Waxing Gibbous

Phenomenon (A)

When I woke up the next morning something was different, it was lighter still the grey – green light but clearer. I turned my head to look out the window.

A smile broke out on my face.

A fine layer of snow covered the ground and trees, all the rain from yesterday had frozen solid coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns. This was one of my favorite things, sure it meant I had to leave the house earlier than usual, but it was worth it.

My family was gone when I got downstairs, which wasn't unusual seeing as they both worked at the hospital. My mom was a surgeon she focused mainly on emergency surgeries while my aunt, was an anesthesiologist, they both make the big money but that comes with a price of constant work.

After a breakfast of oatmeal, i grabbed my lunch- a chicken pesto salad. Or something like that, I wasn't entirely sure but it was good and good for me.

On top of the lunch box was a sticky note from my mom.

'make sure to take some cold medicine'

I chuckled, of course the snow and rain yesterday did negatively affect my immune system. Nothing more than what my autoimmune disorder or allergies did but it still sucked seeing as it made me feel worse. Thankfully right now was just a sore throat, cough, and a runny nose.

After taking all my medicine, I grabbed my coat and patted Toby on the head.

I didn't worry about Toby too much since we have a dog door, and an underground fence. Meaning Toby could come and go, and we didn't have to worry about him running off. I just made sure he had food and water and could get back inside. Though I figured he would stay outside for a few hours. He loved the snow, and unlike me he could play in it without the issue of getting sick.

Driving to school, I focused greatly on the roads. My car didn't have any issue since I had the right tires, but I still had to look out for wildlife and other cars.

Occasionally my mind went back to the interaction between Alice and I, part of me was confused. I couldn't figure out why she was so interest in me, why did she decide to sit across from me rather than with her sisters?

Was it some sort of ploy? No, I couldn't see Alice doing that, but obviously there was some reason... I just couldn't figure it out.

When I got to school, I walked around the passenger side of my car to stand by Bella who was examining her truck tires. She looked a little emotional, but I couldn't figure out why, it was the normal snow chains.

It seemed there was a lot I couldn't figure out lately.

"You, okay?" I asked startling her slightly.

Bella turned to look at me, but before she could answer an odd sound rang out. It was loud and piercing, a high-pitched screech and it was becoming painfully loud. I turned to look in the direction I thought the noise was coming from. What I saw was not slowed down like people say, I couldn't see a hundred things at once. My entire being was focused on one thing.

A Dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of Bella's truck, and I was standing between them.

I didn't think just acted and pushed Bella out of the way hoping we could get between my car and the truck. It was a quick thought; the van should slow enough that my car would stop it from hitting us.

None of that mattered though because the moment I pushed Bella and just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me.

HARD.

And exactly from the direction I thought it would. My head cracked against the ground so roughly that for a moment everything went black. I was convinced I was just hit by the van; I blinked my eyes a few times trying to get rid of the double vision, I wanted to shake my head, but the pain was too intense.

There were a few things that I could register. One I was laying on the ground next to my car. Two Bella was right next to me, three something cold was pinning us down and four the van was still coming and was about to collide harshly against my car.

And of course, my lower half was right in the way of the collision, the van would have to hit me to hit the car. The van hit my car in a shattering collision, spilling glass all over us. I heard another loud noise from my car as it was pushed forward, but it did not hit us.

It was absolutely silent for one long second before the screaming began. In the abrupt bedlam, I could hear more than one person shouting. I reached up and tried to cover my ears as the sound was too loud.

Faintly I heard someone call my name "Alex, are you okay?" it was then I realized a third person. Edward. I gave him the best nod I could, but it wasn't much as the pain was too much. Too much was going on at once, Bella and Edward talking, screaming, the pounding in my head and I could see the blood beginning to pool on the ground below my head. I reached up and covered my head to stop the bleeding.

"Don't move," someone instructed.

"Get Tyler out of the van!" someone else shouted.

It took nine EMTs and two teachers — Mr. Varner and Coach Clapp — to shift the van far enough away from us to bring the stretchers in. I didn't register anything as I was placed on the stretcher.

I kept my eyes closed trying to ease the pain, in my head and shoulder. I heard more than I saw. The telltale voice of Charlie, the alarmed voices, the calm EMT's. I expected both my mom and aunt to be waiting for me the moment I went through the door of the hospital.

Naturally, the ambulance got a police escort to the county hospital. I was put in the emergency room, a long room with a line of beds separated by pastel patterned curtains. And just as I suspected my mother was the first to see me, now technically she couldn't do anything because I was family but that didn't stop her from literally standing beside me the entire time.

My aunt made a few visits but like my mom she stayed back and allowed the nurses to take care of me. I was wheeled away to get my head x-rayed and was not surprised in the slightest to hear I had a concussion, thankfully though it wasn't anything more serious. Just some bruising.

I still needed to be seen by a doctor before I could be cleared, and it was evident in my mom's face I was going straight home after this.

The nurses cleaned up my head and one of the more senior nurses gave me some stitches, with my mom hovering the entire time. if I wasn't in pain, I would have found it amusing, and I could clearing see the nurse trying not to make a joke about it.