Raven

Chapter One

Pandora sat stiffly in the waiting room of the large hospital, holding her dad's hand tightly. The hard chair underneath her was uncomfortable, adding to her apprehension. The smell of cleaning products and the clamor of people surrounding her brought back memories of her late mom's stay in the hospital. She tried to block out the voices around her as a women holding her small child walked up to the receptionist, begging for news about her husband. All this tragedy here...

A few silent tears slipped down her face as she watched the hallway that led to Charlotte's room. The doctor was due to come out any moment with news from the examination.

Everything has to be okay this time... She's all I have... Please, if there's anyone listening... Let her be okay!

She nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt someone put their hand on her shoulder. Turning, she gave a weak smile when she saw who it was, letting herself fall into their arms.

"Jillian, I'm so glad you're here." She gave her a tight squeeze as the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.

Jillian hugged her back, her short blonde hair tickling Pandora's face. She kissed Pandora's cheek, leaving a faint magenta lip print which she quickly wiped away.

"Of course." She pulled away and smiled, brushing Pandora's curly hair away from her eyes and prompting the girl to look up. "I am your girlfriend, after all. I'll always be here for you." Her brow furrowed. "I knew something was wrong when I didn't see you at school today. What happened? You didn't tell me."

Pandora sniffled, pausing to wipe her nose with a crumpled tissue from her pocket. She buried herself back into Jillian's arms. "It's... It's Charlotte. Dad found her last night in the spare room, unconscious. They're examining her now." She turned and looked at her father, who rubbed his beard and gave her a small, sad smile.

"It's going to be okay, pumpkin. Your sister will be just fine." He reached over and squeezed her hand.

Pandora nodded, then frowned, examining her dad. He looks so tired. He barely got dressed, just threw on shoes with his pajamas and rushed out the door with me. Poor dad... I wish everything would just go back to normal.

Jillian played with her hair gently. "Lucian's right, Pandora. Charlotte will be okay, she's so strong."

Pandora leaned into her touch and looked down at the floor. "I hope so." She lost herself in the rhythmic stroking of Jillian's soft hands until she heard footsteps echo from the hallway. She jerked her head up, heart thumping, and met the doctor's strong blue eyes.

Lucian's expression turned frantic and he stood up quickly, stumbling over his untied shoelaces as he rushed to the doctor. He wiped the nervous sweat off his brow. "Well? What's the news? Is she okay?"

The doctor looked at him steadfastly and took a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh. "She checks out fine, there doesn't appear to be anything wrong." He shook his head in confusion. "The only problem is she won't wake. Her vitals are normal, everything is okay, but she is essentially in a coma."

Lucian put his head in his hands and took a steadying breath. His voice shook slightly as he looked up again, not quite meeting the doctor's sympathetic eyes. "Okay. So what now? What's the next step?"

"We'll continue evaluating her for changes. Until something does change, the best thing you and your daughter can do is talk to her as much as you can. Sometimes it will wake coma patients if they hear someone they love near them."

Pandora stood up, hurrying to her dad's side. She clutched his arm tightly, looking up at him pleadingly. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go talk to her!"