Nevar

Chapter 1

I jolt up in bed, the burning in my back making my whole body spasm. I have never felt pain this intense before. I feel like screaming in my agony, but my lungs won't work, I can't breath. Slowing I manage to begin heaving big gulps of air into my lungs. The oxygen making the slight dizziness from the pain subside. I sit there for a long while breathing, just breathing, waiting for this hell to end.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity later it finally leaves me, mostly. I slowly stand, testing my back, it's aching, but the burning agony is thankfully over.

I decide to see what time it is, looking over at the clock on my bedside table I see that it's 1:47 am. I also look at my calendar, it's Monday, of course it is. I hate Mondays, definitely when I wake up feeling like I'm dying.

I try to go back to sleep, flopping down on my bed, knocking the wind out of myself, quickly realizing that that wasn't a good idea. I try to get comfortable again, wriggling and squirming under the sheets. After about an hour of the aching in my back interrupting my pretending to be asleep, I give up and go to the bathroom. Then, I sit down at my desk and start working on homework. It's due next week, but right now I just need something to do.

***

In my dreams I can hear blaring, as I slowly realize what it is, the reality around me falls away and is replaced with my eyes opening to my desk, and a puddle of drool. It wouldn't be all that bad if the puddle was on my desk, but of course I had fallen asleep doing homework, so guess where it was. I straighten myself in the chair and pick up the piece of paper, it doesn't look like it can be saved. I look at the time as I go and turn my alarm off, it's 5:30 am, my normal wake up time. I'm tired, and even more so as I look at my half written essay mopped in night slobber, and decide, to copy it to a drier sheet of paper later.

I get out of the desk chair. It's not a comfy chair so my back pain is just intensified. I grab some clothes off the floor and stumble into the bathroom. When I come out again I feel like myself, I'm sleepier and in more pain than usual, but normal otherwise.

I grab my bag and step out the door, strolling down the stairs to the kitchen.

Mom's already awake, standing at the sink scrubbing a plate. As I walk into the room her head perks up. She doesn't look at me when she says "You know you should really rinse your plate after your down with it."

"Sorry mom, I'll do it next time."

"That's what you said the last time I told you. I want you to actually do it, not just say you will."

"Okay, I'm sorry, I'll try to remember."

"And you should especially do it when you were eating pancakes, with syrup! It sticks to the plate like you'd never believe!" I know she's not trying to be mean, she's just frustrated.

"What else do you want me to say mom? I'm sorry and I wouldn't do it again?"

"I don't even know why I'm doing the dishes, isn't this your job?"

"Oh..." I had forgotten to do them last night, I was just so tired. I had gone out with some friends and I went right to bed when I got home. "Yeah, it is, I'll do them later, okay?"

She drys the plate off, puts it away, and washes her hands. I just needed something to take my mind off work, I'm gonna have a lot to do today." she looks at her watch, "I have half an hour till I have to go, when do you leave?" It's my turn to check to time. I don't wear a watch so I pull out my phone. "I have about half an hour too, but I should probably leave sooner, I need to meet a teacher for some help with the unit we're on."

"Alright." she says "I'm going to go wake up you're sister."

"She's not awake yet?! She's my ride! Why isn't she up? She wasn't feeling very good last night, so I let her sleep in, I'm going to see if she has a fever and has to stay home."

"But she's my ride! If she stays home I'll have to take the bus and I won't be able to see my teacher! Why didn't you tell me she was sick earlier!?!"

"Well, I didn't see you last night, and I just told you didn't I?"

"Ugh!" I dash upstairs to Lia's room, hopping the steps two at a time.

"Hey! Where are you going!" I don't turn as mom yells, confused.

As I race to Lia's door, almost slamming it open, I can hear mom yelling to not disturb her. Mom's warning being ignored I jump onto Lia's bed, ripping her blankets off of her. "Lia, come on!" She flinches at the light coming in through the doorway and tries to find the covers again, but I've pulled them all onto the floor. "You can't be sick, I have to get to school early today!"

"Go away Wil! I am sick and I'm not going."

"You're my ride!"

"Not anymore, I'm not."

"Ugh!" I stomp out of Lia's room and slam her door. Turning around I see mom hastily walking up the stairs giving me a worried look, as I rush past her.

"You shouldn't be mad at Lia. It's not her fault she's sick."

"I know mom." Propelling myself down the stairs I realize that this is not a good day to be rushing, as my back spasms with burning pain, I fall on the stairs and subsequently slump the rest of the way to the floor.

"Wil!" Mom runs down the stairs and kneels at my side. "Oh my god! Honey, are you okay?!" My back is still throbbing but is seems like these are just streaks of pain that only last a second, but leave my back badly aching.

"I'm...fine..." Breathing and speaking isn't my strong suit right now, as moving my back even the tiniest bit sends another spike of pain up my body.

"What happened?! What's hurting?" She looks terrified and her eyes are starting to well up.

"Mom...my back..." Outside I can hear my bus pull up, but getting to school is the least of my problems now.

"Uh...okay!" She runs into the kitchen and comes back with her phone. "Just breath alright, Wil?!" She kneels again at my side and starts fiddling with her phone. I know it's bad when I only hear three numbers punched in.

She wipes her eyes dry but the tears are still coming, she puts the phone to the side of her face. "My son! He just fell down the steps! He can't move!" She tells the person on the other side our address and goes to unlock the door for when the ambulance gets here. I can here as the other person tries to calm her down and it seems to be working. She takes some deep breaths and this time after she wipes her eyes they stay dry.

I can't tell how long it takes for the ambulance to get here, the pain is all that's on my mind at the moment. When they do get there though, they rush in and start asking mom questions and start to put me on a stretcher.

As the first guys lifts up my shoulders I shriek as another bolt of fire streaks across my back. The man quickly puts me back down and goes to talk to his colleagues.

When he comes back he has others with him. They tell me it'll hurt for a second, but then after that I'll be fine. I nod and squeeze my eyes tightly shut and brace myself for the pain.

They heave me onto the stretcher and this time I can stop myself for yelling. I instantly feel a little better on the stretcher. It's much more comfortable than being crumpled at the end of the stairs.

They rush me and mom into the ambulance and we shoot off onto the streets. One of the medics takes charge and tells us that the closest hospital is a half an hour ride away, even in the ambulance, so they'll give me some pain killer and just make sure that I not in too much pain right now. They also have to check for cuts and concussions from the fall down the steps, but we had plenty of time.