The Rising Part 2

A Chapter by reidmyash

I experienced the feeling like I was being held underwater.

I gasped for air.

I opened my eyes and looked all around me. I was definitely no longer in the hallway, but somehow in my bedroom lying in bed. Tightly in my hand, the globe hall pass was still with me and my chest was still in pain. I reached for my phone that I left on my nightstand, it timed at 4:30 P.M, which meant nine hours had passed since I was in homeroom. I was usually home from school around this time, but I didn’t remember ever getting here or getting into bed.

My memory was hazy but I could remember a woman laying me flat on my back, brushing my hair from my face, then it was dark again. I got out of bed and opened my door; I could smell food cooking so It made me believe someone was home. I ran down our stairs hitting the wood panels hard, making them squeak at every step.

To the last step I made it and my mother could be seen on the couch in the living room. She had been home for months in the same spot every day, her accident has her in a slump. I walked over and she looked up and she greeted me, “hey sweetie I didn’t know you were home.”

“Me either,” I whispered. “What are you watching?”

“The news,” she answered. “There was a city-wide power outage last night…an explosion of some sort. “See…”she pointed to the overly anchored news cast. “Late night accident at the power plant, more in-depth news to come at ten.” She said staring at the television, reading the bottom of the screen word for word.

Still standing, I walked casually to the kitchen and took a peek out of our bay windows, “Is Dad here?”

My father is a legal advisor to the current Governor in office Jeremiah Sumner and he usually wasn’t home this early but I thought I would ask.

My mother stood up still in her pajamas from the couch and staggered over to the kitchen. Her left leg was still in a brace from her car accident three months ago. She attempted to walk normal, only to make it seem like she was getting better. but the faces she makes when she walks tell a different story.

“He might be in the garage, and if he is, let him know dinner will be done in about an hour,” she stated as she checked the oven.

“I’ll check, thanks Mom.”

I watched her as she limped her way back to the living room. I walked over to the door that leads to the garage. The garage was a place where I knew my father would possibly be. My father had been rebuilding his Harley for months using all his extra time to work on it. I opened the door to the garage and saw how extreme it had become. My father had every tool known to man gathering dust on the wall, and all his do-it-yourself projects half-way finished scattered around.

“Dad!” I yelled out.

Startled, I heard tools drop from his hands.

“Hey Ives!” He yelled back.

My father stud up as I walked in. He was wearing gray a body suit like the mechanics wear over his work attire like usual. He started working on his bike again, he was kneeling down. so I walked over to him, trying hard not to get oil on my shoes.

I cleared my throat. “Hey dad…did you see me come home? I asked anxious to know his answer.

“Yeah I did,” He answered. “You walked by, kissed me on the forehead, and then walked inside.”

I didn’t recall any of that, especially kissing his sweaty forehead.

My father took a deep breath then asked, “Ives, when you go back inside, let your mother know I won’t be in for dinner. The Governor has a Press Conference tonight about the power plant explosion, and I’ll need to be there.”

As soon as he finished his sentence and before I could ask him anything, a woman looking to be in her late 70’s knocked on our garage door that was slightly raised. Her face looked familiar; but I didn’t recognize her from any of my daily encounters. She couldn’t have been the woman that’s took me from school her hair was gray and in a pixie cut, her skin was pale, like she were ill.

“eh, Mo non se Dawn Richards, I just moved in a couple houses down, and thought I should introduce myself,” she spoke in a in broken up english. The language she used reminded me of my grandmother. The lady extended her hand out to my father.

“Ah, Koma sa va?” replied my father in the same language she had spoken. “Hey Ives she speaks creole, I haven’t spoken that language in years! Come over and say hi,” he waved me over.

I walked over and held my hand out, “Bonjour Ms. Richards.” I said as she took my hand. She held my hand with both of her hands and I felt jolt of electricity pass through my arm.

“You look frighten sweet child,” she stated. I pulled my hand away. “No I’m fine, why do you ask?” her eyes became darker. “You seem a little bothered, I have a knack for these things, that’s all,” she said as looked at me and then at my father.

“Well I’m Brian Harte, you’ve met Ivy Rae and my wife Marie is just inside,” He said pointing his thumb to the front door. “Just knock and I’m pretty sure she’ll answer… Ives why don’t you show her?” he asked of me.

I agreed, and we began to walk slowly to the front door, Dawn walked a few steps ahead of me. I was compelled to ask her where she had come from? And why she thought I was frightened?

We reached the door and she knocked.

“Ms. Richards, where you from?” I blurted out.

“Look around and then you will see,” she said menacingly, pointing in the direction behind me.

I looked to see what she had been pointing at but I saw nothing. I turned back to her, but she was gone. My mother opened the door.

“Why did you knock?” she asked. “Com’n in, dinners ready….Where’s your father?” she asked.

I stood outside for another moment thinking “this couldn’t be possible.” I had this horrible feeling come over me as I walked inside. “I’m not hungry,” I replied. “I’m just gunna’ go upstairs and get ready for bed…I’m not feeling too well,” I explained.

She put her hand on my forehead, “Ok, well you don’t feel feverish. If you need me let me know, ok?” she advised.

My mother is a nurse, and wasn’t the type to rush me to the doctor anytime I said anything about my health.

I went upstairs and started a bath. I felt the need to soak my body in warm water. My chest was still sore, but I got undressed in record speed.

I jumped in the tube and put myself under water for a while. I wondered if all of this was happening was just part of my imagination just getting the best of me. I raised myself out of my tube and stared at my chest in the full mirror.

Nothing but my bra-less ‘B’ cups staring back at me. I was getting colder"colder than I ever felt.i wrapped a towel around me and scurried to my room, flicking on the lamp. I snatched my green tank and pajama bottoms from my top dresser drawer and started putting them on. When I finished, slid over to my bed and lightly placed my head on my pillow, wrapping myself into my blanket.

A buzzing noise startled me. And thankfully it was my phone. I picked my phone up from my nightstand and saw nothing but messages from Willow. I placed my phone back down and turned off my lamp. Sleep was essential and calling Willow will have me up for the next two hours.

While lying in bed I stared up at the glow in the dark stars I glued to the ceiling when I was ten. My mind still wouldn’t rest. So I thought about the news, instead of what happened to me today. I remembered during the news they predicted tomorrows forecast….

Unaware I began drifting off to sleep.

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