Once in a Lifetime

Chapter V

"Tessa" A voice whispered

"Tessa" It did it again. The voice was familiar but not familiar enough for me to recognize who it was.

"Tessa"

The voice echoed through my head and I could hear it clearly. My heart rate shot up as I got scared and the machines beeped franticly.

"Tess?" Ashley called my name from the far end of my bed.

I woke up stunned at what I had heard that night. It was something familiar and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It was a mystery.

"Tessa?" Ashley called again

"I'm, I'm, It was just a dream" I whispered quietly

"Sshh, it's ok. It was just a dream. You're okay now alright?" She rubbed my back and hugged me to try and comfort.

Everyday since that voice came into my head, I felt something present next to me all the time even when I was alone in my room. Something was watching my every move and it was out to get me. Every now and then, the voice would repeat in my head and wake my up in the middle of the night, when the only light that would be turned on would be the one in the nurse’s station a few feet away from my room.

It had been a fortnight since Alex had been brought into the hospital and he hasn't woke since then. He was in a coma and never again to wake. It would've been nice to at least have someone next to me or someone to talk to.

"Tessa?" Ashley walked in, looking worried.

She looked mortified, like she'd seen a ghost previously.

"Yeah? Is something wrong?"

She took a deep breath and began explaining to me what she needed.

"I need you to get out of your bed and into the waiting area, the area where the parents or caregivers wait?"

I hesitated when she had asked me to move out of my bed. She had never done such thing and I probably knew that she would never.

I could see it in her eyes that she was scared for me

"Sure," I replied.

I hopped out of my bed and slowly walked towards her so she and I could walk into the area together. It took around 5 minutes to get there but we had eventually.

I looked behind me and I saw Ashley step back and away from me.

A stray tear came out of her eyes as she put her hands up

"Please, please I am begging you. Please don't hurt us." she began sobbing quietly as she was scared. Scared for what they'd­­ do and scared for the both of us.

She was down on her knees begging for this still with her arms above her head.

“Tessa, meet your parents. Kate and Riley Talestone…” She trailed off probably scared to die. She was afraid and never thought that her life would end like this.

“Hello Tessa.”

“The voice” I whispered to myself.

That was the voice that echoed in my head these past few weeks. He was the voice. The one that had done such horrible things to me in my past. The one who created me but also the one who wanted to end me.

I took a step back but tripped over the wires that laid on the floor.

My ‘dad’ put his hand in his pocket and took out a knife. He had intended and planned this all along. He knew that I would be admitted back into this exact hospital, the hospital that I was in many years ago. He knew that I had a brain tumor from the start and he knew that I’d be coming back. He had planned my death right in front of me.

­­­­­Even though I knew I was going to die, I felt at peace with the world. It was like I was meant to die like this, in the middle of a hospital, on the floor and murdered by my dad.

"Please daddy-"

Nothing.

He walked closer to me slowly. I couldn't help it. i couldn't do anything but just sit there and wait for death to come at me.

He was a meter away from me.

He held up the knife, about to stab it straight through my heart.

This was it, this was the end of me.

I shut my eyes tightly knowing that I would no longer exist in this world.

Ashley was still behind me down on her knees, she was too afraid to look or move.

l gave a quick glance at her and looked away from my father.

3 gunshots were heard and everyone inside the waiting room - including the staff of the hospital ducked down hanging onto their life and put their hands over their head.

For a fact, I knew I would be dead but it was a miracle that I was not.

I opened up my eyes and looked right in front of me.

A motionless body lay in front of me.

A motionless body, one that had a knife in one hand and a picture of our family in the other.

The picture was taken on the day I was born - 23rd April.

The day, where everything was at peace. Where I had loving parents and when they had actually wanted me as their child.

Blood leaked out of his motionless body and filled a pool surrounding him.

Tears came out of my eyes. I still had feelings for him even though I hadn't seen him since the day I was discharged out of the hospital years before:

"Tessa Talestone! Get yourself down here at once!" he yelled from the bottom of the staircase.

I came down as quickly and my body would let me. After all, it had only been a few days since I had been discharged out of the hospital.

When I got down to the bottom of the staircase, no one was there. No mum, and definitely no dad.

I looked around and came to a stop at the kitchen.

"Dad?" I asked weakly.

He came out of the corner holding a empty glass bottle in one hand and a envelope in the other.

My mum, she had at least 10 bags on her. All containing they're belongings and other important things that had value in their lives.

He and I shared a quick stare and without wasting another second, he smashed the bottle over my head, placed the envelope in my hand and slammed the door shut. I could hear the car start and he left me there. Alone.

He took my mum with him and left me there. In a house that was on the verge of collapsing.

I was alone.

I looked down at myself only to find me glowing again. I started panicking at what I was seeing.

My dad was bleeding out and there was nothing that anyone could do. He was a murderer and I was the victim.

We both lay on the floor, in need of medical help and only one life could be saved then.

The paramedics rushed over to my side. My glowing and seizing body.

He, on the other hand was pale and lifeless.

"Dad," I said weakly.

My vision went in a blur and the last thing I heard was Ashley screaming at me telling me to hang in there and fight for my life.

"Dad,"