The awakener (bxb)✔

TA 5

Chapter 2

"Sing to slumbers goodnight; let thy dream be bright, for Riley...." A frail voice sang. Even though it was frail, it was still a beautiful voice.

"...and when night time is past, may God wake thee at last...."

The baby yawned. Although he was sleepy, he did not seem to want to sleep. His eyes were dancing. What a beautiful boy he was. The girl bent down and kissed his forehead. She saw a smile form on his lips and smiled herself.

"Riley, son of Isandro, go to sleep now. Mommy is tired", she reprimanded, shifting the baby from her hands so that he lay against her chest.

The baby's pupils dilated, and the weirdest thing happened. A baby bottle full of formula milk appeared to levitate from a table nearby.

"Oh Riley, did I not tell you not to do that? You are normal Riley, you have to be! You have to be!" the girl said as a tear escaped her eye.

"You have to be!"

The bottle ended up in the baby's hands and he gulped his milk, oblivious to the state his mother was in.

*

I opened my eyes. I was surrounded by white walls. The place smelled so bad I felt like throwing up. It reeked of medicine, a mixture of organic and inorganic substances. I was lying on a bed draped with white sheets. A doctor had his back to me.

"Ah, you are awake", he said cheerfully.

He was in his mid-fifties, I judged by his balding head. Balding started earlier those days, I corrected myself. For a man who worked in a place that smelled horrible and people sometimes died, he was cheerful, probably because he went home to a nagging wife and had children who were out of the house and still financially-dependent on him.

I blinked.

"How long was I here?" I asked.

"Technically, your question should be, "how long have I been here?"", he said.

My eyebrows met halfway. If he wanted to be a teacher, why did he not become one? He stared at me, waiting for me to repeat his words. I merely stared back.

"You have been here for an hour. You were completely out", he said.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked.

He walked in the direction of the door.

"Exhaustion", he stated and walked out.

I screwed up my face. What exhaustion? I had not been tired, I was not tired! I sat up. A few minutes later, Casey walked in. His face lit up when he saw me. He enveloped me in a bear hug. His lips slightly brushed against my cheek. I could not tell if it was intentional or accidental. I disentangled myself hastily. Casey knew I hated hugs. With his hands in mine, he looked at me. Something passed between us, something unreal.

Casey and I had that "I hit you, you hit me" relationship. We always argued. I teased him and he gave me unnecessary advice. That day, that moment...it felt as though it was more.

"Your mother said she's on her way", he broke the moment. I let go of his hands. We looked at each other awkwardly, our first awkward moment.

"What happened?" I asked, composing myself.

"You don't know? Mandy said you just fainted. She started shouting for help. Someone called the ambulance".

"Where's she?" I asked.