Deception

Chapter 14: Golden Locket

Harry's POV

"Don't be stupid Harry." I hear Julia's voice in my head. I ignore it immediately, drifting to the side lane as I race head to head with one of the Liyala racers.

"You have to let me go Harry." She whispers, a hint of her typical giggle in her voice. I squeeze my head with my left hand and try to shake her from my thoughts.

I had done so well. I had forgotten about her, pushed her off the edge of my heart for months and months.

And then, Charlie happened.

I close my eyes and open them with fury, focusing on this race. Julia is gone. Charlie isn't Julia, nor do I want her to be.

I don't need anyone; I don't ever want to love someone again.

I look over to my right and squint my eyes at the other racer and press on my gas pedal even harder. He presses on his too.

I press until 120 and as I am almost inched enough in front of him to pass him, to pass all of them, his head of his car rams into my side.

I feel myself spinning, somewhat like a marry go round but more unpleasant. Then I am flipping. I imagine I am dying. I anticipate what I will see, if I will see Julia waiting, welcoming me to join her in someplace magnificent.

They say when you die, for seven minutes your whole life flashes before your eyes. That means I'd see everything all over again. I'd see the warm, smiling faces of the family I once had. I'd see the happiest moments of my life along with my worst. I am almost content with this, with dying and reliving my life for seven blissful minutes. But the glee vanishes when I see nothing. I do not see the first date I ever had with Julia. Or the day Gemma scared me so badly that I pissed my pants. I don't see a glint of the days when my mom used to care or when Gemma made me go to a book club with her and after we finished the damn book I was just so mad about how it was such a calamitous ending.

I feel as though I have fallen into oblivion. I am so bewildered that I want to laugh but I can't even feel my lips.

Where are my lips? What are lips?

I feel like laughing because I should definitely be a comedian.

Bitches love comedians.

My whole body is numb and I find it quite humorous. I try to tell my brain to open my mouth but my brain is laughing at me. Hundreds of little, dancing brains surrounds the darkness warming my eyes and they are all laughing at me.

I am hallucinating.

But I can't help but join in and laugh with the silly-looking brains. Of course, I don't really laugh, but I imagine I am.

When the images of cartooned laughing brains finally diminish in my head, I begin to hear noises. I concentrate enough until I can clearly hear panicked voices around me, the sounds of harsh breathing and scrambling echo in my ears. I try to speak, to open my mouth, but no words can even escape my lips. Sleep is slowly coaxing me. I focus on the darkness behind my eyes, struggling to inhale oxygen from the mask attached to my face.

So that's where my lips are.

I feel pricks at my skin, liquids being shot up my arms. My body is slowly going limp around me, sinking into the uncomforting darkness, a darkness smiling at me, welcoming me with a smirk. I thought death would come quicker, easier; that it wouldn't take this long for myself to abdicate. But my mind is shutting down, slowly, quietly. Then I feel a hand lightly squeeze mine as I am sent into the darkness.

~

Charlie's POV

I listen to the unsteady heart beat of Harry. My head rests on his lap while he lies, sleeping on his hospital bed. It's 12 pm.