Ms Pierre [18+]

14 | Near Death Experience

14 | Near Death Experience

[-IMANI POV-]

Sunday

"I'm not gonna lie to you Sam, I am not the best Ski-er." I tell him as he changed into his ski attire behind me. This morning, the family was going to all grab breakfast together then go out skiing. I've never been skiing all my life. I knew how to ride a skateboard, and roller skates, but I doubt they were the comparable.

"I don't think you'll do bad at all. It's not hard, and the mountain we're skiing on isn't too steep." His words do nothing but make me feel even more sick. I sit down on the edge of the bed, staring down at my pj's. "Is there a way I could skip eating breakfast with your family?" I ask, hoping, praying to God, that there was an excuse I could use that would prevent me from having to see Matteo again.

Last night was the most uncomfortable experiences I've ever been through in my life. Of all my 27 years of life, I've never had a more gut-wrenching conversation with someone. After that talk, I'm ashamed to admit, I ran back into the room and cried. I groan and hide my face in the palm of my hands as his words run circles in my mind.

"Why? You're not feeling good?" Sam asked, sounding concerned and worried.

I lift my head up and shake my head. "I'm fine, I just...really don't want to be there." I admit and he sighs.

"Is it because of my sister? I know she can be a pain, but I promise I won't let her bother you. I really want you to be there with me." He says and I feel like I can't say no now. I sigh and point my index finger at him.

"Is there going to be French toast?" He nods. "I want all of your toast."

"Deal."

As Sam and I entered the dinning room, I looked around, scanning from face to face to make sure I spot Matteo and sit very far away from him. I would like to go the whole day without speaking to him. I would really like to go this whole week without speaking to him. I spot at the corner, speaking to the freckled boy I was playing charades with. Kevin. He was 20 years old but had the face of a 16-year-old boy. I watched as he pleaded with Matteo. His hands interwind as he shook them in front of face in a pleading motion. Matteo rolls his eyes and takes two pieces of bacon from his plate and hand them to the boy, Kevin's expression immediately changing from pleading to joyful.

I look away and sit down besides Sam at the large table that was meant to fit all 23 of us. "Here you go ma'am." Connie says as he places a warm plate of big portions of breakfast items. Connie was Sam's uncle, who so kindly provided me with extra blankets after I told him I was anemic last night. He was a doctor and asked me if I had brought any iron pills with me. When I told him I hadn't, he provided me some. Sweet man. I smile up and thank him. He smacks Sam's shoulders as Sam reaches his hand to my plate to eat the sausage.

"You're supposed to be a gentleman and bring the woman her plate," he says to Sam with disappointment. Sam rolls his eyes at his uncle and slouches in his seat. Connie grins at his childish behavior and walks off to his seat.

I hear the seat beside me being pulled and I watch as Stephanie sits besides me, with a plate of her own in hand. She gives me a tight-lipped smile, and I return it.

"So, how'd you sleep?" She questions as she begins to cut her sausage into pieces.

"Um, decent." I admit.

"That's good to hear, I know he's a heavy sleeper so it can sometimes be uncomfortable." She comments and I nod my head as I take a bite into the French toast. My God was it delicious. I had to stop my eyes from rolling to the back of my head from satisfaction. It was that good.

"Okay, everyone?" I hear Rey call from the end of the table. She stands in her seat and wait for all the side conversations to die down.

"So, it's 7:28 right now, at 8:30 we'll all change and by 9 we should be outside with our ski attire, and we'll be back in the house by 12." She speaks.

From 9 to 12? 3 hours of what? Non-stop skiing? That's what these people are into? Well, I mean, this is a ski trip.

Everyone at the table goes back to their normal conversations after Rey sits back down.

___

So, never again will I ever come back here if I'm ever invited. We were at the top of the mountain, staring down as a few of them slid down on their skis. These people were literal professionals as they bent their knees to go faster. We watched from the top, as their body's would shrink and disappear the farther down they go.

I was standing beside Sam as he fixed my skis on. "There, you look ready for action." He says a large warming smile on his face. Except no amount of warmth can fix the chilling feeling I had in my gut, whenever I would watch people go down the steep mountain.

He hands me two black sticks and I stare up at him confused.

"Ski poles," Is all he says. As if, that's tells me everything I need to know. I grab them and watch as he fixes his on. I do the same for mine and waddle with him to the start.

I look down and feel queasy inside. "So, you know what? I think...I think I need to go." I say and Sam turns his head at me.

"Huh?" He asks.

"Yeah, I think Imma go back inside." I speak.

There is no way in hell that I was going down this path. "C'mon, we can hold hands when we start going down." He comforts and I think about it for a little bit. I don't want to disappoint him, and he looks like he's having the time of his life here, so I agree.

"Wait, let me take a photo of my babies!" Rey says, waddling up to us. She pulls her phone out and snaps a few shots of Sam and I as we turn our upper bodies to smile in the direction of the camera.

"Okay, on the count of 3." I say nervously.

"1, 2..."

Before I could even finish, Sam is pulling me down and we're off. "Sam what the fuck!" I shout as we pick up speed. He's let go of my hand now, his hair blowing in the wind, a big smile on his face.

I turn my head around to see nobody behind us. They had disappeared from our line of sight. "Make sure you stay on the marked paths! Stay in the boundaries!" I hear Sam yell; I turn my head around and see Sam getting distant. I'm assuming he made a turn.

I hadn't gotten that far in learning how to ski yet. I had no idea where I was going, I didn't even know how to stop.

God, if you get me out of this safely, I will never steal again, I will never seduce old men at bars to pay for my drink, I'll even go visit my family...just please don't let me die from this.

I finish the tiny prayer in my head but start panicking all over again when I notice I was getting closer and closer to a lot of trees. My foot gets caught on a branch and I tumble forward.

My tumbling has stopped but now I was stuck. I had no Idea where I came from, I was missing a ski stick, oh and there was a large stick stabbed through my forearm. I was wearing heavy, thick, material but it had torn while I was rapidly tumbling here, I guess in the midst I got pierced.

Just great. I'm cold, stranded, and bleeding out.

Word Count: 1,382