Out Of The Smoke

~ Chapter Two ~

The feeling of drowning is described as, "reaching out, only to grasp nothing." Some survivors explain that the feeling of drowning can either be peaceful or brutal. They say that if you accept the fact that you more than likely will have your life cut short in the bottom of a body of water, drowning can be a rather peaceful experience. Although some may not understand it, the feeling of drowning is hard to explain. It always has been, and it always will be.

Moments after Brynn was told those ten horrendous words, she felt as if she were drowning. She felt as if her lungs were slowly being filled with a liquid that was never supposed to be there in the first place, and her lips were being frozen just as the water rushed into her body. She tried to move, but her limbs were numb. She tried to scream, but her mouth was sealed shut. She felt like she could do nothing but stand there, frozen in shock.

Everything else in the world around her had stopped. Everything had just ... paused in time for a few moments. Had she really just been told that her sister was found dead outside of her own house? The house that they had grown up in together? The house were all of the memories had been made? The house that Brooke and Brynn had met their puppy, Woo for the very first time?

"It's not real," Voices in her head whispered, "They're all lying."

"Fake. It's all fake."

"Don't believe them. Brooke is just fine."

Hundreds of different voices hissed in her mind. Only she could hear them. Only she could hear the screaming, the yelling, the horrid screeching of her own thoughts. Were they right? Were they wrong? How would she know? Did anybody know? Where was Brooke?

Was she really dead?

The blaring music that had once played out in the football field stopped. Everyone's eyes were on Brynn. Everyone's eyes were glued on the girl that hadn't made a single move for what felt like hours. Finally, out of no where, Brynn collapsed down onto the ground. She cried out in agony to the world, as if she was expecting a response.

Hot, burning tears streamed down her face. She gasped for some kind of air even though her lungs felt as if they were filled to the brim with water. The whole entire cheerleading squad surrounded her, and tried to help her up. Brynn refused. As some kind of coping mechanism, she began to tear out pieces of the fake grass that lined the football field. Several screams left her body as she began to hyperventilate.

"It's okay, it's okay." Jenna, a cheerleader that was no different than the rest, attempted to comfort her.

Eventually, she found her way to her feet. Her knees felt wobbly. Her hands were shaking. All of the sudden, before she knew it, Noah pushed and shoved through all of the cheerleaders and football players. He practically picked her up, and carried her out of all of the chaos.
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Brynn's tears didn't stop falling. She thought that they never would. Noah held her close the entire time, keeping her close to his chest. He wasn't going to let her get degraded and pulled apart in all of the disarray. He called up someone he knew that was nearby who had a car.

Soon, but not soon enough, they arrived. Noah and Brynn hopped in.

"My house," Brynn sobbed, "Take me to my house."

A senior in a torn up beanie and a flannel nodded his head in agreement. The car sped away faster than Noah though it would. He buckled himself and Brynn into the backseat of the car and held her close to him. She leaned against him, almost as if he was the last person on Earth that could keep her safe. She felt like her was the last person on the face of the planet that would ever be there for her.

Her bright white shoes were coated in mud, and her crimson colored cheerleading outfit was covered in stains made from the teardrops. Breathing was getting to be more and more difficult by the minute. Noah's grip tightened around her, trying his best to help her. He knew exactly how she was feeling.

He knew how it felt to feel alone. He knew how it felt to have a major piece of your life ripped from right under you. He knew how it felt to have someone whisked away from you within minutes. It had only been nine years since Noah's mother had passed away. He remembered the day fondly.

Noah closed his eyes tightly, trying his best not to think about the day his mom had died. He could almost hear the sounds of the rushing nurses and the beeping of one of the many machines that were hooked up to his mother. By the time the doctors had arrived, she had already left. They were too late.

Brynn grasped Noah's shirt around the hardest of turns. First a left turn, then a right. Soon enough, she began to recognize the turns that were on the way to her home. Within moments, they had arrived. Noah helped Brynn out of the vehicle when it came to a complete stop, and took her hand.

A few cop cars lined the street outside of Brynn's childhood home. Bright blue and red lights flashed on and off, practically blinding both of them. Dozens of policemen crowded the taped off scene, writing things down in their cheap notebooks. Brynn's eyes darted everywhere, looking for her family. She eyed the area, looking for her parents, Tabitha and Tom.

Her eyes scanned for any kind of sign of her sister, dead or alive. She prayed for her to be alive.

After a few minutes, her parents spotted her. They both ran up to her with tears streaming down their faces.

"Brynn," Tabitha exclaimed, burying her face in her daughters shoulder.

Tom, her dad, walked up to her and hugged her.

"Mom?" She whispered, "Dad? What happened?"

"We don't know," Tom cried.

Noah backed away, trying his best to shield his eyes from the blinding lights.

"Where is she?" Brynn asked frantically.

"Oh no sweetie, you don't have to-" Tom started to tell her.

"I want to see her." Brynn replied bluntly, "I have to see her."

They both let go of her and looked over to the left. She followed their eyes. Slowly, Brynn began to make her way over to where she believed her sisters body was. Noah quietly followed her. A few police officers stared them down, but didn't stop them. Rain didn't stop pouring, which Brooke would have loved.

After Brynn had taken quite a few steps, she approached the bright yellow caution tape. Her fingers lightly touched it as if the tape itself was venomous. She took a few breathes, preparing for what she was about to see. Brynn leaned over the tape and saw what many could witness, but few could barely describe.

There was Brooke, laying down on the ground, soaking in a puddle of blood. The ends of her blonde hair had started to turn into a light shade of pink because of the dark red liquid that surrounded it. Her eyes were shut, and so was her mouth. Her two diamond earrings were spread out next to her. She had been stabbed seven times.

Dead. She was really dead.