Recall

Astrea

The car shook as it drove over the old, cracked road. The girl in the passenger seat squinted out the front window in search of the turn-off she knew was coming. The forest surrounding them was covered in a thick layer of mist, as was the road ahead.

"Do you think we missed it?" the girl asked her older sister, who was driving.
"No. It's coming up," she replied. "Just relax, Astrea."

Astrea sighed. She rolled down the window enough that she could smell pine from the forest mixed with the fresh rain that dripped off the trees.

"There, Vera!" she cried, pointing at the side road. Vera spun the wheel around until the car was on the road Astrea had pointed to.

"The bridge should be coming up soon and then we'll be home in no time," Vera said.

Astrea yawned and pulled the wool blanket draped over her shoulders tighter around her. Leaning her head against the car door, she looked up at her big sister. "Unless we get lost again," she said.

"I know where we are now," Vera replied. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you when we get to the bridge."

Astrea shut her eyes and took a deep breath before finally falling asleep.

                                                                                         ___

      "Hey. Wake up," she heard her sister say. Astrea didn't open her eyes at first, not realizing she had fallen asleep to begin with, until she felt Vera shaking her arm.

"We're on the bridge," Vera said.

Astrea grinned and opened her eyes to see her sister smiling back at her. They were almost home.

"Vera, look out!" she screamed.
Vera's green eyes widened and she turned back to the road.

Astrea grabbed her sister's arm and held onto her as tight as she could, but it was too late, the car flew over the side of the bridge only to come crashing down into the river below.

The glass of the windows shattered and Astrea scrambled out of the twisted blanket that had previously given her comfort as the ice-cold water started to pour into the car. Her head felt like it was about to explode, and her sight was blurred around the edges. She touched a hand to her forehead and discovered blood dripping down from her hairline. It was then that she noticed the water level rising in the car. She had to get out of the car. Astrea used all the strength she could muster to push the car door open. She let out a yelp as the door opened enough to allow her escape but also for the water to surround her. "Ver-" she started to say, but stopped when she saw her sister unmoving.

Vera's blonde hair was drenched and splattered against her pale face. More and more water filled the car, but all Astrea could do was stare at the large jagged piece of glass lodged in her sister's chest.

The car was sinking and Astrea knew it was their last chance. She unbuckled her sister's seat belt and took another uneven breath. Wrapping her discoloured arms around Vera's waist, Astrea tried to pull her towards the open door. Vera didn't move an inch. Astrea wasn't strong enough. There was no possible way she could get her sister to shore. You have to leave her, the voice in the back of her mind screamed. But this was Vera; her big sister, her best friend, and now the girl she had to leave behind. "I love you," she whispered.

Astrea held her breath and pushed away from the only family she'd ever known.

By the time she got to shore, her mind was as foggy as the sky above. Her shoulders shook, partly because of the winter cold, and partly because her sister was most likely dead or soon to be so. That's all that ran through her mind, nothing else was comprehensible. She couldn't think about the future or what would happen next. All she could do was wait, for what, she did not know. Maybe it was for the last image of Vera inside the car to leave her mind, or maybe it was simply for someone to come and tell her that everything was going to be okay .

Eventually, she heard sirens in the distance. Three police cars parked on the bridge and the officers got out and looked over the bridge. The moment they looked down at the sunken car and then at her, Astrea realized that nothing would ever be okay again.