A supernatural Secret
Leandra had learned to ignore it over the years, chalking it up to the stress of her job and her unconventional upbringing. After all, she had been adopted at a young age and raised by very loving parents who never knew much about her biological family. It wasn't a mystery that consumed her, at least not anymore; however, she couldn't deny that there were gaps in her understanding of where she came from. She didn't have many memories of her life before she was adopted. Whenever she tried to recall any memories, it was hazy. After a while of trying to recall past memories and not coming up with much, Leandra eventually gave up and never overthought about it again. To her, there wasn't much of a need to go digging up information about her biological parents. She had the occasional thought of wondering if she had any siblings out in the world somewhere, but the thought left just as fast as it came; after all, she was satisfied with her parents and the upbringing they were able to give her. She was their only child, their princess, they always made sure that she felt love and that she was happy. It was more than she could have asked for.
Still, life was good even after she left home and became an adult. Her bills were all paid off, she had a car and a house, she was in excellent health and physical shape, her skin was glowing, and the work she did mattered. She found comfort in the predictable rhythm of the hospital and her life. Patients came in, were cared for, and sometimes left in healthier condition than they came in, sometimes not or not at all unless it was through the morgue. However, there was a rhythm to it—a pattern.
As she continued sipping her tea, a fleeting thought crossed her mind. There had been a lot of odd moments lately, things she couldn't quite explain. Lights flickered and changed colors when she was particularly upset or emotional. A strange wind that seemed to follow her on calm days. Even animals like stray dogs or cats would sometimes approach her without hesitation, staring at her as if they knew something she didn't. She had dismissed them all as coincidences, especially after all the shifts she'd been pulling.
She figured that maybe she was so exhausted that she conjured up all those scenarios and it never actually happened at all. One particular time, after her hand had grazed some dying flowers that were sitting in a vase at the nursing station of the unit she was working on, she could have sworn she saw it perk up, looking almost lively again. She did a double take, looking around to see if anyone else noticed what she did, and when Leandra saw no one else was paying attention, She thought to herself, "Oh hell, maybe I've finally lost all my marbles, and none of this is real. I probably need to be admitted here my damn self if I keep up at this pace and don't get some rest."
"You sure you're okay?" Marie's voice cut through her thoughts.
Leandra blinked, snapping back to the present. "Yeah, sorry. Just thinking about some things."
Marie raised an eyebrow, her tone playful. "Thinking about that doctor you were talking to last week? He was kinda cute, you know, he was giving BDE. Big dick energy."
Leandra laughed, shaking her head. "No girl, definitely not thinking about that man."
"Too bad," Marie teased, nudging her shoulder. "You could use a little razzle-dazzle in your life. All work and no play makes for a boring nurse, and you need a little excitement ."
"I get plenty of excitement, thank you very much," she said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. But even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. Her life was safe, uneventful, predictable, and maybe a little too ordinary.
The hospital began to quiet down as the sun continued to dip below the horizon.
"Maybe I'm losing it," she muttered under her breath as she took a final sip of her tea and stood up. "Alright, I'm heading out. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"
Marie waved her off, still smiling. "Sure thing. And seriously, consider requesting a day off. Get some rest, drink some wine, go out on a date, and take care of yourself. Doctor's orders. "
Leandra chuckled as she chucked the empty cup of tea in the trash and gathered her things from her locker inside the break room. She was ready to head home when a sudden chill ran down her spine. The air in the breakroom seemed to shift, becoming almost electric. She paused, turning toward the window again.