Show Them What it Means To Be Alive

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A splitting pain cracked through Melanie’s head like a whip.
She squeezed her eyes shut as she tossed and turned – light was now the enemy. But this light was coming from the inside. From her mind. From her memories.

*

A cabin. A bed. A blanket that wasn’t nearly enough to quell the neverending shivers that ran down her spine and back up again.

black.

A hand on her feverish head. A concerned friend. “Mellie, we’ll be where we were last night..er… early this morning if you need us. But don’t need us. You need rest.”

black.

A devotion that sent Melanie against her better judgment, and through the woods to find her friends.

black.

The ground. But which direction was it? Up was down and down was up, as the sick girl clutched at thin tree trunks to keep her balance.

black.
more black.

*

Melanie blinked once.
then twice.

But no matter how many desperate attempts the sick girl made at showing signs of life. they were all in vain. The bed was so comfortable and the way her eyelids fit shut just felt so right.

Luckily, she didn’t have to flail around to get someone’s attention.

“Mellie! Are you alright?” A voice Melanie hadn’t heard in a while cooed. A very… motherly …voice.

At that sound, the brunette’s senses and consciousness (whatever was there) fit the scenery together like pieces of a puzzle, bringing her the will power to open her eyes and to muster up a weak grin.

“Should I be?” She groaned, very confused as to her present situation. Blue eyes scanning the room, Melanie was greeted by bland grays and blues that could only mean one thing – a hospital. The various tints of colors and floral decals around the room hinted at an attempt to make the room less cold, intimidating. But to relapse back into her mind would bring her to a pretty scary place as well.

“You were out for a while,” Her mother started, “But I guess I should have taken into consideration that you do like to sleep. And you haven’t gotten any in a while, have you?”

The tone of her relieved mothers voice was just about the furthest thing from accusing, but Melanie knew she had been found out. “…How’d you know?”

“That’s why you’re here in the first place,” She gave a nonchalant wave to remind Melanie yet again she was in the kind of place she dreaded most.

“I should probably get a doctor in here to tell you themselves, but they pretty much said that your body gave out on you. You’ll be fine soon, but you’re sixteen. There’s a reason we have food to eat and beds to sleep in … and clothes to wear. You need it. I guess it all just added up until you had too much”.

A mental checklist ran through the teenager’s head.
Skinny dipping in frigid water – check.
Pulling all-nighters on a tri-weekly basis – check.
A diet consisting of chips, soda, and the occasional pizza brought in from the closest civilization town - check.
Having completely forgotten the difference between a bed, a sofa, and the floor – check.
Probable sun poisoning – check.

On reflex, Melanie tried to roll over to put her face in the pillow to muffle a groan. But as the pesky tube supplying a flow of oxygen into her nose got in the way, she settled to rub her eyes until her hands were black with mascara.

“Fuck my life”

Rather than scolding her daughter, her mother offered a sympathetic smile.

“So when can I go back?”

“We’re going home tomorrow, as soon as you’re cleared from the hospital, if that’s what you’re asking”

“Nonononono. There’s no way I’m going home. When am I going back to camp?”

“Melanie, honey,” Melanie’s mother began sympathetically

“Don’t you ‘Melanie’, me. I want to go back. I’ve had a better time in that month – met better people – than the 16 years of my life that went to waste before”

Her mother took a breath, obviously trying her best not to upset her still sick daughter, “We’ll try again next year sweetie. You have no idea how glad I am you ended up enjoying yourself, but even you can see that it was too much for you.”

“Get out.” Melanie’s voice cracked.

“Okay, there’s someone else here who wants to see you”.

Melanie didn’t get her hopes up as her mom left through the wooden door and held it open for someone else to enter. She knew if it was one of the boys her mom wouldn’t have left so quickly without further questioning.

“Hey Mel,” Melanie looked up to see the head counselor for the cabin that she was supposed to be in. Amelia, she was pretty sure her name was.

“Hi. You didn’t have to come you know”

“I did, actually. It’s a liability thing, in case the hospital manages to do something wrong when you’re still technically attending our camp. But don’t think I didn’t want to make sure you were alright, because I’m glad you are.”

“Well thanks. For the last part, I guess”

“You’re welcome. I know you weren’t conscious until now, but your mom will be signing you out of camp shortly and I just wanted to stop by for a little closure. You’re a great kid, Mel. I wish I could say the rest about some of the brats I have to watch,” Amelia replied honestly, shaking her head with a smirk.

“Glad we have that in common,” Melanie joked for what felt like the first time in far too long. “Then hopefully you see my reasoning for doing what I was doing… Even if it landed me a room here.”

“Whoever runs this camp are lucky they pay well, or I would so be at the beach right now,” Amelia began, launching into a series of stories about all of the trouble her girls got into while Melanie was out creating future stories of her own. Stories that –thankfully- her counselor had the discretion not to ask about.

“Can you do me a favor before you go?” Melanie asked just as her counselor was about to turn away. She tried to make this quick, to hide her face, which was now in that awkward stage between a smile and spontaneously bursting into tears. She might as well have, she figured. Her voice and the tears welling up in her eyes were giving her away.

“Yeah?”

“If I write a letter can you give it to a friend of mine. He means...” Melanie choked, “A whole lot to me. Please just drop it by cabin 9, I’m sure whoever answers the door will know what to do with it.”

“Of course,” The tall blonde replied sincerely. “I’ll give you some privacy, and send your mom in here in a couple of minutes to get it once she’s done signing you out of the camp. I really do hope we see each other again, Melanie.”

With that, Melanie was left alone with her thoughts.