‘Water flooded into the slowly sinking car, gallons by the minute. I struggled for a moment, breaking free from my seatbelt and clawing my way forward to where my brother and Mother sat upfront. My brother, Chance, sat eerily silent in his seat. A scream stifled in my throat as I looked at my mother; her neck was turned in an unnatural position, her eyes lifeless. I grabbed Chances shoulder and shook him, screaming his name….’
I woke up from my dream, drenched in cold sweats and frantically clawing at my covers. I hadn’t even realized I was screaming until Mia ran into my room and was holding my shoulders.
“Camille!!! It’s okay!!” She yelled. “It’s okay…it’s over...”
Chance and Mia had a thing for each other, both too shy to ever talk to the other. I’m sure she regrets it now: Being too shy to ever talk to him. Her long black hair clung to her face as she sat silently at the end of my bed. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap, like little works of art. Her face was solemn and still. She was quiet. It was in that moment that I had realized, I’m not the only one who was grieving. I hadn’t ever known my father; he had left before I was born. Chance was his pride and joy and often wrote him, and sent him gifts on holidays. It pained me, being my father’s greatest embarrassment. I was the first to break the silence.
“I have to get ready,” I sighed. A tear streaked down her face. She softly swiped at it, bottling her emotions and pushing them away further. I nodded and she walked away... I grabbed a towel and made my way to the bathroom, ready to rinse the sweat from my shaken body. Times had changed. I hadn’t allowed myself time to grieve the way Mia had, and I don’t know if I ever will, to be honest. As I stepped into the shower, I allowed my memories to excavate my mind and entangle themselves in my thoughts.
‘“Cami!!!” Chance yelled as he jumped onto my body. I pulled my covers over my head and hid my face.
“Go away, Chance! It’s Saturday!!!” I fought. He stepped off of my bed and stood, quiet. His presence left my mind and I let my guard down. He pulled the cover off of me and threw a glass of cold water on me.
“Chance!” I yelled, sitting up and gasping for air. I looked at him, and realized he wasn’t alone. “Mia! You’re supposed to be on my side!” I teased. A frown crossed my face and their eyes grew wide. I jumped to my feet and chased the down the hallway, around a few corners, and downstairs before realizing today’s significance. I stood in the middle of my kitchen, drenched, in pj’s, and panting.
“Happy Birthday!” They yelled. How does someone forget their birthday?! I laughed, still angry about being wet. I grab a cupcake and chucked it in their direction, hitting Chance in the face…’
I sighed happily, entranced in my day dream. I began brushing my long black hair and threw it into a messy bun. I dressed in white jeans and a blue top. Grabbing my satchel, I ran out of the door to catch the bus.
The bus ride was long and extremely exhausting. When we arrived at the school I was more than happy to get off of that bus. Then again it was school, and nobody likes school. After I got off the bus I pulled my waist length hair down from the bun, letting my curls fly freely. I walked into the building, passing the cafeteria and the gym and headed straight for the office; where I gave the secretary my name and lunch number, and she handed me a schedule in return. I made my way down the overly crowded hallway, by hair constantly getting tangled in backpacks and pulled. I could already tell school wasn’t going to be easy. My first- and favorite- class was Biology. I walked into the classroom, which reeked of vinegar. People were crowded around their desks with their partners. I hadn’t really any choice on where I sat, considering there was one seat left. I sat in the cold plastic chair, and comfort fled my body. I sat in silence while others around me whispered and talked about the new girl whose mom died and whose brother was put into an everlasting coma. They whispered about my unnatural green eyes as well. Annoyed, I pulled out my sketch pad and began to doodle.
“Uhm, hi.” A voice mumbled. I took the time to look up and smile. But then I got incredibly nervous in like, 30 seconds flat. He had strange blue eyes which reminded me of Chance’s.
“Hi. I’m Camille.” I said.
“I know who you are. The lone survivor of the horrible Montague accident.” A ravage blush swept across my face.
“You know nothing about the accident, do you?! My brother and I BOTH lived!” I yelled. Shock was etched onto his face.
“I’m sorry….I didn’t know…” He apologized. I sighed and looked at him.
“If you want to know, ask someone who knows. Don’t rely on a newspaper.” He sat silently. I’m not sure if I had scared him, or if I had given him an idea.
“Will you tell me?” I rolled my eyes and silently debated on it.
“What do you want to know?” He smiled a little.
“What happened?”
“We were driving home after the movies, just me, Chance and my Mum. I had my headphones in and I think Mum and Chance were arguing. I remember looking up at the rear view mirror at the last second. She looked so sad. She absolutely hated fighting with Chance. The net thing I knew, bright headlights were beaming through the windshield and the car swerved. We went through the guardrail and into the rushing river.” I sighed, sadly.
“What did you do?” He asked, perplexed.
“I unbuckled my seatbelt and checked on my brother. My mom’s neck had been broken. Chance was breathing and was alive, but unconscious. I pulled him out of the car and into the river. I struggled to keep us both above the water. We were washed downstream and thrust upon the river bank. After checking to see if Chance was still breathing, I flagged down a car and called an ambulance.”
“What about the guy that caused it?” He asked.
“He was drunk. But got away free…” The bell rang and I got up, deciding to go visit Chance during lunch. The hospital was only a little away, so I caught a cab. As I walked through the maze of hallways I thought about how I would be left with the decision to take him off of life support. I entered the room and to my surprise Chance was sitting in bed watching TV. Tears of joy streamed down my face.
“Chance!” I yelled running to him. Confusion crossed his face as he looked at me. My heart sank.
“Do I know you?” 334Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ991Nd1ARd
