My Human Mate

The Bitter Truth

13 years back:

I waved Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ben goodbye as I stood, glaring at Tom, who was still laughing about the prank that he pulled on me. My parents were still seeing them off, when I ran inside and into my room.

I brushed my teeth standing in front of the mirror, sporting a frown, in my paw patrol PJs, murmuring profanities known to my six-year old brain about Tom, who made me watch a horror movie convincing that it was indeed a comedy movie. Who knew how long it would take for me to fall asleep.

After a great struggle and lots of twists and turns, I finally fell asleep. 

In the middle of my night, I felt a hand creep on my waist. My eyes flew open but I kept still. No Jesus. Please. I didn't want a horrible death and I certainly didn't want to die young.

I closed my eyes shut, wishing it to be a nightmare and when I realized it was indeed a real hand, I jumped back, screaming.

The light switched on revealing a very shocked and concerned mom and my dad laughing to the point of tears in his eyes.

"Honey. Are you okay?" he asked, still laughing. I narrowed my eyes and made a mental note to make him pay back for scaring me, later.

My dad. William 'Bill' Hunt. He was pretty handsome with trimmed blonde hair with very-hard-to-find grey hairs here and there and sticking blue eyes which always had a sparkle in it  when he looked at my mom, Lisa Hunt. She was a brunette and had ‘the greenest of green eyes', according to my dad. And I was a perfect mixture of my parents. Brunette hair and blue eyes.

They were high school sweethearts. They had me when they were both 18. Their parents didn’t want me, said they were too young to have a baby of their own, and forced them to terminate her pregnancy. But they wanted me, so they moved out and settled in Wood Springs, got jobs and formed a little family that their parents tried to take away from them.

My dad leaned forward with a smile on his face and kissed me.

"Happy birthday, cupcake", he whispered.

What?

It was my birthday. My seventh birthday. And I forgot it.

My eyes widened in realization and I launched myself at my dad and made him stumble in his place. My mom kissed my forehead which was placed on my dad's shoulder and hugged me along with my father.

"I really can't believe I forgot my own birthday", I jumped, flashing my toothy grin.

After releasing me from the hug my dad said, "Okay Princess. What do you want? I promise I will get you anything you want and you know how I keep my words", he pressed the tip of my nose with a finger, winking.

He knew what I wanted. He was just putting up a charade to escape from my Mom. And I knew how to play along. I pursed my lips and tapped my chin with my index finger, pretending to think.

"St. Peter’s Peak" , I said with all the innocence in the world, earning a known smirk from my dad and a frown from my mom.

"Sweetie, that place is not safe and it's raining now. The roads are slippery, honey ", she said.

"But you promised me that you will get me anything I wanted", I defended, pouting.

That was my last weapon.

"Leave it Lisa. Today is her Birthday. Don't upset her", he then turned towards me and said, "See here cupcake. Sleep tight tonight so you can stay awake throughout the ride tomorrow. Okay?”, He kissed my cheek. I nodded, grinning.

After wishing me again and lots of hugs and kisses later, they both left my room. How could my dad expect me to sleep? I was going to my dreamland tomorrow.

God knew how many more twists and turns it would take, for me to sleep. Finally I drifted into sleep, exhaustion from all the excitement .

--

I pinched myself thrice to confirm that I was standing in St. Peter's peak. It was a small hill at the edge of Wood Springs. Trekkers and adventurers were the usual crowd there. It was a not famous tourist spot and the locals took a great effort to keep it that way. It was personal for my dad. After my parents left Colorado, leaving behind their families and the whole ordeal, they used to come here a lot. He said it gave him peace and calmness and a feeling he never knew he needed. He said give him a new start. But mom hated it. She hated heights.

And because of that, even though I was born here, this was the first time I was visiting the peak. With Wood Springs' oceanic climate and cloudy weather, it gave a breathtaking view of its rich green forest.

I stood there transfixed etching the beauty of Wood Springs and its dense forest. We took a lot of pictures and made memories for the whole day. We waited for the sunset and for it to paint the whole sky with shades of orange and violet. I’ve never had anything more beautiful than that.

It was dark outside, when we finally came back to our car. At Peter’s peak made this birthday a special one. The one I would remember forever.

I was in the backseat, windows down and looking outside with wind in my hair, not wanting to leave yet while my parents jammed to Bruce Springsteen in the front seats.

And all of a sudden, before I could turn around, before I could see what was happening, it happened.

Our car collided with a truck carrying wooden logs. My father lost his control over the car and it somersaulted twice or thrice... I never knew but something worse happened. It all happened in a blink. There were screams, broken glasses flying everywhere, pitch black outside and all I saw was my mom screaming and reaching for me while crying my name before the darkness engulfed me.

I blinked many times to adjust my eyes to the bright light. All I heard was a beep sound which became erratic suddenly and a shuffling footsteps. I tried to move but immediately regretted it as sharp pain shot from different parts of my body. I was in a white room with the curtains, furniture all in white.

I was distracted from my pain by a blonde lady in white coat.

"How are you dear?”, she asked in a very soft voice. Her eyes held pity.

"Where are my parents?", I whispered, ignoring her question and looking behind her searching the room. They were nowhere.

"They are outside. Take a rest child. You can meet them later", she said and moved around the room, looking at a clipboard in her hand.

"No. I want to meet them now" , I was frantically shouting at her at this point. The machines around me started beeping rapidly.

"Hey, it’s okay. They are just outside this door. You are sick now, honey. You need to rest now so you can meet them later. They won't go anywhere. Okay?”, she tried to sooth me.

"No. Please let me meet them. I'll be okay once I meet them", I pleaded.

She sighed, but then called the nurse and told her something. Then after a few minutes the door was opened. But it was aunt Jenny and uncle Ben who walked in. Not my parents.

"Where are my parents?", I yelled at the doc.

"Sweetie they are not here. But they are in a better place", Aunt Jenny told me, sniffing. Her eyes were red and puffy.
 
"Better place? What does that mean?". They gave me no answer. But then, I didn’t think I needed it. Ever since I woke up in the hospital bed, I was willing myself to not think about it. To ignore the bitter truth. But I couldn’t help when the worst reality struck me.

My parents were dead.

No words could ever explain the pain I felt. A blinding pain. A pain of a child who has just lost her parents, who was just now orphaned. My vision blurred. A lump has formed in my throat. It has made it hard to breathe and was choking me.

And that was the last thing I heard and remembered before I fainted again.

It's been an hour since I woke up again in that hospital bed. I sat there, hugging my knees while the adults around me decided my fate. There were no more tears left to cry. Just occasional hiccups and sobs. My throat felt dry and rough but I was exhausted to ask for water. My eyes were tired and droopy but I was afraid to close them because my parent's faces flashed whenever I did.

The doc said that I could go home tomorrow. What would I do in a world that I couldn't share with my parents? I didn't want to live. But I had to.

I wanted to live for my mom's sacrifice. I heard from the doc that I was pulled into my mom's arms while the car swerved. That hug saved my life. Saved me from shattered glass pieces, from rough roads and from dying.

None of my parent’s relatives wanted to take me in. They didn’t want an extra burden from someone who they despised. But I didn’t mind. Leaving for Colorado meant leaving Wood Springs, and that would mean moving further away from my parents. At least staying here would make me feel closer to them. At least I would get to live in the place my parents lived. So, I was sent to an orphanage.

And there, I met Aden. Aden Smith. He was two years older than me with big grey orbs and black hair, that he was never able to tame. He was the angel who touched my life and turned it into a beautiful one, again. I wondered how we both became friends. We both are the polar opposites.

I was the prankster and he was the one who would glare at me and tell me to stop, with a small smile at the corner of his lips. I wouldn’t shut up around him and he would say two words, at the most, in an hour. He was a cute guy who could charm everyone in the room just by walking in. I never knew how he ended up here, but he was too mature for his age. He cared for me, looked out for me. He taught me things and promised me that he would always be in my life.

But fate was cruel. It took away the people I loved and cared for, from me, leaving me to grieve in silence. After giving me seven years of everything, he suddenly left the orphanage. Not even a goodbye. I still remember that morning when I ran around the orphanage, asking for him and was told that he was adopted by a family in Australia. And after that I never saw him.

After I completed my high school, I left the orphanage and moved in with Nora, a girl I met when she volunteered at the orphanage I was in. I found myself a job to pay my tuition and rent.

Through all the chaos,  that was my life, I found a normal routine. I found a family again, in Alice and Jimmy and in Nora. I had a family and I lost it but the family didn’t end just with blood.

*

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So guys lemme know about this chapter. This is just like a sneak-peak into her past life. We'll look into her life in further chapters. Shoot me with constructive criticisms.

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With loves and kisses. ..

Nisha Amol >_<