Starr Academy: Year One

Part 23

Twenty-three

"That'll be 56 dollars and 92 cents please." The checkout clerk said as she looked over at me. I smiled at her and handed over my check card. I'd gotten really used to spending some money every time we went into town.

This time I had bought several sweater dusters as it was getting colder. I'm also thinking about my outfits for next week. It's Thanksgiving next week. I'm nervous and excited. I want to impress my family a little.

But that's not the only reason. Marek will be meeting my family. The ones he hasn't met yet. He would be with his family, but they couldn't manage to find come together. Apparently it happens from time to time. I asked my family if I could bring a friend and they were so happy to say yes.

Something else I'm happy about... My mom and brothers won't be there this year either. Apparently my mom couldn't get the time off to come up. I wondered if she just didn't want to come because of me. She might be intimidated that I was accepted at a prestigious school. That was actually fine with me.

"Hope. We're going to go ahead and get a table. Join us when your done." Franklin said from the door.

"I'll be there soon." I told him before he walked out and met up with Zera, Nathan, and Danielle.

I finished paying for my purchase and the sales clerk gave me my bag. I went out to the door and frowned when I got to the cross walk. The light had just turned and I couldn't cross. The restaurant was just on the other side of the street.

Marek had taken our extra bags to his SUV and moved it to the new section of the strip mall. Now he was waiting on the other side for me. I was just waiting on the light to change and bid me to cross.

I smiled and looked both ways when the light turned. I know. It's totally lame to still be doing that, but my brother got hit twice because he didn't look before he crossed. I didn't want to be like him.

I was halfway across when I heard squealing tires. I turned to my right just to see a car coming right at me. It was going so fast and not even breaking. It was headed right for me and I couldn't move out of its way.

There was only one thing I could do. Only one thing. But it wasn't enough. I wasn't able to do anything quite fast enough. I tried to thicken the air around me to cushion me against the blow. But it still wasn't enough.

The moment the car collided with my body, it hurt. It hurt so bad that I was surprised I keep the air around me as thick as I did. It took everything I had to limit how much damage the car did.

I hit the pavement and nothing mattered anymore. I was knocked out cold. The pain no longer affected me. I didn't have to worry about if I was dead or alive. I was oblivious to it all.

Marek's Point of View

I stood stunned as the car hit Hope. I couldn't process anything. Not the women screaming as they watched in horror as I am. Not the sounds of Hope's body hitting the car.

Why was this happening? I hadn't taken her out on our first date yet. Images flashed so fast through my mind of the daydreams I have had. All the ways I wanted our first date to be.

At this moment I feared I wouldn't be able to. That all my dreams were going to be just that. That I was going to lose her forever before we even had a chance. That I was going to lose my counterpart in an instance.

Her body hit the ground as the car sped away. It didn't even slam on its breaks to slow down. It just hit her head on. At full force. Hope wasn't even moving where she laid on the pavement.

My body moved of its own. It rushed over to her before my mind could comprehend exactly what happened. Others rushed over too.

"Hope. Hope!" I heard my voice yell. I could only distantly comprehend that that's my voice. It sounded nothing like my normal voice. It was shaking and cracked.