Artificial Heart

Dinner wasn’t as uncomfortable as she expected. Freddy was talkative. Innocent and exuberant at fourteen-years-old. Troy and Emily were also very welcoming, giving the sisters their couch as they sat on the floor to eat. Scott squeezed in beside Prisha. There was no dining table. He kept apologising as they knocked elbows. Sauce dripped onto Prisha’s shirt. The T.V. was blaring.

The other two remained on the second couch—did they ever leave it?—aloof, though their eyes kept swivelling towards Renee. Leanne maintained her snooty air. Prisha felt great pleasure in their little lie. She felt more secure in herself, more safe, like there was a big strong wall between her and everyone else. As for Renee, the smug look on her face told Prisha she was enjoying herself even more than she was.

When they were done, Scott got up to get her a serviette.

‘Thank you,’ Prisha said, wiping her hands. ‘So … what’s going to happen with you? What are you going to do about your job?’

‘I’m taking a few days off—mental health reasons.’

‘Ah. Will they accept that?’

Scott snorted. ‘No. I’ll be in trouble.’ He shrugged. ‘What are they going to do? Fire me? There’s not enough cops to go around.’

Prisha frowned at him.

‘Don’t worry. It’s my problem.’

The room was very quiet. She looked around to find the others listening in closely.

‘How did you find her, Scott?’ Sangha asked. ‘What exactly happened?’

Prisha watched safely from her little spot as the couple leaned over their laps, ignoring Prisha completely as they focused on Scott and Renee.

Renee smirked as she spoke her lies.

Later that evening, Prisha sat on the balcony with her feet up on the rail, reading a magazine. She deliberately avoided her phone, leaving it in her bedroom. She’d already told her clients she’d be on vacation for the week, but she’d brought her laptop anyway. She was grateful to have a job she could take with her.

Unlike Scott—and Renee.

Prisha chewed her lip guiltily. She picked up her glass of wine and took another drink. The others had mostly left her alone. Renee was the centre of attention, and it was a relief. Prisha could hear them now, trying to get some answers out of her.

‘Yeah, he’s got a tentacle for a penis,’ Renee said.

Leanne murmured something.

’Of course I’m lying! There’s no way I’m telling you what he looks like! Use your own perverted imagination. Jeez.’

Prisha laughed.

It was getting late by the time Emily and Sangha finally left, looking disgruntled. Prisha watched from the balcony as they got in their car and drove away. The rain had stopped hours ago and Scott had been kind enough to bring up her suitcase—and Alf’s box. She hadn’t yet unpacked anything. She doubted she would, doubting she would be here for long.

Prisha leaned back in her seat with a sigh. Yummy smells were coming from the kitchen. She stared up at the sky, thinking. There were so many more visible stars here. Alf’s face drifted across her mind, as it always did.

‘You’ve been out here a while.’

She sat up. The magazine slipped from her chest. ‘Uh … hi, Scott.’

He stood beside her, arms folded as he, too, looked up at the stars. His blue eyes twinkled along with them.

‘Amazing,’ he said. ‘Incredible. I still can’t believe it. I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to go back to my old life, knowing what I know now.’

‘I know what you mean. It all seems so incredibly mundane now, doesn’t it? Almost pointless.’

‘As much as we’re kind of on the run, I feel free,’ he said wistfully. ‘I feel freer than I’ve ever felt before.’

‘Strange that you should think so,’ Prisha said. ‘I thought I was the only one. My sister doesn’t get it.’

He looked at her. ‘How do you feel about this place? Okay? I’m sorry about those two …’

Prisha waved it away. ’Already forgotten them. Troy and the others are very nice. Very good people.’ She frowned. ‘I worry for them.’

‘It’s what they like to do. They like to help people.’

Prisha turned her eyes back to the sky as they fell silent. The moon was only small but its halo of light made the stars around it shrink away. Down below was a sea of houses. The neighbourhood was quiet.

‘Do you miss him?’ he asked.

‘Every moment.’

‘You haven’t told me much about him. What’s he like?’ He gave a knowing smile. ‘I can’t trust your sister.’

‘No,’ Prisha laughed. ‘She’s a great liar.’

Before she could answer, Freddy poked his head through the doorway. ‘Dessert’s ready!’

Scott shrugged, gave her an awkward smile, then went inside.

Nothing happened over the next two days. Troy, Emily and Frederick came and went. Prisha and Renee went for a couple of walks together, exploring the neighbourhood. Prisha played with Hulk, their pitbull mix, several times. And she slept—a lot.

Talk about mundane. Who would have thought that being on the run could be so boring? The only curious thing was the three missed calls on her phone. Two occurred that morning. One the previous afternoon. They were all different and unknown with strange area codes. Prisha had let them ring through at Scott’s advice.

Her heart raced at the thought of who they might be.

Them.

At least the days were clear, and it was warmer up here. Prisha took the opportunity to get back into some of her usual routine.

‘You’re really fit for an older woman,’ Emily told her as Prisha returned to the house after her usual run.

’Er … thanks. But I’m not that old.’ Prisha wiped the back of her neck with her towel. The house was half empty, Troy at work, Freddy at school. Leanne and Sangha hadn’t returned since the first day. Renee was out in Emily’s car, shopping. Scott was having a nap in his room.

‘Sorry,’ the woman said with a grimace. ‘Didn’t mean anything by it. I’m jealous. You’re fitter than I am.’

Prisha gripped her stomach with a wince.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Probably just pushed myself too hard. Happens sometimes.’

A lie. But she wasn’t about to make the girl worry.

Her knees buckled. She staggered over to the couch and flopped down. She dropped her head between her knees and took several deep breaths.

‘Are you okay?’ Emily said, hovering over her anxiously. ‘Did you want me to get you something? Maybe you should lie down.’

‘I’m okay,’ Prisha panted. ‘I’m okay.’

But she swung her legs up and stretched herself out, putting her feet up on the arm so that they were higher than her head. Nausea swirled. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. The room blackened, then turned bright again.

‘I’ll go get Scott.’

‘No, don’t wake him. What’s he going to do? He’s a cop, not a doctor.’ She grabbed at her belly with a wince. ‘Feels like period pain.’

The woman’s eyebrows sprang up. ‘You still get your period?’

Prisha gave her an ugly look. ’Yes! Jesus, I’m not that fucking old.’

’Sorry. Sorry!’

Prisha pulled herself upright. ‘You got any stuff? I forgot to bring some.’

‘Yeah.’

She rushed away.

Shakily, Prisha stood. Clutching at her stomach, she braced her hand up against the wall to keep herself steady as she made her way to the bathroom. The moment she closed the door, she dropped to her knees and vomited into the toilet.

‘Ick.’

Emily tapped lightly at the door. ‘I’ve got them.’

‘Come in,’ Prisha coughed.

The door opened. The woman grimaced at the sight of her on the floor. ‘Oh, you’re sick. You’re so pale.’

Prisha held out her hand without response and Emily handed the pack of tampons over. ‘Thanks,’ she grunted.

Emily left.

Prisha heaved herself up and pulled down her underwear. Nothing. Nothing on the toilet paper either. Prisha frowned. The nausea was gone now. The pain was easing. After a few minutes, she stood and flushed.

‘You all right?’ Emily got up from the couch as Prisha entered the living room, wiping the sweat from the back of her neck with her hand.

‘Yeah. Feel better now. Got any Panadol?’

‘Yeah.’ And she hurried into the kitchen.

Prisha flopped back onto the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted. Maybe she really had pushed herself too hard on her run.

Emily reappeared with a glass of water and some tablets.

‘Thanks.’ Prisha swallowed them down.

The woman sat beside her, hands tucked between her legs. Prisha put her glass down on the coffee table.

‘Scott told us, you know. Me and Troy,’ the woman said.

‘Told you what?’

‘The truth. That it’s you, not your sister, who was abducted.’

’Oh.’

Prisha sat up tall against the arm of the chair. The woman was watching her closely. Prisha couldn’t look at her. Instead, she took another drink of water. Her hand was shaking.

‘You didn’t have to lie but I see why you did,’ Emily said. ‘You don’t think these pains have anything to do with what he did to you?’

‘No,’ she lied.

‘That metal box …’

‘ … is none of your business.’

Emily nodded solemnly. ’Okay. Just don’t keep too much to yourself. You don’t have to be alone in this.’

‘Thank you,’ Prisha said, staring hard into her lap.

They both looked over at the sound of Prisha’s phone ringing. She grabbed it up from the coffee table. Now that Sangha and Leanne were gone there was no more smoking, the counter wiped clean, the ashtray emptied.

Prisha had assumed it was another unknown number, but it was Renee.

‘What’s up?’ Prisha asked.

Prisha jerked the phone away. ‘Prish, they’ve got me!’ Renee screamed down the phone. ‘They’ve got me! They think I’m you and they’ve got me!’

‘What? Who? Who’s got you?’ Prisha shouted back.

‘That stupid tattooed Bog …’ the phone broke off.

‘What? What’s going on?’ Emily hissed.

Prisha tried to dial back but it rang out.

‘My sister! Someone’s got Renee! Your stupid friends have got her!’

The woman went pale. ‘I’ll get Scott!’

Prisha tried her phone again. ‘Come on, Nay, tell me you’re okay.’

It rang out again.

There came the stomping of heavy footsteps. Scott’s hair was dishevelled. He was groggy but wide-eyed. ‘What do you mean they’ve got her?’

‘Your friends. Your stupid Goddamn friends! You said we could trust them! You said we would be safe!’

‘Which friends?’

‘Sangha and Leanne!’ Emily exclaimed.

Scott shook his head, still trying to wake up.

‘Where’s your keys? We have to get to the shop!’ Prisha cried.

‘If they’re even there,’ he said.

‘We’ve got to try!’