Reach Me

Chapter 6: Nightmares and Hormones

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Laura

Wednesday morning I felt groggy and sick. My head was killing me and I couldn't sleep for more than 3 consecutive hours. I woke up so much during the night that I eventually just gave up on sleep, and did some unfinished homework from Tuesday.

Last night.

I shivered just thinking about it. Although my reason for lack of sleep was probably because of Josh and his robber boy, my dream was about something else entirely.

The accident. I was in the car with my parents, but I was too little to remember, or so they thought. I couldn't recall seeing anything, thank god for that. I did however remember my parents voices-their screams. All my mom would scream repetitively would be

"LAURA DONT LOOK, LAURA BEAR, HONEY CLOSE YOUR-"

But she was cut off my the most bloodcurdling scream, I think that's when the car flipped over. My dad was dead on impact but my mom, my mom survived until the car flipped. I heard her scream and yell after yell, maybe trying to get help but all that did was imprint her cries into my brain forever. My body shook as I held in sobs. Now was not the time to be weak, I told myself. Hold it in and be strong.

So I did just that. I got out of bed and got ready for school. Rachael didn't know that I remembered. And I'd like to keep it that way, because if she did she would fret and worry and cry for me. Because she would be reminded of her sisters death. I couldn't do that to her. I would push her back into depression, I'd taken enough of Haley's mom away from her worrying about me and my health. It was finally time for Haley to have her mom back.

When they died, I didn't understand what was going on but I knew it wasn't good, I was only 6 so no one expected me to know  or remember anything, they thought I was safe.

But no one screams like my parents did without realizing something was wrong.

Now almost 12 years later, I still get nightmares.

Every night I wake up screaming, but there's a reason why Rachel has no idea. Since I was 7 years old around the time the nightmares started I had begun to play my cello at odd hours in the night, Rachel got so sick of it that she soundproofed my room, because she didn't have the heart to tell a 7 year old who just lost her parents that she couldn't play the cello that loud.

Perhaps this way, her guilt was actually put to use for me. Now she can sleep in peace while I play my cello.

It's always the same piece, at the same time at night.

Milo was the only one who knew. But I had to wring his neck to make sure he didn't tell Rachel or Lola. As a result of my...condition I had horrifying bags!

I sighed as I packed up my books and dropped them in my bag. I made my way downstairs to make my lunch and then ran back upstairs to shower and brush my teeth.

I didn't take much care in what I wore as long as it was fit for the weather outside. It looked a little chilly today, so I opted for a auburn colored, long sleeved crop sweater, with white boyfriend jeans.

I grabbed my keys as I quickly threw my hair into a ponytail and walked downstairs to see Rachel making breakfast.

"Hey sweetie you want some breakfast?" Rachel asked looking up from the stove. She was making French toast.