'Faye'rytale

Chapter 6

Raeburn could not get the usual dopamine rush no matter how hard he gamed that day. Devastated, he smashed his headset. He got on his motorbike. He remembered his mom telling him not to ride when he was angry or upset. He really needed to do it to calm down. He took a few deep breaths and accelerated on his bike. At 120 mph, all else faded. She was the only thing on his mind. Even when the heavy truck crashed right into him, the lady in red occupied every inch of his brain.

When he woke up, he was blinded by a white light. At first, he thought he was in heaven. But then, the beep of a blood pressure monitor reassured him he was still not dead. He felt a stabbing pain in his head. He heard a doctor tell someone to sedate him. A nurse in a mask injected something into his arm. He felt exhausted – not because of the accident. He was exhausted living life for the sake of living. He never had anything he wanted in life. Finally, when he found something that mattered to him, he lost that too. Slowly, his eyes closed.

          ...

Athena headed out to the gym for a heavy punching bag workout session. Punching away her frustrations seemed to help her simmer down. That was when Ava came up to her and said she needed to talk. They sat at the dinner table. Ava said nothing. She placed a photograph in front of Athena. Though indistinct and covered in a brown mass, the picture was undeniably hers.

"I found it in the box.", said Ava.

In that instant, Athena knew she had to figure it out. Whatever it is, fate brought the mystery box to her. It was not pure coincidence that the box lay there on a beach where hundreds of people come and go, just for her to pick it up. It was the universe asking her to seek for the truth. The truth about herself.

          ...

When Raeburn woke up again, his mother was sitting beside him holding his hand. Seeing her eased his pain – both physical and mental. While asleep, he had a series of dreams. They all had one thing in common – Sahara. He felt his neck to find that his chain was gone. When his mother saw him agitated, she softly placed the chain on his open palm.

"They had to remove it before the surgery. I made sure it was kept safely.", said his mother.

As he clasped it tightly in his hands, a flash of memory hit him. It was an empty classroom. Sahara chased him around to get her phone back. The iffy stare of the peon made them a wee bit uncomfortable. They weren't supposed to be there. Everyone was at the amphitheater. After all it was Halloween, and nobody would want to miss the fun. The sophomores were hosting a show. It was announced that no one was allowed to stay inside the building. They decided to go to the first floor as it was easier to leave the building in case someone saw them. Away from the crowd of crazy teenagers, Raeburn and Sahara had way more fun in the company of each other. They talked non-stop the entire day and still weren't satisfied at the end of the day. It was like they couldn't have enough of each other. That was when Sahara noticed his perfume for the first time. Raeburn squeezed back a tear.

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