The Turn of Truth

Epilogue.

(Cassie)

I lurch awake and am immediately welcomed by blinding white light. It takes a few minutes to get my eyes properly focused to actually see my surroundings. I'm at a hospital. The same hospital. The same room my mother is—was?—in. But maybe it's just me; all hospitals look the same anyway.

Point is, the fuck am I doing here?

My head hurts.

I try to sit up, unsuccessfully, since I have hundreds of tubes penetrating my arms. My body aches all over and my head has some sort of bandage? I can't be sure. There are no mirrors here. How convenient.

I am very thirsty, I look around to see a glass of water next to me, on a small table. It's the same table with the exact same medication and equipment. Is it just me or is the water in the glass half full at the exact same point as it was with my mother?

I'm freaking the fuck out.

I somehow manage to drink that water and exhausted from that small exercise, I rest my head into the pillow and fall asleep.

I wake up to  the face of a strange man towering over me, with a bushy unibrow and a green mask covering most of his face. So, I do the most natural and sensible thing, I scream. I scream the fuck out of my lungs because I'm confused and scared. I scream because I have so many questions in my head and I scream because waking up to a man whose face is inches from yours is scary. As. Hell.

"Calm down, Cassie. Don't worry, I know you're confused right now, but it's okay. I will just call in your mother and she can explain all the questions you have, honey. "

I obediently shut the fuck up.

~

My mom smiles, she is really happy to see me back conscious. After a round of hugs, kisses and emotional scenes she finally sits down with Dr Luke.

"You were on your way back from Ray's house when a car, a red Mini Cooper, crashed into you. You got multiple head injuries and a few broken ribs. Because of the slight damage to the brain you went in a coma. Honey, you've been out for twenty five days, we were worried sick. Ray came to visit you a lot, and so did your other friends. That's all, I suppose. Henry came, too. Ray is waiting outside, baby. When I go, you guys can have a moment, I guess. Catch up on the school news, maybe."

Mum finally pauses to take in a deep breath. "Also, one last thing, honey. Your schoolwork has been taken care of and your teachers have agreed to waive your homework. Did you know just how much your Eco teacher likes you? I had no idea!" Her smile narrows done. "However, you will have to attend some extra classes so you can catch up on the month you missed. That should be okay, right?"

I pause for a few seconds to take it all in.

"Thanks Mum, just this one question. I've been having some dreams, well, not exactly dreams, but more like an... alternate life? And—"

Dr. Luke, who was standing there supervising my body and conducting some tests to see if I'm good to go, butts in.

"Cassie, that sometimes can happen, when the brain gets damaged, it sometimes affects the sub-conscious and you can get such hallucinations while in coma. It's completely normal, and common. You have nothing to worry about."

I nod, and ask for Ray. The doctor and my mom, both leave the room and Ray walks in.

My heart stops, and all the wind is knocked out of me as I see his smiling face, with the gorgeous green eyes and curly hair. His voice from my dream—or whatever it was—runs through my head. "...Maybe the concept is foreign to you, but I love her." What is going on? And what about that dream within my dream that I'd had after Ray had kissed me? (In the dream, of course. He would never kiss me in real life.) Then also, he'd proclaimed his love of me. What is going on?