Project Eliora

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-WAKE UP-

I jumped out of bed as the cold air left my mouth and quickly searched my body for any wounds or injuries. I began to hyperventilate and experience tightness in my chest as panic crept up inside of me.

"That could not have been real. It is not possible."

I said this to myself in a panic. There was then a knock on my door, which startled me.

"Is everything okay in there?"

The voice on the other side was my mom's. I struggled to catch my breath as I was overwhelmed by this new feeling. I had never experienced claustrophobia before, but it seemed to be taking over.

I sprang from my room without pausing and ran past my alarmed mother. I just needed to get out of the house. The cool morning air hit me as I stepped outside, and I doubled over, my hands on my knees, trying to take deep breaths. My breathing slowed down over time, and I started to feel more in control.

My mother followed me outside, still calling my name with concern etched on her face. I allowed myself to unwind in her hug, as I felt secure and comforted in her presence.

"Let us go inside, ok?"

At that point, I noticed that a few of the neighbours had emerged from their homes to observe. I was also dressed inappropriately for being seen outside—shorts and a singlet, which they stared at. I felt exposed and embarrassed by this.

With her arms still around me, my mom took me back into the house, seated me at the dining room table, and sat down next to me. She waited for me to speak up and let her know what was wrong, while we both remained silent for a while.

"Mum, is dad travelling anywhere soon?"

"No, why are you asking?"

"I am not done."

I spoke quickly to interrupt her, and she began waiting for me to continue.

"Are we throwing a party for Omar?"

"No."

I ran my hands across my face in confusion. So were those all dreams?

"I am sorry, mom."

"Sorry for what?"

"For making you worry."

She gave a weak smile, trying to hide her worried look.

"Do you want some orange juice?"

"Yes please."

I tried to sound energetic, but anyone could tell I was not okay. However, I am sure she did not want to push me any further and tried to alleviate the stress I was feeling, so she then stood up from where she sat and walked over to the fridge to prepare some freshly squeezed orange juice.

Why were Dad and Omar not here? Then realisation dawned upon me as I remembered that dad had said he would be taking Omar to school early from now on. My memories were terrible, as I seemed to always be forgetting things. They seemed to be failing me both in real life and even in my dreams. It was all so weird.

The sound of a glass cup hitting the table jolted me back to reality. A tall, icy glass of orange juice was in front of me when I looked up. I gulped down the entire glass as my mom, who was now sitting next to me once more, watched me.

"I just had a thought explosion."

"Thought explosion; what is that?"

"It is basically overthinking, but I am ok now."

"Elisa, are you sure? We could go see the doctor, you know?"

"Doctor Jordyn, no thank you."

Despite my best efforts to reassure her with a smile, my mother's concern didn't seem to diminish. Her eyes were heavy, and it seemed there was nothing she could do. I did not want her to feel or act this way.