Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Chapter 2

Well, here's Dark Past chapter 2... Hope you like it. Chapter 2 Laina sat up and winced at the ache in her side. She’d been out of the hospital for a week and was finally going back to school. There was less than a month left before summer vacation, and then she could say good bye to the elementary school forever. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief and immediately regretted it. “Laina, honey, are you up?” her mom called. Laina climbed out of bed and walked to the head of the stairs. “Yes mom, I’m wide awake. Unfortunately,” she replied. Her mom laughed. “Laina, sometimes I wonder where you get your vocabulary,” she said, still laughing. “You’re a fifth grader, but you talk like an eighth grader.” “I read a lot. I guess I pick up words I see and use them,” she replied. xXx~Flashback~xXx “Okay everyone, please print your reading level and lexile score,” the teacher said. “Bring them up to me when you are done looking at them.” Laina walked up to the teacher and handed her the paper. “Um, excuse me but...” she started. “Yes?” the teacher asked. “What does this number mean?” she asked, pointing. The teacher looked and gaped. “It means... You’re areading at a tenth grade level and up,” she replied. xXx~End Flashback~xXx That was where it all started. The beginning of her third grade year was the beginning of her torture. “...aina!” her mom called, pulling her back to earth. “Hmm?” she replied. Her mom looked slightly amused and slightly more annoyed “Honey, you’re going to be late for school if you don’t hurry!” she exclaimed. Laina pulled on her black pants, shirt, and boots. Rushing downstairs, she looked out the window just in time to see the bus pull away from her stop and drive past. “Mom! I missed the bus! Can you drive me?” she asked. Her mother sighed. “Honey, most kids your age still call their mothers ‘mommy.’ Why don’t you?” she asked. “And yes, I’ll drive you if you hurry and eat.” “’Mommy’ just doesn’t sound very mature,” Laina replied. Her mother shook her head. “11 going on 35,” she muttered, grabbing her keys. Laina smiled. * * * The bell rang for the end of recess. The teachers called for everyone to line up. Laina breathed another sigh of relief. She had made it through without the girls hurting her. Her side ached enough already. Her homeroom teacher beckoned to her. She walked up to her and was told to follow her to the principal’s office. “Please sit down, Laina,” the principal said. Laina sat and waited for Mrs. Wilder to speak. “I have some bad news, Laina,” she said. “This afternoon, your mother was in an accident. She has been admitted to the emergency room with serious injuries. They don’t know if she will make it.” “It’s all my fault!” she exclaimed. “If I had caught the bus, she wouldn’t have had to drive me! She wouldn’t have gotten into the accident!” She buried her face in her hands and her shoulders shook as silent sobs racked her frail body. “Excuse me. I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m here to pick up Laina,” said a woman standing in the doorway. Laina looked over at her and jumping up ran to her and buried her face in her shirt. “Grammie!” she sobbed. Laina’s grandmother wrapped her arms around her and held her, tears coming to her eyes as well. “Shhh. It’s going to be okay, little one,” she said reassuringly. “Your mom will be fine.” She looked at Mrs. Wilder and shook her head sadly. “Laina, love, go wait out in the hall. I need to speak with Mrs. Wilder.” Laina nodded slowly and walked out. “What is it, Ms. Hanson?” Mrs. Wilder asked. “The doctors are saying she’s not going to make it. She has been in a coma since she was brought in and she’s lost a lot of blood. She’s in a very unstable condition,” she replied. “What about her father?” Mrs. Wilder asked. Laina’s grandmother’s shook her head. “We don’t know. He tried to kill Laina’s mother when she was pregnant with her. I think he’s in prison for life,” she said quietly. Out in the hall, Laina braced herself against the wall, but her legs wouldn’t hold her up. She slid down the wall and sat down in shock. She had been told that her father died in the war. I don’t understand... Why did they keep the truth from me? she thought. She stood up quickly as her grandmother came out into the hall. She smiled. “Ready to go, Laina?” she asked. Laina nodded. On the way to the hospital, neither of them spoke for a while. Finally Laina’s grandmother broke the silence. “You were listening,” she said. It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. Laina simply nodded. “We were going to tell you about your father when you were a little older,” she said. “It’s not just that,” Laina said quietly. “You told me my mom would be okay. You lied!” Her grandmother’s expression saddened. “I wanted to help you feel better,” she said softly. Laina shook her head furiously. “I don’t want help feeling better, I want the truth!” she exclaimed. Just then, they turned into the hospital parking lot. Without a word, Laina got out of the car and waited for her grandmother. Together, they walked up to her mother’s room. The doctor looked up at them as they entered the room. Without a word she stepped aside and Laina ran to her mother’s side. “Mom! Mom! Please answer me!” she cried. When no answer came, she sank down at the side of the bed, sobbing. “Mommy...” Her mother’s hand moved, and the machine next to her bed started to beep a little faster. Her eyelids fluttered. She opened her eyes and looked over at Laina. “You finally called me mommy...” she said weakly. She smiled and gently reached up to brush away the tears that hung on Laina’s face. “It’s ok-” She was cut off in the middle of her sentence as coughs racked her body. Laina reached out to her but she turned away. I don’t want my little Laina to see me like this... she thought. Still looking away, she grabbed a towel and wiped her face, carefully folding it before she turned back to Laina. Laina gasped. Blood trickled down from one corner of her mother’s mouth. She tried to smile, but the effort only brought more coughs. Blood ran down onto her shirt and she tried to turn away so Laina wouldn’t see it, but it was too late. “Mommy! Mommy, what’s wrong?” she asked as tears once again streamed down her face. The coughs finally stopped and she grabbed the towel to wipe her face again. The doctor walked over and helped her lay back down. “I need to give her some medicine. Hopefully it will help to stem the coughs,” she said. “You may stay with her as long as you like.” Laina’s grandmother nodded and the doctor left. Yes... I know. Poor Laina. I'll put up chapter 3 next Wednesday... Ja ne ~Love conquers even death~

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