Crashing Souls

Chapter 2

Your body will heal. But that isn't the real objective here, is it?

The words rushed past me as I neared consciousness. Why was that voice so familiar? Was...the Angel of Death helping me? Giving me advice? Did that mean he was real or was it a side effect of having a car nearly take my life?

"Mr. Andrews?" I opened my eyes as a nurse shook me with little force. I reacted more to her shaking me than to the name she called me. "Hi, there. It's time to get you prepped for your procedure."

I must've grimaced because her eyes warmed and she patted my shoulder. "It's going to be fine. Your aunt will be back later and you can have visitors afterwards, should everything go as planned."

Should everything go as planned? Comforting. The panic in me subsided, nevertheless. I'd already died. I was almost ready to go again.

No. She was worth it all. I didn't know who she was anymore. But what I did know was the ache in my chest where she'd been. The details of her had been ripped from my possession, leaving a gaping gash within me. The ache. And that ache was like a lantern, leading me through my blindness. If I had to live another life, I'd do it. I'd be Dexter. I'd be anyone. As long as that ache eventually subsided.

The nurse spoke once more, pulling me from my thoughts. She wore her hair in tiny braids down her back, and she smelled like something tropical. It was soothing.

"Yesterday was quite the day. Miracles all over the hospital." She worked at gently sitting me upright and parking a wheelchair close to my bed. I felt the dull pains of it, most of it being numbed by the medication they'd given me periodically.

"Miracles in a hospital. You'd think this was the place most miracles happen." My voice still sounded foreign to my own ears. It carried a lower pitch than I remembered. Or thought I remembered. I cleared my throat.

"Yes, well, some days it doesn't happen that way. Ready?"

I nodded, noticing the crease in her forehead as she transferred me to a wheelchair. I couldn't hold back the grunt I let loose when I moved. Some pain even the medication couldn't take away.

"Sorry about that."

"It's not your fault...." I looked for a nametag. "What's your name?"

Her smile was beautiful and immediate. She was so eager to spread her personal happiness. "Secilia. My friends call me Sessie."

"Sessie. Seems fitting." Her brown hands smoothed the blanket over my lap.

"And why is that, Mr. Andrews?" she asked as she began to push me into the hallway.

"Uh-I think my friends call me Dex." I faced her to smile back at her. "And it's fitting because it sounds very...pleasant."

"And you sound a lot older than you actually are, Dex." She wheeled me into an elevator, and when the doors closed, I saw my reflection for the first time.

It seemed...familiar? The kind of familiarity I was experiencing frequently. An itch that I couldn't scratch. I shook my head, watching as long locks brushed my jaw. I had splotches of stubble coming in and my eyes were a bright blue, contrasting drastically with my otherwise dark features.

"How old am I, Sessie?" I watched my reflection's mouth move in time with mine, and I closed my eyes. It was a fun house, and I was the main attraction.

"Turned eighteen last month. You're a senior in high school. We're going to get you walking independently in time to cross the stage." I heard the smile in her words, but I still didn't open my eyes. "Is everything okay, Dex?"