The Misadventure of Alexander Hughes

THE GIRL THAT DIED IN REDWOOD ACADEMY: CHAPTER 7

"Mom" Damien softly said as he saw his Mom woke up. His mom looks at him, smiling.

"Damien," her mom said in a fragile voice, opening her arms. Damien stood up from his seat and hug his mom, Damien felt a squeeze in his heart as he heard his mom muttered his name. His Mom is terminally ill.

"How are you feeling?" Damien gently asked, pulling away from his Mom's hug.
"I'm still... fine" Her mom shot him a fragile smile. Damien knew that her mom isn't fine, it is been 5 weeks since her Mom is hospitalized. Damien holds his Mom's hand, he doesn't want his mom to die. He has no one other than his mom.

"Oh, Damien.. Don't give me that look"

"What?" Damien asked, wiping his tears. "I just got something in my eye"

"You are bad at lying, Damien" and they both laugh.

"Mom, can I ask?"

"Yes, but don't ask math questions," Mom said, letting Damien out a small laugh.

Damien shook his head, glancing down. "Do you know about... Danielle, mom? I want to ask you this question.. because she has the same surname as me and asks y—"
Damien's stop his sentence mid-way as he notices his Mom gave him a fragile smile, his Mom looked at the ceiling," How did you know about her?"

"I know this sounds crazy but there is this kid that keeps following me. She seems about 7 years old and turns out her name is Danielle Ludwig and she..." Damien stopped midway and continues, "She committed suicide at RedWood Academy"
"Where do you often see her? Tell me all about it, Damien"

"I have often seen her at school and sometimes, I felt her when I study alone in my apartment. I had a friend who saw her in a convenience store since he works from there and he told me that Danielle.. likes gummy."

'Is that all, Damien?" Her mom gently asked, not looking at Damien. Damien nodded as a response. "What if I told you, Damien, that I have a secret that you, like my son, didn't know about?"

Damien is confused, "What do you mean, Mom? A secret from me? You probably have a reason why you hid it, Mom, and besides... I'm sure it's not your fau—" Damien cut his sentence off as he heard his Mom, crying.

"Mom?" Her Mom sob and cry, Damien stood up and hug his Mom. He gently caressed his Mom's shoulder, trying to let his Mom crying all the pain out. Hearing his Mom's sobbing and tears streamed down to her cheeks, Damien knew that her Mom probably had done something that she couldn't forgive herself.

"Damien?"

"Mom?" His Mom looked up at him, caressing Damien's hand that was on her shoulder. "I'm going to share a story. A story about a girl that runs away from her family after she is abused. No one supports her so she worked herself as a prostitute to gain money and send herself to school. "

"Oh, that sucks" Damien muttered. Her Mom nodded, "She is beautiful that many guys like her. Even she is a prostitute, she is gentle to others. As she studies, there is a guy that likes her and they became a couple and.."

"And what, mom?" Damien asked.

"and they had a child. They had a healthy baby child and it's a girl" His Mom narrates, smiling. "That child is so sweet to her but.. everything changes. Everything change when the man that she married turns out to be a monster." Damien's forehead furrowed. "Monster?"

"A man that she didn't expect to turn out to. The man began to beat her up, almost every month. She endured the pain and secretly decide to change the name of their daughter and until she found out that the man has someone else, she cried and confronted him but.. she is beaten up again."

"What the fuck with th—"

"yes, I know. Such a monster, right? The girl leaves the house and never returned. Now, you might be asking...how about the little girl?"

"The little girl didn't know about what happened to her parents. The girl regretted it and she decides to go back once she had the money to raise her baby alone but then... it was too late. " Her Mom continued.

"As the day she wants to go back to get her baby, she heard that it was dead. She regretted everything she did and blame herself, she was depressed. She doesn't have the courage to see the body or visit her daughter's body. She hates herself for leaving her kid alone"

"and what happened after that, mom? Was she dead? Or.. did something?"
'You are such a bad kid of mine if you think she is dead." Mom laugh. Damien laughs, "I mean.. that does a person when depressed right? Commit suicide and do something that can kill th-"

"But that girl is strong, she still couldn't forgive herself. She found another man and this man treats her good"
"But at least she found someone that treats her good not that fucking mons—"

"Watch your language, Damien!"

"I'm sorry, Mom... I'm just... I just hate it, you know."

"Do you feel pity about the girl?" Damien slowly nodded. "Back to that story, they married and.. they had a child. A handsome child, it's a boy"

"And that man didn't know do anything like that fuc.. I mean, that monster right?" His mom nodded, "Then, that's good but..."

"But what, Damien?"

"I feel pity for her daughter. It's all because of that monster. If she is alive, she probably meets her brother" His Mom smiled and nodded, "Damien.."

"Yes, Mom?"

"What if that is the secret that I'm hiding from you?" Damien's eyes widened, Damien didn't felt any anger towards his Mom. He is just shocked. It' can't be right?
"But it's.. "

"I'm that girl in the story I mentioned, Damien.." His Mom said, glancing down. Tears fell down her cheeks, "until now... I still couldn't forgive myself."

'Mom.. wh-why you didn't.... "

"Danielle is your older sister and you're right. If she is only alive, she could meet you. She could meet her handsome brother" Tears fell down Damien's eyes and streamed down his face.

"I'm sorry, Damien. I'm sor—" His Mom stops in the middle of her sentence as her eyes widened. "Mom?"

"Mom!" Damien cried out. Damien stood up, "Wait here, Mom... I'll.. I'll call a nurse," he said and wipe his tears and went to the door, looking around for a nurse. Damien found a nurse that walked in the hallway, he hurriedly went in the nurse's direction. "Please help me. My Mom suddenly can't talk and couldn't seem to breathe"

The nurse nodded and followed him. As the nurse arrived in the room, the nurse pressed the button that is above his Mom's headboard. "Code blue!"

Nurses and a doctor came to the room, Damien was told to go outside. Damien shook his head, "I can't leave my Mom alone"

'Please.." Damien looked at his mom that is having trouble catching air. Damien nodded and went out. Damien never felt so much anxiety as he went out of the room. He is scared. As he went outside, Damien caught a glimpse of Danielle that is standing by the door and is looking at their mother.

"Mom..." is what Damien heard as he walked past her. After a few minutes, a doctor went out. Damien stood up and walks towards them.

The doctor heave a sigh, his sentence and expression made Damien stunned.

"I'm sorry, we did our best.."