Breathe

Prologue

Opal sat next to her older cousin James in the waiting room of the hospital. They had been praying all night for her mother to pull through. Opal couldn't get the memory out of her head. The sight of her mother clutching her chest and falling to the ground, the sound of her gasping for air, her being home alone with her mother as she watched the life slowing struggle out of her. Opal leaned against James and wiped her still falling tears. With his arms around her, her eleven year old frame was nearly hidden under his arms.

James sniffled softly and then his head shot up when he saw a doctor walking towards him and Opal. They both stood up and looked at him. "Please...please tell me my aunt is okay..." James pleaded.

"My mommy isn't dead, is she?" Opal said in her soft voice. However, the look on the doctor's face answered her question.

"I'm really sorry...we tried resuscitating her four times. We couldn't get her back." The doctor said in a grave voice.

Opal wanted to cry. She wanted to just crawl in a hole and cry until she couldn't breathe anymore. But her emotions took another turn. She angrily rushed out of the doors of the hospital.

James followed close behind her. "Opal, wait!" He called after her. He caught up with her and grabbed her hand. "Listen-" He began.

"No! You listen! We've been praying in this hospital for hours on end! And God still let my mother die!" Opal screamed at James. She didn't want to be mean to him, she didn't want to take her anger out on him. But something in her, in that moment, snapped.

"Opal, God has his reasons for why things happen. I don't know why Auntie Krystal is gone, but we can't turn our backs on Him because she's gone." James said as he looked into his little cousin's eyes.

"Forget this!" Opal said as she snatched her hand away. "I'm done with this, I'm done with God!" She said as fresh, hot tears streamed down her face and fury and hate filled her eyes. The sight hurt James to his core. He couldn't believe he was seeing little Opal this way. "As far as I'm concerned, He is DEAD to me! He no longer exists to me! How can He be good when He let my mama die?!"

"Opal, you and I both know you don't mean that. And we also know that she's in a better place now." James said as he pulled Opal into a hug. "Please just calm down.

James' hug was so warm to Opal. But she didn't want to feel warm. She had no desire for warmth. She was angry. "Her place is with us!" She pushed him away and walked off. She knew she didn't have anywhere else to go. James was her guardian now.

Opal found herself walking to James' car. She got in the car, in the passenger seat, and screamed. She didn't know who she was screaming at, but she just screamed. She then punched the front of the dashboard and put her head into her hands, and finally, she cried.

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Opal didn't go to school the next day. She stayed home, in bed. James didn't bother her in the morning, but around 2:00, he went into her room. He opened her door to see her covers over her head. "Opal, you up yet?" No answer. "Usually, if you're not in school, you'd be reading your bible at least by now." He said softly.

"You'll find that crap in the wastebasket by my dresser." Opal said coldly. Those words made James' heart drop. He went and got her bible out of the small wastebasket. "Opal, don't think of it as God taking Auntie Krystal away from you. Think of Him calling one of his children home. She was His child first."

Opal knew she couldn't be mad at James. He was only trying to help her the only way he knew how. But now, when he mentioned God, it sparked a powerful rage in her. "Can you get out of my room?" She said as she moved her covers from over her head and sat up to look him in the eyes.

James knew this wasn't Opal. There's no way it could be. But somehow, the grief of her mother turned into an anger like no other. James didn't know how to confront her. He knew that the real Opal, the sweet, kind, God-loving Opal was hidden behind this hurt and anger that now plagued her. But how could her get her back?

James sighed as he nodded. "I'll cook something and call you down. I love you, Opal." He said as he walked towards the door.

"I love you too, James." Opal said softly. For a moment, it sounded like her. The real Opal. This made James turn back around. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

He was determined to get his little cousin back to God. It was going to take a lot of time, dedication, and lots of prayer. But all he knew is that only God could restore Opal.
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I know, I know. Really short. But, it only gets longer from here. Can't wait to see what happens next.
See you in Chapter One!
Bye for now! 💕
PrincessNightWolf