Together

Author’s note: This story is taking place is a person’s mind. This story will at first seem confusing, perhaps even abrupt. This character will be doing their best to process what’s going on and to you they may seem to be asking weird questions. Before you start reading though, I have a question for you to think about as you learn what’s going on. “What would you do in this character’s situation?”

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Darkness.

That’s all I can see behind my eyes

Everything for miles is just black

Pure, true darkness.

No light shining at all

I’m trapped in it.

For how long, I don’t know

Time is meaningless here

 Where I am, I have no idea.

…………………………………

More time has passed

Even though I don’t know how much.

Everything has been silent

Silence.

Here it is absolutely quiet

It is still

Nothing is heard

Except myself.

But all that is just echoes.

………………………………………….

WHO am I?

You can ask many questions on your own.

What am I doing here?

 Silence.

I don’t know who I am.

I have no memory.

Whispers. More echoes.

Hello? Anyone?

Just darkness.

Amnesia……

Voices. Someone there?

Hello?! Can you hear me?

Where am I?

Accident….shock…..coma…..

She’s unconscious right now.

Does someone else hear that?

Why can’t they hear me?

Beep….beep…beep…

What accident? Why can’t I wake up?

Beep…beep…..beep….

What is that, that noise?

It, it….hurts

Signs of awareness….

She may be waking up…..

Let’s see if she’ll respond…

Respond, what are you talking about?

Another voice. Loud. Filling my ear.

Ember, if you hear me, I need you to squeeze my hand.

Please?

Ember. Who’s Ember?

Is that my name?

What do they mean by squeeze?

Cold tingles. What is it?

It must be a hand.

Please Ember, we need to know you’re there.

My hand.

I got to squeeze my hand.

I got to try.

Everything…..hurts.

Good, Ember. You’re….there.

She’s responding.

We’ll have to notify the doctor for farther diagnosis.

The voice grows fainter.

More meds….sleep.

Wait, wait! Don’t leave!

PLEASE, don’t go.

I got to know more.

I got, I got to…

I don’t know what I got to do.

………………………………………….

Em, you awake?

Someone female……

There’s another voice. Deeper.

So…..familiar.

IS she getting better, doctor?

Slowly. Recovery takes time.

Sigh.

Do you think she can hear me?

I can, I can!!!

Why can’t you hear me?

She’s in and out of it constantly, Merrick.

Merrick. Another name.

………………………………………….

Creeeeaaaakkkk….

Something moving.

Silence.

We’re alone.

Em, if you can hear me, you got to wake up.

You have to….

We all want you back.

Who’s “we”? I don’t know who you’re talking about.

Dru misses you. She isn’t herself.

Silence.

I’m sorry, Dru.

Merrick’s voice cracks.

Everyone at the teen center needs you.

Alex hasn’t been back to school. He dropped out.

Sebastien doesn’t have you reprimanding him. He’s unpredictable.

Dru can’t talk. And I….

Can’t think straight anymore.

I need you, Em.

Nothing is the same,

when we’re not together.

How do I do it?

I want to wake up.

I really do.

But I can’t.

I’m so….so tired.

Footsteps.

Sobbing.

I know you’re upset, Ember.

You can’t blame yourself.

The accident was just an accident.

It was not your fault.

His voice sounds deflated,

Like a balloon.

As if he can’t quite believe something.

As if he’s reminding himself.

What ACCIDENT? What are you talking about?

The footsteps fade away.

Wait, please….

I have so many questions.

Silence.

Merrick left.

Everything…quiet.

……………………………………………

Everything hurts.

It must be from the accident.

They said it was an accident.

Merrick told me it was an accident.

But… what happened?

My head throbs.

Do I have a concussion?

 I have amnesia.

I was in a coma.

Imagination runs.

Did I get trampled by a mob?

Chomped on by a T-Rex?

Did I avoid being eaten back by a shark?

Anything with sharp teeth?

I hope preferably not.

None of these make sense.

I can’t know.

I don’t know.

I’m so confused.

So…tired.

I need to do something.

Need what?

They said sleep…..

……………………………………………

Crash!

My head spins.

Everything is red.

My foot slams on the break.

Bump, bump, bump…

White, everywhere is white.

Screams. Voices shrieking.

Ember, wake up!

 Ember…

Fuzzy, fuzzy forms.

Color, not black.

Ember?

She’s responding again. I saw her eyes flutter.

She’s waking up.

Merrick. Come on Em, you can do it.

Do it for me….

Merrick! I saw him.

How do I know?

Brown hair, deep blue eyes

Pleading.

I’m coming! I’m trying!

Eyelids so heavy. Move, open!

Light. So much light.

Ember…..

His voice is warm.

He puts his hand over mine.

“We thought we lost you.”

His face is pale, drawn.

 As if he’s been worried.

His eyes though,

Are relieved,

Alive.

You never lost me.

My mouth is dry.

I try to speak, yet no words come out.

“It’s ok.” He grips my hand tighter and puts a finger to my lips.

“Don’t talk, just save your voice. Everything will be alright now. Everything fine.”

He seems to mean it.

Wants it to be true.

Somehow though, it isn’t.

Not quite.

I can’t help but wonder.

What about the accident? What happened?

I want to know.

Not yet….a inner voice echoes.

The room is warm.

Merrick is safe.

I feel safe.

My eyes drift closed.

Darkness…. please, no!

So tired….

Sleep.

…………………………………………

Beep…beep…beep…

I jolt awake.

My head hurts.

Merrick. Room is dark.

Someone there, breathing.

Beep….beep…beep…

 “Em,” He whispers.

The nickname lingers.

It’s so familiar…. like him.

Flash!

A lightbulb in my mind.

Merrick’s excitement is contagious.

His hands cover my eyes,

masking my eyes in black,

leaving me to wonder what he’s hiding in front of them.

“We’re going to make history together, Em.

The Amazing Ember and the Marvelous Merrick will make it the radio.

We’ll beat cancer, stop unknown diseases, conquer-“

“Ok, ok Merrick. You got me.

 We’re unconquerable.

That might as well mean we take a trip and fly to Mars.

If we can do that, we must be able to enter space without suffocating.”

He uncovers my eyes.

I can see his teasing gaze.

“Well if you’re that confident,

let’s buy this old place to use as our new teen center while we’re at it.”

I stare at the white building, noticing a sign that Merrick had tried to keep me from noticing.

“Ember’s Home from Home for Teens” stands out in big blue letters.

“Not Em?” I grin up at him.

He gives me a daring heart-skip-a-beat smile.

“I was saving Em for me.” I hold his hand, looking deeply at him.

“You’re right. Let’s buy it.

Then we’ll own this place together.

Together, we can open it up. 

Share it to the others who need it

And make it.

Make it a home.”

The memory is gone, right before my eyes.

I had dreams.

Hopes and plans.

We both did.

I can see that now.

Together, we saw those dreams happen.

Yet, it doesn’t matter.

Whatever happened, it caused me to fail them.

Those teens, and Merrick, need me.

I’m not there.

All I am to them right now is a dim light,

unable to shine for the ones that need it the most.

………………………………………………………..

The pain doesn’t hurt anymore.

It ‘s familiar.

I felt it before.

I can see it.

Brocken glass.

Burned walls.

My home gone.

I can see a crying woman.

My mother, my heart says.

I see a body, a shadow long gone.

My father, memories whisper.

This was before…

So long ago… before the accident.

A time when I needed a home, my own home from home.

………………………………………………………………

“It wasn’t your fault.”

Merrick is back again.

He sits in a worn chair, tired out like me.

“The roads were icy.

You were out of town to get groceries.

Snow was falling. Fast.

You told me not to worry.

You’d be back by seven.

You never came.

The roads were supposed to be dangerous.

It was 16 degrees farenheit outside. Too cold to be outside.”

I watch Merrick shiver.

His eyes are sad.

So sad.

Something else lingers in them.

What is it?

Guilt?

I touch his hand. He continues.

“A call came at 10.

They said you were in a coma. Lucky to be alive.

 They weren’t sure what happened.

They said you slid and hit a tree. Another car slid as well.

Didn’t see you until it was too late.”

Tears seem to form.

In my eyes, his eyes.

It wasn’t your fault,

I want to tell him.

You don’t have to blame yourself.

The words stick in my throat

And I realize the truth.

It was a mistake.

Yet, it was nobody’s fault.

……………………………………………………..

I dream it again.

Snowy flakes drift lazily.

The car hums.

Phone rings.

“You coming Em?”

Merrick’s voice echoes.

“A half hour.

I’ll get some groceries.

You have enough pasta for dinner?”

Clanging in the other end.

Merrick in the kitchen.

Finding the pantry, no doubt.

“Uhhh… could you get dinner, too?

We’re out of pasta.”

Typical Merrick.

“Pizza?”

“Always pizza night.”

“Figured. The teens will love it.”

“Always do.

Back by seven?”

“Back by seven.”

“Oh, and Em.”

Merrick pauses.

“Yeah.”

“Be careful outside. It’s getting cold.”

“I always am, Mr. Mom.”

I hang up.

Click on the Christian music.

It vibrates through the stereo.

White flashes past.

Pepperoni and cheese fills the car.

White everywhere.

Snow flurries past.

It’s getting late.

Move faster.

It’s getting cold.

Car slides.

Bump…bump….bump…

Head hits steering wheel.

Blurry.

Everything blurry.

Push the break.

Thump!

Red, red in my eyes.

Slam!

Screeech….

Crash…

Lights.

Screams.

Black.

………………………………………..

Sweat. Covers.

Hot. So hot.

“Em?”

Merrick again.

“Did I wake you?”

Shake head.

Throat dry.

Relief on his face.

“The doctor said you’re healing well.

You’ll be out in a couple of weeks.”

I nod.

“The teens can’t wait to see you again.

They’ve all been worried.

They miss you. A lot.”

Thoughts of them pop up.

The teens center.

Dru with sad eyes.

Sebastien who nearly got expelled.

Alex the dare devil.

I miss them too.

Merrick seems to sense the sadness.

Only he can stare in to my soul that way.

“We’re going to make it Em.

Together we’ll make it.”

Merrick looks down at me,

His voice filling my mind.

His reassurance is comforting,

And I know he is right.

We will.

Somehow we will make it.

“Yeah. We always do.”

The words are raspy.

Inaudible.

Merrick gives a shocked face like he won the lottery.

“Ember…you spoke!”

“We’ll make it together,”

I murmur.

Tears mirror our eyes.

He grasps my hand.

“Together.”

The End