Scattered

By Sandra Madera

Rebecca Ardsley was a witness to a traumatic event that she cannot remember. All she knows is she was found wandering in the woods in the early morning hours, suffering from shock. She hasn’t seen her friends and family in months. When she is released from a recovery facility, she finds it hard to adapt and return to the friends she has known her whole life. Feeling like a stranger in a foreign land, Rebecca realizes the only way to settle what happened is to release the memories that are trapped in her own mind. Even at risk of her own life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sandra Madera
• Release date: Nov 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310608810

Sandra Madera

Sandra Madera currently resides in New York and is a college graduate, obtaining her bachelor's degree in science. However, her true passion has always been reading and writing. She has been writing short stories since she was a child. Upon publishing a number of free short works, she published full-length YA works; the Restraint Trilogy and the Wicked Willow Series. She is currently working on her next novel. For free YA short story downloads and for information on upcoming novels visit www.sandramadera.com and http://sandra-madera.blogspot.com.

Book preview

SCATTERED

by

Sandra Madera

Edited by Susan Blevins

EBOOK EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY

SandraMadera.com

Scattered

Copyright © 2013 by Sandra Madera

Ebook Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be altered, re-sold, or given away to other people. This story is FREE and does not require payment. If you’re reading this book and did not download it from SandraMadera.com or other legitimate online bookstore, please download a legitimate copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

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Twisting a tissue in her hands, Rebecca Ardsley looked up nervously. I think I am ready to go home, she announced as she sat upright on the brown leather couch, fidgeting.

Dr. Nathaniel Miller sat across from her in a tufted chair which was positioned at the perfect forty-five degree angle thought to be conducive to therapeutic communication. However, Rebecca thought such tactics were translucent. His open-ended questions were designed to elicit her inner feelings, but she found them tedious.

Wearing a brown suit that matched his chestnut hair, Dr. Miller was young compared to the other psychiatrists in the facility, appearing no more than thirty years old. His age made him less intimidating and perhaps easier to talk to than most. Rebecca often wondered if that was why they assigned Dr. Miller to her case. His ability to be relatable and, yet, professional was a designed advantage, inspired to get her to talk without fear. But her memories were trapped somewhere deep in her mind, and she refused to let him experiment on her with the pseudoscience known as hypnosis.

His eyes bore into hers. That is the first time I have heard you say those words, he responded calmly, looking her over before settling on her hands.

Looking down, she realized that twisting the tissue in her hands could be seen as a sign of tension by the doctor. Placing it on her lap, she tried to sit as still as possible, positioning her palms flat on the sofa to avoid looking stressed or defensive.

Dr. Miller was silent. The long pause was supposed to give her the indication that it was her time to speak. It would allow her to rattle on and on freely so that he could analyze her words rather than depend on her mannerisms.

However, she focused on his kind face. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen which were similar to the color of the Caribbean ocean. However, he covered them with spectacles that made him appear smart. His skin had a natural sun-kissed complexion, but it was deeper now. It was the color of caramel as if he had been relaxing on a white sand beach somewhere. He was tall and lean, standing at about six foot three inches. He didn’t look like the type that would burn the midnight oil studying over textbooks in medical school. No―she pictured him on a surfboard in his spare time.

Rebecca looked at the psychiatrist awkwardly. It is the first time I have felt this way, she said, beginning to rock her foot, back and forth, which did not go unnoticed.

What makes you feel that way? he asked, shifting back in his seat and leaning his chin on his upright fist.

Deciding to make a conscious effort to stop fidgeting, she tried to do her best to relax her muscles, but they felt like a coil which was about to be released. She had all of this energy brimming under the surface, and it needed to be expelled. Lost in her thoughts momentarily, she found herself rocking her foot once more and watched as the doctor scribbled something in his notepad.

The silence was deafening, and she knew that she had to volunteer some information or risk being labeled as uncooperative. I don’t know, she answered calmly, stopping herself from rolling her eyes at the obvious ploy to make her talk.

Really? he questioned with quiet disposition that was nerve-racking.

Maybe I just want to be normal, she responded, giving him something to analyze. "My old friends have returned to school. I would like to enroll this year while there is still