Illusion: Destiny Awaits (In Editing)

15 - Christi

"Christi!" That's not Sabrina. It's not Mom. It's not Dad. So who is it?

"Christi! Wake up and get your bottom out of bed." Easton? No. That was a girl's voice. I slowly get up. My alarm clock reads 6:15. I groan.

"Christi, if you don't get up, I'm going to have to grab you and hurl you down the stairs." I bolt out of bed at that.

"Easton, you have a horrible impression of a girl," I say.

That's when I notice. It's not Easton.

It's Katy.

"Katy!" I scream. I run over to hug her. My arms wrap around her shoulders. I remember hugging her when I was little. Her shoulders, strong, warming, loving.

And completely nonexistent.

I am hugging nothing.

I step back, acknowledging the fact that Katy is not actually here.

She's not here.

Not here.

She's not here.

I clutch my hands into a fist. And pull the fist to my heart. And cry.

"Christi. We're going to be late for school. Come on. Have a bad dream?" I look up. Easton is standing in the doorway of my room.

"No... " I whisper, wiping the tears away. He turns to go.

"Wait!" I call. He turns back to me.

"Yes? You need something, Christi?"

"Uh..." I mutter. I stare out the window, then back at Easton.

"Well? Come on, Christi. If this is a bribe to stall us, you can forget it. School starts in 15 minutes. Hurry up." He folds his arms. I bite my lip.

"Yeah, it was just a bribe..." I whisper. "Go ahead, I'll walk." He turns away, just missing a chance to see the tears, pouring out of my eyes, streaking my cheeks; a race of tears, who can get to the ground the fastest.

And at this rate, they're all winning.

"Why?!? When?! When is Katy going to get better?" I whisper into the streaks of hair hanging loosely around my face.

"Will she die? Tell me she won't die!" I grab one of my old stuffed animals from the closet where they were stuffed away. I clutch it. I don't even care if I'm late to school. There's this deep feeling in my heart. It screams at me. Breaks my heart into pieces.

Katy will never get better.

✦

I breathe in the air. The tears are now gone but the hurt still stays. I don't even know why. Katy wasn't even there. For real. She is gone. Like my tears. She isn't down yet, is she?

No, she's not, I think to myself. She is not, and will never be.

"Christi." Jace.

"Hey, Jace. How's it going?"

"Pretty good. Hey, what did you think of the secret?" What secret?

Oh, shoot.

"I... uh... actually... I was just going to... I was... but then..." I stutter out.

He laughs.

"Chill. No rush. Jethro just thought he should tell me, and I thought you could keep a secret."

"I... I... I can," I say, barely confident. I guess I'm just not in the mood to talk.

"Course! I need to go, but I'll see ya!"