"Oh yeah, I went around screaming from the rooftops 'hello total strangers, for the past two days I've turned into a fucking lizard'." Kessie raked her fingers back through her hair, eyes darting warily around the room; the cheap blinds got a notice, as did the IKEA furniture, and she slung her duffel and briefcase on the couch.
It was always...strange, to her. Other peoples' houses. The way they lived. Marcus's home was pretty stereotypically a bachelor pad,but his collection of books and movies was interesting...a flash of color from the kitchen caught her eye, and she wandered into it, looking over the fridge. Family members. Brothers and sisters and cousins, nieces and nephews. Most she'd never been allowed to see.
Most thought she was a basketcase, after all.
But--there, half-hidden; the Christmas card they'd sent out. The last Christmas they were a family. She and Michael and Lukas...her fingers trembled as she plucked the picture from the mass of pictures, traced her son's face. Her baby boy. He'd been so happy that year...she'd gotten him his first bow, a small one. Had been planning to teach him how to shoot. Michael had protested, but she'd been so insistent. It was her family, she'd argued. She'd learned from her mother, and she wanted Lukas to learn from her.
It hadn't been too long after that Michael had sent her away. Declared her insane and stolen her son out from under her, locked her away like an animal.
"...I can't believe you still have this." Her voice was quiet, shaky. "My boy. Didn't think you'd keep the family this way. I don't even have a copy of this, any more. Michael took...everything. Everything. I only have what my parents were able to...to snatch away from him before he took Lukas away."
Carefully sliding the picture back into place, she turned to face her cousin again, eyes flickering and dark. "I know you think I'm a drug addict or crazy or both. You're just waiting for the shoe to drop. For...for me to start screaming about withdrawl or begging for drugs or money for drugs or...something. But I'm not, Marcus. I'm not. Something has happened to me."