Losing Abi

Chapter 6

I was falling.

I couldn't remember how I had first fallen, or where I was, or even who I was. All I knew was that I was falling.

Memories were floating around me, teasing me, coming close to me, but never close enough for me to touch. Occasionally, I would fall into one, and I would be there to catch snippets of conversation, always delivered in faint, echoey voices.

"Mark, it's my birthday!" a girls voice said.

Stop, I commanded myself, and to my surprise, I stopped falling and floated down, somehow becoming a small boy. It took me a moment to realize it, but when I did, I froze. These were my memories, and I had become me, albeit a younger version. Why hadn't I remembered that? I should have.

Seemingly within moments of entering the memory, I was wrenched out again, and began falling once more. I tried the same thing with the next memory, commanding myself to stop as soon as I collided with it.

I knew this one. It was the time when one of my friends was trying to run away and wanted me to go with them. The only problem was, I couldn't remember who the friend was. I couldn't see a face, just a blur. I couldn't even tell if it was a boy or a girl.

Falling again. I remembered the next memory as well, faster this time. That was good, it meant my memories were coming back.

I was eleven this time. One of my friends, maybe the same one, was at my house because their dad had gotten in a car accident.

Thirteen. My first kiss. I was certain that it was the same person from the first three times, and that it was a girl, but I still couldn't put a name to the face, especially since I couldn't make out the facial features.

I started falling one last time, slowing down when I hear voices. Normal, solid voices, not the weird echoey ones from my memories. I concentrated, listening harder.

"--shock-induced coma. You can go in and see him, if you'd like. His family is already with him."

"Thank you." Another voice, younger sounding. Maybe it was the person from my memories?

I clenched my fist, then opened my hand, splaying the fingers against the sheets of the bed I was laying on. I did the same for the other hand, then blinked my eyes open.

"Mark?" My mom was leaning over me, tears in her eyes. "Oh, thank God you're okay, Mark!" I just stared at her, then moved my gaze to the other people in the room. My dad was sitting in a chair next to my mom, holding her hand tightly, relief evident on his face. There was a girl on my other side. I recognized her from school--Katie Manning. Was she the one from my memories? No, her hair was the wrong color, and she was shorter than the other girl.

Katie wiped at her tear-stained cheeks.

"M-Mark, I'm so sorry about Abi," she said with a stricken expression on her face. I stared at her blankly, trying to associate the name with a face, but I can't. Eventually, I speak.

"Who's Abi?"