Elena's P.O.V.
Imagine this: you're peacefully walking home through the woods, when suddenly —BAM, a white rabbit appears out of the blue and decides to follow you.
So, what do you do?
You leave some food for it to eat, of course, because only then can you continue your adventure. However, the Universe doesn't work like that — no, you must be naïve if you think with a brain like that.
Instead of leaving you alone, it kicks the back of your ankle for you to trip and fall down a freaking hill. Maybe it was for entertainment, I don't know, but one thing is for sure.
I hate the Universe and its stupid actions.
Because of this incident, I have now a broken arm that matches my broken ribs, a light concussion, and my entire body is covered in ugly bruises and scratches after being beaten up by the ground.
Isn't life just lovely?
Oh, but it doesn't end there.
Let's just say that I would rather wake up in a cold tombstone than a warm hospital bed to explain about your 'adventure' to the police.
"So, yeah. . ." I finished my tale of embarrassment, making the women officers raise their eyebrows.
It's a good thing that I left out the part about the weird light, or else Hazel would've died of face-palming too much as she listened with a careful ear.
"Okay, let me get this straight." The woman with the blonde hair started, looking over her notes and then at me. "After you fed the rabbit, you walked backward, tripped over a tree root you didn't see, and fell down a sixty-five feet long hill."
The story of my life.
"What a bad luck you have there, kiddo." The other woman shook her head, her curly hair still flying around as she carefully patted my left arm with the cast on. "But you're also lucky that you're still alive."
"Yeah, you kept your head cold without panicking — and that's very impressive for a sixteen-year-old." Blondie gave me a look of profound in her blue eyes. "But next time, look where you're going, okay? It's a miracle that you got help when you did."
I nodded, putting on a fake smile to their informative lecture that enlightened me for something I had no clue of.
"Don't worry. Hopefully, this will be the last time I fall down a hill." They both gave a curt laugh at my choice of words, exchanging an amused glance.
"Have some rest, kid, you deserve it." With a short nod with their hats, they left me and my friend alone in the white room.
I'm never going to hear the end of this. . . I thought, knowing that I would be the new talk in their jobs.
Thinking that it couldn't get any worse, it did. Seriously, I'm convinced that God is sitting in heaven, laughing along with the angels who are, most likely, recording my life with their magical camera.
Ugh, this is seriously not my day. At all.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Hazel shouted, flying off her chair like a bolting thunder. "You could've died! If I didn't call to curse you out for not texting me, who would've known what would've happened to you!"
I knew that - no matter what path I chose, or what I did, or what I said - I would die in the end. My choices were to either die in the woods or to be killed by Hazel after surviving the fall.
Whatever I decided, whichever way I chose to go, the outcome was unchanged. Just lovely, don't you agree too?
"Well, you're cursing me out now, so I guess you got what you wanted." I retorted, looking at my fingers that played with the snow-colored sheets.
Does she even have the right to curse me out — especially when I almost died?
"Oh, I'm not done," she said with a dangerously calm voice. "Who even goes in the woods nowadays?"
Welcome to the 21st century, people.
"Obviously, I do!" I defended myself and was met with an annoyed sigh from Hazel.
It's not my fault that my way home was occupied by construction workers. It's not like I wanted to go in the woods in the first place.
"Elena, don't you understand that you could've died?" Her voice turned into a gentle tone that was entwined with half-whispering words. When she sat down on her chair again, I met her soft eyes that were filled with worry when you saw past the wall of annoyance.
A wave of guilt washed over my chest when I realized how much weight Hazel had been carrying this night.
I can't believe how inconsiderable I have been.
"But I didn't," I gestured my hands to my beaten-up and sore body that was laying on the hospital bed, the tubes attached to my limbs following the movements of my hands.
"Barely," she muttered under her breath. "What if you died, Elena? Hm? It wouldn't be that funny, now would it?"
Ugh, she's already talking about me like I'm dead — something I will be if she continues to curse me out like this.
"Do you really think that you can get rid of me that easily?" I arched an eyebrow in an elegant way — or at least I hoped it looked like it. "Hazy, stop being so crazy, you lazy daisy of a Jay-Z."
I'm not sure where this came from, but I guess that the medications are kicking in.
Although I found my words quite hilarious, Hazel did not. I think I aimed too high and stepped beyond her limits, considering that she became annoyed in an entirely new level; something I was certain would ensure me a long and painful death.
"You're lucky that I can't hurt you without killing you."
"I'm touched."
Our eyes were killing each other, but behind the wall of glares, there was a winking gleam of light that radiated with warmth. The war did not even last five seconds as our faces, little by little, cracked with beams shining through the wall.
"But seriously," the curly-haired girl said in a humorless tone when the joy died. "Don't do that again."
My lips curled up into a goofy smile. "You mean almost dying? Nah, I don't know, Hazel, it's kinda my thing now, you know? Falling down a hill every Friday has become a tradition — and I have to follow my new ritual until the day I actually die."
Before a word could follow her laughter, a man in a white coat with a stethoscope surrounding his neck walked in. The doctor's mahogany brown eyes were glued on the clipboard in his hands, and when he finally tore his attention from the papers and let it fall on me, he smiled.
"How are you feeling, Ms. Campbell?" Dr. Lee asked softly, a kind gleam showing in his smiling-wrinkles as he took the stethoscope off his neck to check my breathing. "Could you take a deep breath for me?"
"Well," I started. "I'm not laying in the woods and dying, so I guess I'm better."
He took briefly laughed and continued to scribble down something on the clipboard.
"You were dehydrated, that's why you passed out when the police and paramedics found you." He looked up from his notes to point his pen at my broken arm. "You need to wear that cast for a couple of weeks. If you were to be in too much pain, just take some painkillers, alright? And please, don't hesitate to ask me any questions."
"Yes, sir!" I answered, doing a mock-salute, which made Hazel scowl at me.
"When can she get out?" My friend asked, making me look at the doctor again and his tanned fingers that tapped the brown clipboard.
If I have to be here for more than a day, I swear, I will make Hazel break me out of here.
"About a week or so." He answered, looking at the corkscrew-haired girl who nodded in reply, and then at me who gave him a 'you can't be serious'-look.
When Dr. Lee saw my fallen expression, he used his serious-doctor-voice to explain the situation. "You fell down a hill, broke multiple bones, had your body temperature drop to a significant, dangerous level, and you passed out of dehydration, Elena. It's only for observation and to make sure that you will be okay." He patted my left shoulder with a light touch. "It's for your own good."
To die of boredom? Hell to the no.
"But—"
"No 'buts'," Hazel and Dr. Lee butted in — and yes, the pun was intended.
Ugh, such drama queens.
"Fine," I groaned after receiving sternly looks from the both of them. "But one question," I held up my index finger that was met with a nod to continue. "Is it normal to see a light before you pass out?"
"A light?"
"Yeah, a light," I confirmed, trying to think of a good way to explain what I saw. "You know, a mix of a yellow and a white color with a bird flying out of it."
Does this make me sound like I'm crazy?
Dr. Lee rubbed his shaved jaw, looking up at the ceiling while chewing on my question. Hazel, on the other hand, tilted her head to the side with a puzzled look on her face.
"Hmm. . . You must've hallucinated it." He finally answered, looking down at me as I tightened the grip on the warm sheets that kept my body temperature intact.
"But what if I told you that it felt real?" I pushed on, trying to get a second or a different answer. "Whenever I got near it, I felt some kind of warmth like it was a—"
"—Hallucination," he cut me off, his statement firm like a mountain. "Ms. Campbell, there is no other explanation," he shook his head. "I think you need to rest now. You have been through a lot, and a good nap should make you feel better."
"No, I don't need a nap, what I need is answers." I protested with a transparent lie, ignoring my heavy eyelids that began to drop.
"Elena, you should listen to the guy who has a doctorate in medicine." Hazel pointed at Dr. Lee who nodded in agreement.
"But—"
"Rest, Elena." She said firmly, giving me a stern look to tell me to not argue.
I groaned in annoyance, not wanting to take a break from reality just yet. I needed answers, I needed to find out the truth or else I will never be able to sleep peacefully.
It can't have been a hallucination. It felt too real to be a trick my mind played with me. My body felt the wind that burst out of the hole, and my eyes witnessed everything.
But on the other hand, since when do birds fly out of strange lights?
My brain told me to let it go, but the voices in my head sung another song.
You know you're tired when you manage to quote two Disney songs in one go.
"One more thing," Dr. Lee turned to meet my apple-green orbs in a disorientated encounter. "We tried calling your parents—" Just the mention of that one wounded word made my body tense up and my heart beat unevenly. If there is one thing I cannot stand talking about, it is everything related to them. "—But it seems like they won't answer. Do you know how we can contact them?"
I snorted, wanting to ignore the question that hung in the air. But it wouldn't be right of me to let the rage touch Dr. Lee. It wasn't his fault, and therefore, my fury shouldn't be spilled over him.
Thoughts and feelings crashed with each other, creating a mess that held no firm answer for me to hold. The situation forced me stand alone — to choose between sadness or anger.
"They are on a. . . business trip with their jobs," the bitter words were filled with a cold tone, and I could only hope that it didn't suffocate others as well. "There is no way you'll get a hold of them."
The man furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding what lay under the iceberg. "But we need to inform them about your incident."
Yeah, like that would make them pick up their phones.
I hated to be put in this position, to be cornered without the possibility to escape. If I had only been a good liar, I could've gotten out of these situations with ease, hide things better, use words to cover up the holes, but I couldn't.
I just couldn't.
"Well," I sighed, and filled my lungs with air to press the empty words out of my mouth. "They send a text message once in a while, so I can just tell them about. . . my accident," I silently flinched when my sentence lost its voice.
Although I expected it, the realization of my words still hit me; perhaps not as hard as the first times, but it always managed to create an uncomfortable knot that I learned to swallow.
"Alright," he nodded, a half-smile stretched across his lips. "Just inform them about your incident as quickly as possible." And he left the room without another word and without a glance to spare.
The atmosphere became thick, which produced air that was uncomfortable to breathe. Just tasting the oxygen resulted in a tiredness that spread like a pandemic all over my body.
"Elly," Hazel softly began, sitting on the edge of my bed. "You know they care about you, don't think otherwise." She stroked my arm in comfort with no effect. "It's just that they are. . ." Her sentence drowned in the ocean of silence, her mind was empty when she searched for another hollowed word that could be used.
But I knew exactly which four letters she was looking for.
"Busy," I finished, meeting her eyes that did not argue. "Yeah, I know — but it doesn't matter," I tugged on the captured sheets, causing Hazel to get off the bed with a furrowed look. "Because now, I am going to sleep," with that said, I pulled the blanket over my head.
"Yeah, that's probably the only smart thing you've said all day," her words were now replaced with a humorous tone, and I ripped the blanket off me with the light of speed.
"And you leaving is probably the smartest thing you have done today." I retorted with an arch of my eyebrow, something that resulted in Hazel's smile being replaced with an eye roll.
"Get some sleep, Elena. You'll need the energy when I come back to continue my wisdom of speech."
She? Wise? In what parallel universe is that?
"Pfft, the only 'wisdom of speech' you have, is the one about how to be an idiot." I snickered, mentally writing it down to use it in the future again.
"Night, Elena," annoyance was laced loudly in her voice, which was soon followed by her footsteps walking out of the hospital room.
I yawned with tears pricking my eyes. "Goodnight, Hazel, see you tomorrow— oh, and bring some chocolate, will you?" She mock-saluted me, letting me know that she caught my request.
And with that, she was gone, leaving me all alone with my own thoughts. Leaving me alone to swim in my mind — something I find scary once in a while.
The memory of the light replayed itself as a movie, and each time I saw the bird flying out of the rich light, my eyelids dropped heavier and heavier. All my theories began to fade away in a growing darkness.
Before I dozed completely off, one last thought swirled around my head like a swarm of bees.
I was going to find out what that light was, where it came from, and why it came alive and died when it did.
I am going to find answers. I will not rest before the truth is spilled; before all the facts are laid on the table — even if it means that I will have to fall down that hill again and break my other arm.
But hopefully, I could just climb it down.