Rejecting Hope (Old Copy)

Chapter Forty Eight - "Awake."

 (Hope)

"Ariana!!! Ariana!!!" screaming billows from down the stairs, I look to little Ariana and her face drops with a look that I know all too well, a look of dead and dreadfull fear and so... we race to the stairs. But when we get to the top we are surprised by what we see and Ariana nearly tackles me so that I do not see what is down beneath. She covers my eyes turning everything into complete darkness and I can't help but to giggle... by what comes out of her mouth next "Mom!!! Put your shirt back on!" and suddenly I hear her mom exclaim as Ariana sighs and takes her hands off of my eyes. I see that her mom is fully clothed as Ariana helps me back upon my feet once again.

"Mom! Why were you half nude!"

"Well, hun I didn't mean too! But there was a frog!" Suddenly I started laughing hysterically, "So you decided to give it a show?" and instantly she glares at me. "No... Mr. Frog decided to jump on my head and back and so my first instinct was to shake my head like I was at a freaking rock concert and then to take my shirt off and lunge it halfway across the room!"

Abruptly Ariana and I look at each other and start laughing hysterically. "Look my nerves are shot can you just help me get this frog out of the house Ariana!" and so we went down the stairs to help Mrs. Raines and it was probably one of the most hilarious experience I've ever witnessed. I'll always remember that image of Ariana's mom screaming as she tried to catch the frog with a plastic bowl and Ariana ontop of the kitchen counter with a bowl hovering over the frog. Finally Ariana gets the frog and I take a piece of paper and place it under the bowl as we go near the window. "Ready on the count of three!" Ariana smiles at me and I can't help but to smile back. "One, two... three!!!"

But I didn't get to see what happened next. For I had jolted awake within the darkness. My hand reaches towards my head as I wonder what had just happened. Then it hits me, I was asleep and my mind decided to dream a memory. I begin to laugh as I lay back down. "Hey Arie," I begin to whisper. "Do you remember that one time we helped your mom get rid of that... frog?" Looking beside me I do not see her body. So I look to the clock "6:00a.m. No... that isn't right, she should still be here. Where is she?" She wouldn't of left bed this early had she? But for some reason my mind abruptly reminds me of the words that she had said the night before... right before I had fell asleep, I remember her ruby red lips as they had formed the words... "I'm running out of time" and suddenly I feel as if something is deadly wrong. I'm awake, as I rip the sheets off the bed in my desperate search for her.

But abruptly I stop myself and try to catch my breath as I realize that she is not there "Calm down Hope... she's probably just in the bathroom or something." I whisper to myself as I stand and decide to walk to the bathroom door. I knock lightly, "Ariana... Ariana are you there? Ariana please open u-..." But she isn't in there, I know this the minute I put weight upon the door and it opens with ease from beneath my hand. Suddenly I can feel my heartbeat pulsating through my head as fear consumes me. "Ariana... Ariana! Ariana!!! Where are you this isn't funny!" I yell kicking down yet another door in my helpless search, I then run down the stairs and my heart stops once I see that the front door is wide open. I walk over to the door and step outside. Suddenly I'm scared beyond belief as I begin to think... "She left me... didn't she?"

My blood begins to rage and boil as I stomp my way across her front yard. How dare she leave me again! I thought that we were good, great even! What happened? Obviously Jansen never came home last night! His car isn't even here! No... no they must've already left. But turning around I see something... something that is horribly wrong and my heart just drops into the pit of my stomach. Yes... something is indeed deadly and terribly wrong.

"Ariana's... flowers."

They were destroyed, horribly and terribly destroyed... I walked up to the once lively and vibrant garden and in kneeling down I pick up a crumpled rose only to notice that shoe marks are stomped into their stems. "Who would do this?" I couldn't help but wonder aloud as I remembered all of those years in which she had came out to take care of these flowers. Two years and each and everyday... never did she fail to take the best care of her mothers flowers. They were her most prized possession and it was then that I remembered her smile as she said to me "It's my last connection to her, I know that it may sound stupid... but I feel that as long as they are alive and as long as they thrive then.... then maybe somehow... we are still connected."