Losing Arden

Prologue

"Arden?" Arden's head pops up. The barista at the counter sets a cup of coffee down on its surface. Arden rises from her seat and makes her way over. She smiles and gives the barista a small nod, picking up her coffee. Arden had gotten the same order from the same coffee place since she had turned 13, which was the age her parents deemed acceptable to start drinking coffee. A large mocha latte with chocolate syrup. Simple, just like she was. Arden exited the coffee shop and a small jingle sounded behind her as the door opened. She stepped onto the sidewalk, listening to the sound of the cars driving by. Slowly sipping her coffee, she waited for a break in the traffic. The light at the corner of the street turned red and the cars on her street came to a halt. She hurried across the street and began walking toward where she parked her car. Except, she couldn't find her car. She frowned.

"What the hell?" She muttered. Turning slightly, she looked up and down the street. Before her was an empty parking space, which had previously held her black 2007 Toyota Corolla. A tall green sign, implanted in the sidewalk, stood about 10 feet away.

Monday-Saturday

8:30 am - 10 pm

Sunday

9 am - 8 pm

Arden checked her watch.

"Son of a-" It was 8:30 am, Sunday morning. This is what I get for being a morning person, she thinks to herself. Arden rubs her temple with her free hand. Pulling out her phone, she googles the number for the local towing company. While her phone rings, she puts it on speaker and sips her coffee.

"Williams' Towing Services, how may I help you?" An unnecessarily chipper young woman answers the phone. Arden rolls her eyes.

"Hey, I think my car got towed? I'm in front of the coffee shop on East 12th Street?" Arden squints at the street sign to confirm her location. She knows this corner of town like the back of her hand, but she doubts herself anyway. Arden begins to cross the street.

"We just had a... 2007... Toyota Corolla come in, is that yours?" Before Arden can respond, she gets thrown to the side. Her phone goes flying and she hits the ground hard. She lets out a low, guttural groan and rolls a little to the side. The searing pain is coming from all areas of her body. A car door slams to her left and she can hear shouting, but she can't understand anything. The pain is clouding her head and she can't make out any words. Sirens wail in the distance. Someone is yelling very close to her but she still can't make out much, save for a word here or there. She has her eyes scrunched shut to block out the light. There she lay, crumpled on the road, groaning. The sirens gradually get closer and eventually come to a stop. Doors slam and heavy footfalls come from her right.

"Are you okay?" Someone asks, very close to her. She hums, ever so slightly opening her eyes. That's a stupid fucking question, do I look okay? She mentally chuckles at the thought, although now really isn't the time.

"She's alive!" The person shouts. It sounds like a man. Something clatters to the ground next to her and she can feel people standing at her head and her feet. They lift her by the shoulders and the feet and she grunts in pain as they set her on the stretcher. In a few short moments, she finds herself in an ambulance, surrounded by EMTs. They're chattering about medical stuff and sticking her with needles and such. She keeps her eyes shut. It's very bright in there. A loud, long alarm sounds. Arden falls asleep, wondering what it means.