Lennox McCaskill's Blog - Posts Tagged "annalise"
The Conscience of Annalise (Part 4)
Part 3
"Annalise?"
Who is that? The voice was soft and welcoming. She thought it was her mother at first, and the thought pleased her.
"Annalise, can you hear me?"
But then she realized that it wasn't her mother, her mother was gone. Annalise opened her eyes slowly as they would had she woken up from a long sleep and as her vision cleared she realized that she wasn't in her bed.
Far from it.
Sitting across from her at a long rectangular table in a dimly lit room was a woman who looked nothing like her mother. She had gray hair and a wore a brown shirt that was buttoned up to the neck. There was a smile on her face but it didn't match the expression in her eyes, which were strangely focused.
Annalise soon realized where she was as she gazed into the reflective glass panel behind the woman.
"Of course I can hear you," Annalise replied after an angry sigh. "I've been listening to you this whole time."
"Do you remember what we were just talking about?" the woman asked. "About what happened when you were...trapped in the bathroom?"
Annalise closed her eyes and nodded. "How could I forget? I was so scared..."
"Of Malcolm?" the woman interjected.
"Why are we talking about this?" replied Annalise. "I've told you everything that I remember...don't you believe me?"
The woman nodded as if to say 'of course' before glancing back over her shoulder at the glass panel. When she turned her head back around her smile faded.
"Annalise do you remember how you got here?" she asked.
"Of course I..." Annalise paused as she searched for the memory but drew a blank. That was strange. "I don't know. Why are you asking me these questions? Look you don't understand, Mal is a psycho. He killed Sawyer, he wants to kill my step-dad, and he tried to kill..."
Annalise's voice trailed off. She had moved to show the woman the wound on her hand from where Malcolm had stabbed her. However, a tight pull stopped her short. Her hands were cuffed to the table.
"What is going on?" she asked shakily. "Why am I wearing handcuffs?"
"Annalise," began the woman. "Stay calm. Try to think about the night you're step-father came home. Where..."
"What's going on?!" Annalise shouted as realized that her legs were also chained. "Why are you doing this? I didn't do anything...why are you doing this?"
"Just try to stay calm..."
Annalise screamed with rage as she slammed her fists on the table. "Stop saying that! Let me go!"
"We can't let you go Annalise," the woman replied after a startled jump.
Annalise shot up from the table and peered into the glass panel. It was then that she saw the orange jumpsuit draped over her frame in the reflection.
"What the hell is happening?!"
The woman made an easing motion with her hands "Annalise, you need to calm..."
"Why are you doing this to me?" Annalise returned. "I haven't do anything wrong? I'm a victim! Mal is still out there, he is the one you want!"
"Malcolm..." began the woman. "Mal, isn't real."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" replied Annalise. "I know he's real! He was my boyfriend. He is real and he wants to kill people. He tried to..."
She gasped as she looked over her hands. There was no stab wound, no scar, there wasn't even a bruise. Confused, Annalise slowly sunk back down in the chair.
"Annalise, try to focus on my voice," the woman spoke softly. "It is very important that you tell me what you remember."
"He tried to kill me. I ran to the bathroom and locked myself in. I opened the door and...I thought I woke up in bed. But I'm in here," Annalise replied, staring at the woman through the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "I'm not crazy."
"Nobody said you were, dear."
"But you are...I'm not crazy," Annalise muttered again.
The woman nodded and flashed a reassuring smile. "I know. You've just been a little confused, that's all. But don't worry, we've been through this before and you're doing great. Now you had said your step-father was coming home that night you had the dream about the bathroom. Do you remember when he actually arrived?"
"It wasn't a dream," Annalise replied.
The woman flashed another smile. This one seemed fake and immediately made Annalise question all the other times the woman had smiled at her. "I know it seemed very real to you, Annalise. But try to focus on my words. Do you remember what happened to your step-father when he came home?"
"You're talking to me like I'm crazy."
"I'm just trying to help you remember," the woman returned. "It's very important that you remember. We need to know where to find your step-father and the rest of them so we..."
"The rest of them?" Annalise muttered. "What are you talking about?" The woman took another quick glance over her shoulder, infuriating Annalise. "Who do you keep looking at? Is it Steve? Is he back there? Is he doing this?"
"Annalise," the woman began slowly as she seemed to be questioning something. Finally, she returned a defeated look. "Your step-father is dead."
"No! No, no, he isn't and even if he was you just said you were looking for him..." Annalise countered, her voice trembling. "You just said that!"
"We are looking for...the rest of him," the woman replied grimly. "We are also looking for a pair of Sawyer's friends, Megan Harris and Betty Thomas. They disappeared last week shortly after Sawyer's body was found. Annalise, you and I have spoken about them before. You said they were mean to you, like Sawyer...like your step-father. Do you remember those conversations?"
Annalise's head was spinning. The woman wasn't making sense. Betty and Megan couldn't have been gone. Malcolm said he had seen them walking home just yesterday...or the day before. She couldn't remember now. This woman was confusing and was making her feel bad for things that had nothing to do with her. None of this had anything to do with her.
"Mal did it," replied Annalise. "Whatever happened to Sawyer, whatever has happened...he did it. I don't know why you're keeping me here but if any thing bad has happened then it was Mal. He did it! He's the crazy one, I'm not!"
"Annalise, no one is using that word here, okay?" the woman replied cautiously. "But Mal is not...Annalise, I believe this Mal might be someone that you imagined. He's someone that you may have gotten very wrong advice from. Someone who made you do bad things to several people."
"I'm not crazy!" Annalise suddenly screamed. She held her breath, letting her face grow bright red until the woman, the room, everything went dark.
The next thing she remembered was beating against the table wildly like she had on the bathroom door. "I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!" she berated. She had no idea how long it took her to stop, but when she did the woman that had sat across from her was gone.
Annalise sobbed loudly as she glanced down at the puddle of blood underneath her fists. "I'm not crazy..." she whispered one last time. The crying continued and Annalise sunk her head as she found herself again alone and trapped in a room.
"Annalise?"
Who is that? The voice was soft and welcoming. She thought it was her mother at first, and the thought pleased her.
"Annalise, can you hear me?"
But then she realized that it wasn't her mother, her mother was gone. Annalise opened her eyes slowly as they would had she woken up from a long sleep and as her vision cleared she realized that she wasn't in her bed.
Far from it.
Sitting across from her at a long rectangular table in a dimly lit room was a woman who looked nothing like her mother. She had gray hair and a wore a brown shirt that was buttoned up to the neck. There was a smile on her face but it didn't match the expression in her eyes, which were strangely focused.
Annalise soon realized where she was as she gazed into the reflective glass panel behind the woman.
"Of course I can hear you," Annalise replied after an angry sigh. "I've been listening to you this whole time."
"Do you remember what we were just talking about?" the woman asked. "About what happened when you were...trapped in the bathroom?"
Annalise closed her eyes and nodded. "How could I forget? I was so scared..."
"Of Malcolm?" the woman interjected.
"Why are we talking about this?" replied Annalise. "I've told you everything that I remember...don't you believe me?"
The woman nodded as if to say 'of course' before glancing back over her shoulder at the glass panel. When she turned her head back around her smile faded.
"Annalise do you remember how you got here?" she asked.
"Of course I..." Annalise paused as she searched for the memory but drew a blank. That was strange. "I don't know. Why are you asking me these questions? Look you don't understand, Mal is a psycho. He killed Sawyer, he wants to kill my step-dad, and he tried to kill..."
Annalise's voice trailed off. She had moved to show the woman the wound on her hand from where Malcolm had stabbed her. However, a tight pull stopped her short. Her hands were cuffed to the table.
"What is going on?" she asked shakily. "Why am I wearing handcuffs?"
"Annalise," began the woman. "Stay calm. Try to think about the night you're step-father came home. Where..."
"What's going on?!" Annalise shouted as realized that her legs were also chained. "Why are you doing this? I didn't do anything...why are you doing this?"
"Just try to stay calm..."
Annalise screamed with rage as she slammed her fists on the table. "Stop saying that! Let me go!"
"We can't let you go Annalise," the woman replied after a startled jump.
Annalise shot up from the table and peered into the glass panel. It was then that she saw the orange jumpsuit draped over her frame in the reflection.
"What the hell is happening?!"
The woman made an easing motion with her hands "Annalise, you need to calm..."
"Why are you doing this to me?" Annalise returned. "I haven't do anything wrong? I'm a victim! Mal is still out there, he is the one you want!"
"Malcolm..." began the woman. "Mal, isn't real."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" replied Annalise. "I know he's real! He was my boyfriend. He is real and he wants to kill people. He tried to..."
She gasped as she looked over her hands. There was no stab wound, no scar, there wasn't even a bruise. Confused, Annalise slowly sunk back down in the chair.
"Annalise, try to focus on my voice," the woman spoke softly. "It is very important that you tell me what you remember."
"He tried to kill me. I ran to the bathroom and locked myself in. I opened the door and...I thought I woke up in bed. But I'm in here," Annalise replied, staring at the woman through the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "I'm not crazy."
"Nobody said you were, dear."
"But you are...I'm not crazy," Annalise muttered again.
The woman nodded and flashed a reassuring smile. "I know. You've just been a little confused, that's all. But don't worry, we've been through this before and you're doing great. Now you had said your step-father was coming home that night you had the dream about the bathroom. Do you remember when he actually arrived?"
"It wasn't a dream," Annalise replied.
The woman flashed another smile. This one seemed fake and immediately made Annalise question all the other times the woman had smiled at her. "I know it seemed very real to you, Annalise. But try to focus on my words. Do you remember what happened to your step-father when he came home?"
"You're talking to me like I'm crazy."
"I'm just trying to help you remember," the woman returned. "It's very important that you remember. We need to know where to find your step-father and the rest of them so we..."
"The rest of them?" Annalise muttered. "What are you talking about?" The woman took another quick glance over her shoulder, infuriating Annalise. "Who do you keep looking at? Is it Steve? Is he back there? Is he doing this?"
"Annalise," the woman began slowly as she seemed to be questioning something. Finally, she returned a defeated look. "Your step-father is dead."
"No! No, no, he isn't and even if he was you just said you were looking for him..." Annalise countered, her voice trembling. "You just said that!"
"We are looking for...the rest of him," the woman replied grimly. "We are also looking for a pair of Sawyer's friends, Megan Harris and Betty Thomas. They disappeared last week shortly after Sawyer's body was found. Annalise, you and I have spoken about them before. You said they were mean to you, like Sawyer...like your step-father. Do you remember those conversations?"
Annalise's head was spinning. The woman wasn't making sense. Betty and Megan couldn't have been gone. Malcolm said he had seen them walking home just yesterday...or the day before. She couldn't remember now. This woman was confusing and was making her feel bad for things that had nothing to do with her. None of this had anything to do with her.
"Mal did it," replied Annalise. "Whatever happened to Sawyer, whatever has happened...he did it. I don't know why you're keeping me here but if any thing bad has happened then it was Mal. He did it! He's the crazy one, I'm not!"
"Annalise, no one is using that word here, okay?" the woman replied cautiously. "But Mal is not...Annalise, I believe this Mal might be someone that you imagined. He's someone that you may have gotten very wrong advice from. Someone who made you do bad things to several people."
"I'm not crazy!" Annalise suddenly screamed. She held her breath, letting her face grow bright red until the woman, the room, everything went dark.
The next thing she remembered was beating against the table wildly like she had on the bathroom door. "I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy! I'm not crazy!" she berated. She had no idea how long it took her to stop, but when she did the woman that had sat across from her was gone.
Annalise sobbed loudly as she glanced down at the puddle of blood underneath her fists. "I'm not crazy..." she whispered one last time. The crying continued and Annalise sunk her head as she found herself again alone and trapped in a room.
