In an Instant

FLASHBACK

"Delilah sweetie, when you're done playing if you could come inside and wash your hands. I need to talk to you about something." I heard my mother's sweet voice call out to me from the kitchen window.

"Okay mommy, I just have to put the mud people to bed." My imagination for a 7 year old was not lacking as far as my mother was concerned. She just smiled and turned from the window to go and stir the spaghetti sauce she had cooking on the stove.

After playing for a little bit longer I got up and made my way to the kitchen to wash the mud and dirt off my hand, as I was doing so I heard a loud roaring engine pull up into the driveway and knew that my father was home. I quickly finished up washing my hands and hoped he wouldn't shout at me for playing in the dirt again.

The front door slammed shut as he stormed into the house; the first thing on his mind was grabbing a beer from the fridge and hiding down in the basement for the remainder of the evening.

"WHY ISN'T MY DINNER FINISHED YET?" His loud angry voice boomed out from the fridge as he slammed the door shut, shaking the cupboards as it closed. I shook in fear, I hated when my father yelled about dinner not being done yet.

"I'm just waiting on the sauce to finish and then it will be done!" My mother insisted carrying my 6 month old brother Riley on her hip, looking frazzled as my fathers shouting woke him up from a late afternoon nap.

"I'll be downstairs whenever the hell you decide to hurry up and finish." He grabbed another beer from the fridge and stomped downstairs slamming the basement door on his way down.

I was still shaking in fear as my mother put my little brother down on the floor and let him crawl around happily. My mom bent down so she was at eye level with me.

"I'm sorry sweetie, you two shouldn't have to witness that. Which is why tonight we are leaving your father, Aunt Jenna said we can stay with her until we find a new place to live but you're going to have to move schools." I nodded sadly as she told me the news.

"But what about my friends, what if the new kids don't like me?" I felt a tear descend down my cheek as I considered all the possibilities of what could happen when we leave.

"You're a beautiful sweet little girl, I'm sure the other kids are going to adore you." My mother gave me a big hug as I felt her start to sob on my tiny bony shoulder. "I love you kiddo."

"I love you too Mommy."

*PRESENT DAY*

I feel my eyes start to tear up as that memory comes flooding back into my head like a kaleidoscope, I had blocked it out and let it stay in the part of my mind that I never thought would open up; until now that is. That was the last time I ever seen my father. I heard stories from my mother about him about how he drank himself to sleep every night, got arrested, stole things, how he denied my brother and I's existence. He was an awful man and I doubted that he would ever change.

I feel a hard nudge at my side and I turn to notice a boy with messy dark hair, and hazel eyes trying to get my attention. He is wearing a navy blue hoodie, and casual jeans. I zap myself out of my daydream that I was trapped in.

"Can I help you?" I shoot out rudely.

"Wow, just wanted to tell you that your shoe is untied." He snickers and I look down at my feet to see that I am in fact wearing flip flops.

"I'm not even wearing shoes!" I protest.

"Made you look!" He laughs to himself and I roll my eyes, and think to myself if first impressions matter here then it's not going so well for him. What a jerk.

"Oh cm on I was joking, wasn't trying to be a jerk." I looked at him in surprise and tried to figure out how he knew what I was thinking. He sighs. "Right, you're new here. Everyone who enters the brink gets access to a really cool ability. Also known as mind reading. Give it a shot."

"Give what a shot?"

"Reading my mind...duh."

"How do I do th-?" before I can finish my sentence I can hear him say to himself 'Gosh, this girl is cute, but she's kind of slow.'

I frowned upon hearing that, "That's a little rude."

"So a car crash huh? That sucks, I overdosed on heroine." I look at him shocked at the pure honesty about his situation. "I know what you're thinking; druggie like him is obviously going to go on a one way ride downstairs. We'll see what happens though, there's always a way to redeem ourselves."

"Name's Travis by the way, not jerk." He smiles and extends his hand out to mine, in which I reach out to give it a firm shake. I then think back to Stephan and Sierra, I have to go and check on them.

I stand up and went to leave the room, and I feel a cold hand reach up to grab mine. I look down to see Travis staring at me with his pleading brown eyes, "Did I scare you off already?"

"No, not at all. I'm going for a walk." I tell him exiting the room and I make my way back down the hallway to where my broken body lay. When I enter the room all the hustle and bustle of doctors had disappeared as I seem to be stabilized for the moment. There was only one nurse adjusting the IV bag, Stephan sits next to me and strokes my hand softly.

"Baby wake up." I hear him say and I stroll next to him and place my hand on his shoulder, I feel him tense up and look around the room, only to be disappointed by not seeing anything there. "Is she going to be okay?"

"It's too soon to tell." Was all the nurse said to him. "We can only hope that she's strong enough to come back from this, she's suffered a traumatic brain injury and multiple broken bones."

He sniffs slightly, and reaches his arm up to wipe the tear that began falling down his cheek. "She's the strongest person I've ever known."

"Only time can tell my dear, how about you go home and get some rest." She suggests placing a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at her and shakes his head in a firm no.

"I'm going to stay a little while longer, at least until Sierra gets here. Have you heard from her parents yet?" My head shot up at that question, I wanted to know where my mother was as well.

"Her mother was at a conference in England, she says she's catching the first flight here in the morning and will pick up her little brother from school as well." I frown; I didn't want Riley to see me in this condition, not with all these tubes attached to me, "as for her father, he has been unreachable."

'Go figure' I think to myself.

Stephan just nods and continues stroking my hand and watching me lay there silently, while the machines do all the breathing for me.

I turn and leave the room, I don't want to leave Stephan there alone but there was nothing I can do for him at this point. I stand at the window outside the room watching the snow fall from the ground, wondering and hoping if I could ever feel the sensation of the snow melting on my hands ever again.

"There you are." I hear a voice call out from behind me. "You best get back to the room soon, you never know when your name will get called out."

"And what happens when my name gets called out?" I ask him not truly caring about the answer, only wanting to get back to my old life as soon as I can.

"It's different for everyone, but lets go..."