“Felix, are you seeing things?”
His question reminds me of the monsters. Soon, the floor grains move again, the worms snapping their little mouths at me.
I hide my face in my hands again, but Father pulls them down. “Felix. You’re sick. You need sleep. All you have to do is take these, and you’ll sleep. When you wake up, the visions will be gone.” He hands me a bottle of pills. “You have to take all of them.” Next, he hands me a glass of water.
I set the glass on the ground, then pour the pills out in my hand. “There are so many.”
“Yes, because you’re very sick,” Father explains. “You need to take all of them. Once you do, you’ll sleep and feel much better.”
The pills roll about in my palm. “I want to feel better.”
He caresses my shoulder. “I know you do, and you will. Once you take all of the pills.”
I bring my hand closer to my face, inspecting the pills. Taking so many will hurt my throat, but I want to be better. I want all of this to sto—
“Felix.”
Who said that? Someone whispered my name.
“Felix, listen to me, but say nothing.”
It’s Mom! “M–”
“Shh! Don’t say a word, Felix. You can’t trust Father. You can’t trust Robert either. Listen to the sound of my voice.”
I nod my head. Father urges me to take the pills again. “I will,” I tell him.
“Now, listen to me. Those pills are not good. They will kill you. This is what your father did to me, my love.”
No! I’ll kill him.
“Don’t worry about killing him now, darling.”
Can you hear me?
“Yes.”
Wow!
“He’s coming, Felix.”
Who?
“My gift. Torren.”
Best present ever.
“I have good taste.”
What should I do? Father wants to kill me?
“Felix, put the pills in your mouth, butdon’tswallow them. Once you put them in your mouth, bring the glass to your mouth. You will not drink the water or swallow the pills. You will smash the glass against the floor, stab your father in the eye, and spit out the pills. After that, run away.”
The eye?
Father urges me to take the pills again.
“Do as I say.”
