Dreams

I am a monster

Sweat poured down my face, as my heart was pounding widely inside my chest. My mother was squeezing my hand tightly and smiling at me encouragingly.

"This year's National singing society's fist place winner is...." I held my breath as the judge, Mike Spence, slowly opened the white envelope..."Ocean Baker!"

My mom embraced me as a gigantic smile ripped across my face. "Not only did she win first place," Mike went on to say, "but she is also the winner of the National Singing Society Scholarship! Which will pay for her entire college tuition at any music college she chooses."

Tears escaped my eyes as I felt my dad and little sister join our hug.

My mom pulled back and grabbed my face. "You did it Honey. You accomplished your dream!"

I watched as the tears streamed down my mothers face. "Oh, Mama! I made it this far because of You, Daddy, and Hailey. If it weren't for you guys then I would be no where near as accomplished as I am today."

My father pull back from the hug and kissed my forehead as my little sister grabbed my hand. "We love you Sweat Pea," My father said, "and tonight we are going to take you to your restaurant of choice for a celebration dinner."

"Oh, dad! You guys don't have to do that. You guys already drove over 200 miles to get us here."

My dad rolled his eyes as a grin spread across his face. "Nonsense. Now go get your trophy and let's head out Sweet Pea."

I smiled and walked with my head held high to where Mike Pence, the Judge was.

As I grabbed the trophy and shook Mike's hand, Mike looked at me and smiled. "You did an amazing job out there today. One day, when you have graduated from college, I want to see about giving you a job in the music industry. I am going to keep tabs on you and when you are close to graduation I will contact you again."

I felt my face light up. "Oh, thank you. That would be a great honor."

Mike smiled at me as I quickly ran off stage.

I ran to my parents with a huge smile on my face. My dad looked at me with confusion. "What did the judge say honey? You are practically glowing from those few words that you guys exchanged."

I smiled wildly and started walking towards the exit. "I will tell you guys at dinner."

My family laughed and smiled widely as I held my trophy tight, once we reached the exit, and ran out to the car.

"Mom, dad," I said once my family reached the car and got in, after my mom buckled Hailey in her car seat, "this trophy will look great next to my bed in a dorm room."

My dad smiled at me, and started the car. "Have you decided where you want to eat, my sweet pea?"

"Yes, lest eat at a Chinese restaurant."

My mom shook her head as my dad started pulling out of the driveway. "I knew you were going to say that honey. Chinese is definitely your go to."

"Yea, which is why I already searched on maps for a Chinese restaurant." My dad said as he waved his phone around.

"What can I say dad! Chinese food is my weakness." I joked as I looked outside of my window. It had started to rain and was getting heavier as we drove.

I couldn't help but to think about how amazing today was, and about how amazing the next four years of my life were going to be. I won the scholarship of my dreams, and I get to pick any music school that I wanted to go to, and I also couldn't wait to tell my family about the job opportunity that Mike Pence offered. Yes, life is good.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when my little sister grabbed my hand. I looked over at her cute little face. She had a huge smile on her face. I smiled back at her.

"I love you Ocy. I'm proud of you. You sounded like an angel when you sang tonight."

I opened my mouth to tell her that I loved her to, but I was interrupted as my mom yelled out, "Jake, baby look out." It was to late.

An eighteen wheeler, that had just ran a red light, slammed into my dad's, and sister's side of the car.

Everything from that point seemed to go in slow motion, yet it all happened very quick. My head slammed repeatedly into my window as our car turned repeatedly in the air down into a deep ditch.

I couldn't concentrate on a single thing, but I could hear my family scream and cry every time we flipped, and I felt dread hit me as my family's cries died off by the time the car flipped the fifth time.

On the sixth flip my head slammed back into my window as it knocked me unconscious.

When I came to all I heard was rain, and sirens in the back ground, as they were getting closer to the wreck. A feeling of unease hit my stomach as I realized that I was hanging upside down and I couldn't hear anything from my family.

I reached up to unbuckle my seat belt, but instead screamed in pain as I realized that I couldn't move my right arm. I looked at it and sobbed as I realized that it was in an awkward angle. I sobbed as I raised my left arm to unbuckle myself.

I let out a sob as I fell down the roof of the car.

My whole body throbbed as I drug myself over to my baby sister. I sobbed hysterically as I saw her hanging upside down from her booster seat. The car had caved in on the bottom half of her body, and I was haunted by her wide unseeing eyes.

I closed my eyes as sobs wracked my body.

"Sweet Pea." I jumped up and dragged myself to my father.

I looked into his eyes and could see the life draining from them.

"Daddy you have to hold on. You can't leave me."

My dad opened his mouth to speak but a word never passed his lips, because at that moment his whole body slumped, and his eyes went unseeing.

"NO! DADDY. WAKE UP" I shook his arm as tears ran down my face. He needed to wake up. I couldn't do life without him.

I felt dread enter my heart as I realized that I couldn't wake him up, and I felt fear as I realized that there was one more person that I needed to check to see that if I still had a family.

I felt my whole world crashed in on me as I turned to the last member of my family. I felt my heart break in half as I saw the 1st place singing trophy, that I had won not just an hour ago, sticking in to my mother's chest, right where her heart was.

I felt myself break down completely as I realized in that moment my life would never be the same.

I grabbed my mother's hand shakenly as I looked at the trophy that caused my family's death.

In that moment I knew that their deaths were my fault. My dreams caused my loved one's to die.

I am a monster.