If I Remember You

Prologue

Alice has been in a coma for 7 months straight after slipping in and out 3 times. But after waking up, in a hospital room, she is knocked to her senses. She screams, wails, shrieks; she squeals out bloody murder. Faces, voice, sights, smell; are unfamiliar and new to her. She shrinks back in her hospital gown, she places her hands over her head. Hands reach down to smooth her hair only to be swatted away. In the middle of a blood curling scream, she stops and pauses. Because there, in the middle of the doorway, stands a light-skinned boy, blonde hair slicked back, and a single rose in hand. There stands a boy, only vaguely familiar, a sparkle in his eyes.

Maarco has been deep in depression for 7 months straight after relapsing into self-mutilation 2 or 3 times. But after waking up, alive, in the hospital waiting room, he is pulled to his feet. Good news is told and plans are made, a reservation for a single red rose awaits. He races down the street, no longer a sluggish snail, but back to his old ways, his old pace, in fast forward. He dodges speeding cars, men on bikes, trains on railroad tracks. Back in the hospital, his heart fills with anxiety, blood pushing to pump its way through his veins. Yet still, he forces out courage, with the single rose in hand. He bumps his way through the people and brushes his hair back with the other. He takes a deep breath and counts to 10.