Lost in Darkness

Chapter 33-Here We Are

Raven when she was a wittle snookum <3 haha -------> 

Chapter 33

Raven's POV

"Raven!" my mother called, her soft voice drifting up the stairs. "Grace! Can you come downstairs please?" 

"Coming Mummy!" we shouted in unison, racing out of our pink princess room and down the stairs, playfully pushing at each other. We both stumbled into the living room, toppling over onto the wooden floor in a fit of giggles. 

Mum stood over us, rolling her eyes at our antics. 

"What am I gonna do with you two, eh?" she said affectionately, shaking her head and laughing. She picked us both up off the floor and set us on our feet. We both fell back onto the white sofas, laughing hysterically. 

"How do you two feel about going to the park?" she asked. "I think you two need to get rid of all that energy..." Her statement was met with squealing so high in pitch, she winced and covered her ears. Grace and I jumped off the sofa and bounced excitedly on the spot, huge grins on our identical faces. "I'll take that as a yes then," she chuckled, tucking her shiny brown hair behind her ear. "Alright then, go put on you coat and shoes."

We raced to the door, our limbs a flurry of motion as we tried to do as she asked while she stood over us, laughing as she got her keys and shrugged into her black coat. 

Grace and I played at the park for hours, bounding about the grass, swinging precariously from the climbing frame. 

"You're it!" I cried suddenly, poking Grace in the side and running off, shrieking with laughter. I heard the sound of her footsteps chasing after me. 

"Raven!" she shouted, breathless from running. "Raven, come back here!"  

Suddenly, the scene changed. I was in a large room that smelled strongly of disinfectant, standing by a hospital bed. There was a beeping coming from one of the many machines that were...attached to me. Because there I was, lying still on the bed, pale as a corpse. The only movement I made was the steady rise and fall of my chest. I wore one of those hideous hospital gowns, although I had no recollection of changing into it. 

It was so surreal, seeing myself as others saw me. I noticed the heavy bags underneath my eyes, the purple bruises on my exposed arms and my face. It looked like I'd just been brutally mugged, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember what had happened. What was I doing in hospital? Who'd done this to me? 

I managed to tear my eyes away from myself, and noticed a very handsome man sitting in a plastic chair next to me. Dark, unruly hair was tangled on his head, but he seemed not to notice. In both of his hands, clasped tightly, was one of my hands. He was bent over it as if he were praying. 

"Please come back to me Raven," he whispered, gently kissing my hand. My heart softened, my eyes brimming with unshed tears. Who was this man, and what did he mean to me? "Just when all our trials are done, you decide to take a vacation inside that beautiful brain of yours." He chuckled softly, the sound bringing a smile to my face. But his amusement quickly faded, leaving behind a look so lost, so broken, that my heart ached for this unknown man. 

He brought my hand to his cheek and closed his eyes. 

"I need you so much, Raven," he murmured. A single tear tracked down his face, brushing against my hand. Although the body on the bed made no movement, I recoiled as if stung, glancing down to my own hand in shock. Because I had felt the coldness of that tear on my own hand, even as I curiously didn't feel the warmth I should feel from his touch.