First Time

32

Emily

I am awake long before I open my eyes. I just want to savour this rare moment of peace. In this brief and serene moment, I have no idea who I am, where I am, what's happening, nothing.

Nothing.

Who knew nothing could feel so good? Could be so blissful?

The moment passes all too soon and everything comes charging back to me. First my brain wakes up. I know who I am and what happened. The memory of the last 24 hours flashes through my mind like a movie trailer. The shopping trip with Nicole, eavesdropping on Keeley, Lace's party, kissing Kieran, my argument with Aiden, him kissing me in places I never knew could bring me so much pleasure and then the fire. Suffocating smoke, unbearable heat, raging flames.

Then nothing.

A different type of nothing. A scary, empty, nothing. Just a black hole. No memories, no consciousness, nothing at all.

The next thing to come back to me is sound. At first, it sounds like a really low, deep rumbling. Like I am experiencing an earthquake under water. Then the sound gets louder and clearer until I can distinctly make out each overlapping, deep, male voice murmuring over each other.

I flicker my eyelids up and a blinding, white light floods into my eyes. It takes a lot of blinking and squinting before my sight finally adjusts and a plain white ceiling comes into focus.

"Shh, shut up, shut up. She's awake," one of the voices whispers loudly.

I tilt my head down and the four faces of the voices come into view. It's awkward but strangely comforting to see them all standing there watching me with hopeful anticipation. One face in particular is leaning over me, watching me with eyes full or care and concern.

"Emily, are you awake? Can you hear me?"

"Who...are you?"

The distraught shock on his face breaks my heart.

"I'm kidding," I croak.

He takes a profound sigh of relief.

"She's fine, clearly," Serumen chuckles, releasing his breath as well.

"That wasn't funny," Aiden sulks.

"How are you feeling pukey?" Serumen asks as I strain to sit up.

I look around the plain hospital room. I'm in an adjustable bed, dressed in a paper thin white and blue gown. There is the smallest TV mounted on the wall across the room and a beeping machine on my left.

Aiden leaves my bedside and goes to sit on a lone chair in the corner by the door. Lace and Luke are standing by the window whilst Serumen remains at my bedside.

"I'm fine," I say.

"We're glad you're not dead," Luke says awkwardly.

"So am I," I reply.

I look around at each boy. Each one staring at me with different expressions. I wonder what they think of me in this very moment. I wish I could read their minds.

The reality that I'm sat in a hospital room after a freak fire suddenly hits me. Anxiety builds in the pit of my stomach.

"Do my parents know I'm here?" I ask.

"I don't think so," Luke answers, "Nicole got Kelly to come down and say that your parents are out of town this weekend and that she is taking care of you until they come back. Kelly told them she'd let your parents know so they didn't have to call them."