Chapter 13: Soul Castle

      Soul Castle has been pretty good to me. The only way that it has not been good, is that I still do not remember my birthday. However, I am going to therapy today to try to change that. I should probably go before Molly wakes up.

            I walked into the bathroom to change. I looked over my cuts and bruises in the mirror. There was a long, and big scar over my heart, it was shaped like an X. There was another scar from where I was stabbed. The scars were not it though. I had bruises, and hand marks up and down my arms. However, when I pressed on the bruises they did not hurt, or go away. They just stayed there.

            After I was done changing, I went back into the room. Molly is not here anymore. Where could she have gone? Oh well, I left for therapy right away. As I was walking up the stairs, I saw Airabella. She was talking to herself, and almost ran into me. “Oh my god! Leah! I’m so sorry, I totally did not see you,” Airabella said as she almost knocked me over.

            I laughed. “It’s fine, Airabella. Uh, what were you talking to yourself about?”

            “You really think I was talking to myself?”

            “Uh, weren’t you?”

            “No, silly! I was signing,” She said in a kid voice.

            “Oh,” I laughed. “Okay! That makes more sense.”

            “So, where are you heading off to?”

            “Therapy, what about you?”

            “Just coming back from breakfast, I am off to my room now. I’ll let you go, so you can get to your session.”

            “Okay, I’ll see you around.”

            “Bye,” said Airabella.

            I got nervous, as I slowly walked up the stairs. As I walked into the room, I felt different. I also felt proud. I felt as if it was my birthday, and I was proud that I had made it this far. As I walked into the room, I noticed that it was more colorful, brighter, and happier in the room.

            “Savannah,” I yelled.

            No answer. “Savannah,” I yelled louder.

            Savannah appeared out of nowhere. “You know, you don’t need to yell, honey,” She said.

            “Holy hell, you scared me!”

            “Sorry.”

            “It’s fine,” I said, all of a sudden uncomfortable again.

            “Okay, why don’t you sit down,” Savannah said. “Have you remembered anything yet?”

            I shook my head, “Nothing.”

            “You have not been able to sleep?”

            “Not yet. Molly said I should be able to soon.”

            “Hmm, okay. I’m going to try a sleeping exercise on you. You’re not going to remember everything that happened, only bits and pieces.”

            “Okay, how long will I be asleep?”

            “Only about two minutes, but it’ll feel like hours to you.”

            “Okay,” I said.

            “Lie down, then close your eyes. Imagine yourself back in Tucson, back at your house, back in your room, and back in your bed. Imagine the smell of your sheets and pillows after coming back home from a long vacation. Imagine waking up on your sixteenth birthday all over again. Now, focus on my voice. When I say Peter, you’ll wake up. Okay, Leah. Peter… Peter!”

            As soon as I heard his name I woke right up. “Peter,” I shouted.

            “Leah? What do you remember?”

            “Peter isn’t here, is he,” I said in tears, I thought he would be here.

            “No honey, he’s not,” Savannah answered.

            “But,” I said. “I heard someone say his name.”

            “I had to say his name. If I didn’t, you would not have woken up. Now, please tell me what you remember.”

            I looked at Savannah, and said, “You’re June’s mother.”

            “Yes, I am.”

            “Was she bad,” I asked.

            “No, she wasn’t. What else do you remember?”

            “It was my birthday. I had the red ribbon, like I do every year. At school, I got into a fight with Peter. After school, I went to someone’s house. I don’t know who, though. I think someone raped me, or they came quite close to it. That’s what the bruises and hand marks on my arms are from. Then, I felt someone shove a knife through my heart, and then that’s when I woke up hearing Peter’s name.”

            “Oh my, that’s quite a lot of stuff to go through in one day.”

            “Yeah, it seems like it. I wish I could remember more.”

            “Okay,” said Savannah. “Since you remember that much, I want you to come back when you remember everything.”

            “Sleeping is all I need to do to remember,” I asked.

            “Yes,” Savannah answered.

            “Alright. Bye, Savannah. Thank you.”

            “Good bye, Leah.”

            I cannot believe it. I just cannot get over the fact that I died on my birthday, broke up with my boyfriend, and was possibly raped. Wow. What a fantastic birthday, right? I am planning to remember who did this to me, though. That person has it coming. I may not be alive to make sure that they get caught, but they did this to me, and they will pay.