I sighed as I walked down the street on my way home from school. My name’s Daylin Chance and I’m a sophomore in high school. I have long, blonde- almost brown- hair down to my lower back and forest-green eyes but I covered my left eyes with my bangs. I wore my usual black jeans with a black t-shirt and boots. I was enjoying the silence as I walked from school until I heard my phone ring. I pulled it out of my pocket and sighed as I answered it.
“Hello?” I said into the receiver as I kept on walking.
“Is this Miss Daylin Chance?” said the voice through the speaker. Though, I didn’t recognize the male voice.
“Depends. Who’s asking?”
“This is Dr. Michaels from Mercy Hospital.” I stopped walking and felt my heart speed up slightly at what he said next. “It’s about your mother…”
*****
I kept my face as emotionless as possible as I stood next to Dr. Michaels in the hospital. I hate hospitals; they always smell too clean and look too white. We stood outside the burn care unit and watched my mother through the window as she slept.
“What happened exactly?” I asked as I continued to watch my mother. I saw Dr. Michaels look at me out of the corner of my eye before looking back down at his clipboard and flipping a page.
“It says from the police report that there was a fire at her office and she was stuck inside. She suffered numerous burns on her arms and legs, including some on her face. Also…” He trailed off so I looked up at him. He was looking at me with a look of confusion and sympathy. “Before she fell asleep, she said something about ‘Kitena’.”
I froze hearing that name. I had never wanted to hear that name again. It brings back too many memories that I do not wish to remember. I subconsciously made sure my left eye was hidden by my bangs before turning away from the window to my mother’s room.
“Probably just a result of the medication or something” I said dismissing the subject. “It’s nothing. If that’s all, I have to go.” He nodded before motioning to the elevator we entered from.
“I’ll call if anything changes.” I nodded before entering the elevator and heading home.
I sat quietly in the taxi on the way to my house. I stared out the window and couldn’t keep my thoughts from drifting off to Kitena. Old memories of two girls laughing and playing together filled my thoughts. I didn’t notice that the cab had pulled in front of my house until the driver knocked on the window.
I quickly paid him and stood in front of my house for a moment. It was large, much bigger than my mother and I needed, since it’s just the two of us. It was a two story white house with a large yard and an in-ground pool in the back yard.
I was about to unlock the door when I felt a small tug on my shirt. I quickly looked down, but nothing was there. I looked around at my surroundings, but it was too dark to see anything. I quickly unlocked the door and went inside locking it behind me and turning the lights on. I leaned back against the door and ran a hand through my hair before sighing. What happened with my mother made me stressed, I guess.
I changed into my bathing suit before walking out to the pool in the backyard. I always felt more relaxed when I swam. I dived into the deep end of the pool and stayed underwater for a minute before coming back up for breath. But, as soon as I came up for air, I felt two hands push my head back underwater.
