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| IMPOSTER BY MARIQUA |
CHAPTER 81 |
"The hell you will, you bastard!" his mouth transformed into a cruel, gaping slash as his body lurched back and forth.
Looking down at his hands again, he closed them into fists and moved toward her.
"Nice try, Toddy boy...but I've got more power in my little finger than you will ever..." he stretched out his fingers and arching them out, let them sink down closer to her.
Sherry's breathing seemed to stop as Nick once again repeated his previous action. As he just barely touched her skin, his livid expression relaxed and he gloated triumphantly. "That's it...it won't hurt...just take your medicine like a good boy..."
A high-pitched wail of pain pulsated against her eardrums as he snapped up his hands again -- this time so incensed that he swung his body off the bed. Grabbing the end of the bedspread, he yanked it savagely -- his hair flying out wildly -- as if trying to rip up anything he could get his hands on.
Every sound and move in only thirty seconds time had stunned Sherry into frozen silence and immobilized her body into a paralyzed state. Her mind could not comprehend anything in front of her eyes, and screams of warning were blaring through her brain. Get out! Get out! He's insane!!
"Slider..." Tea glanced toward the front door as they entered the living room. "There's something you need to know before..." she stopped speaking with the sound of a loud knock.
Standing perfectly still, she steeled herself for whoever might be behind that door.
"Slider," a deep, distinct voice spoke out. "Really good to see you again. Uh...this is a friend of mine...Viki Carpenter."
The polite-sounding voice tones reverberated near the door, and then got progressively louder as the visitors entered.
"Thanks a lot for seeing me on such short....Tea!" the voice boomed out unexpectedly.
"Tea?" Viki's shocked eyes took in the sight of the woman who had made such a difference in her brother's life. "What on earth?"
"Sam...Viki..." Tea held her head up defiantly. Let them censure me...I've had every right to pursue this...and what are they doing here anyway?
Sam brushed by Slider and made his way to Tea -- his gray-blue eyes flickering with intensity.
"You've been here...all along?"
"Not really," Tea said coolly. "I've been more or less on the run for a while."
"So...Tea," Viki forced a smile despite her surprise. "We didn't expect this , as I'm sure you didn't."
"No...I really didn't expect you, Viki. I did know that Sam was coming."
Slider's eyes shifted back and forth between his visitors and Tea. Must be old home week here...she knows Sam and this woman...Viki. That's good...now I'm going to get some answers...
Barely able to speak, Sherry's body trembled as she witnessed Nick in the middle of some hideous tantrum and continuing to jerk violently on the fabric. Giving up on this, he reached for a pillow and slung it all the way across the room -- his raging temper in full display.
"You just think you're so damn clever, don't you? You know, this pathetic pain blockade you've put up ..it's stupid...and futile. Who do you think you're dealing with anyway? Tom? You just don't want me to have her, do you? Well, too damn bad...my mind is already made up!"
Sherry managed to pull herself up and began slowly backing off the bed -- clutching her blouse together. He's talking to himself...or someone...what the hell have I done?
As he railed at an unseen persona, Sherry glanced quickly back at the door. If I can reach it...but then what? I don't have a car...I don't have a way home except for a cab that I'd have to call...
"What are you doing?" Nick's harsh, grating voice cut through her thoughts and she frantically tried to hide the obvious fear in her eyes.
"Why are you here, Tea?" Sam blurted out without thinking. "How do you know Slider? And why didn't you call us? We've been very worried!"
"One question at a time, Sam," Slider intervened as he watched Tea's tense, tight face. "All of us have questions that need answers, but there's not time to go into everything here."
Tea picked up on his thoughts and nodded. "I should call her...she said to call her later. Maybe we can find out where she is."
"She?" Sam looked quizzically from Tea and back to Slider. "Okay...I don't know what's going on here, but I'm just going to put my cards on the table, Slider. We were hoping to find Tea, but we also thought that...well...maybe you knew something about....Todd Manning."
"Nothing...noth...ing, Nick," Sherry heard the broken, faltering echo of her voice. "You just... what in the world is wrong?"
Nick stalked toward her in seconds -- his eyes seeming to reach out and snatch hers while his anger subsided. A large hand closed in around her arm. "I know what you must think, Sherry. I guess you think I'm a raving lunatic now." Calm down...calm down...look at her...she's terrified!
"Well...," Sherry's insides twisted painfully, "My God, Nick...what was I s upposed to think?"
"I was...having an episode," Nick said with a strange, mystifying serenity as he still kept a firm grip on her arm.
"An episode? Are you...sick?"
"I have things...things from my past...things I have to work through. It comes and goes. I had...a really rough childhood."
Still shaken, Sherry began to allow her years of experience and training to push her back to her senses. She'd seen patients tear up hospital rooms before in anger and fear. Yet there had usually been indications of some problem beforehand, and she'd never seen any behavior in Nick that would go along with such an explosive outburst. This was completely out of the blue. What was he screaming about? Who is Toddy?
"I...I think I'd better go, Nick," she mumbled -- shrugging off his hand and beginning to button her blouse.
The face that had changed so visibly before was now oddly passive, but his eyes were alert and narrowed at her statement.
"Don't you want to know why?"
"Maybe...sometime, but...I'm...I'm just not in the mood right now, Nick," she said still in shock and in an attempt to placate him. Right now all I want to do is get the hell away from you...
"No, Sherry," Nick said firmly as she brushed back her tousled hair with her hand and rose from the bed. "You're going to listen to me. I've got an explanation, and you're going to hear it!"
"Really, Nick...I don't want...."
Positioning himself between her and the door, he stood motionless in front of her -- a tall, powerful figure with determined eyes that compelled her to pay attention.
"Sherry...have you...do you know about DID?"
A subtle, silent exchange passed between Slider and Tea, and Viki felt her heart begin to pound. I can't stand it any longer...I've got to know...
"We're so relieved that you're okay, Tea. Now that we know where you are, well...Sam, I have to do this....is he...is Todd alive?" Viki voiced the one question that had been plaguing her and mentally willed herself to finally accept whatever the truth was.
A stillness seemed to surround the four people facing each other in the apartment -- each turning over ideas in their minds as to what was happening and what the future would bring. Tea saw the pain etched in Viki's face as she posed the question, and Tea's heart went out to her. She remembered what it had been like to believe that he was dead -- even if it had only been temporary.
"Yes, Viki...Todd's alive!"
Viki's eyes misted over and she immediately looked over at Sam and touched his arm. "Everything is fine then...I knew it...somehow I always knew it. Oh, Sam...I've got my brother back!"
"DID?" Sherry's eyes stared blankly at Nick.
"The long name is Dissociative Identity Disorder...have you heard of it?"
"Yes, I've heard of it...multiple personalities..."Three Faces of Eve"..."
Nick held his breath. This is it...she's ready to bolt any minute...this has got to bring her back around...
His eyes lowered as if in shame and then looked at her with bared vulnerability.
"I have it...I have DID."
Sherry blinked with the impact of what he had said and the implication of his previous actions.
No...no...this can't be...
"What are you telling me? That...that episode was..."
Nick's shoulders slumped down and he nodded.
That first day...the first day I ever laid eyes on you...something was different...something about you was so very strange...
"How...how long have you had it?"
"Long enough...maybe over years...I learned to control it, so that I could function."
"Then...that name...Toddy...that's..."
"Yes," Nick's eyes darkened. "He's an alter."
"Are there...others?"
The shadow of a smile passed over his face as he replied. "No...they're gone now."
"You're Todd's sister?" Slider stared at her.
"Yes. He's my half brother."
"Then...you're...Viki Lord."
"Well, it's been awhile, but yes, Todd and I are the children of Victor Lord."
"Todd alive! This is what we hoped for! Where is he...we want to know eve rything!" Sam enthused as Tea's words sank in.
Tea interrupted as her thoughts began to race ahead. "Sorry...but I really need to make a call...right, Slider?"
"What do you mean they're gone...gone where? Look...this is all just too...Nick, first you go off like a some madman and then you drop this DID bombshell on me!"
"I only have one personality left that gives me a problem sometimes," Nick said and his eyebrow arched slightly. "He's a stubborn bastard, too. Doesn't want to let go, and he doesn't want me to have what I need."
"Is that why Slider was protecting you? Did something happen...with the DID that made you hide out?"
Nick wanted to turn to hide his face from her. This is really too easy...she's taking it all in...
"Yes..something happened, and they blamed me," he said in a low voice.
"...Sherry...what you saw...it was a battle for control, that's all. I think it happened because of you."
"Me?"
Crossing his arms, he walked a couple of paces as he talked. "Don't you get it? You're a threat to him. You mean something to me, and this alter knows that."
Shaking her head, Sherry said, "I really think you need to seek professional help, Nick...I'm not the person to..."
Striding toward her, he put both his hands on her shoulders and her skin crawled with his touch. "I've had that...and Slider has been helping me, too...but the process of getting better has a lot to do with hope, Sherry...you're that hope for me."
Sherry opened her mouth to deny what he was saying, but a ringing sound coming from her purse stopped her. Turning back toward the bed, her hand reached over to grab her bag. Another hand shot out and immediately whisked it away from her grasp, and she listened with rising terror to his words.
"No...you're not going to get that!"
