There's a Place For Us (Complete)

Part 29

I. An Exquisitely Tragic Love Affair

(Part 29)

Isabella told her story through battled tears. The pain ate at her heart and the memories froze her body. All she could do was cry and listen as the words flowed easily from her mouth. She wasn't even conscious of Adam's hand holding hers, willing her to go on. The tears blurred her eyesight and all she could see before her was the starry night sky from thirteen years ago...

She stared at the wall as she spoke, her eyes distorted, her voice hushed.

"We were driving on a long, narrow road into the darkness of a December night. I was five years old, playing with a stuffed animal my mom had put on my lap. She started to sing. It was a lullaby she had written for me. She would sing it all the time," Isabella said smiling. What she was telling him almost seemed to make her happy.

"You are mine forever and if I should l-leave you, you will find me no matter how hard it may be. Look for me and I'll be there...." Isabella sang through her shakes.

"My father smiled at me and my mom. I was falling asleep; innocent to the horrors of the world, until a bright light appeared in the distance and the sound of a loud horn frightened me and my parents."

Her eyes looked scared as if telling him this was forcing her to live it again. Her voice hiccuped and her whole body shook.

"My dad slammed on the brakes and my body was flown forward suddenly with force. My dad began to turn on the wheel, but before we knew it, the car was sliding on a patch of black ice.... The lights blinded us a-and I remember not knowing what was going on. Then everything went black, but I could still hear. There were screams. Bloodcurdling screams. Screams filled with so much anguish and fear. The types of screams that made your skin crawl and make you feel as if you yourself are in that pain. There was a metallic ring of the two cars colliding. Metal on metal. It burned my ears and made me deaf for what seemed like forever. I closed my eyes tightly and pressed my hands against my ears. I had never been more scared in my life." She turned away from Adam as her tears kept flowing and never stopped. Her eyes were getting puffy and her skin blotchy red.

"I didn't know what was h-happening, and I didn't know why my mom wasn't there with me. I screamed out of fear... out of pain.... out of confusion. I rocked myself back and forth trying to comfort myself, but to no avail. The louder the screams got, the faster I rocked... back and forth.Then I heard a whisper being sung to me. It was my mom. She reached out a hand, but I couldn't see her face."

She looked at Adam then, but Adam knew she wasn't really looking at him. Her eyes were sad. And empty.

"I still can't see her face. I don't remember what she looked like or what my dad looked like.... Their faces are all just blurry now. I screamed for my mom; wanting only her. Her hand touched my knee and she whispered the song for the last time. I can still remember as her hand became cold and the sounds finally ceased, leaving my trapped...."

A car accident. Her first witness of destruction. A terrible foreshadow of her life to come.

"I woke up in a hospital. My parents were no where to be found. I searched for them with my eyes, but I couldn't see them and I couldn't hear their voices. My Aunt Lisa and Uncle Denny were fighting, but as soon as they saw me, they stopped. They got real close and asked if I was ok. I was fine, so I replied 'where's Mommy and Daddy?'"

Isabella spoke in a calm, monotone voice. Her tears had dried, making her skin crusty. She stared ahead of her as she told her story to Adam, and all he could do was listen.

"Aunt Lisa left as soon as I spoke. My Uncle Denny stayed with me, but never answered my question. All I wanted was my mom. I couldn't understand why it was my Uncle Denny there instead of her. He stayed by my bedside all night. I woke up early the next morning to find Uncle Denny watching me sleep. 'Where's Mommy and Daddy?' I asked again. Uncle Denny looked speechless, and as he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his answer was 'safe'. That didn't answer my question though and I started to get upset. I repeatedly asked him, but he never responded....I kept having nightmares. Lights in my face, my parents screaming, and I was so confused because I kept talking to them, but they would never answer."