I Will Burn for You

Alexs POV

I’ve always been alone. I’ve never felt able to trust anyone properly, too scared that they would throw it in my face if I did. Relationships? Sure I’ve had one or two, but they never worked. They lasted a week or two before I saw I had made a huge mistake- and they realised how weird I am. So it always ends fast after they see what I’m like. My friends are nice, I know they try to stay calm with me most days but sometimes I can’t stand being treated differently to everyone else so I get so angry, I snap. They avoid me for a while until I calm down. I’m going to stop getting angry though. I promised.

Oh, by the way, I’m 16 and starting a band with my best friend, Ed Minton. We just do small acoustic sets at the moment but we hope to get bigger. I go to Uppington High. After school I go to anger management classes so I can hopefully stay calm around my little sister, Cara. She’s only 6 so if I got angry around her she could get hurt, which I would never let happen.

***

I had taken Cara to the riverside to feed the newborn ducklings. She loves them. I watched a timid duck eat the bread out her hand, laughing. She reached out further to feed a small duck. I shouted for her to lean back in but she turned around to see what I was saying and slipped into the rapid river. I screamed.

Petrified, I slipped off my jacket and t-shirt and dived into the icy January waters. I swam, faster and faster towards her as she was slipping underwater. I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into my chest. I didn’t care that it hurt all the cuts from rocks in the river; my sister was safely with me.

I pulled myself out the water and wrapped Cara and myself up warmly. Cara was so still… I called 999 and lay with her on the grass holding her closely. Let her be okay. Let her be okay. The ambulance appeared and took her from me. I got put in a different ambulance, screaming for my sister. They wouldn’t let her near me though.

After a quick check up and some stitches I was okay. Cara was in a coma because she had hit her head very hard off the rocks. I sat by her side, hoping for her to awake, tears fell thick and fast down my face. Why is life never fair… I left hospital to go to school, late like most mornings.

***

I walked out the school gates hoping Ed and Ali wouldn’t see me. I had been crying in science and had managed to avoid them since. I felt two lads pounce on me.

“Hi Alex!” said Ed, a cheerful smile stretched across his face. He saw my bad mood and asked “Oh my god who died? OMG you murdered someone?!? ALEX YOU KNOW THAT’S ILLEGAL EVEN WHEN YOU’RE IN A TEMPER!”

I groaned. Ed was so bloody dramatic. “Ed, I didn’t kill anybody. There’s no blood on me! I’m just a bit scared.”

“What happened, did you kick Ed in the balls? Cause that’s a good thing fool!” Ali asked laughing.

“Eh no Ali, but I would love to. My sister was taken into hospital last night when she fell into the river. She was feeding the ducks and slipped. I managed to swim in and get her out a little further down but she was unconscious bleeding and pale. I’m so scared for her…” I started crying again half way through my sentence. I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. I turned to see Ali at my side. “Alex, you know she’ll be okay. She’ll have just been tired. Come on, me and Ed will go to your place to see her with you.” He said.

“Ali, she’s in an… an ICU unit. She’s in a c… c… coma.” I stammered the words out. I fell to my knees sobbing. Cara meant the world to me she had to be okay.