At Your Bedside

•Ch.7•

I cannot go back to sleep. As hard as I try I just can't. I stare at my blankets and touch the soft fabric. I feel something under my pillow causing my neck to ache. I pull out my old little stuffed elephant. I giggle and play with its floppy ears.

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"Mommy! Mommy!" I yell in my high pitched, five year old voice.

"Casey you have to go to bed. Its getting late," Mom says.

"But I can't Mommy! The monsters are gonna get me!"

"Oh yeah," she says. "And there gonna gobble you up!" she says as she tickles my tummy. I giggle. "Since Dad and I don't want our daughter to be eaten, we must give her some protection." She holds out a stuffed elephant. I grab it and play with it's grey floppy ears. "I'll stay at your bedside until you fall asleep." She stroked my curly, black hair as I slowly drift away into my dream.
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I am staring at my wall. It is becoming morning and I still have not slept. I am not even tired, but I am sick to my stomach thinking about that dream.

I hear the doorbell ringing, so I run downstairs to the front door. It's Hazel.
"Hazel! What are you doing here?" I ask very confused.

"Today's the funeral. I brought my friend Isaac," she says leaning over to me. "He's blind." I wave to him. "Dude stop! It's not like he will reply to a hand gesture. He's can't see."

"Whoops. Sorry," I apologize. "I totally forgot about the funeral! My mind has been working too much. I've barely gotten any sleep." Hazel gives me a pat on the back. "Come in!"

"I have to warn you," I heed," Its kinda messy. I haven't cleaned it since I got back from the hospital."

"No worries," Isaac says. "I won't notice a thing." Oh my poor Isaac.

I give them some water and run up stares to get changed into my black dress. I look in the mirror.
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"Look at my beautiful daughter. So young. You have a big life ahead of you. A quite extraordinary one, too."
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I blink and sigh heavily. I walk out of the bathroom and run downstairs.

"Oh Casey you look gorgeous!" Hazel says.

"I trust what she said," Isaac exclaims. We both laugh as I grab my phone and keys.

In the car, no body talks. They both just stare at the window or play with their hands. Isaac listens to the music on his head phones. "So Casey?" Hazel says.

"Yeah?"

"I've been wondering about your family. Like what happened if I may ask."

I sigh. "My older brother, Cade, got into a bad crowd. And my mom and dad tried to help him but Cade just brushed us off. So stupid. And then one night when Dad was trying to stop him from doing those things, my brother just jumped in his car and...ran him over. Cade crashed into a pole and got arrested for murder and other things." Hazel looks depressed now. "And you know most about my mom. She got sick. They couldn't cure it. And she died."

"That's horrible! What kind of sick person would do that?"

"My idiot brother," I answer. "I haven't spoken to him in over four years. I don't think I want to."