Ephemeral Reverie

BREAKING DAWN

CH17: BREAKING DAWN

The morning on the island gently crept over the horizon across the villa. The birds sounded their morning melodies as the scent of salt water mingled with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. "Good morning," Soren greeted her, wrapping his arm around her. This is a very nice morning to start, wrapped around her Soren's warm embrace.

She wrapped her hands around the hot coffee that Soren had prepared for her. Today is such a nice day to start their second day here at the beach; she's excited for what today will bring. She wants to roam around the island more, so she asked Soren. "Soren, can we roam around the island? "

With a smile spread around his face, he replied. "You mean now? "

She just replied to him with a nod.

Thorne and Zara are still asleep; as usual, the two of them want to sleep so much. As for Zara, she just can't wake up early in the morning.

They hoped for the ferry that waited for them. The ferry rocked a bit as the waves gently passed by. She stood at the bow, leaning against the railing. She felt a warm hug wrapped around her as the air felt cold early in the morning.

"Look at that," Soren said, pointing to the cluster of rocks where the seabirds dived. "I think those are puffins! "

She squints her eyes to see what Soren pointed out more clearly; a smile tugs at her lips as the seabirds become clearer in her eyes. "I've never seen one before, but they look so gorgeous," she said, her voice filled with wonder.

She feels so amazed at how everything feels so perfect today. The vibrant colors of the sun and the sky feel so surreal. Everything feels like a dream and is so perfect today. All she hopes is that nothing bad will happen.

"This place is like a dream," she said, leaning on Soren's shoulder.

Soren kissed her forehead. "Having you still feels like a dream come true." His voice was gentle.

The moment felt perfect to escape from her worries that have been disturbing her since then. She closed her eyes, feeling the warm rays of the sun, as well as letting the wind hug them. They stayed there for an hour, talking deeply about life and their future plans for their relationship.

After an hour had passed, they decided to go back to the villa to eat breakfast and decide what to do today.

"Where have you two been? "Thorne asked curiously while Zara was busy eating breakfast.

"Just there, roaming around," Soren replied shortly as she ran to Zara to join her in eating breakfast. The usual breakfast is served: pancakes, eggs, and ham for her, Soren, and Thorne, while Zara enjoys eating garlic rice with sausages. Such a heavy breakfast to start their adventure today.

"What's the plan for today? "Zara asked, busy scooping rice on her plate.

"Hiking? "She suggested looking around everyone to see if they would agree.

Thorne replied with a thumbs up, while Soren looked bothered.

"You sure? I mean, you know." She just replied to him with a nod, assuring that everything would be alright this time. After they finished their breakfast, they decided to take a bath and wear protective gear to go hiking.

As they start hiking, everything seems normal; they have fun around and talk about something. She tried her best to focus, look around, and appreciate the beauty of the place, but a faint dizziness began to cloud her thoughts. They had already gone far; she didn't want to ruin the day by complaining of a mere headache.

"Everything okay? "Soren asked.

"Yeah, just a little bit tired," she replied with a reassuring smile.

"We can go down if you're not feeling well." Zara rushed towards her, patting her while trying to find the medicine in her bag.

She asked them to continue the hike, and as they continued to ascend, the sudden dizziness she felt worsened. Her vision starts to blur, and a high-pitched ringing fills her ears. Her chest feels an unbearable pain radiate through her body.

"Thalia! "Zara rushed towards her as everyone looked filled with worry.

She tried to speak, but words wouldn't come out of her mouth. She tried not to pass out again, but her legs gave out beneath her, and everything went black again.

A familiar scent of antiseptics filled the air as Thalia slowly regained her consciousness. The white light above her made her eyes squint; she then realized she was in the hospital room. Her friend and aunt Cathy stood around her bed; their expressions were hard to understand. Her aunt was the first to move, enveloping her in a warm and tight hug.

Auntie Cathy's voice is filled with relief as her voice cracks. "Thank God you're awake,"

Her mind raced with a lot of questions; she didn't know what was happening. "How did I get there? "

"You passed out," Aunt Cathy told her, which made her remember what just happened before she lost consciousness.

Everyone is silent; Zara looks so sad and down. Soren looks so anxious, and as well as Thorne, they are confusing her more. What just happened? Did they know something she didn't? Is she dying? She wondered.

The doctor then entered the room with a grave expression written on his face. He carried a clipboard, flipping each page of it while thoroughly reading it. "Thalia," he began, his voice calm but serious.

"I know that you are doing your best to lessen the symptoms, but," the doctor shakes his head as he continues, "you've had a severe episode related to your heart condition."

The weight of the words pressed heavily on her shoulders. She feels like she is burdening the whole world with the doctor's revelation to her. Tears welded up in her eyes as everyone around her looked worried. "What does this mean? "Her voice cracks.

"We need to discuss your health and the options going forward." As the doctor bid goodbye, she clung to her best friend and to her aunt for support. Her world collapsed once more as she knew more about her health. What will she do?

The room filled with a deep silence after the doctor left. Her friends, Auntie, and Soren tried to comfort her, but she feels lost in her own thoughts as the future seems more frightening to her.

"We're going to support you until the end, Thalia." Auntie Cathy just hugged her, enough to make her feel at ease in the middle of chaos.

Soren, who had been standing quietly by the window, feeling drowned in his own thoughts, finally spoke. "You're not alone in this battle, Thalia. We'll figure this out."

Words like 'We'll be here' brought a smile to her face as she felt comfort and reassurance coming from her loved ones. But even though their support was enough to make her feel at ease, she couldn't shake off the fear and sadness that frightened her. The island where she enjoyed the most became her last time going outside to have fun.

She will now be admitted to the hospital, and she will stay here for good. She can't be tired, as this causes her dizziness and chest pain. The doctor suggests she stay here rather than being hospitalized at home.

Looking at the white four corners in this room already exhausts her; what more when she will now stay here for good? She wonders in herself: will she still be able to go to college given her condition? Even though her chance starts to fade, she's happy that her friends and Soren will be able to go and start their new journey through life as she takes the unforeseen path of her life.

Am I still going to be the person I dreamed of being yesterday?

Or will I be the person I never dreamed of being?