Chapters 25 - Kaléo Coleman
***Hallucinations***
Everything has been irritating me lately; it feels like I can't control my emotions or behavior anymore. It's not normal for me to get so easily nervous or agitated like I have been, but apparently, it's stronger than I! Well, partly that's a big lie. I do get easily sometimes annoyed, but not with Yumi, and that's what has been bothering me the most. I won't let her drift away from me again, let alone be pushed aside or discarded from her life. I just don't know yet how to control these impulsive actions that end up hurting my Myu-Myu even more.
I enter the house excited with the idea of seeing Yumi, of finally understanding each other and showing everyone that I'm her best friend and that no one can take my place — not just as her best friend, but as the most important person in her life. At least one of them… However, to my surprise, Yumi is not alone, and once again I feel my body tremble, radiating a succession of unpleasant feelings, as I see Mayke tickling a boisterous Yumi while a seemingly romantic movie plays on TV.
“From what I can see, I wasn't missed at all.”
“Léo!” Ayumi shouts, whether out of surprise or because she fell off the couch while trying to free herself from Mayke.
“Hey, man, I thought you wouldn't come back.” I force a smile to contain my anger, my body trembling with rage, letting out a sarcastic laugh that is far from happy.
“It would be great for you, wouldn't it, Mayke?” His gaze seems surprised and, at the same time, confused. “You've already stolen Myu-Myu from me; now you just need my house. Is there something else you want, buddy?” I speak, giggling, trying not to completely lose control that I was desperately trying to find, but unfortunately, the universe is not on my side.”
“Stop being foolish, Léo.” Ayumi says with the most beautiful smile and comes towards me. “No one will ever steal me away from you.”
Her arms around my neck partially calm me, easing the tension in my body, but not the irritation that still slowly gnaws at me. I take a deep breath and free myself from her arms, saying that I'm going to the kitchen to get some water. After emptying half of the glass, I try to control my breathing to prevent myself from freaking out and stick to the initial plan of not pushing Smile away from me. I turn towards the living room in an attempt to feel better by looking at my best friend, but unfortunately, my treacherous brain—this very brain that I carry in my head and makes me feel contradictory things and have absurd dreams—gives me a glimpse of hell as I see Mayke giving a peck on Myu-Myu's lips. Knowing that it's just hallucinations—a terrible and tasteless one, so to speak—I simply close my eyes tightly, trying to ward off the image—the prank—that my disturbed mind played on me. However, when I open my eyes again, Mayke is too close to Ayumi, way too close.
The feeling I have is that I'm in a parallel universe and a huge black hole is about to open up before me, the pain in my chest becomes intense and much more uncomfortable. What the hell, what kind of thought is that, of course, the pain would be uncomfortable, oh my God, I'm having a heart attack because of my treacherous mind.
“Oh my God… I can't die like this,” I say with closed eyes, my hand on my chest trying to control my heartbeat, inhaling and exhaling deeply. However, the image repeats in my mind even without seeing anything, as I refuse to open my eyes and be fooled again.
“Léo, are you okay?” I shake my head in denial and keep my breathing under control. “Tell me what you're feeling?”
“I'm dying.”
“What?” Their voices, Ayumi's and Mayke's, sound desperate, and even their anxious synchrony worsens my situation.
“Call my parents, my lawyers, I need to say goodbye to them and make my will, I think I'm having a heart attack, Ayumi,” I open my eyes and see their worried expressions.
“Darling, what's happening?” The woman claiming to be Ayumi's mother appears wearing just a robe.
“It's not just a heart attack, it's also a stroke,” I say, slowly lowering myself, feeling my leg growing weaker. I collapse on the floor in an attempt to alleviate this terrible sensation. Ayumi crouches down and stays by my side, holding my hand, and her desperate gaze almost calms me down. “Call a doctor, I can't feel my legs, oh my God, I can't feel anything except my heart that's about to explode.”
“I've already called an ambulance.”
“Leo…”
“Hi.”
“Breathe slowly, Leo.”
“But if he breathes slowly, won't he die faster, daughter?”
“Oh my God… then don't breathe.”
“That's when he'll really die.”
“Mom, I'm already nervous, don't make me even more anxious.”
“Leo, everything will be fine, okay? You'll soon be in a comfortable and warm hospital to receive treatment.”
“Dude, you'll be rescued soon, don't mind what she's saying, she's just nervous.”
“Just stay still there.”
“I'm already improving, I just need some water.”
“One should not deny water to a dying person, as my grandmother used to say, a glass of water should never be denied to anyone.”
“We can't do anything until the ambulance arrives.”
“I'm already feeling better, I just want to go to my room and take a shower to die in peace.”
“No, sir, just stay still there.”
“Son.”
“My baby.”
“Mom, death is near, I'm seeing things, I think I have an aneurysm or something, the hallucinations I've been having have been so strong that I had a mild heart attack.”
“Darling, it's not a mild heart attack, either you have a heart attack and die or you have a heart attack and manage to survive, but a heart attack is a heart attack, my love.”
“So I'm not dying?”
“No, it was probably just a panic attack.”
“And these hallucinations?”
“Brother, are these hallucinations frequent?”
“Very much!”
“How often do you see dead people, dude? All the time?” Lucca asks with a smirk.
“No, but I see you and Mayke die many, many times in a repeated manner, always in a cruel and bloodthirsty way.”
“Son, tell mommy about your hallucinations.” I look at Ayumi, then at each person around me, and shake my head in denial. “Is it that serious?” Once again, I shake my head, this time in affirmation.
“It's okay, my baby, mommy will call Dr. Joshua and schedule an appointment for you.” I nod in agreement once more and pull Ayumi closer, embracing her. She reciprocates and starts gently stroking my head, making me snuggle even more into her arms.
“Is he rubbing his face against your chest?” I hear Mayke's voice.
“Of course not, he's just seeking comfort. Poor thing is not feeling well.” I keep my eyes closed, but I'm slightly bothered by that insinuation.
“I think I'm having another heart attack,” I say as I open my eyes and find two mounds in front of my face. As cozy as it may be, it's so strange that it gives me the sensation of my heart racing again, almost ready to explode.
**A few weeks later…**
There's nothing worse than feeling unwell in your own home. I thought to myself. At times, I even felt like an intruder. But the house was mine, and there was no reason for me to feel that way. I wasn't the intruder there. Despite my desire to speak up about everything that was bothering me, the fear of hurting Ayume consumed me. Our love wasn't as passionate as it used to be. It felt like there was a deep divide between us, especially with her mother living here. After my near-death experience, Ayume informed me about the positive results of the DNA test, and her mother had moved in.
**Memories…**
After a few hours, everyone left, leaving only Ayume, the woman I discovered was named Ruth, and me. Another thing that made me suspicious was the way she treated Mayke. I couldn't tell if she had ulterior motives or genuinely liked him.
“Daughter, I'm going to bed. Goodnight! It's been a day full of confusion,” she said as she got up from the couch.
“Goodnight, Mom,” Ayume replied, and the woman headed upstairs, disappearing down the hallway.
“Don't you have anything to tell me?” I asked, redirecting my attention to Ayume.
“Don't give me that look! I called you several times to tell you that the DNA test came back positive, but you seemed unreachable.”
“You know I had several meetings and barely had time to eat or sleep.”
“I know, Leo, and if you don't start slowing down, you'll end up having a real breakdown.”
“Okay, but why is she here and not at her house?”
“Her house was invaded and set on fire, and she was beaten up. I couldn't leave my mother helpless.”
“Do they know who did it?”
“No, Mayke wanted to investigate, but Mom said she didn't want any trouble. She thinks it might have been some young people from her neighborhood.”
“But that was a crime!”
“Yes, but she would rather not harm other mothers.”
“Unless she had something to do with it.”
“Of course not, Kaléo. She's not like that! Do you think she would tie herself up, or ask someone to beat her and set her house on fire?”
“You never know what people are capable of, Ayume.”
“Well, I've had enough. I'm going to bed to get some rest,” she said, getting up and heading towards the stairs, disappearing down the corridor.
**End of Memories…**