Immortali

Chapter 2- Life and Death

THUD!

SNAP!

Raina lay at the foot of the maple tree, her broken body sprawled over the uneven ground. Her head was lying on the moist soil, whilst her limbs hung over the protruding roots of the tree. She watched as a group of ants scuttled past her face, completely undeterred by her strained breaths. She wondered when death would come to claim her, as her eyes noted the odd angles of her limbs, though she couldn't feel them. In fact, she couldn't really feel anything in her body. She tried to move her head, but nothing happened.

It was then that the sickening realisation came to her. She'd broken her back- along with every other bone in her body. She hadn't died, yet, but if she lived, she'd no longer be able to walk, or move, or take care of herself. In a way, that was worse than death. To be alive, but to not really live.

She lay where she was. Her breaths became laboured, and each gulp of air made her ribs ache and her chest wheeze. Soon, her heartbeat had slowed to the point where it was non-existent. At the edge of her vision, white light danced and sparkled, blurring her view of the branches waving across the sky above. Her body felt lighter now, almost like a feather. Her only tether to the physical world was the pain that was slowly ebbing away. Soon she would be gone.

Abruptly, she felt a tingling along her back. It stretched into her neck and went along her arms and legs. At first that's all it was, a tingling. Then it became stronger, like pins and needles, until, eventually, it was a searing, burning pain. If she could've, Raina would have tipped her head back and screamed. Instead, all she could do was whimper and move her head minimally, her vision having been blocked by a wall of white. She heard snaps and cracks. She felt the pull of her bones as they were placed back into position under her skin. The pain continued to course through her. It was a red hot fire licking at her insides.

And then it was gone.

Just like that.

There was no pain, no tingles, no cracks or snaps. Just her.

A feeling of light-headedness came over Raina. Her body felt exhausted, and she could feel a layer of sweat coating her like a second skin. Suddenly, as if a light had been switched on in her head, she could sense the aches in her leg. She tried to lift it, and, much to her surprise, she could.

Raina stared in wonder as she moved each part of her body, and apart from her protesting muscles, everything was as it should've been. There were no broken bones, or even minor sprains. It was as if she hadn't fallen at all. Shaking, Raina stood up.

What had just happened? Had she hallucinated the whole thing, including the pain? There was no way she could've fallen and landed with a smack on the ground without hurting herself in some way. That was impossible, and, as much as she liked to dream, she always drew a boundary between the real and fantasy worlds. So, with a panicked and shaken mind, she walked back to her house. Perhaps she just needed a drink of water. Maybe she was dehydrated.

Yeah, that's it, she told herself. I was dehydrated and I hallucinated about falling out of the tree, that's all.

Bearing these thoughts in mind, she placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted it. For a second, it was the same comfortable silence that always greeted her when she went inside. However, once that moment passed, the silence was filled with the deafening sound of voices. Many voices, all speaking in unison.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RAINA!" they cried.

Shocked, Raina stumbled back from the door. Her already disturbed thoughts were now flying everywhere. As she caught them, she realised that this was her mother's 'surprise' birthday party. Of course, it wasn't much of a surprise. Raina had known for days. Her mother wasn't what people would call 'inconspicuous', but Raina loved her nonetheless.

"Raina? Are you ok? I know it was supposed to be a surprise, but I didn't think it would work that well," her mother joked, waving a hand in front of Raina's dazed face. Raina snapped out of it and gave her mother a warm smile. She concentrated on making herself look like the epitome of happiness, but on the inside, her gut was roiling.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mum. I was just... somewhere else."

Raina's mother smiled and led her into thehouse. As Raina greeted her Grandparents, relatives and friends, she found theincident already slipping from her mind, like a dream melting away in themorning sun. Soon, she was laughing and joking with everyone else. b