Finding Yourself || on hold

Chapter 1- May the Recital Begin

Hey guys! It's me, the author. I want to thank all of you who even decided to click on my story. This is my second time writing it, since the first time I was nine years old and it was horrible. I'm 13 now (don't judge) and I'm willing to give this a go. Please be kind and vote/comment. I promise that this isn't your ordinary teen fiction/romance story! ^_^

Chapter 1

My sneakers eerily tapped against the floor in the silent hospital. The narrow hallway was empty, yet everything seemed to be watching my every move.

124,

126,

128.

My body abruptly stopped me in front of the white door. The number hung there, golden and in cursive. I almost laughed at the irony of it, but my lips stayed firmly together.

Reaching out a ghostly pale hand, I twisted the doorknob slowly and pushed the door open. It creaked loudly on its rusted hinges, making me flinch. My knees shook as I entered the small room.

Lying in a sagging bed in the far corner was a man I knew too well; my dad. His white-blond hair was matted to his face and his eyes were squeezed shut. The beaten chair propped next to the bed was occupied by my sister, Mariana. Her usual sleek hair was a mess of auburn curls. Her hand gripped Dad's so tightly that her knuckles were white. She seemed to be sobbing.

The peculiar thing was that Mariana was still, as if she was frozen in time. Her skin wasn't its usual flawless creamy complexion, but slightly grey. 

Scrunching my eyebrows together, I stepped deeper into the room, my eyes never leaving my dad. As I got nearer to where he lay, I sucked in a quick breath. His chest wasn't rising or falling, signifying that he wasn't breathing. Quickly, I keeled at his bedside, skinny jeans and all, and checked his pulse on the hand that wasn't being gripped by a frozen Mariana.

There was no pulse.

A single tear escaped my eye and it glided softly down my cheek. This was soon followed by a steady stream sliding down my face and onto the sheets of the bed.

"Daddy..." I croaked as I continued to weep. I ignored my lifeless sister and shut the rest of the world out. Resting my head against his motionless chest, I let my shoulders wrack with sobs. 

After a few minutes, I picked my head up and wiped my bleary eyes with the back of my hand. I swiped my stringy hair from my face as I sniffled. 

"I-I guess I knew this was gonna happen, with your cancer and all," I sighed, tears welling up again, "but I promise I'll never stop singing. Ever." My voice cracked as I started to cry once more.

All of a sudden, I felt a movement from his body. I looked up at his pale face to see his glassy brown eyes staring back at me. I yelped slightly and jumped up from my spot near the bed.

"Wha-" I breathed, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

"You have failed me, Olivia. You are a disgrace," A voice hissed from my dad's mouth, but I couldn't fathom it being his.

Stepping back once more, I widened my eyes in fright, whimpering slightly.

The voice continued to say the same thing, the harmful words flooding out of my beloved dad's lips. I fell to the concrete floor with a hard 'thud' as my dad started to laugh manically. 

"Aah!" I screamed, snapping up to a sitting position in my bed. My chest heaved as I took deep breaths. Placing a cold hand on my forehead, I wiped the sheen of sweat that accumulated on it.