When I Fly

Chapter 1

    Listen to this song as you read this chapter. You'll have to listen to it on a separate device (most likely) since it's from YouTube.
https://youtu.be/v29KVjUXiS8

  "Luke!" I giggle. "You're going too fast!" We're riding in his new car on an empty highway. Luke and I have been dating for about three years.
     "It's fine, Kamea! I'm only going 60!" He teases. I roll my eyes and we laugh. I catch my breath and see a car coming towards us. It's out of control.
     "Luke!" I scream. Before he can do anything, the car slams into us. My vision turns dark and I only hear a high-pitched noise. My seatbelt holds me in my seat while my upper body moves back and forth. I hear the airbags activate as the car continues to flip over. It's as if time is stopped.
Am I dying?
Suddenly, time starts again. The car comes to a stop upside-down. The windshield is gone and glass is everywhere. I feel nothing. I hear nothing. Tasting the familiar metallic liquid on my lips, I crawl out of the car and run to Luke's door.
     "LUKE! We need to go! Come on!" I open the door and try to unbuckle him but it's jammed. His eyes are closed and he has a glass shard in his leg and arm. Blood oozes out of his wounds.
     "Luke, come on!" I tug harder and harder. I eventually get him out of the car and lay him on the street. I scramble for my phone and call 911. My hands leave blood marks on the numbers as I shake violently.
     "911, what is your emergency?" The operator says calmly.
     "My name is Kamea! My boyfriend and I have been in a car crash. We're on I-65. A rest stop is one mile away from us. My boyfriend is unconscious." I take deep breaths.
     "Miss, calm down. We are sending police and an ambulance to your location right now. Stay on the phone." She explains. Blood drips onto the pavement. "Do you know how to perform CPR?"
     "Yes, ma'am."
     "Good," She says. "Put me on speaker and begin to perform CPR." I do as she says and perform CPR on Luke.

Within three minutes, I hear sirens. I continue to perform CPR until paramedics come over. They swiftly get Luke onto a stretcher and into the ambulance, bringing me inside as well. While they hook him up to a blood bag and perform CPR, a paramedic checks my vitals and stitches my forehead. I don't hear much about the other man in the crash.
     "Are you ok, miss?" The paramedic asks. I silently nod and look at Luke.             "Don't worry. We're doing the best we can." I tune her out and watch the heart monitor.

Ten minutes later, we arrive at the hospital. The paramedics rush Luke into the ER and I sit in the waiting room with Luke's family and my mom. My dad died when I was young. My mom holds my hand. A nurse calls out my name and I get up and nod at my family.
     "I'm Kamea."
     "Come over here." We walk further into the hallway, away from the waiting room. We stop and she turns to me. "I'm so sorry...but there's nothing we can do...he's not going to make it. The glass punctured one of his vital arteries. The injury is fatal..." I start to cry silently and she hugs me. "I'm so sorry...you can go see him..."
She tells me what room he's in and I walk in. His eyes are closed and his breathing is shallow. There are balloons and cards everywhere. I'm frozen in place and I close the door and start to cry. I walk to the bed and hold his hand.
     "Please don't go, Luke..." I sob. "I need you..." He slightly opens his eyes and puts his hand to my cheek.
     "I love you... but I have to go..." He breathes. He puts his hand to my heart. "I'll always be right...here..." I cry and he nods his head and takes his last breath. The heart monitor plays a long beep and one straight line. I start to sob loudly and my mom and his family come into the room. They see the monitor and his father comes up to me. He is always very kind to me and is my father figure.
     "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." He comforts. I turn to him and he holds me while I cry into his shirt.
     "I'm so sorry, Luke..." I whisper to myself.

The next day, I go to school in silence. My best friend, Alice, usually walks with me to school but she doesn't meet me on our route. When I walk into school, all the students, teachers, and faculty are there to greet me. There is a large banner hanging overhead that reads: We Love You, Kamea! We Miss You, Luke! Alice stands in front of everyone. Tears start to fill my eyes and they run down my cheeks.
     "Oh, Kamea..." She says, walking towards me. I walk towards her as well and she hugs me. I cry on her shoulder.
     "I couldn't save him, Alice..." I cry. Everyone except for us is silent.
     "Kamea, it's ok. We're all here for you." She gestures to the students. I wipe my tears and the principal walks over to me.
     "Kamea, your loss affects all of us here. We're all one family. We're going to take the week off to mourn the loss of Luke. We will be doing relaxed activities and reflections." She explains, trying to make me smile.
     "Thank you..." I say shakily. Alice walks me to my locker and we go to the auditorium. The teachers and staff sit in chairs on the stage and the principal stands at the podium.
     "This week, we will be doing multiple relaxed activities as we mourn the loss of Luke Dunmire. Our first activity will be right now. If anyone wants to say anything about Luke, please form a line in the aisle." Immediately after saying this, about 30 people go in line. Connor, a senior, goes to the podium first. His eyes are red.
     "Hey, I'm Connor. First of all, I want to say how amazing Luke was. He was always making jokes and making people smile. He was the funniest guy I knew. And to Kamea, I'm so sorry for your loss. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask me." He looks up. "We miss you, Luke." He comes over and gives me a hug and I nod in thanks. Next is Sean, my best guy friend.
     "Hey, I'm Sean. Just like Connor said, Luke was always making other people smile, even in their darkest times. Kamea, if you need a shoulder to cry on, come to me. You know I'll always be here. We love you, Luke and Kamea." Sean gives me a hug. A few more people say a few things. Alice and I stand in line.
     "Are you saying anything?" I ask her.
     "No, I'm going up there with you to support you." She smiles. I smile back and nod. We walk up to the podium and I adjust the microphone.
     "Hey, everyone. I'm Kamea. Um. I don't really know where to start. Well, I first met Luke freshman year in Biology class. We were dissecting frogs and he saw how disgusted I was. He offered to help me and steadied my hands. After that, we started to talk more and got to know each other really well. Sophomore year, he asked me out on a date. During our time as a couple, he was there by my side through it all. When he...when he died...we had been dating for three years. I remember his kindness towards everyone. He...he would always smile...he always showed love to everyone he met...I...I really miss him and..." My breath is shaky.   "I'm sorry..." I turn to Alice and we leave the podium and go sit in our seats. As we walk back, everyone stands up and applauds.