By the time Rachel jolted awake from her nightmare, it was already morning. Like a shadow, the nightmares clung to her every night since Justin told her about the grudge between him and Jefferey that day in the hospital stairwell. The fire, the forest…
She had a strange and inexplicable feeling that they were familiar to her in some way. In the dream, there was a loud banging noise that kept on rattling loudly against her temples. Presently, she violently opened her eyes, and it was only after being jolted awake for a moment that she realized someone was knocking at her door.
“Rachel? Rachel!”
Victor? Pulling the covers off her, she got out of bed and opened the door to see Victor standing there holding bags of all sizes. The wound on his face had yet to heal and one of his arms was still in a sling, but his uninjured one was carrying a large number of items. “I thought you weren’t home, Rachel. You took so long to open the door.”
Quickly, she ushered him in and picked up the kettle to pour him a glass of water. Why are you here?
“Oh-there’s no need to busy yourself, Rachel. I’ll be leaving now; I’m simply here to deliver the goods that Madam Tiller said you could use.”
What goods? Subconsciously, she lifted her eyes to look into the bags. However, her hand trembled and she nearly scalded herself. Many of the packages inside the bags were marked with the logos of baby and maternity brands. Instantly, the light in her eyes dimmed.
It was likely that Nancy was looking forward to the birth of this child. Rachel had no idea how she was going to tell her grandmother there would no longer be a child, just like she hadn’t known how to tell her that she was pregnant. Suddenly, she burst into a fit of coughing.
“Are you feeling okay, Rachel?” Victor asked.
I’m fine. I just have a bit of a cold.
Taking in the cold medicine on the table, Victor felt a bit vexed. If he had known Rachel had a cold, he would have come to visit her sooner.
After a moment of silence, he remembered something important and searched through the bags at his feet to pull out a white canvas bag. “By the way, Madam Tiller said I had to deliver this to you. The rest aren’t as important.”
Coming back to her senses, Rachel took the canvas bag from his hands.
Before she even looked inside, she already knew what it was.
It was the ‘wooden box’-the item that her mother left behind.
Having no opposition to Victor’s presence, she pulled out the box in front of him and studied it closely.
“What’s that?”
Something my mother left behind. I have no idea what it is.
“There’s writing carved on top.”
“That cough is pretty bad, Rachel. Maybe you should take some medicine right now. I’ll go get you a spoon!” He stood up immediately.
Very soon, the syrupy smell of medicine wafted throughout the room. After taking it, Rachel sat at the table and stared absent-mindedly at the packaging that the medicine came in, happening to face the side with the medicine’s ingredients listed on it.
Perhaps due to her cold, her brain was hazy, and the writing on the packaging and the wooden box started to drift together. Almost of their own accord, the numbers on the wooden box scrambled atop the formula.
With sudden inspiration, her mind linked them together. The herbs, the dosages… They fit! It was then that
she knew
As Rachel stared down at the six-sided wooden box in front of her, she realized that each side had a different combination of numbers. All of a sudden, she felt like she was enlightened. Six traditional Hudson medicine formulas, all corresponding with the numbers on the box.
“Rachel…” Victor’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.
Startled back to her senses, she stared at him.
“Are you okay, Rachel? Your phone has been ringing for a long time.”
Distractedly, she looked down, only to discover an incoming call on her cell phone from her grandmother.
“Has Victor delivered you the items, Rae?”
Pressing the hands-free mode, Rachel gave him a slight smile.
Understanding her meaning, he immediately said, “I have, Madam Tiller. Don’t you trust me?”
Upon hearing that, Nancy grumbled, “It would be strange if I did, considering you broke your arm in the few days since I last saw you.”
“That was an accident,” he lied flawlessly before continuing with a jovial smile,”-and I have delivered the items.”
“Well, did you inform her what I told you to?”
“Uh…”
“I knew you’d forget!” Nancy crowed before emphasizing, “Pizza. You must eat pizza today, Rae.”
Confused, Victor asked, “What pizza?”
As she realized what her grandmother meant, Rachel felt her nose itch all of a sudden. Today was her birthday and Nancy had remembered when Rachel herself had not.
Meanwhile, Nancy continued, “There’s a pizza in a ziplock bag. If you have a servant, have the servant heat it
up for you. It’s very convenient. You always liked eating pizza on your birthday.”
Upon hearing that, Rachel felt her eyes reddened and tears nearly rolled down her cheeks.
Scratching his head, Victor mumbled, “I didn’t know it was your birthday today, Rachel.” And then, to the phone, he added, “Don’t worry, Madam Tiller. I’ll heat the pizza up for her.”
As she listened to her grandmother instruct him, she swallowed back the thickness in her throat but her tears kept falling
Upon finally hanging up, he was at a loss. “Don’t cry, Rachel! It’s my fault. I didn’t know it was your birthday.”
Nonetheless, she shook her head. She, too, had forgotten.
As Victor bustled away to the kitchen to heat up the pizza, he insisted on ordering a birthday cake as well. However, he was talking to thin air and did not realize that Rachel was looking strange and spacing out. For her part, she continued to stare at the ‘wooden box’ on the table, clenching her fists.
The box might be her last resort for getting rid of Justin. Even if she didn’t do it for herself, she had to find a
way out of this cycle for her grandmother’s sake.
Meanwhile, far away, a black business car was speeding down the highway. Justin was on his way back to Riverdale from Brookville.
“Alright. As long as it’s there before nightfall.” From the passenger seat, Frankie hung up the phone before saying over his shoulder, “Someone is on their way to deliver the things you arranged for, President Burton.”
Justin inclined his head slightly. “How long until we get back to Riverdale?”
Looking at his watch, Frankie gave an estimate. “About five hours.”
Meanwhile, the driver, Ramsey, couldn’t help interjecting, “Riverdale is very far from Brookville, President Burton. What is so urgent that you had to hurry back to Riverdale today and then back to Brookville for a meeting tonight? That’s such a long journey.”
Chuckling, Frankie interrupted, “Well, here’s what you don’t know, Ramsey. It’s Mrs. Burton’s birthday today, so of course President Burton has to hurry back.”
“Mrs. Burton?” Ramsey repeated before he paused.
Isn’t President Burton already divorced? he thought. What does Frankie mean by ‘Mrs. Burton’? Of course, he didn’t dare voice such thoughts out loud.
Feeling Justin’s cold glare on him, Frankie shuddered and decided to shut his mouth. He stopped smiling, thereafter sinking back into his seat meekly and quietly.
Just like that, the interior of the car was silent apart from the sound of the wind whistling outside. Absent mindedly. Justin looked out of the window.
These few days, he had been regretting scaring Rachel by speaking to her in an overly harsh manner at the hospital. It was just that he couldn’t think of another way to make her stay in Riverdale.
Her attitude that day had incensed him and if she ran away again, the consequences could be unimaginable. After all, the conference in Brookeville required a lot of time-time he wouldn’t necessarily have for her if anything happened to her. Moreover, the worst consequence wouldn’t be her escape but someone secretly taking advantage of it.
