NEURONE!

2 - Born. Again

Simi cried as she held Uju in her arms. The amount of blood on the floor and the way Uju's body was stiff were torturing her. She had tried many times to feel her heartbeat and her breath but it was futile. Maybe it was the sound of her rapid pulse or her sniffles that she couldn't hold back that was stopping her from hearing it. Or maybe, her best friend was really gone and she had to live in a world without her.

She paused for a moment and, like someone who had been stung by a scorpion, lifted Uju onto her back. Since she had great physical strength and Uju didn't weigh a lot, it was easy for her.

She kicked open the door, wearing a slipper and a sneaker on either foot, and ran to the car. She put down Uju on the passenger seat and quickly ran to the driver's side. Once she got into the car, she noticed that fresh blood was trickling down Uju's forehead and for the first time since today, she was happy seeing Uju bleed. It meant she wasn't dead yet. Not fully.

She ignited the engine and drove as fast as she could to the nearest hospital. Once she was there, she carried Uju inside to the emergency room. She felt a bit of relief when the doctor started checking on her but her relief was short-lived. The doctor - and the whole hospital - refused to treat Uju without a police report. According to them, they didn't want to get in trouble again with the law.

Simi begged and cried, asking for medical attention for her friend but when it all fell on deaf ears, she came up with Plan B.

Since the hospital had refused to help and Uju was still alive, she had to take her to a place where she could be treated. She knew a person who would be able to help her. The only problem was that Uju hates him but Simi would rather have Uju alive and angry than dead.

So, she snuck her out of the hospital and drove to Sunset Street, to the apartment complex where Miles Adams lived.

Simi loved that Miles didn't ask any questions when he saw her at the door. He just took Uju from her, laid her on the bed, and began to check her injuries. It was after he had given Uju the necessary medication did he ask her. And when Simi began to cry again instead of answering, he just wrapped her in a hug, assuring her that Uju would be fine.

To Miles, the hug meant nothing much but to Simi, it meant the world. She had always liked Miles and even though it wasn't under these circumstances she wanted to get close to him, she had to admit it felt nice.

She didn't know when she slept off on the couch but after she woke up to find a blanket covering her, she felt a little happy. It was then she realized that her footwear wasn't matching, she had worn them into Miles' house, and since they were dirty, they had made a mess. Springing up to her feet, she took off the footwear and went to keep it by the door. Then, she entered the toilet and brought out some cleaning equipment. She set it up and immediately began working.

Soon, she was done and she went to find Miles to ask what she would make for breakfast. When she didn't see him anywhere else, she went to the room where Uju was being treated. There, she saw Miles gently stroking Uju's hair while holding an injection needle. Simi paused, watching him while he contemplated injecting Uju. Seeing as he was hesitant, Simi felt suspicious and asked him what it was.

He was shocked as he didn't know she had been there but he changed his expression quickly and explained to her. Uju's brain has been damaged and she had fallen into a coma last night. He had developed a serum that would speed up the process of brain regeneration and jumpstart her brain once it was fully healed. But, it was untested and could end up frying her brain.

Simi stared at him in shock as he spoke, and when he asked her what he should do, Simi didn't think before refusing it. She couldn't endanger Uju's life. She made Miles promise to never give Uju the drug without her consent and had him lock the serum inside his lab and give her the keys. Only then did she rest assured.

She found staying in his house awkward and remembered that the door to her house was still open and Uju's blood was still on the floor and she went home.

Days passed, rolling into weeks and then months, but Uju didn't seem to be getting better. Simi would visit her every day and clean her up while Miles would treat her and wait for improvement and each time he found none, he'll suggest the serum to Simi. They would argue over it and in the end, Simi would win.

However, three months passed and Uju was still lying unconscious in Miles' bedroom. Her parents, classmates, and teachers had begun to ask about her. Simi had lied to them, that Uju was away on a trip but not many people believed her. Uju's parents had reported to the police that they suspected she had done something to harm their daughter and even though they had let her go after questioning her, she knew it wasn't the end.

So she came straight to Miles' home and begged him to give Uju the serum. He declined at first. Being away from his lab and everything in it had given him a different outlook on things and he wasn't ready to risk Uju's life. But Simi persisted and once his lab was opened up to him, he was back to being his former self. The one Uju once described as a 'crazed scientist'.

Once he had observed the serum and deemed it safe, he injected it into her brain. They waited for a reaction and when there was none after five minutes, they felt their worst fear had come through. Simi, for the third time in her life, began to cry while Miles took off his coat and walked out of the room, probably swearing to never touch another chemical.

Just then, I noticed another presence. Uju was back. I spoke to her but she didn't understand me. She didn't recognize me. And she didn't recognize the girl on the floor who had switched from crying her eyes out to hugging her and screaming Miles' name. They found out the same thing I did when Uju pushed Simi away and covered herself with a blanket in fear of them. Uju had lost more than her memory. She had lost her entire cognitive function. It was like she had just been born. Again.