The Loved and Lost

Chapter 6 - Visiting Drake

I stood silently, wanting to cry my eyes out. Drake? Accident? "What kind of accident?" I asked Ezami, and the others started to drift away to give us privacy.

"You'll have to see. It's... bad."

I ran past Ezami and quickly changed into my human clothes. As soon as I was dressed, I speed-dialed Drake, hoping he'd pick up. No response. I swore under my breath, and sprinted from my room and ready to burst outside, when Aaron stopped me before I could.

"What are you doing?" Aaron asked worriedly.

"I'm going back. I have to, it's Drake. I don't know what happened. I have to see him." I replied quickly.

"I'm pretty sure he'll live, but you need to stay for classes. There's just no way for you to go back right now." He ordered, and my hands burst into flame. I'm so sick and tired of people trying to tell me what I can and can't do.

"Aaron, please!" I shrieked, ready to sob. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop me. I doused my flame and ran past him, heading towards the Water Entrance, no matter how many people were at school. I was about to step through when Aaron caught up and stopped me again.

"Are you crazy!? Do you know how many people are at your school right now?" Aaron asked, grabbing my arm. Back to the arm thing, huh?

"Aaron, it's fine! I go to that school anyway. Besides, no one should be there! It's late..." I trailed, knowing some teachers were there.

"Calia, it's too risky. Let's go through Earth Exit or something." Aaron pleaded. I had enough. I jerked my arm away and stepped through."Calia!" I heard right before it closed behind me.

~~~~~~~~~~

I found the area almost pitch black, and couldn't see very far in front of me. The only light was from the lamp posts around the school grounds.

I conjured a candle flame to my index finger as I started walking forward, and onto the sidewalk. Once I saw enough light, I doused the flame and sprinted towards Drake's house.

Once I arrived, I found the place dark and lifeless, much like when I disappeared without warning six months before. I approached the door and knocked on it several times, but with no answer.

"Are you looking for the Thornes?" A voice said from behind me. I jerked around to see a girl that looked around my age, with long, wavy brown hair and large, ocean-colored eyes, pale pink lips and flawless skin. In a word, she looked... innocent.

"Um, yeah..." I trailed, examining more of the stranger. "And you are...?"

"I'm Madeline, but you can call me Maddie." She replied, smiling. "I just moved next door."

"Oh, cool. I'm Calia." I said as we extended our arms out in front and shook hands, but got back to subject. "Do you know where the Thornes are?"

"Oh, they’re in the emergency room. Drake got in a motorcycle accident." Maddie explained sadly. "Just yesterday, in fact."

"Can you drive? I don't have that much time..." I asked abruptly, but Maddie nodded.

"Sure! I haven't visited him yet. He doesn't even know me." Maddie said, running the other direction to go inside. She came back out with car keys, approaching a blue Volkswagen. She sat down in the driver's seat and I followed, sitting in passenger.

When we arrived, I was already inside before Maddie was out of her car. I waited for Maddie before we headed out to his room.

We approached the window where he was sleeping, and I was ready to burst out sobbing. He had scratches on his face and neck, his legs propped up in some slings from the ceiling, and his right arm in a cast. Blood stains appeared in random places, and you could tell that he was in the worst shape he could get. Someone always says 'It can get worse,' but this time, it really couldn't, unless he was dead.

I entered the room to find his parents already inside. They both gave me their worried looks, and I sat down quietly, Maddie taking the seat next to me.

"What happened?" I whispered to the Thornes.

"Motorcycle accident. A car ran into him." Mrs. Thorne explained as tears rolled down her face.

"Yeah, the doctors don't think he'll make it." Mr. Thorne said sadly. "I can't lose him."

"Me neither. I love him..." I trailed sadly, feeling some sort of awkwardness. They just stared back at their son silently.

A doctor came into the room and we all stood up. The doctor was looking at a clipboard and raised his head. "He's not in good shape..." The doctor trailed slowly. "He's in a coma."

We all stood silently, shocked, terrified.

"Coma? No, he couldn't. He can't! Please, it's not that! It can't be..." I trailed, sobbing. Maddie wrapped an arm around me for a reassuring hug.

"He'll be okay, Calia." She reassured me. "He'll be okay."

"How long do you estimate?" His mother demanded sadly.

"We don't know. We’re trying to figure it out."

"Figure it out faster!" His Dad exclaimed angrily. "He can't miss school, we're trying to get him into a good college."

That got me furious, and I felt the flame in my hands, but nothing showed. "All you care about is his school work!? What the hell is wrong with you!?" I exclaimed, ready to murder him. Maddie grabbed my wrist to restrain me, although it wasn't working very well. “He won’t miss school. He’ll wake up tonight. In the next hour. In a minute. Now!” I screamed at them in between sobs. His parents stood neutral. What is up with parents these days?

“Calia, I’m positive he will live. You are just hallucinating. He can’t die. He won’t die. It’s that simple.” His mother said softly.

“How can you be so sure!? I’ve lost one friend, and came so close to losing another. I can’t lose him. I’m not losing my love!” I argued viciously. I wasn’t giving up.

“I can only let one of you stay with him overnight.” The doctor said, looking up from the clipboard. “Policy rules.”

“I’ll stay!” His mother and I exclaimed at the same time. We both glared at each other.

“Only one of you. Sorry.” The doctor said once more.

“I’m staying.” I said as I ran over to the bed and sat down, just staring down at him. His mother was about to argue, but her husband stopped her.

“Let her be. We’ll come back tomorrow.” He said as they left.

“Can I come back tomorrow?” Maddie asked me, but I shrugged.

“Um, sure.” I smiled as she nodded and left. I kept a close eye on him the rest of the night, stroking his dark-brown hair and pressing a couple kisses to his cheek and lips. I would not leave his side. I would never leave his side.

I stayed awake all night, and looked like a complete train wreck in the morning, with dark circles under my eyes and my eyes changing from purple to red. I almost started to look like my uncle.

Around seven in the morning, familiar adults came by to see Drake. I was ready to greet his parents, but stopped myself when they entered. They weren’t Drake’s parents. They were mine.