To Choose

Sledgehammer

I woke with a monstrous headache, it felt like air was pressing against my skull, and I couldn't see anything. I started to panic. I shot up out wherever I was, shaking my head trying to get a glimpse of where I was...

"AAHHHHHHHH" an ear-piercing, head-splitting scream echoed throughout the room. It took me a minute, but I realized the scream was coming through my own lungs.

Then through all the pain, a blinding light shot through the darkness, and I realized I wasn't in my own bed. I forgot about my head in my panic, and darted my head out to look around to look around the room, it turned out to be a bad idea. The Room started to spin, black dots started swimming and swarming in my vision. A hand shot out of nowhere, and started to push me back down to the bed. I started to struggle against the unknown hand touching me, but eventually the pain got too much, and the pain won out. I allowed the hand push me back down to the bed. Then another hand came out with a glass of water, or at least I thought it was water, I couldn't really see it through my blurry vision. I took a sip anyways. I wanted to turn my head and see who pushed me down, but I didn't have enough energy, it felt like all the energy had all of a sudden be drained out of me, and all of a sudden I felt tired, it felt too stressful to keep my eyes open, and the pain in my head was making it hard to think, or do anything for that matter. I just wanted the pain to stop, so I curled up into a ball, with my knees touching my chest and my arms hugging them, like a vice, and welcomed the darkness of slumber.

I woke again to the familiar smell of Stew, Baked Carrots, Soft Shredded pieces of Beef, Little Pieces of Celery, Little Boiled pieces of potato's....

"Grrrbbb" My stomach spoke.

I counted the days in my head, realizing that I haven't eaten in about 48 hours, with worrying about my family, I never realized how hungry I was. MY FAMILY, all the memories came back to me at a blinding speed, Hunting for the family, running into the man from the square, Getting ready for the Calling, my name getting called out, and falling. I needed to find them, but my body just wouldn't move. When I finally got my eyes open, the pain in my skull wasn't as bad, though it was still throbbing horribly. But the room wasn't encased in darkness, this time it was held a light by a small, but bright lamp in the corner of the room. When I sat up all the way, I was finally able to get a good look at the room I was in. The extravagant room that I was in was much more monumental than mine. Red Velvet curtains blocking out the rays of the moonlight, on the abnormally large window seat. As I continued to sit up, to look around more. I was sitting in a huge canopy bed, with a gigantic red duvet draped over me. I still didn't know where I was.... My thoughts drew back to my family, they must be so worried. I threw the Duvet way from my body, only to discover, I was in Blush pink, silk pajamas, that must have cost more than my house. Not really paying attention where I was going, just knowing I had to get out of this place, and back to my family, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, bracing myself to stand, and silently reminding myself that I had to get back to my family, that they needed me, I stood up. The pain that shot through my head was excruciating, I felt the tears prickle in my eyes, the lump form in my throat.... No, I would not cry. I would be strong, for them, for my family. I fell right back on the bed, unable to get back up, I just laid there, until the pain went away, so I could try again. When the pain finally subsided, I tried to get up again, when I heard that oh-so familiar voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The Voice said. I whipped my head around to where the voice came from, not thinking about my head, my vision blurred again, and the sledge hammer hit me, yet again. But this time it felt worse than those of the other times. Maybe it was because of how fast I moved my head, or all the thoughts rushing through my head, but it didn't matter, all that mattered was trying to get the pain it my head to stop. When It wouldn't, I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them, sunk my head into my knees, and let the tears flow, I couldn't hold them back this time, the pain was too much, the pain of getting called, the reality of the fact that I may never see my family again, and the pain my head was producing, it was all too much and pretty soon the pillow and the Knees of my pajamas were soaked with my wet, salty tears of pain. When the pain finally started to lessen, and my vision started to return, I stopped crying. I slowly picked my head off from my knees, and started to sit up. A calloused hand shot out from my peripheral vision, to steady me, and I could faintly hear him asking if I was OK. The Hand disappeared for a moment and came back with a tray with a steaming bowl of beef stew, a warm roll of the whitest bread I had ever seen, a nice glass of water to wash it all down, all plated on the nicest looking plates and china, and accompanied with what looked to be pure silver. I looked down at my stomach when it growled in appreciation. I followed the hand back up to the body it belonged to, ready to say thank you and communicate the appreciation through my eyes, because I still didn't have enough strength to. My eyes trailed up a familiar suit and all the way up to that perfect platinum blonde hair, but they were drawn back down to that familiar, but still perfectly arched face, and those familiar blue-green eyes, but nothing could prepare me for the shock that came next. IT WAS THE MAN FROM THE SQUARE!