The Awakened

Chapter 14

Makayla, wake up.

I immediately sat upright in my bed, consistent pounding pulsing through my head, I scanned my surroundings wondering what had happened the night before. James was telling me about my past then, everything went black. I recalled. The not so familiar emptiness I felt in my heart after my brother's death had returned once more. Silent tears dripped down my face at the thoughts of my dream and of the nightmare I was living in flooded through me. I had begun to breathe heavily.

I heard a knock at my door before both of my parents entered my room. I quickly wiped the tears from my face and attempted to breathe normally.

"Good morning sweetie," my father said gently. I just nodded my head in acknowledgement at his words, not feeling like speaking. "We thought that you would like to have some breakfast, Chase made it." My mother was completely silent, her gaze penetrating. "Well, the reason we actually came up here was to tell you that we're sorry about your brother, we know how it feels to lose someone so close to you and he was our son as well. An all-around great kid." Again, I just nodded my head this time fighting back more tears at the mention of Jackson.

"His funeral will be on Saturday, he was already taken to the crematorium, you may do what you want with his ashes when we receive them. However, it will need to be set up by his photo at the funeral. It's in two days in case you weren't aware, mark your calendar, it starts at 11 am." My mom spoke, her voice like jagged ice ripping open my heart. I said nothing at their statements, and eventually they just left me by myself.

I laid back down sobs ripping through me, the weight of everything shattering my heart. My life was a lie, my brother was dead, and I was once again left alone. The sun was already flooding my room, blinding me. "The sun and summer were your favorite, wasn't it Bubba?" I closed my eyes yet again, allowing myself to fall asleep as salty tears cascaded down my pale cheeks.

A few hours had passed before I was able to wake up and get out of bed. My headache had finally subsided; however, my eyes had swelled. I made my way to the bathroom to grab a hair tie. Upon doing so I put my hair into a messy bun not caring how it looked in the slightest. I stared at myself in the mirror for several minutes, seeing how much of a mess I'd become. Dark circles hung beneath my puffy eyes, the wound on my face jagged and deep. Several bruises riddled my cheeks, dotting my skin from my arms to my legs. With a quiet sigh, I removed my eyes from the mirror, and proceeded to exit.

Gradually, I built up the energy to make my way downstairs. I wanted to sit in silence, the air inside the home suffocating. I needed to get out, to clear my head. The thoughts of who I was weighed heavy on my mind as immense guilt panged my heart. Maybe if who I was then had been here now, my brother wouldn't be dead. A bitter ending to what should have been the beginning of Jackson's story.

I trudged down the steps, my feet feeling like lead. My entire body ached in protest as I moved. Blood was trapped beneath my nails, no matter how much I washed them the stain of crimson underneath wouldn't go away. I crossed my arms as a chill rose up the stairwell making me shiver ever so slightly. I rubbed my arms with my hands soothingly to warm them up as I crossed through the end of the stairwell. I made my way towards the door by the kitchen, choosing to ignore Chase who had made crepes with strawberries and whipped cream. I placed my hand on the cool handle of the door, pushing down gently in order to get to the yard.

"Makayla," a quiet voice spoke. My gaze was fixed on the door handle as I stood there. "I know you don't want to, but you need to eat." I turned my head slowly to see Chase staring at me, his green eyes dull. Dark circles lined the under part of his eyes, his face was greatly pale, the once full pink lips of his were now dry and cracked. My gaze traveled to his hair which was unkempt and messy, no gel holding it in place. Chase's attire wasn't his standard suit either, it was average clothing, not work attire.