Light.

Awakening

My eyes fluttered open to see that I was being carted into the Emergency room on a stretcher. 

"Stay with us Ara."  I heard Alec say behind me as he tried to keep up with the paramedics.

"What happened?"  I rasped.

"I'm not sure.  I'll I remember is a flash of light and you unconscious underwater.  I called the ambulance, but by that time the whole family was running out back."  He sighed.  I noticed his hands were scarred and red with burns.

"What happened to your hands?"

"Not sure of that either."

They rolled me into a room and doctors rushed to hook me up to machines and put tombs in my arms.  I felt like I was going to be sick, the sight of it brought back bad memories.

"We need her under, stat!"  I heard a female doctor yell

"What are they doing?"  I coughed up water with a mixture of blood.  It dripped down the blankets which were covering most likely burns.

"They need you to go to sleep.  Just relax."  Alec tried to say but his voice was cautious and worried.

"Sorry but we need you to leave the room sir."  A nurse said to Alec.  He nodded and lifted his hand off mine.  I hadn't noticed he was squeezing it.

"Alright Hun, your just gonna get a little sleepy.  Don't worry, everything's going to be fine."  A doctor said calmly.  He was wearing a mask over his nose and lips, just like the doctor who had injected me my last day in the facility.  He pressed a mask to my face.  I inhaled the smokey gas and instantly felt groggy.

"Count backwards from ten."  The doctor demanded. 

"10..9..8..7.....6......."  I couldn't count anymore and my eyes began to slowly close.  "It's okay, this is normal, just relax and enjoy your rest...."  The doctor's voice and the yells of the others became faded until my eyes were slowly closed and I fell unconscious...again.

___________________________________________________________________________________

"Ara...?"  I heard Will's sheepish voice.  "Are you awake?"  I knew I was, but I just kept my eyes closed anyway.  I was still way too tired from the anesthesia.

"Well, I guess you're not awake.  I just...I dunno..."  I could tell he was crying now. 

"Will..."  I grumbled.  I let my eyes slit open to see Will was biting his lip and quickly his eyes clean of tears.

"Yeah?"  He asked.

"Don't cry."

"I'm not crying!"

"Don't cry Will Kensington, the last thing I need is sympathy."

"Why?  You just went through 8 hours of surgery."

"They were just burns."

"Nah, you were pretty banged up.  They thought you were having a heart attack..."

"My heart is just fast."  I told him.

"Yeah, they've  learned.  They also found some kind of tracking chip in your arm.  They tried to get it out, but I guess they couldn't"

"Is she awake?"  I heard nurse ask from the doorway.  No it wasn't just a nurse, it was Anthea Kensington.

"Yeah."  Will sighed.  "Oh, I forgot to tell you Ara, An's a nurse."

"I figured."  I huffed.

"Sorry Ar, but your anesthesia's going to bring you back under in a 30 seconds, they need to do a bit more testing."  Anthea took a seat on the side of the bed and rubbed my leg like a mother.

"You don't know how frustrated dad was.  He had to leave just to calm himself."

figures.

"Is he back yet?"  I asked.  Will shook his head.

"10 seconds."  Anthea warned as she tapped her wristwatch.  My eyes began to droop again.

"What about Alec?"  I tried to fit in.

"He's not doing so....."

I tried to make out what Will had said but the anesthesia kicked in again and I was once again unconscious.

____________________________________________________________________________________

"I see you've discovered your powers Arabelle."  I heard the soft voice of my mother.

"What powers?"  I asked.

"You don't understand Ara.  All those years with the Scientists, all those experiments, you're not a freak dear, you have powers!"  My mother was ecstatic.

"I burned Alec and myself though!  I don't want powers!"

"But you shall learn to control them, and you will save me."

"Save you from what?"  I asked sheepishly.

"Goodbye Arabelle..."

My mother faded off again and was replaced with the sounds of ticking.. I huffed and felt tears running down my face again.

"Mom!"  I yelled but all I heard in return was my fain echo and the ticking.

"I'll find you..."