Chapter 3
“She should…coming….wait…” I hear, well, mostly hear. It sounds like bad cell phone reception. You know, when you go under a bridge and it gets all static like? I wonder who they’re talking about.
“Marcella, can you hear me hunny?” asks a soft voice that I can’t recognize. “If you hear me, squeeze my hand,” I feel pressure on the side of my right palm. Have you ever noticed that “palm” is a funny word? I mean… stay focus Marcella. I take in a deep breath and try to get my fingers to work but I can’t even feel them. I’m just too numb, physically and mentally. I wonder what happened. “Ah, that’s my girl,” says the soft voice. Oh, I guess I made my finger move? It didn’t feel like it. My body feels so numb. Could my dream have been real? No, no it’s impossible. Tyler has to be alive. The world would be greyer without his smile to light it. I’m the one who’s dead and he’s the one who’s alive.
“Marcella, open your eyes. You can do it, just try,” says a different voice; the voice of my love. My heart swells as I imagine his grinning handsome face, urging me on. I knew he wasn’t dead! I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Mace open your eyes, come on you can do it,” whispers his velvety voice against my face like a soft breeze. Goosebumps rise on my arms as I feel something cold brush them. I can’t hold myself back anymore; I just have to see his beautiful eyes.
I slowly lift my eyelids just to shut them again as the blinding light burns them in ways I never thought possible. “That’s my girl, now open them and keep them open,” Tyler goads me again. I feel a cold hand caress my cheek softly. I feel a small but painful grin light my face up as my chap lips tear open letting fresh blood to trickle out of the small cracks. I open my eyes again and blink against the light. I look around thinking I would see Tyler but all I see was a friendly nurse in a white dress. She has blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun with glasses hanging on a chain on her neck. I try to crane my neck around her to see Tyler, but he’s not in the room. Huh, maybe he left for a second.
“Ah, there you are!” she says while smiling at me. She pats my leg softly, “I’ll go tell your parents that you’re awake.” She flashes me a smile again before squeaking her white shoes towards the door that she props open with a click. After she left I look at my surroundings. A pool of white light shines on the green and white tile floor making the dust visible as they float in the air like little dancers twirling around aimlessly. A floral curtain blocks most of the light from entering the dingy room. A clear vase with black roses stands on a plain wooden table. A beat up looking chair sits near the bed with a red, worn down seat. The scratchy white blanket that lays on me has seen better days too. My hair feels as if it’s covered in oil or something by the way it’s stuck to my head except for a part where something tight was pulled around it. The whole room smells like a Lysol superhero came in and killed away all germs leaving a heavy amount of nose burning freshener behind.
I lay my head against the fluffy pillow and sigh while looking up at the buzzing light suspended from the drop ceiling. Why am I in the hospital? What exactly happened? Most importantly, where’s Tyler? Footsteps come running into the room and I turn towards the door, holding my breath. Standing there with a goofy grin on his face is my lovable brother Mikey. His blonde hair is all over and his superman light up shoes squeaked across the floor as he comes hurtling towards me with his bright blue eyes staring at me excitedly. I let my breath out in disappointment.
“Mawella, you’we awake!” he cries excitedly. He is about to jump on the bed but stops. His beautiful blue eyes have bags hanging under them as if he hasn’t gotten sleep in a while.
