Chapter 2 Betrayal

For as long as I could remember, I hated every major and minor detail about hospitals. The revolting smell of antiseptic drifting in the bloomy atmosphere constantly aggravated me. As silly as it sounded, the siren from the ambulance I rode in earlier erupted a certain feeling of nausea within me. To make matters worse, the unreadable look doctors wore destroyed every bit of hope mustered.

With a sharp inhale, I managed to elevate my shaky hands slightly above the unnaturally colder ones of my father. My eyes then wandered to the oxygen mask situated on his face,and there and then something died in me.

Defeated and ridden with devastation, I left his side to settle down on the two-seater just by his hospital bed. When I unconsciously redirected my line of vision to my mother, every memory of the past 12 hours began to flood in; instantly, I recalled the ride in the back of an ambulance with paramedics going back and forth trying to save the life of my father whose ears were deaf to my sobbing mother pleadingwith him to hold on to dear life.

And what was my reaction to seeing my father on a stretcher?

I was utterly traumatized but too frozen in place to show any of it, until we finally arrived at the hospital. The fear of being fatherless was briefly replaced by the need to keep up with the paramedics who rushed my father to the Emergency Room where he received instant treatment. At the same time, we waited outside for hours until my aversion toward hospitals deepened, if that was even possible.

Everything was happening too fast. The built-up anxiousnessfelt like we were waiting on a miracle at this point. The feeling of anger towards my mother's wrong against me hadnow been replaced by sadness and worrying about my father never waking up again.

"Nora Sinclair." The doctor called out as she came into the private room my father was later moved to. When that name rolled off her tongue, my mother rose instantly with tearsglistening in her eyes.

Looking over my shoulder, I found my mother and the doctor whispering indistinctly to each other. I could only make out a few uninteresting words they threw at each other. That was until they unexpectedly stared back at me and left the room afterward like they knew I was desperately trying to overhear their conversation.

Weird.

Shifting my attention to my father, a million thoughts began to fill my head and little by little, I grew restless, stirring left to right from discomfort until eventually, I drifted into a warped trance.

Like my current life situation, I hopelessly sought out a way to escape. One second, I was in a hospital ward the next I was consumed by fear so intense I had never felt so powerless in the face of an enemy whose bloodshot eyes I could see through, but I could barely make out the face of my stalker.

As faint whispers and an animalistic growl echoed throughout the eerie dark forest, I took to my heels, constantly looking back with dread-stricken eyes and an intuition that I was being hunted.

Gasping out loud, I drew in every painfilled breath of air to hasten the speed of my feet against the brittle layers of the forest floors. Soon enough, every pace forward became heavier and heavier until my feet finally gave out and I fell by the entrance of the ruins of a desolate, forgotten temple.

Failing to accept my defeat, I pushed my weak, unwilling body against the concrete stairs. I struggled to make it to my feet until the beast cornered me. Releasing a deep guttural noise, it launched itself at me, and at that moment, a shocking realization dawned on me...

It was all just a dream. One that had plagued my sleep for days now.

Vacantly staring at the phone in my palms, the time read 11:27PM when I eventually jolted awake from my nightmare which felt like it had lasted for a minute, but I was asleep for more than 3 hours. Mentally frustrated, I tugged at my hair, recalling the growls of the faceless beast and a single word being whispered in the dark.

Reawakening.

"Sky?" I heard a sore voice say. A voice I never thought I'd hear any time soon.

Hearing my name, a severe rush of relief and happiness hit me, and even I couldn't control what I did next, "DAD!"

Wasting no time, I lunged my whole body at him, and he groaned in response. Taking his pained expression as a sign to back off, I instinctively retracted myself from his embrace while flashing the huge smile plastered on my face.

"Careful. My insurance doesn't cover a bruised rib." He joked, clutching his chest tightly for added humor.

"Not funny, Dad." Adjusting my sitting position, I remarked at the same time playfully glaring at him, "How long have you been awake? And what did the doctor say?" I rushed these questions, my voice oozing with pure concern.

As if on command, my mother walked into the room with a tray of hospital food in her hands. In two giant strides, she reached us and placed the tray on my father's lap. Suddenly, she met my gaze with a stern look in her eyes, "Don't be a brat, Sky. He needs his rest."

Stunned and infuriated but mostly infuriated, I looked her straight in her eyes saying, "I was just-..."

"The doctor said he'll be out in a week's time. Isn't there somewhere else you need to be?" She spoke harshly, cutting me short.

Without uttering another word, I stormed out of the room and would've proceeded to leave the hospital until a thought hit me like a speeding school bus.

Wait! She had no right to kick me out of the room.

Realizing this, I pivoted my heels and made a U-turn back to the room, and just as I was about to enter, the audible voices of my parents came from within, halting my steps and making my hand freeze near the knob of the door I had furiously banged seconds ago.

"She's gone now. You can stop pretending." I heard my mother speak.

Then came the voice of my father, "How'd you like my performance?"

"6 out of 10. Wake up faster next time. I almost ran out of tears." She made a snide comment.

"How long do we have to keep this from her? She's gonna find out eventually." He was fuming at this point.

"We've got bigger problems on our hands. But for now, keep up the stroke patient act and keep her away from college." She said diplomatically, trying to subdue the brewing storm for a temper identical to mine.

"What bigger problems?" He quizzed in a confused tone.

I took a step back, too shocked and perplexed to eavesdrop deeper into their conversation. But that feeling only lasted for a millisecond before I reverted to my typical nature, fiercely burning with rage and looking for a way to escape. In no time, fury swallowed me whole, setting my core ablaze and turning my heart to stone.

Now more than ever, I needed to get out of here. And at last, I did what I should've done from the start. As I stomped out of the building, I felt betrayal pierce a hole in my heart. I was like dynamite primed to explode and spiraling beyond control.Rage had never cut me this deep.

Just when anger and pain had taken a toll on me and I desired to retaliate fast, a buzz came from my phone. Taking it out of my pocket, I paused to read a new email from an untraceable email address.

Dear Skylar Sinclair,

We are pleased to inform you that a dormitory room has been assigned to you at Cornerstone University. Please find the attached details concerning your housing assignment. Should you require assistance, we look forward to giving you just that on your resumption.

We anticipate welcoming you to campus.

Sincerely,

Cornerstone University

On an average day, I would be skeptical about this email, but today I ached for a way out of my dilemma, and I was being handed one right before my eyes, even if it meant swimming in student loans from lack of financial support from my so-called parents.

To me, this meant more than just an admission, it was a chance to be set free from the shackles that held me bound my entire life. This marked a sweet start to teenage rebellion.

I couldn't stay any longer. I wouldn't.

Heartbreak, misery, and rage; every torment life could offer had troubled me in a single day. The weight of it all was too suffocating for the heart to carry. By the time morning came, I'd be nothing but a ghost in their memories. Gone without a trace.