When Life Finally Began

Chapter 13

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I know time is supposed to fly while you’re having fun, but what about when you’re so painfully bored you'd rather do anything else. I had my eyes closed, but I wasn't sleeping. I couldn't stand it, I felt like it was my fault. I deserved to be in the hospital. Jenna didn't deserve to be laying in a bed. She didn't deserve this punishment. 

"Auntie Ella are you sleeping?" Mia pulls on my tee shirt. 

"What do you want?" I groan, she wasn't being as annoying; but I was still cross.

"I'm scared, can I sleep with you?" 

"Why not grandma and grandpa?" Calling my parents something else felt weird, and odd.

"Because your better, and I like you better." She stumbles through the sentence.

I heave her onto my bed, she gripped a worn out teddy bear. "What are you scared of?"

"I'm afraid Mommy and Daddy aren't coming back?" Her feet tickle my legs as she shifts.

"Why would you say that?" 

"Because well Mommy hasn't called me in 100 days, and Daddy hasn't talked to me in nine days!"  

"Why don't we call Daddy right now?" I was pretty sure it was day in Hawaii, and if it wasn't oh well he deserved it.

The phone rang twice before he answered. "How may I help you Ella?" His voice seemed worn and tired. He wasn't light and cheery like he was when he left, he'd aged in the past few months. 

"Hi Daddy! I thought you forgot about me!" 

"Hi my pumpkin pie! How are you?" His voice perks.

"It's boring here, Grandma and Grandpa are really boring. I've been to the zoo ten times since you left! I'm glad to be with Auntie Ella though. Her boyfriend Dustin comes a lot though, he and she always hug like you and Mommy." Mia rambles on, I couldn't make out half the things she was saying but she seemed happy.

"Well we will be back really soon!" He says distantly, there was an edge to his voice. 

"I really, really can't wait! I am so excited! We can go get ice cream and eat pie." 

"Can I talk to your Aunt?"

"Why not me?"

"Cause the creepers come when you're not asleep."

"Oh no! Here comes Auntie." She hands me my phone, and runs to her room.

"Listen, don't tell Mom and Dad anything okay?" 

"What’s in it for me?" Maybe if I live a few more years we will be more tolerable.

"Never mind."

"No! Tell me now!"

"Mia is going to be an older sibling soon." I wasn't surprised.

"So she will annoy someone basically."

"Can you maybe prepare Mia somehow, I don't know how she'll take it."

"Why didn't you give her a kitten?"

"When she turns ten she'll get a kitten." He says firmly.

"Wow Mr. Fun."

"Bye." He turns off the phone.

I drift in and out of sleep, I dreamed about my funeral. My body lay cold in the coffin, people I didn't liked came up and touched me.

"Oh she was so beautiful! She didn't deserve to die this way!" Said my Mom's best friend Tracy. Words couldn't describe how annoying this lady was.

Dustin sat alone, at the edge of the church. No one knew who he was, and they avoided him.

My Mom showed pictures of me as I grew up. I was dressed as a zombie, it was Halloween in the hospital. There was one of me on my first day of middle school, I wore a blue blazer and green skinny jeans. My hair was just growing back.

"Would anyone like to say a few words for our Ella?" 

"Yes Mom, I would." Jace steps up and takes the microphone, "I annoyed Ella a lot when we were growing up, I'd take her favorite shirt and hide it, or I'd play music really loud. She always forgave me though. She never whined about my attitude." He covers his face, he looked stiff in his black suit. In some was he looked deader than I did in my coffin.

"I will miss her so much. I don't want my kids to grow up without an aunt. Don't worry El, you're presence will always be remembered in our household." He walks away from the microphone tearing up. 

"That was lovely Jace, would anyone else like to say a few words?" My Mom seemed shell shocked, she looked lost. If you looked past her pristine dress, and perfect hair, you saw sadness.

No one volunteered. Dustin looked like a zombie. He moved like he wasn't there. His eyes had dark circles, and his hair wasn't brushed.

I floated around. People from my school were talking about how sad my death was. They talked about how unfortunate it was. My doctor explained how I was lucky to live as long as I did, he also mentioned something about my relationship with Dustin.

Who knew Dr Tewn cared so much? I thought I was just another patient.

"Dustin, are you okay?" Mia says, her hair was intertwined with ribbons, and flowers. She seemed to have grown. She held the world on her shoulders.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said still gazing into the distance.

"That's good!" Mia says brightly, she didn't understand the inner meaning to his words. 

"Dustin its okay," I try to get him to hear me. "I'm fine."

"Oh Ella I know you'd hate this. You would ask everyone why they're eating. You would insist they should be celebrating you. You would have them build a memorial in your honor." He chuckles softly to himself.

"Your right," I whisper.

"You’re Dads going to make waffles, would you like some?" My Mom walks up to me.

"You-- you can see me!" I gasp,

"Ella do you want any waffles?" 

"I can't eat I'm dead." 

"Ella wake up!" My Mom turns on the lights.

"Sure whatever." I mumble.

"Be more grateful! You know some kids are starving!" She snaps.

"Well I'm dying!"

"Listen Ella I'm not trying to be the bad guy, you know that right?"

"Yeah sure."

"I guess--I guess I'm just scared. I don't know what’s going to happen to you."

"I'll survive, and if not I'll go explore a new land." I shrug. I had accepted my death a long time ago.

"Be downstairs in five minutes." She leaves me to my thoughts