A Tamed Tiger

"We both know you came here to kill me," I say. Mother would be disappointed to learn that I've become friends with a person who wants to kill me.

Friends? I almost chuckle at the thought. Is this friendship?

You would deny it and insult me. Or look as if I've lost my mind. Or both.

I'm most definitely not in my right mind seeing as you are here, roaming free, plotting your little schemes. You're akin to a tamed tiger: I can watch you from afar and be captured by your magnificent nature. I could pet you but I could never be sure when you'd choose to chop off my hand and devour everything I hold dear. There aren't that many, mind you. Niall and my sisters. Don't devour them. You can devour my father, though. I wouldn't mind.

"It's not that simple," you say, drawing my attention back to the conversation. You look sheepishly away. An act?

Hm? Curious. Not that you're not telling me something, but that you'd seemingly admit it.

"Do elaborate."

"I…" You hesitate. You're afraid of something. "I don't remember how I got here."

Hm? Slightly worrying. However, trauma can erase parts of one's memory. Not unheard of.

There's more to this. There must be something more if you're that worried. You're afraid that there's something wrong with you? No… it's not that. You'd manage with yourself without telling me. Unless you trust me, which would be a… peculiar choice.

No. You're afraid of something else.

"Tell me everything you remember."

"Bits and pieces. I remember Quinn telling me to leave."

Quinn. That creepy little shit. I'm willing to bet Niall's ass that whatever is bothering you is because of that shit. But, how could they do that? Erase people's memories and whisper in their ears?

That's not possible. Something more mundane happened. Did they smack you in the head and you forgot everything?

So… you hear voices and lose your memories.

The same worry plaguing your features now starts to take over me. I'm not showing it.

"The voices… Do you think they are connected?" How could they not be? "Have you heard them recently?"

"No. I haven't," you lie. This time the lie is easy to see. Could be an act. For some reason, you don't seem as worried about the voices as you previously were. It's as if you've learned something about them since the last time we spoke. Why would you worry about your lost memory but not the voices in your head?

Highly concerning. I peer at you, fully knowing that you've already shut down about the topic. Your obvious lie told me as much.

What else could it be? You're either going insane, or your creepy shit of a friend smacked you in the head. Or… there's something going on that I can't wrap my head around.

Whatever it is, it's concerning you. And if it's concerning you, it's something serious.

A tiger wouldn't trouble its mind with anything inconsequential.