Chapter Nineteen

 As soon as the paramedics had given her a checkup, they suggested she be taken to the hospital for blood tests.

“We need to know what he injected you with,” one of them told her. Adira didn’t turn to look at him. She stared out, at the cold gray afternoon and the grass that looked dull brown. “Just to be sure.”

“I want to see my sister,” she said immediately. “Please take me to see Sibyl.”

The paramedic nodded. “It’s the nearest hospital. The police told us about your case. She was taken to Morning Hope Hospital.”

“Do you know how my sister is?”

The paramedic, a man who looked to be just a few years older than her, shook his head. “Sorry. I don’t have any information on that.”

Adira felt her heart sink. If only someone would tell her that her sister was doing fine, she wouldn’t keep feeling this heavy ache in her heart. The ambulance rode her to the hospital and, half an hour later, it stopped in front of a large white building.

“We are here. Now, let me...” The paramedic began, but Adira pushed open the ambulance doors herself and jumped out. She ran through the entrance and looked all around for anyone who could give her information about her sister.

She saw the receptionist’s desk at the end of the large room and ran over. “Hey, can you tell me where my sister is?”

The woman at the desk gave her a stern look and Adira saw that she was on the phone. “Ma’am if you could give me a minute?”

“This is urgent!” Adira didn’t relent. The woman sighed and pressed the buttons on her keyboard. “Name?”

“Sibyl. She was just brought in today. Or yesterday. I don’t know what time it is or what day.” She clutched her head as she suddenly felt dizzy. “Could you please help?”

Behind her, she heard a man yell. “Keep her there. She needs to see a doctor.” Adira turned around to see the paramedic heading over. “She just rushed out of the ambulance.”

“I want to see my sister,” she said.

“First the doctor. Ma’am you’ve been through a trauma and...”

“My sister first. Then I’ll go see the doctor. I promise!”

“Listen, you should go see the doctor,” The woman said and then turned to the paramedic. “What happened to her?”

“I was kidnapped.” Adira didn’t wait for the paramedic to give an explanation. “That guy took my sister too and I haven’t seen her in ten years. Please, just let me look at her and make sure she’s fine. He didn’t hurt me. I got away. Please!”

The woman exchanged an uneasy glance with the paramedic who nodded silently.

“Look, sweetie...”

“Please.” Adira let the tears in her eyes roll down her face.

“Fine. Two minutes. Then I’m calling Dr. Rajan to look you over.” The woman made a quick call to the doctor and then typed in her sister’s name. She gave her the room number and floor and Adira rushed up the stairs to the second floor.

“Take it easy,” The paramedic called after her.

But Adira could barely control herself even as her calves started to cramp and her arms ached. When she climbed the last step and reached the floor, she looked both ways down the long corridors, trying to figure out where Sibyl was being kept.

“Adira?” She heard Ramon’s voice behind her and she whipped her head around.

He stood staring at her in surprise, holding plastic glasses in both hands.

Adira stomped over to him, her hands clenched by her sides.

“Adira, I’m so glad...” Before he could finish what he wanted to say, Adira pushed him hard.

“You bastard!” she screamed.

The water from the cups splashed on him and he sighed. Tossing the glasses in the nearby dustbin, he put his hands in his pockets as she screamed at him.

“You did it again, didn’t you? Do you think this is funny? Playing your stupid, dumb games that never work!” Adira charged at him again but Ramon sidestepped her. “You lied to me again. You said I should trust you but you betrayed me again. Because of you, I was kidnapped. If you hadn’t lied to me, he would have never taken me and...”

“We would have never known where he was keeping Sibyl,” Ramon finished for her.

She blinked at him, fuming with anger.

Ramon sighed again. “I admit my plan didn’t go as planned. I was going to draw him out while keeping you safe. I needed you calm when I would explain my plan to you. This guy, whoever he was, had all the cards. He could have decided to keep Sibyl and the flash drive. I couldn’t risk it so that plan was that I was going to ask you to give yourself up to him. Pretend to, of course. This guy seemed to be fixated on you. I wanted to know just how much.”

“What kind of shit plan was that?” Adira burst out.

“You got drunk instead and I decided to keep you out of it altogether,” Ramon continued, ignoring her rebuttals. “I took your phone, pretended to be you and asked him to come to the prom where we could talk. As soon as I saw him, I would get him to a secluded spot where the police was waiting to arrest him. As you know, that plan didn’t work out either. He turned out to be smarter than I thought.”

Adira crossed her arms only so that she wouldn’t be tempted to hit him.

“Still, I had an inkling that my plans would go south so I planted a tracking device on you. I didn’t activate it until Sibyl was safe, just in case he found it on you. It was on one of the buttons.”

“You have no idea how much I hate you,” She said and turned away from her. “All your dumb plans, and now you finally found Sibyl.” She scoffed. “When you said you would do anything for your friends, I didn’t think you meant you were ready to put other people in danger for them.”

“Adira, that’s not...”

“Where is she?” She asked, holding back tears. “All I care about is seeing her. Now.”

“I’ll take you to see her. Follow me.” Ramon took her down the long corridor, while she kept her arms folded and her eyes on anyone but the man in front of her.

She heard him give a swift knock on the door, and then open without waiting to be called in. He moved to the side immediately, letting her see the woman on the bed who was connected to machines and an IV bag.

Adira couldn’t move. Before the door could shut on her, Ramon caught it and gently ushered her in. Two more steps, and she paused again, staring at the pale face of a woman that looked more bones than skin. Her hair was thin and dry, her eyes had dark shadows underneath and her lips were cracked and bluish.

Adira swallowed, staring into the brown eyes of the woman who was her sister. She looked nothing like the girl she had known ten years ago- the sweet rounded face girl who had long silky hair and was always so timid and dutiful.

Sibyl turned to her, then at Ramon as if confirming if this was indeed her sister, and then gazed back at her.

“Adira?” Her voice cracked.

She opened her mouth to say that yes, she was her sister. Instead, she burst out crying and her throat closed in, allowing only a sob to pass through.

“Oh god!” she sobbed into her hands. This couldn’t be her sister. She was too frail looking, too damaged. Adira’s eyes fell on her sister’s right hand and saw that it had a thick cast around it.

“Adira...come...here. To me.” Sibyl managed a weak voice.

Ramon put his hands on her shoulders and led her forward. Adira was made to sit beside her sister and as soon as she did, her first reaction was to brush away Ramon’s touch.

Sibyl noticed it, and looked up at him, but didn’t say anything to her. She reached out to her with her uninjured hand and touched her cheek. “You grew up.” she smiled. “Look at you.”

Adira tried to speak again, but another sob escaped her throat.

“No, don’t.” Sibyl tugged her hand and Adira went over to hug her sister.

“You left me. You left me alone,” Adira managed to speak.

Sibyl caressed her back. “I am so sorry. I’m so so sorry. Don’t cry now. We are together again.”

Adira wiped her tears and sat down again, taking Sibyl’s hand that was covered in bruises. “I can’t believe you’re right in front of me. I thought I was never going to see you again. I thought you didn’t care for me anymore.”

“Of course, I did.” Sibyl wiped a tear of her own. “I just couldn’t stay there anymore.”

“I’ll give you two some space,” Ramon said, backing away.

Adira pretended he didn’t even exist. As soon as she heard the door close, she felt she could breathe again. Her anger toward him had been weight heavily on her lungs.

“Adira, did he hurt you?” Sibyl coughed into her hand.

The door opened again and Adira stiffened. Sibyl looked wide-eyed and scared, but when she saw it was Ramon, she gave him half a smile.

“I forgot to give you this,” He said and handed Sibyl a glass of water with a straw in it. “Do you want...anything?”

Adira knew he was looking at her, but she couldn’t bother. She sat stiffly with Sibyl’s hand in hers. She heard Ramon sigh and walk out. Once the door had closed, Sibyl leaned forward.

“Jayson...he turned out to be a dangerous man. Did he hurt you? Did he force himself on you?”

Adira shook her head. “No. No, he threatened me but I got away.” She swallowed an uncomfortable lump. “Did he...” she let out a breath. “Did he force himself on…?”

“No.” Sibyl shook her head. “At first he would threaten me, but then, he developed this disgusting fascination with you. He taunted me, said I was too old and then he would tell me all the repulsive things he wanted to do to you. It was part of his torture. He showed me he was following you. Hacked your computer and phone.” Sibyl went into a coughing fit and Adira handed her the water.

Sibyl took slow sips and then leaned back in her pillow. “I didn’t know it then. But call it women’s intuition, I knew I had to get away. Now, I feel relieved that I didn’t give in and marry him. Jayson is a psychopath.”

“The police have him now.” Adira took the glass from Sibyl and placed it back on the table.

Sibyl watched her for a moment and then grew serious. “Adira, I know you hate Ramon for what he did.”

“Let us not talk about him.” Adira huffed. “I know you’re grateful to him. I know everything. I know that he really likes you.”

“Then you also know that I don’t. Not in that way.” Sibyl breathed deeply. “He’s a nice guy. He’s just impulsive. And his rational thinking goes out for a toss when a loved one is involved. And I mean, his friends.”

“Fine. I’m glad that he cared about you enough to save you.” Adira choked back on a sob.

“I know you feel betrayed.” Sibyl squeezed her hand. “But at that point, he wasn’t given much of a choice. Jayson called him over. Told him to bring the flash drive in exchange for us. But when he got there, Jayson played a dirty trick. When Ramon said he wouldn’t give the flash drive until he handed over us both to him, Jayson made it clear that he would have to choose one. Adira, Ramon saw that I was in bad shape and needed to go to the hospital. He was always going to come back for you.”

“Yes, I know. He had a tracking device on me.” Adira looked out the window at the descending sun.

“He did?” Sibyl smiled. “Oh, that’s why he kept telling me not to worry when I screamed at him for not helping you. I mean, he only told me that the flash drive had a virus that would corrupt the program he was using to hack customers. It was going to reveal his location and identity as soon as he plugged it in.”

“Anyway, I’m just glad you were saved,” Adira said, desperate to change the subject. She didn’t expect anyone to understand how alone and betrayed she had felt in the moment when she had woken up in a cage.

“What would you have done?” Sibyl asked.

Adira ran her teeth against her bottom lip. “Can we not?”

“What if you were the one given that choice?”

Adira looked down at her sister’s bruised hand and the marks on her neck and her pale face. Then her eyes fell on the cast and she felt a rise of emotion caught in her throat.

She supposed she could understand what Ramon had been feeling when he must have seen Sibyl in such a terrible state.

“I will always choose you,” Adira said which made Sibyl smile. “But, I would also find a way to not betray anyone else to get what I want. I wouldn’t have lied about everything. If I had someone helping me, I would have expected there to be some sort of trust bond between us. One mistake, a little more delay, and maybe Jayson would have killed me. He was crazy enough to do it.”

“Yes, but...”

“I know he’s your friend. I know he would do anything for you and put any one at risk. But I can’t forgive him for what I had to go through.” Before Sibyl could say anything, she shook her head. “Can we please talk about something else? I called up Mother and Father when you were missing. Mother wanted you to come back home?”

“And father?” Sibyl asked, cautiously.

Adira averted her eyes. In Sibyl’s weak state, she didn’t want to tell her that her father was still not keen on having a relationship with her.

“He’ll come around.” Adira smiled.

***

“Yes, mother, I’m fine. I had the doctor take a look at me. She had me rest for two hours, took blood tests and gave me the okay to go home.” Adira stopped by the bottom stair and then turned around, back down the path that led to the hospital gate.

The sun had just set and the sky was still a dark blue and the wind had become colder. As soon as the doctor had allowed her to go home, she had borrowed Neil’s phone and called up her parents.

Turning around once she reached the gate, she tread back up the slope to the stairs that led to the glass sliding doors where Neil and Ruby were waiting for her.

“Your father is so upset,” Her mother told her. “He’s booked ticket. We should be there by tomorrow.”

Adira gazed up at Neil who was stating at her while Ruby seemed oblivious to his desperation to talk to her.

“And how does he feel about the whole Sibyl thing?” Adira asked carefully. “Sibyl is really weak. If father starts screaming at her, she might just get more upset. She has been through a lot.”

“Your father hasn’t said a word since he found out what Jayson did.” Her mother sighed. “We are all so shocked and disturbed by this. Who knew Jayson was capable of all this?”

“Still, do you think he’s ready to accept her back home?”

“Your father hasn’t said a word since the police called us up to tell us what happened to you,” her mother replied in a low tone. “Regardless of what he feels about Sibyl, I will not break it off with my daughter. I listened to him before and thought I was being a dutiful wife by obeying his wishes. I forgot I was a mother. I wished we had all understood what Sibyl wanted from her life. Then she would have never run away, never been kidnapped by that madman.”

“She is fine now. I promise,” Adira said, hoping to console her distraught mother. She could hear the pain in her voice and imagined her mother must have been weeping the whole day. “I promised I would bring Sibyl back home.” Adira let out a breath. “I’m coming back home, too.”

“We will talk more when we meet,” Her mother said, abruptly. “Your father has come and needs his dinner. Then we have to pack and leave in some time.”

“Eat well and get some rest on your trip,” Adira said. “Sibyl is safe here. So am I.”

“See you soon,” Her mother said and ended the call.

Adira cradled the phone in her hand, staring into the distance at the trees that lined the sidewalks.

“Are you really going back home?”

Adira turned around to see Neil standing close behind her. Ruby was nowhere to be seen.

“Thanks for letting me use your phone.” Adira handed it back to him. “Where’s Ruby?”

“Inside, getting some water.” Neil put his hands in the pockets of his jacket as the temperatures lowered even more. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Yes.” she shrugged and gave a weak smile. “City life doesn’t suit me.”

“I’m sorry about what happened to you,” he said. “And I’m sorry for what I did to you. I misjudged you and spread horrible vicious rumors about you, and all because I was hurt when I saw those pictures.”

“You didn’t know they were photoshopped and I didn’t know they even existed,” she said.

“I am apologizing now, because I don’t want what I did to you influence your decision to stay here.” Neil’s shoulders slumped. “That guy who did this to you and your sister, he’s in jail. He won’t hurt you anymore.”

“I just feel like I don’t belong here,” Adira said and crossed her arms as the cold wind brushed against her. “The people, the city, none of it seems to fit me. I think I would just be happier home.”

“If you want a break, that’s fine,” Neil said. “But if you’re running away because you’re scared, then it’s no point. There will always be challenges you’ll have to face no matter where you are. You can’t always keep running away. There won’t be any place left for you.”

Adira took a deep breath and smiled. “That’s really profound, I guess. But I can’t deal with some things anymore.”

“Some things or some people?” Neil asked.

Adira caught a movement from the side of her eye and saw Ramon coming down the ramp on the side, watching both her and Neil intently. “Both. At the moment.”

Neil pulled at her arm and then squeezed her hand. “Fine. Take your break. Go home with your sister. But come back. Finish your education.” He paused, staring deep into her eyes. “Or else I’m going to regret letting you go. You have no idea how terribly guilty I feel for abandoning you when you had so much going on. If only...”

“You’re with Ruby now,” Adira said, sensing she knew where Neil was headed. “And she’s a great girl. Exactly the girl you needed in your life.” She took her hand back and crossed her arms again, shivering.

Neil noticed this and took off his jacket. “Here.”

Adira almost said no, then realized she was freezing and couldn’t afford an ego. She took the jacket and put it on immediately. “Thanks.”

“I get it,” Neil said, looking down at his shoes. “If I hadn’t been so impulsive, we would have still been together. I’ll always miss you and regret dumping you.”

“As you should,” she blurted and then laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” she pressed her lips together. “I’m happy for you and Ruby.”

Neil suddenly leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “I am happy. I hope you’ll be too.”

“I found my sister. That is something I wanted all this time- to have her back in my life.” Adira smiled and gazed at Ramon again who was fidgeting with a leaf on a hedge.

“Come, let’s go inside. It’s freezing out, “Neil said, putting an arm around her. “It’s kind of weird for this time of the year. The chill, I mean.”

Adira headed to the entrance with Neil when Ramon stepped before her. “Can we talk?” He spoke urgently.

“No.” she started on her way but Ramon came before her again.

“Please?”

Neil looked down at her and then at him. “Is everything okay?”

Adira gritted her teeth and glared at Ramon. “It will be.” She turned to Neil and gave him half a smile. “You go ahead. I’ll come in a minute.”

“Okay,” Neil said a little uncertainly. “I’ll check up on you in some time.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Ramon sneered, “So he’s a bodyguard now?”

“What do you want?” Adira spoke harshly. “If you’ve come to give excuses, I don’t care. I don’t want to listen to it.”

“No, I haven’t,” Ramon said. “I know you don’t want to listen to any of it. I know you feel betrayed. Sibyl told me how pissed off you are and why.” He looked down and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Adira stared at him in amazement. “You’re sorry?”

“I didn’t let you in on my plans. I thought I was protecting you, but all of it backfired. We were dealing with an unpredictable enemy, I didn’t know what to expect.” He still didn’t look at her.

“You’re giving excuses again,” she said and started to walk away again.

He grabbed her elbow and made her turn to him. “Okay fine. You don’t have to listen to what I thought was right. You don’t have to accept my apology. But please, don’t screw over your future for something a couple of people did to you. I heard what you were telling Neil and I hate to agree with him, but he’s right. You can’t keep running away.”

“Where my safety is concerned, I have every right to make the decision for myself,” she said a bit haughtily. “You have no idea what it felt like. You can’t imagine what it felt like being all alone in that cage. He put me in a freaking cage!”

“You’re scared,” he remarked, noticing the tears in her eyes.

“Of course I’m scared!” she cried out and swiped at the tear that had rolled down her cheek. “I was scared of the man who not only kidnapped my sister, but tortured her. He broke her hand with a hammer. He told me that! He wanted to hurt me too. Can you imagine what it felt like? To feel trapped? To know that no one might be coming to save me and all I had was myself?”

“But I was coming for you,” He said, solemnly.

“I didn’t know that!” Adira screamed. “You didn’t tell me you were tracking me. I felt so...abandoned. So scared. I thought you were my friend. I thought we were working on finding my sister, together. I trusted you. Not at first, but eventually I did. And what did you do? You got me in so much trouble. You not trusting me enough to tell me your plans is what got me into that situation.”

When she looked at Ramon, she saw the guilt and sadness in his eyes. He quickly turned away from her, and she saw him staring at the hospital entrance.

He’s probably thinking about Sibyl. He probably justifies his actions and is thinking about how glad he is to have Sibyl back in his life.

As am I…

Adira felt the bitterness rise up her throat. She couldn’t explain what she was feeling anymore. She was relieved that her elder sister was back safe. Injured, but safe. But for some reason, she also felt an increased rush of irritability toward Ramon who she knew was only concerned for Sibyl.

Adira shook her head at herself. She was driving herself insane by trying to make sense of something this entangled. Realizing there was nothing more to say and that he too, would not have an answer for her, she walked toward the stairs, deciding it was a good thing she was leaving after all.

Entering the brightly lit hallway, she headed to Sibyl’s room to check up on her and talk to the doctor. She hoped she would get to stay the night beside her sister.

“I lied.”

Adira jumped when she heard his voice. Ramon was following right behind her. “What?”

“I don’t actually trust anyone,” He said. “I mean, I try to. Sibyl said I should be more open to people. Give them a chance. I didn’t tell you any of my plans, not only because I don’t trust you. It’s because I thought I had full control of the situation. I thought I knew what I was doing was right.” He smiled weakly at her and nodded toward Sibyl’s room. “She thinks I’m too arrogant. And she’s right. I screwed up. Things would have turned out better if I had included you in my plans. It wasn’t about protecting you. It was about me being right.”

“Well, now you know you aren’t always right.” Adira wrapped the jacket closer around her body, still glaring at Ramon.

He doesn’t know how to apologize properly. I hate him.

“Maybe it would seem that way,” Ramon said. “To you, it seems like the worst possible outcome of my plans. But just answer this one thing: What if you were there too? What if Jayson asked you to give yourself up to him in exchange for Sibyl? Sibyl was barely conscious when I found her. She was in a cage, bleeding, her hand disfigured. She hadn’t been given much to eat or drink. I found her crying and writhing in pain. Tell me, what choice would you have made?”

Adira felt herself tearing up again. She had seen Sibyl now, all bandaged and connected to tubes. She wondered how she would have reacted had she seen her sister in the condition Ramon was describing.

She looked away, pressing her lips and crossing her arms. A nurse was carrying a tray into a patient’s room. A child was bawling in the waiting room. She heard the dull beeps of a machine in another room down the hallway.

“Well? Tell me I was completely wrong?” Ramon said. “Tell me exactly what you would have done?”

Adira tried to give him an angry look, but couldn’t. Her stare faltered and she stared at the child who was crying as his mother lovingly patted his back. “If there had been no other way...”

“There wasn’t,” He said sternly.

“Then, fine. I would have done anything for my sister. I would have sacrificed myself for her,” she replied, feeling her chest tighten with raw emotion.

“I knew you would. You would have given yourself up willingly without thinking about your own safety,” Ramon said. “But I couldn’t do that. I had to make sure you were okay too. In that terrible moment of making that difficult decision, all I wanted was for both you and Sibyl to be safe. She was priority. Only because she was badly injured. The only thing I could think of was tracking you down because I knew that asshole would take you someplace else.”

“So, what you’re saying is that you were right?” Adira asked, in disbelief.

“I am.” Ramon spoke with his chin up. “I think I handled this situation to the best of my skills. And I’m done apologizing for it. Because even you know that that was the right thing to do in that situation.”

Adira swallowed away her anger and then turned away. “I have to go check on my sister. Good bye, Ramon.”

She walked down the hallway, making sure from the corner of her eye that he wasn’t following her. To her relief, he wasn’t and when she turned to open the door, she saw Ramon was gone.

Closing her eyes, she composed her erratic thoughts before entering the room.

“Hi,” she greeted her sister who smiled weakly at her. “I just spoke to Mother. We’re going back home.”