Elements (Pentatonix)

Chapter 7

No one could have seen it coming. Not my parents when they told us to  have fun at school and they loved us. Not Nathan when he climbed into the passenger seat of my car. No one could have seen it coming. Not my friends when they said they'd see me in a little bit. Not me when I started my car just like every other morning. Not the drunk driver as his car slammed into mine going sixty-five through a red light.

Everything happened so quickly but all in slow motion at the same time. The sound of metal crushing under pressure, the sound of glass shattering. The sound of screams from onlookers mixed with the deafening ringing in my ears and the sharp pain in my abdomen. Then nothing. Darkness and silence.

I woke up to the sound of people rushing around, asking questions and getting no answers. It was hectic. My thoughts were scrambled and as confusing as the chaos, but I could pick up one one sound. Screaming. My mother's screaming.

There were strangers kneeling over me, asking me questions, but I couldn't answer. All I could do was ask them a question. "Where's Nathan?" Before I could get an answer, darkness swelled around me once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"When she wakes up, she can go home. Just make sure she doesn't do anything that could hurt her anymore." Silence. Sniffles.

I slowly opened my eyes to see my parents standing near the bed. "Nathan..." I mumbled, still wanting to know where my brother was.

"They're operating on him now," my dad said, kneeling down next to me and helping me sit up.

In movies you always see someone in the hospital wake up and ask what happened. That wasn't the case with me. I remembered everything too vividly. Every sound, every scream, every crack of bones breaking. It was all still there.

"You got lucky sweetie. You just have a few broken ribs but the doctor said you can go home," he said as he stood me up.

I kept quiet, worry plaguing my mind as I grabbed the clothes handed to me and barely managed to change without assistance. As we left the room, I couldn't say anything. All I knew was I couldn't leave. "I'm not going anywhere until I know he's okay," I said, feeling tears unwillingly flow down my cheeks.

"You need rest sweetie," my mom said, but I shook my head.

"I'm not leaving," I told her again just as we walked into the waiting room.

"Sarah...thank God you're okay." I turned to see five familiar faces standing there.

I tried to smile, but it failed. Scott was the first to approach me and wrapped me tightly in a bear hug, our skin sizzling at the contact. Or maybe it was just me hissing in pain. Either way, he let go quickly. "Broken ribs," I said simply and glanced at all them. Someone was missing. "Where-"

"He figured you'd want some space after what happened," Kirstie said quickly.

"How did you know?"

"It was all over the news. Like every classroom had the tv on watching."

"Yeah, we recognized that crushed beauty as yours," Mitch said softly, tears in his eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hunter?" We all turned to see a doctor approaching us quickly.

"How is he?" I asked without thinking, my breathing picking up slightly, even as I winced in pain. I felt a hand on my back and slowly felt the pain easing away. Kevin was healing me.

"We did everything we could, but it just wasn't enough. I'm sorry." With that he walked away. The sounds of my mom's muffled cries rang through the quiet waiting room, but I didn't hear them. I didn't hear anything. No.

I turned, wrapping my arms tightly around Scott as uncontrollable sobs wracked my body. I could feel my body temperature decreasing, and I was thankful for it. "Scott, do you mind taking her home while we finish up things here?" my dad asked, and I could feel his body start to move. I reluctantly followed along, a cool breeze hitting me as we got outside.

On the way to my house, I stared out the window, letting silent tears fall and clutching my phone tightly in my hand. "Stop at Walmart," I finally said, my voice choked and strained from crying.

"I don't know if-"

"Don't question it. Just do it," I said, still not tearing my eyes from outside. I could feel his reluctance, in the air, but I relaxed a bit once we pulled into the parking lot. "I'll be back."

I returned several minutes later, a picture frame clutched tightly in my arms as I got back in. Once we got to my house, I didn't say anything and walked inside, going straight to my room. I closed my door and crawled into bed, clutching the picture in my hand and let my emotions take over. My baby brother was gone.

Over the next week, I rarely moved. I only got up to shower and use the bathroom. I didn't eat much, but when I did, I lived off whatever came in the box Avi had given me. My parents tried to be strong on the outside, but I could hear their cries in the middle of the night, and I was sure they could hear mine.

Everyday after school, the five would show up and check on me, but it was never all six and I never spoke. I couldn't. I knew if I did, I'd break down all over again. The only day I didn't see them was today. Saturday. They were going to his funeral tomorrow, whether I liked it or not. I didn't like the thought of burying my brother, but I was glad they were supportive even if I didn't talk.

I laid silently in my dark room, the only light coming through the curtains as the sun set. I stared blankly at the picture in my hands. The last picture I knew of that he took. The very same picture he posted on Instagram the week before the accident. The same picture I argued with him about. The picture of me and Avi sleeping.

It was silent in the house without the fourth person. I hated it. The only sound in the entire house was knocking. Knocking meant someone was here. Who's here when it's almost dark? I considered getting up to see, but I couldn't. I didn't want to see anyone right now. "Not now! Don't you think you've done enough?"

My dad's voice carried through the entire house, and I couldn't help but wonder who he was talking to. Everything grew silent again, and I heard the front door close quietly. I was left to my thoughts again. At least for a few moments. The sound of knocking on my door gained my attention, but I didn't face it. "I'm not hungry," I said, raising my voice so they could hear.

The door opened and I instinctively clutched the picture close to me. "Sweetheart-"

"I said no," I said a bit harshly and curled up a bit more than I already was. I heard a sigh and the door closed, leaving me in the near dark once again. Clothes shuffling broke the silence. Someone else was in here. I wanted to be alone, but I didn't want to tell my mom to get out either. After a moment, the bed shifted slightly behind me, and it didn't take long for me to feel a warm body pressed against mine.

The warmth was comforting, but the arm that cautiously wrapped around me wasn't my mom's. The hand pried the picture out of my hand and pulled it out of my vision, causing my eyes to well up with tears once again as I began crying. I didn't put up much of a fight as the person turned me over and pulled me close, my sobs only becoming louder. "It's all my fault."

"Shhhh...No it's not. You had no control over it." I closed my eyes tightly, trying my best to let the soothing bass voice calm me down. "Try and get some sleep. I'll be right here if you need anything," he said softly and let out a small sigh. "I'm not going anywhere."

I tried to catch my breath, keeping my eyes closed so the tears didn't burn as much. I gripped onto Avi's shirt tightly, forcing my sobs to quiet down as his fingertips brushing through my hair managed to sooth my dull headache.

"Relax. Everything's gonna be okay. It might not seem like it, but it will be. I promise," he whispered softly, bringing his other arm around and resting it over me, his thumb moving gently back and forth on my arm. "It's gonna be alright."

A/N: I'm bawling like a baby...