Prologue

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     I gasped for air as I took in the scene before me. Looking around frantically, the orange fires lit up the night sky. Smoke circled the air and rode its way up to meet with the stars. Broken car pieces scattered on the side of the highway. Red, white, and blue lights flashed as sirens wailed.

     A couple of EMTs rushed over and hauled me onto a stretcher. One shaggy blonde guy hovered over me as he put an oxygen mask around my nose and mouth. He spoke calmly as he and the others began rolling me into the ambulance. "My name is Andy. Can you tell me yours?"

     He took off the mask for a second so I could respond with a hoarse voice, "Nina Sapienza."

     Then, they strapped me down and began poking me with needles. Andy spoke again, "It's nice to meet you, Nina. Can you remember what happened back there?"

     I took a second to recollect my memories. We were just coming home from our trip in the Adirondacks... My family....

     I bolted upright and started yelling, "My family! My family! What happened to them? Are they okay? Do y'all know where they are? My mom, my dad-."

     The EMTs tried to pull me back down while Andy shushed me. "Everything's going to be okay. We'll find your family."

     He whispered to another guy with short brown hair while they reopened the doors to the nightmare. I guess he went to go search for my parents.

     Suddenly, I started to feel woozy. I heard the monitors beginning to beep rapidly.

     "She's crashing," Andy yelled to the driver, "Let's move!"

     Soon thereafter, I blacked out with the feelings of shocks on my heart.

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

     I slowly woke up to a steady beeping monitor and my brother,  Chase, sleeping on the armchair next to my hospital bed. He had bags under his eyes, and his curly black hair was all over the place. People always said we looked like twins, even though he was three years older than me. Being the annoying little sister, I threw a pillow at him.

     He turned at me and walked over to the side of my bed with a small smile, "Hey, Nina."

     I grinned. "Long time, no see, stranger."

     Chase had been away for his senior year at the University of Delaware where he was studying to be a marine biologist.

     "How are your fish friends?" I asked.

     "They're fine. Listen, I need to tell you something," A tear slipped out of his brown eye, many more following. My smile dropped dead. Chase never cried. "It's Mom and Dad..."

     And that's when my life changed forever.

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