Freckles

Chapter 1: Dreams

Copyright Freckles September 2016
This book may not be reproduced, displayed, modified, distributed, or translated without the express prior permission of the copyright holder.

"WHERE ARE THEY? I WANT MY MOMMY!"

What seemed like millions of doctors and nurses flooded around me in nothing but failed attempts to get me to calm down. Thoughts of unbearable scenarios filled my three year old brain. Maybe they were eaten by a dragon, or maybe they turned into Angels. Soon all of the murmurs seemed to cease as an older looking woman wearing blue scrubs with stress lines covering the majority of her forehead approached me.

"Hi sweetheart. What's your name?"

"Mia."

I strangled the life out of Mr. Snickers, my teddy bear, as I saw her scribble onto a sheet of paper on her clipboard.

"Mommy!"

I saw my beautiful mother behind the woman. Her hair was pushed to the side of her face, framing it, which showed off her impeccable and unmistakeable freckles that I inherited. Her face looked fragile and cold unlike anything I've ever seen before. Her eyes were closed and her usual blush tinted cheeks were pale. She looked like a sleeping angel from far away, but up close she seemed terrifying.

I ran over to my mom ignoring those who were calling my name from behind me. Once I reached her, I tugged on the white sheet that covered her frail body.

"Mommy...are you okay? Aunt Becky came to pick me up from daycare early so I could come see you. I hope we can leave soon...you promised me ice cream today-"

I tugged on her sheet again, but this time the sheet pulled back exposing a long gash along the side of her chest, which ran down above her belly button.

"What are you doing in here?"

I turned around, my eyes widened, still in shock as to what had happened to my beautiful mother before my attention was caught onto a puny woman with the word "MORGUE" written in black letters on her nametag.

"I came to see my mommy. Is she okay?"

Much to my dismay, the woman pushed me out of the room, but before I could get all of the way out the door my teddy bear fell on the tiled ground which left me disheveled and screaming. She closed the door after she shoved me out of the room. As the door closed in my face, I pushed a chair up against the door and looked through the window to see my mother's face bring covered with the white sheet.

"Mia!"

"Jakey!"

My big brother Jake ran up to me with red strained eyes and shaky breath. He picked me up and held me on his waist before turning pale at the sight I had just previously witnessed.

~*~

"Mia? Mia wake up."

I sat up while the all too familiar feeling of my brother awakening me from another nightmare relished around me. His arms wrapped around my shaking body as I tried to slow down my frantic breathing while my head rested upon his shoulder.

"Shh. It's okay. It was just another nightmare."

My body felt like it was on fire, but freezing at the same time. I didn't realize I was crying until a few drops hit my thigh. I'm pathetic. Even if my parents' death happened ages ago, why were they still haunting me. They seemed to follow me around everywhere. Doctors, therapists, medicine, nothing seemed to work, not even my brother. A better question would be why were they appearing as nightmares. My parents had hearts of gold and never once laid a hand on me nor Jake, not even for punishment.