Unseeing

Chapter Two - The Dark

I woke and sat up with a gasp. Or maybe I was still dreaming. It felt like I was awake, but the darkness was so complete, pressing in on me from all directions. "Hello?" I called. I felt movement beside me and I screamed, unknowing of the creature beside me. I scrambled away, but I only made it about a foot before I felt the hard surface of a wall against my back. 

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"It's me, Parker," someone said. 

I tried to pinpoint the origin of the voice, squinting as if I could see through the inkiness that was my world. It seemed to be coming from whatever had moved. 

"Parker?" I asked, "What's going on?" I heard him shift uncomfortably.

"You're... Uh... Blind. The glass from the windshield... g- got in your eyes. The ambulance... didn't come in time," he explained. I gasped as it all came rushing back to me. 

"You mean... I won't ever see again?" I demanded. I heard him shift, then realized that he had probably nodded his head. "I can't see," I reminded him as the reality of my situation sank in.

"Right. S- sorry. Yeah... Your eyes... a- are totaled. The doctors removed the glass and your c- cuts should heal up in a few days... but you won't be able to see." 

I frowned. This would be tough, but I could adjust. I felt along what I now perceived to be a bed and found the edge before slipping off. I stood on wobbly legs and Parker put a hand on my elbow.

"Careful," he warned. 

I gave a tight smile and asked, "Where am I?"

"Your house. In your bedroom," he told me. 

I envisioned it. Given the angle that I had gotten out of bed, the door should be... That way. I oriented myself and took a step forward. Stumbling slightly over dirty laundry, I made my way to the door, only smacking into the wall once on my way over. 

"Made it!" I crowed triumphantly as my hand slid over the door and closed around the doorknob. I turned it and tugged. The door creaked as it opened, and suddenly something occurred to me.

"Wait. Parker, what were you doing in my bedroom?" I asked. I could almost sense him blushing.

"I - I've been visiting every day. Your parents have been... really cool about it, r- really," he explained. The statement sunk in and I froze, hand on the wall.

"Every day?" I exclaimed, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Uhh..." he muttered, seeming embarrassed, "About a week..."

"I've been unconscious for a week?" I demanded. I felt him nod, then sensed him smack his forehead.

"S- sorry. Yes," Parker replied, then muttered, "This is going to take some getting used to."

"How's your arm? Is Theresa alright?" I asked.

"My arm's better, but still healing, and... Um... Theresa's fine, but..." he trailed off. That was when I remembered the driver of the car.

"Who was driving?" I questioned, probing gently, "Was it one of your...?" Parker sighed heavily.

"Not our parents. Actually, it was sort of a blessing that the tree fell on us. Um... Our... Our, um... Dad's... uh... That is... Our Dad's ex-girlfriend sort of... kidnapped us. Yeah. She was driving the car... a- and she was driving like the crazy person she was. I- I was p- planning to escape... even though we were going 90 per hour when it started to rain... and the rest is history," he concluded. My jaw dropped and I stopped as I reached the stairs.

"You were kidnapped?" I said.

"Uh... yeah," he admitted, sounding uncomfortable.

"And you didn't think to mention it?" I started down the stairs, my hand on the banister all the way.

"I- I was more concerned about my... Erm... sister... you know, given the fact that a- a tree had recently, you know, fallen... on the car," he pointed out. I rolled my eyes. Parker shuddered. "What?" I asked.

"Um, maybe d- don't d- do that. N- no offense, of course!! Your eyes... are kind of milky... and, erm... Uh... creepy," he informed me. I frowned.

"No offence?" I asked skeptically, "That's, like, the definition of offense."

"I'm sorry!! I thought you should know!" he protested. I shrugged.

"You're right. That doesn't make it less offensive, though," I informed him.

"G- good point," he conceded. I entered the kitchen and opened the cabinet, groping around for a second before pulling out a glass and going to the sink. 

Weirdly enough, I could hear the water as it rose and turned the water off as it reached the top. I took a sip and smiled. 

"So, when am I going back to school?" I asked.

"I don't know. What school do you go to?" he asked.

"Midtown High. Private," I replied.

"I- I... homeschool," he said, "But... I've h- heard it's nice." I nodded.

"It is," I agreed. I heard someone else enter the kitchen. "Who's there?"

"Oh, sweetie!" My mom. She rushed over and embraced me. "You're awake!" I smiled and hugged her back.

 "Why're you here?" I asked. My parents were divorced, after all.

 "I wanted to be here when you woke up, so your dad said I could stay in the first bedroom for a while," Mom explained. I nodded my head in acceptance.

"Hey, I was wondering when I'm going back to school," I said. She stiffened.

"I... Sweetie, we decided to pull you out of school. You're going to be homeschooling with Parker's homeschooling group from now on," she explained, holding me at arm's length. I could almost see her face, so vivid was my memory of her. "What?" I demanded.

"It's for the best, sweetie," she pleaded. But I wasn't so sure.

Thanks again for reading! I promise we'll get to the good part soon, but it's important to set up your story and take your time. See you!