Soar // Hamliza

• chapter 5 •

• Alexander •

What do you infer when the character...

I groan and set my pencil down, rubbing my temples. This is not how I want to be spending my Saturday, but when you're in the hospital and have tons of schoolwork to do, there's not much else you can occupy yourself with.

"Stupid English questions..." I mumble, leaning my head back against the pillows on my bed. The past couple of weeks I've sort of been letting my work pile up. I've done most of it so far, but these stupid essay questions are always so redundant and annoying that I absolutely hate them, and spend way longer than necessary working on them.

I like writing essays. I like answering questions. I, for some reason, actually enjoy doing schoolwork. But I do not like writing essays about character trait inference. I do not like answering questions about the development in said characters. And I do not like doing English packet schoolwork.

I finish up as quickly as I can though, so I can try to convince a nurse or someone to let me walk around again. The last time I've walked around was three days ago, and while I ask everyday, the answer has been no ever since the first time around.

Luckily for me, just as I'm putting away the last of my work, a nurse walks in.

"Do you think I can-" I begin. She holds up her hand and sighs.

"Mr Hamilton, has anyone explained to you why we won't let you walk?" She interrupts. I shake my head, thinking back to the past few days. Everyone's just said no, flat out. The nurse sighs again and rubs her temples, similar to what I was doing just minutes ago.

"Your recovery is unbelievable. It's a medical miracle, honestly. But that's the issue. We don't know if this is something in disguise or if it's actually getting better. You know how, during a hurricane, there's an eye where everything is calm, just before it gets to the worst point in the storm? We're afraid that's what this could be. We just... we don't want to compromise your health. I'm sorry. But maybe soon, after more testing?" She says. But I'm not listening anymore. In fact, my mind isn't even occupied with walking or homework or cancer.

All I can think about is her stupid metaphor.

Why did she have to choose hurricanes, of all things? There are so many other options. Suddenly, I felt myself drifting into a flashback.

"A hurricane is moving in very quickly to the area, so please evacuate and get to higher ground as soon as possible. I repeat, evacuate and get to higher ground immediately." The TV droned on as sirens blared outside.

"Mom, there's a hurricane coming. We need to go." I said, just 10 years old. Not even knowing about what would come from the storm or that in a few months we'd move to America.

"We need to wait for Dad and James to get home. And I'm sure we'll be fine." She said carelessly, wandering the kitchen in search of some random object.

"The eye of the hurricane is currently moving over Nevis. Anyone within this area, you must evacuate right now." The weatherman said on the TV. I rushed over to my mother, tugging on her sleeves.

"Mom! We have to go, the storm is moving in." I said. She turned around and gave me a look.

"Alexander, we will be fine. I'm sure James and your father will be here any moment. Just have a little patience." She said. The beginning was harsh, words choppy and spat out. But she softened by the end, giving way to her sweet nature. She could never stay mad for long.

"Alright..." I mumbled, going back to the TV and sitting in front of it, watching the news and weather to make sure we'd really be okay.

Thirty minutes later, the rain began to pour. Dad and James still weren't here. Mom seemed calm though, insisting that we still had time and we couldn't leave without them.

Twenty more minutes and the wind began. Ten minutes after that, the street was flooding. Fifteen minutes after that, our house was beginning to fill with water.

Thirty minutes, and I could hear the screams from outside. Finally, after and hour and a half of waiting, James and my father finally got home.

I jumped up immediately from where I was and ran to my dad, throwing my arms around his legs. I was still so small, even at age ten.

"Dad! We have to go, the hurricane..." I said, tugging on his arm. He shoved me off of him and ignored me, pushing me away. Careless.

I felt tears well in my eyes and I sniffled a little bit, biting my lip to keep the tears from falling.  Dad stormed off yelling for Mom, but James came over to me and wrapped me in his arms.

"It's okay. I'm sorry we're so late but we'll leave soon to get safe, I promise. Nothing will happen to us. We're all gonna be safe." He said. I nodded against his shoulder and sighed, willing my tears to disappear.

My parents resurfaced minutes later before rushing us out the door, onto the flooded and empty street. Tree branches and bikes and everything imaginable floated along the dirty water as the rain poured around us. Thunder crashed loudly and a bolt of lightning struck, hitting the huge tree behind our house.

Before I even knew what was happening, the tree began to fall onto my childhood home and James was picking my up, sprinting away from our place on the porch as my parents followed.

Now we were on our own. With our house flooded and ruined from the fallen tree, and standing in waist deep water in the rain, we were practically helpless.

"James, I'm scared." I said, beginning to cry as more thunder crashed around us. The water was rising quickly due to the pouring rain, and even though I was on his back, it was calf deep on me, meaning it was up to James's torso.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I promise. I'll keep you safe." He said, moving through the water. Suddenly, a surge moved through the mass of water and I was thrown off his back. So much for keeping me safe.

"James!" I screamed, feeling the current pulling me under the water. I was being thrown up and down, in and out relentlessly by the wave.

"Alexander!" I heard him yell. I resurfaced long enough to see him standing on a piece of a house, trying to use it as a raft.

My lungs couldn't take anymore. I felt myself inhaling water as I was shoved underwater again. Just when I felt myself fading away, a hand yanked me out of the water and onto something.

James.

I sputtered and coughed and choked the water out of my lungs while he got us to safety, where our parents had already arrived without a second thought of helping us.

It was probably my dad though, because while he looked fine when we got there, my mother began to cry when she saw my brother and I, running to hug us and cover our faces in soft kisses and apologizing. Afterwards, my dad told us we were going to America as soon as the hurricane was over.

I still can't stand storms to this day because of that hurricane.

"Alexander?" I heard suddenly, snapping out of my thoughts. Eliza had apparently shown up, standing next to me with a concerned look on her face. I sighed shakily and looked over at her.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice trembling. She squinted at me a little bit.

"I walked in here and you were totally spaced out. You kept flinching when I tried to touch you and you weren't answering me at all. Are you okay?" She asked.

"Um, y-yeah. Everything's fine, don't worry." I muttered. She looked unsure but went with it, grabbing my hand as she settled in next to me, talking about school and everything else.

I didn't hear a word of it, because my mind was still in Nevis instead of New York.

a/n: oops ahh sorry guys! I said on my Lams book that I'd try to update everything today but I was super busy eek. but i hope you enjoyed this chapter and the sort of alex backstory stuff. Also, his flashbacks are going to be important and they aren't just here as a filler! So remember that for future chapters!