Scarred

Chapter 27

Pain exploded in her abdomen. Jenna dropped the gun and placed her hand over her already blood-soaked stomach. She drew her hand away again. It was covered in bright red liquid. Her legs gave out underneath her.

She stared up at the ceiling. The voice had disappeared. She was left alone with her fear and agony. It wasn't her—never had been her—yet the voice had convinced her it was. It told her what she wanted and needed. Now all she wanted was a chance to turn back time and undo her choices.

She thought about Charlotte. She wanted to see her sister again. And her dad. She wanted to hug him, so he could spin her around and make her feel like she was flying, the way he had when she was younger.

Weakly, Jenna lifted an arm, reaching for her note. She needed to tell her family that it wasn't her. I'm sorry, she screamed in her thoughts. She dropped her hand.

Julie's face appeared in the foggy edges above her. She held a phone to her ear and tears dripped down her cheeks.

Jenna watched her neighbor grab a nearby blanket, roll it into a ball, and press it into the wound. Jenna tried to tell her what she'd realized, but Julie shushed her and told her it'd be okay. She didn't believe her. She knew she was about to die.

Her body shook with a fit of coughs. She felt something warm slip between her lips and a metallic taste filled her mouth.

Jenna fought it, but exhaustion washed over her. She closed her eyes, too tired to keep them open any longer. Maybe if she fell asleep, the pain would be gone when she woke up.

She was about gone when she was jostled awake by hands grabbing her and lifting her onto some type of bed.

As she drifted off, Jenna thought of her family. She needed to tell them she was sorry. She needed them to understand that she didn't want to die anymore. It was the voice. It had been all along. I'm sorry, she thought with all the power she had. I don't want to die. I don't want to hurt you.

Jenna fell asleep.

****

The phone call she received from her dad that day was one she'd experienced before. Except at the same time, it wasn't. She burst into tears and apologized to Mr. Reese, but she couldn't have her voice lesson. He didn't ask for an explanation, just told her to go.

She sprinted through the mostly empty parking lot to Dave, where the sun glinted off his tan exterior. She hopped in and sped her way through town.

The hospital was five blocks away when she heard the train whistle.

Determination and grief controlled her as she pounced on the gas. She was going to make it; she had to make it. She had just passed the next intersection to the echo of numerous car horns when the lights began flashing. She came to a screeching halt, slapping the wheel and swearing.

Charlotte tapped the steering wheel impatiently, wondering why the train moved so freaking slow. In fact, it appeared to be slowing down, and she cursed the conductor when the train completely stopped. She screamed and punched the steering wheel, letting her frustrations out in the form of her horn.

The emotions she had restrained flooded through her. She broke down crying, all snot and splotchy cheeks. She willed the train to move, and after five minutes, it did.

When Charlotte arrived at the hospital, she was led to the crowded waiting room outside the ER.

Julie wiped her eyes and greeted her with a hug.

"What happened?"

"She . . . I found her on the floor. There was so much blood." Julie choked on the words. "She shot herself."

"Shot herself?"

Her thoughts tumbled around her brain. The words didn't make sense. She sat down and tried to unravel her mind. If they were at the hospital, then Jenna had to be in serious condition. Memories brought her back to her mother. The realization hit her.

Jenna could die.

As they waited for news, she wondered what would have driven her sister to her actions. Tears spilled down her cheeks at the thought of what she must have gone through. The waiting was tense, apprehending, and boring, and an hour later they still hadn't heard anything about her sister. Charlotte kept herself busy by pacing the room, sitting in a hundred different positions, and wandering around the hospital, all the while wondering why Jenna would have done it, what she'd overlooked, and what she had maybe done to push Jenna over the edge.

Charlotte sat down once again and picked at her nails, but nothing could keep the memories from flooding her mind.

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the word counts for these chapters are very inconsistent im so sorry.