heartbreaking.
Anyway, the wolves standing in the circle broke away when someone whispered, "The alpha is coming."
Suddenly, the ground seemed interesting. A piece of a puzzle to solve. They couldn't reach Marina's eyes, not when she was walking with her head held high towards them. Fear seeped through their veins, thinking Marina overheard them.
Fortunately, Marina heard everything and she didn't give a batshit. The flashes of her dead father's body kept flashing into her mind like a bulb that had a glitch. Cecil walked beside her in silence, what was she supposed to say?
*
Marina bent down and stared deeply into the with a profound concentration. Picking up a stone, Marina stood, her eyes still on the water. Squeezing it hard, she ignored the pain that shot through her hand. Her trance broke when she heard Cecil sucking in some air. "What is it?" She asked softly.
"Do you remember us fishing with our cute shorts?"
Marina replied nothing, she stared back into the water.
"Fishing?" Cecil pushed. Where was she heading with that?
No answer from Marina.
"What about…" Cecil stopped herself. She almost asked if Marina remembered fishing with Alpha Fisher. It wasn't the best time for memory lane, right?
When Marina was young, she used to go fishing with her father, it was their favorite father-daughter moment. Something her father cherished so much he wouldn't miss even if he had an important meeting to attend.
The ruffles hit their feet, and Marina's attention went back to them.
"Your shoes, we..." Cecil paused when Marina's phone rang. "Your phone." She said, rummaging through Marina's handbag. Sending a warning glare at Cecil, Marina grabbed the bag from Cecil's hand. It was a private call, and with a rolled eye, Marina accepted the call.
"Is this Marina?"
"This is she."
"This is City Blue Hospital; we have received a patient, Ivy Tanner, and you are on…"
Click!
"We are leaving," Marina said to Cecil. Cecil half ran, half walked as she tried to catch up with Marina while typing a message to her mother that they were leaving.