The Truths Behind the Life of Maeve Sun Lively

110

I WAKE UP IN A hospital bed.

My vision is a blur. I blink several times before I could see clearly again.

"You're finally awake."

I rub my eyes, then without much of a warning, I see Jackson's tortured face. And I feel sorry at once, remembering what has led me here.

I sit up in the bed. I look around, the room is much the same as the one Klarise is staying in. I glance down to my body, and it's in a hospital gown, the same one Klarise was wearing when I last saw her in bed. Someone must've changed me out of my dirty clothes that I have been in since the accident.

I clasp my hands together on top of the quilts, making myself look up to meet this young man's eyes. He has lines on his forehead, wrinkles looking like they've grown overnight.

"How long have I slept for?" There's no clock in the room. I don't know where my phone is.

Jackson rubs his hair, slicking it back. "Not too long. Just about half a day."

I nod, my eyes finally leaving him. When I see him, I see Klarise. Memories brush at their verges, finding ways to make me ache.

It's quiet. I don't have a good estimate of time passing. Maybe we could've sat there for ten minutes and I would have thought a minute had passed. How long doesn't really matter now. Jackson shuffles out of the seat he has been sitting in.

I begin to ask him how Klarise is and if she has talked yet or showed any emotions. But before I could, he talked.

"While you were asleep, things happened." I unclasp my hands from where they are. Clasp them together again. I don't meet his gaze that lay heavily on me. I'm supposed to be his aunt, his guardian with Klarise. I'm supposed to look after him. Yet here I am, sitting here in clothes that don't even have pants and can't look him properly in the eyes. He's more mature than I am.

"What kind of things?" I stare at my hands. They're gathering some kind of sweat. I can't handle anymore news. I find myself counting from one to three as I inhale, exhaling three seconds longer than my inhale. It's a process that helps my mind focus on a task so I won't fly out of hand. I can see an image of myself jumping out of this bed and blasting out of this room, running and running until I can't.

"Some. But before I got to really do anything about it, I was called about your collapse."

My cheeks heat up. I try to make my voice sound firm. It's an obvious fail. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

I glance by the window. It's bright. Guessing by that, it's probably around three in the afternoon.

"I don't know what to say." He pauses. He takes a deep breath, walking towards the door. I don't remove my eyes from the view outside. It's so sunny, the weather finding every way to make this day perfect yet we were all drowning in misery. "I don't know what to say. I think it'll be better if I just let him in."

The door closes. I barely heard what he said, so focused on glaring out at the sunny weather, blue skies and a cloudless day with warm light falling onto streets, pedestrians going about their day in routine. I wanted to find my hands in the sky, tearing it into pieces if that is scientifically possible.

The door opens again. I don't look up, expecting Jackson coming back to make sure I was okay and well.

"It's okay, Jackson, I'll be fine here alone." I start to turn my head to meet where he probably stood around the doorway. "You can go back to Klarise with Sarah and stay with her..."