Tangled Life

Chapter 8- Tangled Life

Tangled Life Chapter 8

I woke up early the next day due to the shrill ringing of my alarm clock, which I set an hour and a half earlier than usual so that I won't be late for school. I sat upon my bed, feeling weak and groggy, and looked around my still dark room where I can just make out the figures and shadows of my cluttered things. My covers were wrinkled around me because of my twisting and turning last night, trying to find a nice position to sleep.

The alarm kept on ringing giving me a headache. I reached over my side table to turn it off but even though it has been turned off, I could still hear its distant echo that seemed to be in sync with the throbbing in my head.

I groaned and laid down once again, closing my still heavy eyelids and grabbed a pillow to hug. It's still early, I thought, there's still a plenty of time to sleep and mom will wake me up if it gets too late. I cuddled the pillow that I was hugging and pulled the covers tighter around my body to feel warm.

I was again awakened by a shrill sound but it wasn't my alarm clock this time but my mother. I groggily opened my eyes to look at her but stayed laying on bed. I needed to blink a few times to focus my vision and I saw her standing in my bedroom doorway with her hands on her sides, saying something I couldn't hear.

"Wake up!" My mom shouted, "Wake up Riel, how many times do I have to shout and tell you that you only have thirty minutes to prepare before you get late for your first class!"

I couldn't fix my gaze at her steadily because the room seemed to be spinning. I closed my eyes and groaned once again, I felt sick and no doubt my face looks green, I thought.

"Riel, honey?" asked my mother who seems to be walking closer, "Goodness, what's the matter with you, you normally get up on my first call."

I just groaned in response, not trusting myself to open my mouth in case other things might come out of it instead of words.

My mother stopped walking towards me when she saw my face and said, "Oh heavens! What happened to you darling? You're so green."

She sat down on my bed and I felt her hand caress my neck and forehead. I cringe away from her touch because of her cold hands.

"Oh dear, you seem to be burning up! Let me just get the thermometer," she said, and I felt her weight get off my bed and heard her footsteps fade away.

Moments later, I felt something cold being inserted in my mouth and when I peeked through my heavy eyes, I saw that it was a thermometer my mom was forcing to put in my mouth to check my temperature. A few minutes later, she took it out and gasped.

"Oh dear, 104! This is not good, just hang in there honey while I call 911," said my mother worriedly.

I drifted in and out if sleep after that, not really knowing what was happening around me. There were times when I caught a glimpse of a figure hovering over me, pointing a small flashlight in my eyes but before I could complain, I have drifted back to the deep abyss.

I woke up again to see nothing but white, after a few second, my eyes adjusted and I saw fluorescent lights passing by. I was lying down on a bed that is being wheeled to somewhere, I thought, I must be in the hospital. I closed my eyes and drifted off to a deep slumber.

My entire body felt like lead; it was so heavy and sore that I had a hard time moving my arm. I could hear a distant beeping sound somewhere, I slowly opened my eyes and it took me a couple of seconds before I can focus and see where I was. I was in a white room full of light-colored furnitures. I'm in a hospital, I thought.

I turned my head to see Mary and Kelsie talking with one another, not realizing I was awake. I turned my head to the other side and saw flowers and helium balloons with 'Get Well Soon!' written across it on top of a small table.