moment?
Chapter 12 — Aftermath
Gaia
After our goodbye, I didn’t leave bed for eight days. My body was drained of energy. I snuggled under the sheets and shut my eyes in continuous pursuit of slumber. Even though I slept most of the time, rest escaped me.
Every morning Mom woke me up, and every morning I told her I didn’t feel good. I wasn’t responsive enough to notice her concern. Since her iron will couldn’t fix this, she tried smaller steps, like coaxing me into taking a shower. When I acquiesced, she’d leave the room and I’d drift off again.
My sister got through to me in the beginning. She stretched out on the bed and hugged me through the comforter.
“This is about what happened the other night, isn’t it?” she asked.
Nodding took all I had. “But it’s more.”
“Why? What happened? Tell me.”
“Nothing. I don’t care about Marina’s uncle,” I mumbled.
“Her uncle?” Luna’s voice hitched, and I’d said too much.
“Never mind.”
“Did he touch you or something?”
“Don’t you dare say anything to Mom and Dad.” I burrowed under the blankets. The darkness was my friend.
Luna’s fingers dug my face out of the covers. “You know I’d never rat you out. I’m so sorry, Gaia.”
I squinted at her from under puffed eyelids, but shut them when I saw her tears. “Luna, it’s not because of him, okay?” Please, don’t make me think. “Nothing really happened. Go away—I’m tired.”
Soon, my parents noticed that I wasn’t eating. Mom stopped making healthy meals and began to bring In-N-Out burgers for dinner. For breakfast she’d make my favorites—blueberry pancakes and eggs scrambled with heavy cream, but the smell of food didn’t entice me.
Since I loved bacon, Mom fried some every day. My stomach turned when the stench of smoked grease curled into my hair and the fabrics around me.
Winter break began. By the seventh day of my meltdown, my skin had lost its color and hugged my ribs. My hipbones jutted out. I slept through Luna’s soft sniffling when she came by, because my own pain was all I could take.
That night, my parents’ murmurs cut through from their bedroom. Dad’s deep bass had always been easier to decode than Mom’s high-pitched fairy voice. “Honestly, I don’t care at this point.”
“But it’s only been seven months since the accident. This is how grief works—there are ups and downs, Edwin. We have to accept that she needs to go through the cycles.”
“No, this can’t be normal.”
“Please, they told us, remember?”
“Oh really? What did they tell us, Selene? That our daughter would lay herself down to die ?”
“Honey, she’ll get better—just let her grieve.”
“Selene, look at her! She doesn’t talk or eat—she’s getting weaker by the hour…”
If only Chris were here. I dozed off and woke again when my father slammed a door. “That’s a no! I’ve had it with your ‘natural’ way.”
The next morning, Dad brought an older, silver-haired doctor with wise eyes into my room. I wasn’t fully awake when he checked my vitals. Despite my nodding off, he seemed to stay and stay.
“I’d like to speak with the young lady alone for a minute if you don’t mind,” I heard before I napped again.
“Gaia, is it?”
“Hmm.” Deeply rooted, the instinct to be polite made me struggle to open my eyes.
“What has happened in your life, Gaia, that has made you this sad?”
His unexpected intuition caused tears to trickle down my temples. The doctor gave me space until a reply croaked out. “I can’t tell you.”
“Is it about a boy?”
A boy. A man. An angel. It’s complicated.
“Yes.”
“Anything else? Has anybody been mean to you?”
“Yes.”
“Can you handle it, or will you need help getting back on your feet?”
“I can handle it.”
The old man held my hand between his dry ones. He sat there for a while, comforting me without words while tears leaked out.
“It’s time to start
Chapter 12 — Aftermath
Gaia
After our goodbye, I didn’t leave bed for eight days. My body was drained of energy. I snuggled under the sheets and shut my eyes in continuous pursuit of slumber. Even though I slept most of the time, rest escaped me.
Every morning Mom woke me up, and every morning I told her I didn’t feel good. I wasn’t responsive enough to notice her concern. Since her iron will couldn’t fix this, she tried smaller steps, like coaxing me into taking a shower. When I acquiesced, she’d leave the room and I’d drift off again.
My sister got through to me in the beginning. She stretched out on the bed and hugged me through the comforter.
“This is about what happened the other night, isn’t it?” she asked.
Nodding took all I had. “But it’s more.”
“Why? What happened? Tell me.”
“Nothing. I don’t care about Marina’s uncle,” I mumbled.
“Her uncle?” Luna’s voice hitched, and I’d said too much.
“Never mind.”
“Did he touch you or something?”
“Don’t you dare say anything to Mom and Dad.” I burrowed under the blankets. The darkness was my friend.
Luna’s fingers dug my face out of the covers. “You know I’d never rat you out. I’m so sorry, Gaia.”
I squinted at her from under puffed eyelids, but shut them when I saw her tears. “Luna, it’s not because of him, okay?” Please, don’t make me think. “Nothing really happened. Go away—I’m tired.”
Soon, my parents noticed that I wasn’t eating. Mom stopped making healthy meals and began to bring In-N-Out burgers for dinner. For breakfast she’d make my favorites—blueberry pancakes and eggs scrambled with heavy cream, but the smell of food didn’t entice me.
Since I loved bacon, Mom fried some every day. My stomach turned when the stench of smoked grease curled into my hair and the fabrics around me.
Winter break began. By the seventh day of my meltdown, my skin had lost its color and hugged my ribs. My hipbones jutted out. I slept through Luna’s soft sniffling when she came by, because my own pain was all I could take.
That night, my parents’ murmurs cut through from their bedroom. Dad’s deep bass had always been easier to decode than Mom’s high-pitched fairy voice. “Honestly, I don’t care at this point.”
“But it’s only been seven months since the accident. This is how grief works—there are ups and downs, Edwin. We have to accept that she needs to go through the cycles.”
“No, this can’t be normal.”
“Please, they told us, remember?”
“Oh really? What did they tell us, Selene? That our daughter would lay herself down to die ?”
“Honey, she’ll get better—just let her grieve.”
“Selene, look at her! She doesn’t talk or eat—she’s getting weaker by the hour…”
If only Chris were here. I dozed off and woke again when my father slammed a door. “That’s a no! I’ve had it with your ‘natural’ way.”
The next morning, Dad brought an older, silver-haired doctor with wise eyes into my room. I wasn’t fully awake when he checked my vitals. Despite my nodding off, he seemed to stay and stay.
“I’d like to speak with the young lady alone for a minute if you don’t mind,” I heard before I napped again.
“Gaia, is it?”
“Hmm.” Deeply rooted, the instinct to be polite made me struggle to open my eyes.
“What has happened in your life, Gaia, that has made you this sad?”
His unexpected intuition caused tears to trickle down my temples. The doctor gave me space until a reply croaked out. “I can’t tell you.”
“Is it about a boy?”
A boy. A man. An angel. It’s complicated.
“Yes.”
“Anything else? Has anybody been mean to you?”
“Yes.”
“Can you handle it, or will you need help getting back on your feet?”
“I can handle it.”
The old man held my hand between his dry ones. He sat there for a while, comforting me without words while tears leaked out.
“It’s time to start
Similar Books
