Liquid Lucidity (A Novella)

Chapter One

She'd held onto hope that her life would one day find its way back to her, but that hope disappeared like kindle turning to ash in a fire. Her ex-fiancé was now planning his wedding to another and Hannah wanted to be happy for him. He was a good man and understood that her accident was something he hadn't signed up for. Lord knows he tried, but in the end it was easier for him to be her friend rather than playing the constant role of her caretaker. 

But happiness wasn't something she'd felt for years. It was washed away that one terrible night and, Like Shawn and the rest of her life, hadn't found its way back. Hannah had come to terms with the fact that she was no longer the woman she was. 

Once brilliant, always top of her class, she could no longer spell her own name. Always the go-to gal for a great speech, the words now tumbled out of her mouth, broken or disappearing before they could make their way out. She supposed it was easier now than it had been after the accident, when she couldn't speak at all. Strange how all the things she learned to do at a young age were now the things she struggled with the most. 

Hannah's brain was still sharp, but no one would know it talking to her. Everything she was was now locked away in the confines of her mind, unable to find its way out. She could no longer express everything she thought or felt, not unless the other person had all the time in the world. 

Despite her once vibrant personality, Hannah now felt like everyone's chore. So when her best friend from high school reconnected with her after finding out about her accident, it was almost like a breath of fresh air. Meggie didn't coddle her or treat her like a child. She never made her feel less. 

The only time Hannah felt like her own person anymore was when Meggie called, and she needed more of that. Not just more of it, but less of all the other crap. 

"You sure you want to do this?" Shawn asked, gesturing toward Hannah's SUV that was packed to the brim. "You have a support system here, Hannah."

Everyone thought she was crazy, especially her parents. But when Meggie told her about her roommate moving out then joked about Hannah moving in, something clicked. A new start. "I d-don't want a sup-p-port sys-st-em an-n-ymore. I just want t-t-t-o move on."

Shawn let out a long breath and looked like he was going to object one last time, one last ditch effort to keep her there beneath his watchful eye. But they both knew she was no longer his to watch and take care of. They'd both decided that and though he didn't say anything, she knew it was causing a strain on his relationship with his new fiancé. 

And Hannah was tired of feeling like a strain to the ones she loved. 

Shawn looked at her packed up vehicle, then back at her before running his fingers through his perfectly kept hair. Everything about him was always perfectly kept, perfectly organized. Perfect and now completely her opposite. "Call me when you get there so I know you arrived safely."

Hannah nodded and placed a small kiss against his cheek. 

It was time to say goodbye. Like a breakup you can't move on from, her life had left three years ago and it was time to force herself to walk away as well. Time to let her parents enjoy early retirement without fretting over her. Time to allow Shawn to marry a woman who could take care of him as well as he took care of her. Time to stop feeling like a burden to her friends and family. 

Time to make it on her own. 

She'd already said goodbye to her parents, but Shawn felt different. Final. And despite the love they once shared and still shared in some small way, she needed that. Needed an end to their story once and for all. It was better for them both. 

And as she got in her vehicle, giving him on final look, she knew he felt that too.

There was nothing to hold onto anymore in that town. Her final chapter had closed the moment the gun went off and she'd been living in purgatory ever since. Now, despite this being perhaps the most terrifying thing she'd ever done in her life, Hannah was ready to start her sequel.