My Nightmare Just Became Real

Chapter 11 - Waking Up To White

Author's Note: Hope it was worth the wait :)

I woke up or at least, it was something like waking up. I couldn’t seem to open my eyes, so I lay in the darkness. Coming to think of it, I couldn’t really feel my body either, just this heavy weight. I could hear voices and footsteps and this beeping noise. The space in between the beeps was steady, just longer than a second. It was almost comforting. Almost. Then it was strange because I could see all of a sudden. I hadn’t opened my eyes, I knew that much. But I could see only...from above. It was quite unsettling yet, so normal. As if I was meant to be there. This must be an out of body experience, I thought to myself.  Then a sudden thought struck me. I wasn’t dead...was I?

 I looked around the room, I was in hospital, the unmistakable white walls and scrubbed floors seemed so imposing. I looked down on my body, lying there so pale and...ill. I shivered. Well, if that was possible in this form. How am I meant to get back? I thought, afraid of being trapped outside my body forever. I moved through the doorway and into the visitor’s room. My parents were there. My mum’s eyes were red from crying and my dad looked worried too. Then I saw Charlie’s parents, our families were so close it was hardly surprising they were there too. Wait...Charlie. Maybe he could see me.  I went over to him and waved a few feet in front of him, something flashed in his eyes and he nodded, ever so slightly.  “Mum,” he said, shaking her arm.

“Yes, dear?”

“I’m going to get some water. I won’t be a minute, ok?”

“Yes, alright.” He walked down a corridor and then stopped when we came to a deserted store room. I followed him through the door, thinking how lucky I was. It was going to be alright. It was. “Lily you need to get back in your body now.”

“But-“

“Look, I’d really love to talk. You have no idea how much I have to say, but you have to go.”

“I know. I’m sorry-“

“Look, you need to go back into your body before the doctors start messing with it again. Then, it’ll be harder to get back in and you’ll be easier to take.”

“How?”

“I can’t quite explain it but if you go and stand near your body, you’ll feel a pull. Don’t resist, let it pull you. Think about what it feels like to have a body, think about your life, the things you’ve done.”

“Ok, but Charlie-“

“Please,” he said, tears glistening in his eyes “just go. I’ll talk to you later. I’d rather talk to you later than never again.” He closed his eyes and a tear rolled down his cheek. It hurt seeing that. It really did. It made me feel so bad. So very bad. “I’m sorry, Charlie.” I whispered before I left.

This time I woke up, I knew I was awake. Everything hurt, my whole body was aching. I opened my eyes and everything swam before me. Just a blur of white and that beeping in my ears. It was really beginning to annoy me. Then I felt someone hug me, their arms pressing down on my body painfully. I knew they didn’t mean harm, but it still hurt. “I’m so glad you’re ok, Lily!” Wept my mum.

“I’m fine.” I managed to say. After that everyone was fussing over me, all the doctors checking my reflexes and my eyes and my ears, even though I insisted I was fine.  “What happened to me?” I said later when it was just me and my mum.

“Well, we woke up in the morning and you weren’t there. We thought you must have gone to school early or gone to Charlie’s or something. We called Charlie and he said he didn’t know where you were and you hadn’t said anything to him. We got really worried, because it’s not like you to leave without telling us anything. Charlie said it might be because of your sleepwalking.” My mum paused for a minute and carried on “Lily, you should have said something about your sleepwalking. I know you probably thought it was nothing, but things like this can happen.”

Sleepwalking?  I thought and smiled inside, oh, Charlie, how I love you. He always thought of the right things at the right time. Sleepwalking. Perfect.  “Sorry. I just didn’t want to worry you.”

“It’s alright but if anything like that happens again you need to say something.”

“Ok.” I said, wishing I could really do that.

“So, anyway. Charlie was confused that you’d never mentioned it to us and he said that you might be in the park because you were talking about going the other day. He said sometimes that can influence where you turn up. So, Charlie said he’d go and look since he was on his way to school anyway. I think you must have fallen and hit your head. You’ve been out of it for five days.”

“Five days?” I said, shocked.

“Yes. The doctors thought it would be a lot longer but, for some reason, you woke up earlier.” Some reason, I thought to myself, I really had to thank Charlie...and apologise.

“Can I see Charlie? You know, before I get out of here?”

“I think he’ll probably come even if we don’t ask him to. He felt as if it was his fault for not mentioning your sleepwalking. But he wasn’t to know.” No, Charlie. It’s not your fault. You tried to help me. It’s all my fault. All mine...

Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this and I'd love to hear what you thought :)