Julia's world is turned upside down after a horrible accident that forces her to move halfway across the country to live with her uncle. She is determined to just finish school and move away to college as fast as she possible can.
When partnered wit...
Screams of sirens filled the air, and yet somehow the shrill pitch sounded muffled.
Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out.
Wait. Is it just the sirens that are screaming? It sounds like people are screaming.
In. Out. In. Out.
The normal, basic, involuntary function had now become the most difficult process in the world. Slowly, the shrieks around Julia died away, and all she could hear was her own, labored breath. As Julia lifted her head, her movements seemed to happen in slow motion. Blinking open her eyes, Julia couldn't focus on anything around her.
Julia then felt her body moving back and forth. Someone was moving her body for her. Julia blinked a couple of times, trying to clear her senses. Someone repeatedly yelled her name.
"Julia! Julia! JULIA!"
Everything caught up all at once. Julia found herself kneeling in the middle of a street, smoke rising in front of her. Sirens wailed close by and people in various emergencies ran around frantically. Turning her head, Julia identified the person shaking her and screaming her name as her best friend, Alicia.
Julia turned her focus to the rest of her surroundings. A car lay on its side. Another lay smashed a few feet away. Two long back sheets lay on the ground. Blinking, still trying to clear her head, Julia looked around for her parents. Not seeing them, Julia returned her gaze to the dark sheets on the ground. The horrible thought that shoved its way into Julia's mind cleared all other thoughts, and she looked desperately at Alicia.
"What happened?" Julia asked weakly.
Alicia's eyes were wide and bright. "There was an accident," she said, her voice hoarse. "They just came out of nowhere, and oh god, Julia, the medics came, and they, your parents, they just..."
The clarity that had returned to Julia's vision plummeted. Dark spots appeared in front of her and despite Alicia's arms keeping her upright, the spots grew larger and Julia felt her body lurch to the side as darkness consumed her.
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Two thin slits of light appeared in Julia's vision. Unable to open her eyes any farther, Julia relied on her other senses. Two hushed voices spoke just in Julia's earshot.
"—any family at all?"
"We haven't found anyone, yet."
"She's only a minor, what will she do without her parents?"
"Poor girl, losing both of them at the same time in such a horrible way."
