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"Hi, Mama," Bella bent down and kissed Renee's cheek. "How are you?" Her mother ignored her and continued to stare out the window.
"Do you understand the voices, yet?" Renee asked. It was the same first question every time Bella visited the institution. She didn't want to believe that her mother was insane, but she made it impossible to think otherwise.
Bella's heart ached, but she held back the tears that threatened to fall. Just once she longed for a normal conversation with her mother. "No, Mama."
"But you see them, don't you?" Renee looked over at her with pleading eyes. "You must see them by now. It's almost your birthday."
Okay, this… this was something new, and the fact that her mom knew what time of year it was proved to Bella that she was in fact somewhat in her right mind. Her eighteenth birthday was next weekend. She reached out and touched Renee's arm. "Who, Mama?"
Bella's hand fell as Renee turned back to the window and brought her knees up to her chest and then clutched her arms around them and slowly rocked in the chair. "I can't say. I don't know. Leave me alone."
"Mama?" Bella asked as she reached her hand out again.
"Don't touch me!" Renee screamed and rocked faster. "Leave me alone! I didn't tell her anything! Leave my baby alone!"
Bella stumbled backwards in shock at her mother's outburst.
"I'm sorry, hon. You should probably go."
Bella nodded at Alice, her mother's favorite nurse, and then numbly made her way to her car where she broke down and sobbed heavily into her hands.