Vi Presento a Athea (Introducing Athea)

XII

It was dark and it was wet and it was cold and Athea woke up with screaming. The rain poured deadly and strong in the darkness outside her window, and the pitch-black night was only illuminated by the recurrent bursts of lighting that cut the sky. Athea rose from her bed and rushed around the house in sheer fear, a heavy and fleeting breath escaping her lungs. She found her mom downstairs – the origin of the screaming –, dropped on the floor, grasping her chest with one of her hands while the other found its way to her father's, whom was caressing her hair while trying to keep a stern composure as he talked to someone on the phone. And Dianora screamed. Oh, did she scream. In pure and crude pain, she roared to the skies as tear paths cut her cheeks. The sounds ringed in Athea's ears and that alone made her tear up – she had never seen her mother in that state... what was happening? She walked slow and heavy steps towards her parents, feeling her heartbeat ringing in her ears. Before she reached them, her father hung the phone and covered his face with his spare hand, joining her mother in her crying, but repressing his screams, instead biting his lips dryly.

"M-mamma?" She was almost afraid to call out. Something made Athea jump and she wasn't sure if it was her mother's pleading, the thunder that roared outside, or both of them together. "Mamma?" Her voice cracked as tears started to drop down. Dianora leaned and rested her body against the wall, now fighting for air. She lifted her gaze to her dad, accepting that her mother would not be able to answer her. "Babbo?" Patrick sighed deeply before roughly rubbing the tears away with the back of his hand. With a runny nose and crimson eyes, he fought back tears.

"I-it's your sister, piccina... sh-she..."

A loud scream filled her ears, her own scream, as she felt her body being sucked into her father's bloodshot eyes. Suddenly, she found herself in a chilling white place. Her eyes adjusted to the light and slowly unveiled the sight of Brie intubated, her lips as pale as her skin; her once dark chocolate hair she took after her mom, as frail as her body – and the tubes and machines and bags and beeps and clicks where the ones helping to keep her alive. But she was alive. Barely, but alive. And she still smiled.

Brie held her little sister's hands with difficulty, as she listened to her talk about her day. It had been three days since the accident – and one since she had woken up – and Athea held with her all the hope she had already lost. She felt excruciating pain all the time, and her heart and lungs failed her more than the doctors expected. She quickly eyed over the door, where behind the hospital bedroom walls, her parents received the news she already knew of. She turned her gaze back to Athea.

"You must be very strong, sorellina. For mamma and for babbo, you must keep strong." She held her hands tightly between her own.

"You make it sound like you're not going to get better!" The eleven-year-old smiled and toyed with her big sis. Brie let out a painful laugh, her eyes tearing up. She couldn't tell her; she couldn't possibly bring herself to tell her. She was so young, so filled with light and potential.

"C'mere." She called her into a hug and Athea leaned her little body over her bed, almost laying down on top of her sister, retrieving her hug. Their parents then entered the room, Dianora holding onto Patrick's torso for dear life, a runny nose and the swollen eyes, closed.

"Athea, dear." Her father called her attention with a broken voice, and she lifted up her head from the mess of Brie's dark hair. "I need to talk to you, piccina, let's go outside." Athea retrieved them with confused looks as tears couldn't help but fall from Brie's eyes, as she watched her little sis awkwardly climb down the hospital's gurney. Athea never saw her cry.

"Vai con tuo babbo, piccolina." Her mother caressed her hair as she followed Patrick outside, and walked over to her eldest daughter, hugging her lovingly in the amidst of sobs, as they both poured their hearts out. Patrick closed the door behind them and they were suddenly transported.