“Lisa-Marie, what can I say?” It seemed like an awful way to greet someone when they had just woken from a coma, but it was a start.
I rushed over to her and she held her arms out to me. “You’re looking so well.”
“What can I say? It’s just me, I guess.” She winked. “So, what’s been going on?”
Pulling my coat off, I sat down in the chair beside her and watched as Catherine sat on the bed and held her hand.
“Not much. Just a little of this and that.”
“Out saving the world again?”
I smiled, thinking she certainly hadn’t lost her sense of humour. “Something like that,” I chuckled.
Lisa-Marie looked up at Catherine, then back at me. “Catherine told me you told her about the train.”
“I had to tell her, Lisa-Marie. I felt I owed her that much. She was suffering. I needed her to know there was hope.”
“What made you think there was any hope?”
“Well, I figured if you had survived a train crash and getting shot, you could survive anything.”
Lisa-Marie laughed heartily, but Catherine scowled at her. “This isn’t funny, Lisa-Marie. I almost lost you.”
“I know, babes. But, you have to admit, it is kind of funny. Maybe I’m superwoman.”
A laugh spluttered through my teeth, raising a smile from Catherine. “I know what you’re saying, but it still scared the shit out of me.”
“She hasn’t left your side, Lisa-Marie.”
Looking up at Catherine, Lisa-Marie intertwined their fingers. “I know.”
Caroline smiled. “Where are your parents?”
She sighed and looked over at me. “They were here, but I asked them to leave for a bit so I could talk to Cassie.”
Catherine straightened her back. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No, of course not. You can stay. It’s just a bit delicate talking about this in front of my mum and dad. I just want to talk about that night. I want to make sure I don’t get you into any trouble with the story I’m going to tell the police.”
My heart ached when I thought about Lisa-Marie even contemplating lying for me if I asked her. She was a true friend.
“I would never ask you to lie for me, Lisa-Marie.”
“I know you wouldn’t. But I still want to make sure you’re okay with what I tell them.”
“Just tell them the truth. You can obviously tell me, but you have to be honest about everything.”
Taking a deep breath, Lisa-Marie’s eyes glazed over as she stared ahead. “I came around to see you that evening. On my way to the shops, I thought I would just pop by and see how you were getting on. I knew you had this new job prospect and just wanted to make sure you were happy. I also wanted to see if you wanted to go out over the weekend.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t make that.”
“I’m sorry, too,” she smiled. “Anyway, I knocked on your door and waited for a few seconds. When you didn’t answer, I was about to turn away when the door opened. That girl answered. She said she was your best friend from school and was waiting for you to return from the shops. She seemed friendly enough so, when she asked me in, I entered.”
Lisa-Marie took a deep breath. “The minute she shut the door, she started asking questions about who I was and how I felt about the train crash. I obviously knew that she knew, so I told her. I had nothing but praise and adulation for you. Instead of her acting like a best friend, everything I said just seemed to anger her further. In the end, I felt a little uncomfortable. I got up to leave so I could call you as soon as I left. Something didn’t sit right with me, and now I knew I was right.”
I felt my gut clench. Lisa-Marie was a good person who didn’t deserve anything that happened to her that day. I knew that from the moment I touched her hand, which was why I implored her not to take that train. And now the guilt for what happened this time was riding through me. It was hard not to feel anger the whole time Lisa-Marie was telling me. It was hard not to scream in rage. I’ve always thought the word “hate” was a very strong word, but it came close to how I felt about Kali. She took my parents away from me, betrayed a true friend, and tried to take another from me. Who wouldn’t hate someone for that?
The atmosphere in the room was silent as Lisa-Marie continued, “When I made my excuses to leave, she got out her gun and pointed it at me. She started saying something to the effect of how you going out saving the world is stopping it from going around. She started babbling on about angels. She really didn’t make any sense.
“Anyway, she made it clear to me that I should be dead, and I knew she meant every word. I tried to flee, but she shot me. I don’t remember anything after that.”