"What the fuck is going on here? Mum what happened? Are you okay?!"

George ran to his mother and consoled her like a good son would.

Melody ran to Todd and hugged his waist. She held on to him with no intention of letting go.

Richard sat up.

He gazed at Mary and then back at his son.

"Why can't you just say the truth? You know you can tell me!" George told his father without words.

It was the language of the eyes. It was a language that could only be understood by people of the same blood or people who loved themselves so much.

"I don't want to drag you into this." Richard told his son with the language of the eyes.

George's mind interpreted it a different way "You're just a kid boy! You won't understand."

George sighed and concentrated on his mother like a 'man' should.

Todd stared at his older brother, then at Alice and finally his gaze was kept on Mary. Mad Mary.

The green in her eyes shone brighter for a spilt second and they dimmed again.

She looked confused.

The skillet dropped from Mary's hands.

Everyone turned to her.

She rubbed her eyes with all her strength as though she could not believe the scene before her.

Her eyes counted the spots and splatters of red on the tiles.

She traced every little red puddle carefully until her sight landed on wounded Richard.

She stared at the burns on his hands and forehead.

Mary began to bite her fingers desperately.

She looked at Alice and every drop from the kind woman's eyes rolled down in slow motion.

Mary gave her hair a violent tussle and began to pull at their black ends.

Hair fell next to the little reds on the tile floor by strands.

"I...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...Please stay...stay...blood, bones, fire on bridges...I'm so sorry...I...I don't...I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm so sorry." Mary began to whimper.

Tears rushed out her eyes.

They did not look brightened by madness. They looked calm green.

She broke into violent tears and her whimper grew into wailing.

Her chest burnt and so did her eyes.

Her heart felt as though someone tried to pull it off her body through her back.

Snot began to crawl towards her lips. She was not so pretty at that point.

Mary looked awful but George did not care. His heart still beat for her and her only.

"I'm sorry." Mary said and ran out of the kitchen as though chased.

George's knee almost made a move but he was too late.

Todd pulled Melody off his body and ran after Mary.

The green eyed crazy had melted his heart as well.

George bit his lips.

"Forget it son. She's not worth it. Todd will realize that soon as well." Richard told his son.

Alice glanced at her son. He shrugged his shoulders and gave a clueless look.

Richard got up and took his phone out of his pocket in haste.

"More calls?" George asked his father.

Richard only smiled at him.

"He's right honey. You should be resting now not making or taking calls." Alice told her husband after her tears had dried off her face, leaving swollen red eyes.

"It's just a patient of mine." Richard lied.

George faked a cough.

Richard looked at his son with murderous intentions in his eyes.

George looked away.

And to his wife he bent over and took her cheeks in his hands.

"I know I'm retired but some of my patients really need me." He said in the loveliest voice.

"Well I'm your number one patient and I need you to stay alive." Alice complained.

"And I will." Richard said.

He kissed his wife's forehead and gazed at his son.

"Come on baby, I'll take you to bed." He told Melody.

The poor little girl held her father's hand with all her strength, hoping he won't toss her away like Todd did.

Soon father and daughter were out of the kitchen.

"Help me clean up this mess George." Alice told her son.

"I will mum. As soon as you tell me what the fuck happened here."

"Language young man."

"At least you're okay." George said after a gentle chuckle.

Alice smiled at her son.

She had not seen him laugh in a while and she loved the brightness in her son's face at that moment. It made her stomach feel warm for some reason.

"Fine I'll tell you. Honestly I don't know." She said.

"What do you mean you don't know? You were here when it happened."

"I'm not saying I didn't witness Mary beat your father like a...I'm just saying it was confusing and so sudden. There was no sensible explanation for her actions. Mary and I were making eggs and bacon for everyone this morning and she was quite normal. She just finished off with the last omelette and the skillet was still on the fire...then..."Alice paused lost in her thoughts for a moment.

"And then what?" Impatient George asked.

Alice remained on pause for a few more seconds and then spoke.

"Then your father walked in...I don't know why but she kept staring at him. The skillet began to heat up on the fire. The oil in it began to dry up and smoke filled the kitchen. I called her several times George but she didn't answer. It was like she was lost. Lost in your father's appearance or lost while she looked at him...It makes no sense but...When he began to walk towards us, she started to scream...she said things that made no sense..."

"What kind of things did she say to dad? What did she say?" George hastened his mother's words like a desperate detective.

"She started to throw the napkins at him and her words were 'Go away...don't come any closer...leave us alone...Go away...Becky put out the fire...Put out the fire...Go away'" Alice said.

George had no words for minutes.

"I know. Like I said, it makes no sense. I'm going to check up on your father." Alice said.

She was still shaky.

Her lower limbs failed her for a moment and she tripped but her son caught her.

George pulled his mother up. Worry filled his eyes.

Not worry from the present but worry for the future.

He looked into his mother's eyes and wondered if she would descend into the dark rivers of insanity like she did when Poodles died.

"Hey you don't have to look at me like that baby. I'll be fine. I promise." She said.

Alice kissed her son's cheek and left the kitchen like everyone did.

George got a bowl of water.

He poured in some detergent and took a brush from one of the cabinets in the kitchen.

He started scrubbing the floor.

After a few more minutes of lather and lemon fragrance cleaning he stopped.

Like a lost child in the park, he stared at the walls and to them he asked the words;

"What is the fuck is going on here?"

"Mary! Wait up! Mary!" Todd called as he ran after Mary Angela. The mad one.

Mary ran to the back of the old wooden mansion.

She sat beside the once dirty pool and whimpered still.

Her legs went into the water. The water made blue by the pool tile stopped just an inch below her knee.

The clear liquid soaked every bit of hair on her skin and cooled her off like a once ignited flame.

"Can I sit?" Todd asked politely.

"Yes you can." Mary said. Her eyes remained focused on her reflection in the still water.

Todd took off his flip flops and sat beside Mary.

The dark hairs on his legs were more visible beneath the waters than on Mary's.

Mary kicked the water as though furious at her reflection.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"There's no problem...Well there is a problem."

"What is it?"

"Well George told me something quite disturbing today. I just wanted to know if it's true." Todd said.

"What did he tell you?" Curious Mary asked.

For some reason, her heart sank down her ribs and a large stone crawled down her throat.

Could she have developed feelings for Todd? Did she like how he knew absolutely nothing about her but showered her with kindness? Had she become used to the attention he gave her?

Questions in their numbers roamed Mary's mind.

She could answer none but knew they all pointed at the same sentence and emotion.

Mary did not want Todd to know of her past with the Beckhams. She wanted him to see her as he always had. Perfect. Just perfect.

"George told me that you killed Poodles. He didn't tell me how...we really didn't finish the discussion but I want you to know that whatever it is you'll say I'll believe you and I won't judge you." Todd said.

Mary took in a deep breath and told Todd all that happened from the first time she met the Beckhams.

She told him the truth.

After she spoke, her heart felt like a bird set free.

She was a bit nervous but she felt lightened of a burden, held in for too long.

Todd smiled and took her hands in his.

"I think I know what's wrong with you Mary. You're not a monster. You're not crazy. You're just sick." He said, while he caressed her wrists with his fingers.

"Sick?" Mary asked.

"Ever heard of Bipolar disorder?" Todd asked in the tone of an enlightened man.

"Bi...Bi..pol"

"Bipolar disorder." George said from a distance not so far.

He had been watching Mary and Todd a while ago after cleaning up the blok stained kitchen tiles.

He wanted to keep his distance and observe quietly as he did earlier that day but this was Todd. Wherever there was Todd and a lady. It spelt trouble. George wanted Mary far from such trouble.

He sat beside Mary, leaving her in the middle of the love triangle.

He kept his eyes on Todd's hands and scoffed.

"It's a disease that has to do with the mental health...um...the mind or the brain if you will...When someone has this sickness, one moment they're completely normal and the next, they're mean and they tend to hurt others. It's like having a demon and an angel in one body. A tug of war between opposing emotions...In most cases the dark part of this disease manifests itself when triggered by an event, sound, word, memory...Something that relates to a dreadful or fearful situation of a past. Do you remember your past before you met our family?" Todd asked.

Mary thought deeply and like a nasty prank, she realized her past was written in blank ink and second-long glitches that made no sense.

She bit her lips hard and tears succumbed to gravity as they slid down her face.

She truly knew nothing of the past except her name and the words 'Becky' and 'Jane'.

"How did you get to this place?" George asked.

"I don't know." Mary said with a hurt heart and aching head.

"How long have you lived here?"

"I...I don't know...I'm sorry."

"Where's your family?"

"I don't know! Leave me alone!" At that point she broke into tears.

"Fuck it George! She doesn't remember a damn thing! What makes you think she'll remember her family! Cut it off, you're hurting her!" Todd yelled.

He took Mary's head against his chest and let her weep to her satisfaction while her every breath brought heat to his chest in gentle taps and paces.

"Typical." George scoffed again.

"Now's not the time George." Todd said dwelling in every minute of his heroic delight.

He lifted Mary off his shoulders and let her eyes meet his.

"It's a horrible Mary and I do not judge you but I pity you instead. I do know one thing though. You can be helped." Todd assured her.

"I can?"

"Sure! My mum is also bipolar but she's made it this far because of my dad. A few therapy sections, prescriptions and other treatments...you'll be as good as new and if effective you might get your memory back." George added, chest high like a proud prince.

"I'll get my memory back?" Mary asked in disbelief but hope.

"Yeah but before that, what happened in there Mary? If you tell us, we can help you some more." George the detective continued.

"George I don't think she..."

"It's alright I'll tell you what happened." Mary cut in Todd's words of mercy.

George smiled, Todd did not.

"Recently I've been having dreams of Mr Richard." Mary began.

"What kind of dreams?" George asked.

"Horrible ones. Very horrible dreams. In these dreams I see flames. A wooden cabin much smaller than this keeps burning...The heat scars my skin and the smoke is so real...I...I get chocked in my sleep sometimes. The scariest part is when a blonde girl tied to a chair starts screaming at a man behind me. The man pins me to the floor. The blonde girl always tells the man 'Leave her alone! This isn't her fault! It yours! Why don't you ask Maria! Go ask her! She knows about the two of us! Stay the hell away from Mary or I'll kill you.' That's what happens in the dream but the weirdest thing is when I look up to see the face of the man who's pinned me down." Mary narrated.

"Who's the man?" Todd asked totally indulged in the tale of the mind's working.

"Your father. The man who pins me down and hurts me is your father." Mary said. Her eyes were on George.

"My dad?" George said.

He tried hard to act surprised but he was not. His father had become suspicious of too much.

"Yes. The man who hurts me is Mr Richard. It's often so clear and frightening. He always has this creepy smile on his face. Then he lashes out and starts beating me up. There are two other people in the cabin during the fire outbreak, but they're both unconscious so I never see their faces in the dream. Mr Richard pounces on me but I escape and start running. I run and run and I fall down a cliff...And that's it. I go blank." Mary paused for a while and then continued.

"So this morning, he walked into the kitchen and smiled normally but then there was this glitch and...I saw it again...The scowl on his face...the flames...the screaming...I don't know what got into me...I was lost and the next thing I knew, I held the skillet and just went blank...I came to and Mr Richard was on the floor all beat up...and you guys were there...I...I...I'm just a total mess." Mary said with sadness that engulfed her every emotion.

Clear tears resumed their journey down her cheeks.

Todd wiped the tears off her cheeks in gentle motion "You're not a mess Mary. You're a patient unattended to. You'll be fine I promise. First we need to get you to Richard. He's a doctor and he'll help you like he did for Ali..."

"No! I...I'm sorry but...I don't trust him." Mary opposed.

"But..."

"Let her be Todd. If she doesn't trust my dad it's not her fault."

"It's alright. If you don't trust my brother at least trust me. I'll find a way. There's the internet and I can get medical info off my big bro. You'll be fine because I'll help you." Todd said while he took Mary's hands in his.

Every finger off theirs was clasped like a romantic movie.

George rolled his eyes.

Mary tried to smile.

At that moment, the sight of Todd became a glitch and for a second, he changed.

His voice remained but his face was different.

His appearance was replaced by that of a handsome tanned teenager with black curls for hair which stopped below his neck.

This new face had brown eyes. Bold brown eyes.
He smiled at Mary.

She blinked hard and slapped her head slightly. The image disappeared.

It was Todd's norm face again.

"Are you okay?" Todd asked.

"No it's...I thought I saw someone else...I'm fine." Mary said.

"This is a good thing. I think your memory's coming back by bits and pieces." George said.

"Well that's a true fact but before we deal with it and start with plans on helping you. You should apologize to everyone and freshen up. I'll help you talk to them. Let's go." Todd said.

He took Mary's hands like a perfect boyfriend and led her from the back of the house.

George stared at the both of them and did nothing.

He just stared at the distance and beaded Mary's words together, along with his father's recent actions.

Like as though he spoke to a friend deemed invisible, he looked at his reflection in the pool and in a bold voice asked;

"What the fuck is going on here?"