Lauren Sanders has been left to start a 'new' normal life with her aunt and cousin after her family died. Everybody knows almost everything except for two things: Lauren's parents' mysterious death and her schizophrenia.
Lauren goes out on a mission...
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I sat on the chair next to my mom's hospital bed, holding onto her hand and pressing it on my cheek as I watch her breathe in her unconscious state. It's been six days since I've been anywhere but here. I'd sometimes talk to my dad only about Jonathan and mom's state since Dr. Fhassan has been talking to him, going into every detail about what happened and what's happening with her.
I could feel my body slowly shutting down from not getting enough sleep and barely eating any proper food because I couldn't take my eyes away from the sight of my mom even for just a minute or two.
My eyes slowly start to flutter shut as I shake my head to try my best to stay awake. The thought is that if ever my mom decides to wake up at any time, I need to be conscious. I feel a nudge on my arm, sending jolts into my body as I turn my head back, seeing my dad handing me a sandwich by my shoulder.
"You should eat. Go home and get some rest," He says as I turn my head back to look at mom.
"I'm not hungry and I'm not leaving," I deadpanned.
"I told you I'll be here, watching over her."
"Can't honestly trust you with that since you keep leaving us for the past few years without ever hearing anything back from you."
"Aaren," he says. "Look, son-"
I turned my head back and looked at him with disgust, "Don't call me that," I say as I shake my head as my jaw tightens and my brows knitted together because of the way he called me just.
"Aaren, I'm trying to be better this time. I really am. I can't really show you how sincere I am because you wouldn't even let me," I could sense the irritation in his voice almost rising to full volume.
I pushed myself off the chair, standing up, "When someone leaves without notice and comes back than promises to stay but ends up leaving again without notice—repeating that cycle for almost three times, I don't think there's any place to build some form of trust any more."
He looks at me with his sorry eyes. Those eyes. Those same eyes that my mom used to tell me where I got from. I hated them. I hated mine. I hated the fact that my eyes resembled his.
"I've watched my mom cry herself to sleep. I've watched my mom hoping for you to come back. I've listened to mom blame herself for what may have caused you to abandon us—to abandon her. She's been sick even before when you're gone- "
"-But I'm back. I'm here now," He tried grabbing my hand, making me step back. "That's what should matter, right?"
I shake my head, "I don't want to be comfortable with the idea that you're back again knowing that you might leave again without notice, like you always do," I stare at him and chuckled bitterly, "It's like a trademark of yours that planted a trauma in me."
I hear my mom groaning on the bed, faintly speaking my name. I turn around and I felt her hand squeezing mine as I immediately pressed the button on top of her head, calling for the nurse and Dr. Fhassan.
