Twisted

by J. L. Meyrick

  “I never expected to tell her like that,” Liliana replied, still staring at the door her mother stormed through. “To be honest, I never expected to tell her, full stop. Not unless I was going to marry a woman.”

  “I can’t believe she would act like that towards you. It’s one thing to spout hate to me, but you’re her only daughter.”

  “I believe it,” Liliana replied, resigned to having her own mother hate her. “She’s never held back before. Why now?”

  “That’s horrible. She’s horrible,” Rose retorted, seemingly more upset than Liliana was by this turn of events.

  “That’s life with the Masters family, I’m afraid. Never happy.”

  Liliana felt her body sink into the bed, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion. Her mother was tiring to be around even without a concussion. The once hard pillow suddenly felt very inviting. She hoped she would dream of Max once more, her Max, not the image the news was showing. She felt herself slowly relax when the door to her room opened yet again.

  “Oh, now what?” Liliana sat up, annoyance shouting through her voice. Almost immediately she regretted her tone and felt her face heat as she saw the doctor walk through the doorway, eyebrows raised at her exclamation.

  “Sorry to disturb you, I need to check you over now you’re awake.” The tall, dark doctor had a smooth, calm voice. He carried a pocketful of pens and devices as he picked up the folder hanging over the edge of Liliana’s bed.

  “Sorry about that. I’m just exhausted and had a bit of a thing with my mother.” She felt the need to be honest with the doctor. Liliana sat up and held her hands in her lap, trying not to look the doctor in the eye. The rush of blood to her face wasn’t subsiding, although it no longer felt like embarrassment that held it there. She couldn’t help but look at the doctor all over while avoiding his eyes. Liliana heard Rose chuckling under her breath.

  Strong hands flipped through her charts and wrote surely illegible notes on various pages. Left-handed, she noticed. That intrigued her. Instead of wearing the typical lab coat most people imagine doctors wearing, her doctor was sporting a crisp shirt tucked into black trousers. Very professional. Liliana felt herself frustrated that the shirt hid what was underneath. She could tell he was well built and kept himself fit, but the shirt gave nothing away to just how fit he was.

  The doctor mumbled to himself as he looked through the charts. The noise drew Liliana up to his face. Deep brown eyes, light lips and smooth, dark skin, clean-shaven. Liliana couldn’t deny that she fancied him, just a little. She wasn’t hiding the fact that she was looking the handsome doctor up and down, and when the doctor met her gaze she realised how obvious she was.

  “My name is Dr Richardson; I’ve been looking after you while you were out. Well, I suppose it was mostly my team of amazing nurses that did the looking after, actually.”

  “Yes, they’ve been lovely,” Liliana felt herself agreeing with him, smiling all along. She could feel herself about to ruin the moment by giggling when Rose dug her sharp elbow into her ribs to break her attention. “Ow. Oh, Rose, thanks,” she mumbled through her embarrassment. She would not live this down, and Rose knew it. If it weren’t for the fact they were in a hospital, she would already mock her for her obviousness.

  “How are you feeling now you’re awake?” Dr Richardson asked her, still flipping through the charts.

  “Tired mostly. My head hurts.” Liliana rubbed the side of her head, wrapped in bandages again. Her movement brought the doctor’s attention to her head as well.

  “Yes, you have a rather nasty cut on the side of your head. You needed twenty-three stitches in the end, the bandage is to stop you knocking them in your sleep.” He stepped ’round the side of her bed to check the bandage was still in place. It brought him very close, close enough to notice a subtle scent coming off his clothes. It was intoxicating. She breathed it in deep and found herself about to lean in when Rose prodded her again.

  “Oh, what’s this?” The doctor had noticed the envelope sticking out from under the rock they claimed was a pillow.

  “A letter. I kept it there to read later.” Liliana snatched it back from the doctor. She now had Max back in her mind, distracting her from the good doctor.

  “Okay.” Dr Richardson looked puzzled for a moment; his brow wrinkled in confusion. “Your stitches are taking well. You should only need the bandage for a day or two more. Then you’ll be free to go.”

  “I need to give a statement down at the police station. Am I good to do that tomorrow?” She was looking for the doctor to give her an out.

  “As long as you pass our tests in the morning you will be okay,” The doctor disappointed her secret wish.

  “Okay, so you’re doing good for now. I’ll be back in a little while to check in again.” Dr Richardson smiled at Liliana and Rose before walking out of the room.

  “You’re so confusing,” Rose exclaimed, climbing off the bed. “One minute you’re shouting at your mum how you’re into women, the next you’re mooning over Mr tall, dark and handsome,” she chuckled, jabbing fun at Liliana.

  “What? Did you not see him? He looks good.” Liliana tried not to feel embarrassed.

  “Oh yeah, what about Max?” Rose replied, bringing Liliana back to reality.

  “Max. What am I going to do about Max?” Liliana brought her knees up to her chest and ran her hands through her hair, over the bandage, her heart torn between what she thought she knew and what it saw today.

  She knew Max. At least she thought she did. What was she going to do? Liliana pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes, hoping the pressure would reveal a solution. She loved Max. There was no question about that. Was this how the wives of felons felt? What did they do?

  “What would you do, Rose?” Liliana needed advice, perspective on this.

  “I don’t know. It’s an impossible position. You could believe what people are saying, what you’re seeing on the news. But we are the news, we know we can get it wrong. What does your heart say? You know Max the best.” Rose sat at the foot of her bed, staring into Liliana’s eyes.

  “Do I though?” Liliana was being pulled in two different directions, her love and her rationality tugging on her just as hard as each other. “My head hurts.”

  “Yeah, you hit it on a concrete wall.” Rose just loved to be sarcastic at the worst times.

  “I know that. I have a stress headache and the stitches. Painkillers won’t help this though.” The fatigue she felt before Dr Sexy walked in was rushing back to her. “Ugh. I need to sleep.”

  Liliana relaxed back into her pillow, only to remember the letter she had hidden there, currently tucked underneath the sheets. She pulled it out. It was heavy, hopefully filled with answers. Rose became quiet as she noticed the letter.

  “What do you think it says?” she asked in a hushed tone.

  “I don’t know. I’m afraid to find out. What if it’s his confession?” Liliana couldn’t take it. The thought of Max being a supervillain brought tears to her eyes. She felt her heart break at the thought.

  “I can’t stand the tension. You need to open it,” Rose determined. She seemed to want to know as much as Liliana did. Liliana nodded, took a deep breath, and slid her thumb under the seal and tugged it open.

  Chapter 7

  Thick folded sheets of paper fell out of the heavy envelope, concealing what was written on them. Liliana’s hands shook as she picked them up. Something fell out from between the sheets of paper. A photograph. She felt tears drop as she saw herself and Max grinning together. It was from Rose’s birthday dinner a couple of weeks before. He’d surprised Rose with reservations at an exclusive restaurant she’d wanted to try for months. It was a double date. Rose’s girlfriend at the time was nice, but she thought Max was trying to make a move on Rose. They lasted a little longer after this photograph was taken.

  Confusion swirled in her mind, fighting the love that was in her heart, refusing to shift. Liliana turned to the letter, the letter which sh
e hoped would answer all her questions.

  Liliana,

  My love. I am sorry, sorrier than you can imagine, that it has come to this. This was never my plan.

  If Yates has brought this envelope to you, I am most likely being held by the powers that be. I imagine I was caught up in a fight with someone, probably Sentinel.

  I’m sorry to tell you like this. I am quite the anti-hero, but I am not a bad person. I hope you can still trust me enough to believe me. I never wish harm on anyone, even Sentinel, especially innocent people.

  God, I hope no one has been hurt. I hope you are well.

  Sentinel is not who the world thinks he is. He is no hero. He is abusing the powers something gifted him with; I’m trying to set right the wrongs he has unleashed in the world.

  You’re probably wondering why I haven’t told you about this before. I suppose it stems from a deep-seated need to keep you safe. I know if you knew about my plans to confront Sentinel, you would want to be involved. He is dangerous; you need to stay away from him. I already know you don’t like him. If you knew more, you would go after him as well.

  This is something I’ve been working on for some time before I was lucky enough to run into you on that fateful newsroom floor. I need to see this through.

  I suppose if you’re reading this I couldn’t complete my mission. He is still loose in the city. I need you to believe me.

  I love you.

  Max

  Xxx

  Liliana read the letter several times, tears still running down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe what Max was saying, but it rang true in her heart.

  “What does it say?” Rose asked, a frown on her brow at the tears Liliana was shedding. She wasn’t sure what to do. Rose loved Sentinel. She believed in him one hundred percent. What was she going to make of Max’s letter?

  “He explains everything. He isn’t a villain. Though the world won’t understand. Not without more proof than this letter offers.” Liliana hesitantly passed over the letter. While Rose read it, her brow furrowed more and more, her lips pursed, and her breathing sped up as she read down the letter.

  As she finished reading, Rose laid the letter down on the bed carefully while she seemed to consider her thoughts.

  “Sentinel, a bad guy? Why does he think that? How can he think that? Look at what he’s done for the city, for the world!” Rose tried to stop herself from devolving into a rant. “I know you want to believe him. Hell, even I want to believe him. But Sentinel? He’s wrong, he has to be.”

  “I know, the thought of Sentinel being the man Max says he is is scary. But why would Max lie? Why would he send me this letter? What good could it do?” Liliana worked through her questions out loud. “What would Max gain by telling me this? What could I do to help him? Nothing! All it would do is it might make me believe he is innocent.” Liliana climbed out of bed and paced around the room, trying to ignore her slight dizziness.

  “Say I believe him. What next? Am I supposed to go up against Sentinel?” The idea seemed laughable. “Am I supposed to pass this letter on? To the police? Would they even investigate a superhero?” Liliana paused, thinking back to what Max had said at the Mayor’s speech earlier. Who will police the Supers?

  “That’s why he was so upset earlier. He knew Sentinel would be unstoppable.” She stopped pacing to stand in front of Rose. It all made sense to her now, and she could see Rose was starting to believe. “He had to take a stand, sooner rather than later. That’s why he lost. He wasn’t ready.”

  Liliana could almost see the pieces falling into place. Max wasn’t a villain, he was trying to stop the creation of one. Power could go to Sentinel’s head if left unsupervised. He would become a villain. He needed to be stopped. Plain and simple.

  “What am I supposed to do, Rose?” Liliana could see the completed puzzle, all except her piece. Where did she fit?

  “You need to be careful. We don’t know who Sentinel is. If he hears you talking like this, you’ll be locked up right alongside Max.” Rose was afraid. It was clear in her eyes. Rose’s breathing picked up. She was panicking.

  “Calm down. He isn’t here right now. He’s busy on the other side of the city. We’re safe.” Liliana pulled Rose into a tight hug. Not the easiest as she was barefoot and Rose was wearing her favourite heeled boots. Rose panicked for a moment more before Liliana felt her relax into her arms.

  “See? We’re fine. I’m exhausted and you must be too.” Liliana held onto Rose’s arms as she calmed down. “Now, do you want to go home and rest?”

  “I’d rather not be alone; can I stay here with you? The armchair is surprisingly comfortable.”

  “Okay then.” Liliana glanced out of the small window at the side of her room. The sky was pitch black. “It’s late. We should get some sleep, worry about all of this in the morning.” She was looking forward to finally getting some rest.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning, a surprising amount of sunlight came shining through the small window and onto the shiny floor. Liliana glanced over to the empty armchair and wondered where Rose had got to so early in the day. She didn’t have to wonder for long as the door opened to reveal Rose carrying her favourite thing: coffee.

  “I love you, Rose,” Liliana exclaimed as she reached out for the drink, taking a deep breath in before taking a sip. It was still scalding hot; her room must be near the hospital café.

  “Not bad for hospital coffee,” Liliana commented approvingly. “You been up long?”

  “I couldn’t sleep much last night, despite how knackered I was.” Rose’s eyes betrayed how poorly she slept; dark circles sat underneath tired eyes. “This is actually my second coffee of the morning. Thought you would be awake soon so got you one as well this time. The barista thought me mad, buying three coffees in an hour.” She chuckled lightly, blowing on her coffee to cool it quicker.

  “What’s the latest?” Liliana asked, almost hoping there was no more news after yesterday.

  “He’s being moved,” Rose stated. Liliana knew she meant Max. “They don’t trust him to be safe in the local jail. Too much tech, I suppose. He doesn’t have powers, yet they are moving him to the Super jail.”

  Liliana frowned. “But that’s too dangerous for him. The people they hold there? He’s not safe there.”

  “I don’t think they’re worried about that, Lils. They’re more concerned about what he can do rather than what could happen to him.”

  Liliana felt her heart sink as she pictured what Max was about to experience. She wrote a piece once on the Super jail and the people kept there. They were dangerous beyond comparison. Even if Max was a villain, which she still refused to believe, he didn’t belong there. No powers and stripped of tech. He was harmless. The other prisoners would eat him up and spit him out.

  She needed to help him. But how?

  *

  A couple hours later the doctors let her back out into the world, bandage removed and stitches still tender. Rose took a separate cab home to shower and change, which was all Liliana wanted to do right now.

  As soon as she stepped into her apartment she noticed some things were different. The police had been here. She felt violated. She didn’t want a team of sweaty police officers rooting through her belongings. Could they have done this without telling her? She wasn’t sure where the law sat on that issue.

  She dropped her keys into the bowl by the front door before putting the chain up, using every lock she had. Not that it would really stop the police, or Sentinel, if they really wanted to get in again. Walking around her living room she noticed cushions out of place, books rearranged, a magazine on the floor which she remembered putting on her coffee table before going to work the day before. One of her kitchen cupboards was partially open. Why would they look at her plates and bowls? At least they didn’t leave her fridge open. She didn’t need to deal with the smell that would make.

  The same in her bathroom. The mirror cabinet was ajar and they mixed her toiletries around.
She couldn’t believe it; they had moved her toilet roll to be the wrong way ’round. Why?

  She almost dreaded looking in her bedroom. What mess could they have made in there? She walked in to see the bed messed up. They had clearly looked under her mattress, a rookie hiding place if she ever saw one. She almost felt insulted. Did they really think she was stupid enough to hide things in such an obvious place?

  Further violation, they had looked through her underwear drawer. She felt the sudden urge to throw it all out and go shopping for new clothes.

  Right, first things first, a shower. She stripped down and blasted the shower as hot as she could stand it. She felt all grubby from the previous day’s events, so she scrubbed and scrubbed till she felt red raw. She had to be gentle while washing her long hair or else she would damage the stitches.

  After a thirty-minute shower, which was very much needed, Liliana set about to get her apartment back in order. Despite scrubbing down the apartment thoroughly, Liliana still felt the intruders. She should feel safe in her home. That comforting feeling had gone. Was moving an overreaction? Maybe, but that was what she wanted to do right now.

  Absentmindedly, she switched on her television as she collapsed onto her sofa. She immediately regretted it. Max’s face was plastered over all the news channels. Her phone was no welcome distraction, either. She switched it on to see a long list of messages from her parents, all demanding she break off all contact with Max. Like she could have contacted him right now, anyway? Didn’t they realise they locked him up?

  As she flicked through, ignoring the messages from her parents, she came across some from her friends, all asking if she was okay. As nice as it was to know they were concerned about her wellbeing rather than her relationship status, she could tell they wanted to ask her about Max. Finally, she scrolled down to the end to see a message from Tanya. This was one she dreaded looking at.

  Tanya: Ms Masters, I require your presence at the office ASAP. The news floor is currently closed, therefore, please proceed to the courtyard where we have a makeshift workspace.