Death's Embrace

After about an hour of walking, I stopped and stared up at the stars in agony. Now I owed Death my soul? What next! The hits just kept on coming. Would I ever have peace from this world?

I turned and walked slowly back toward my house. Where else was I going to go? What else was I going to do? I needed to help my mother; she would be devistated without me. I resented her for her reliance on my own strength, for I had no strength left for myself now. I was just so weary of it all...

I decided I really didn't want to go back to that house. That prison of mine where my mother was slowly sucking the life out of me. She was supposed to be the adult, not me! But then, I had always had to act more adult-like than a kid ever should have to. Just a consequence of having a drug popping, alcoholic mother. My father was long dead. His liver had given out; he was a heavy drinker too. I had no one else besides Mother.

An overwhelming urge to sit down on the sidewalk and give up overcame me. What was the use? "Please, just let me go!" I whispered into the night. "Please."

I spotted a golf course and decided that would be a better place to sit than just by the road. Any weirdo could come along, but I would be hidden by the sawgrass lining the edges of the course over there. Several tears threatened to roll down my cheeks, but I forced my eyes to look at the stars as I sat down on the short grass.

Was there really a plan for us all? Where we destined for certain things as humans? Or were we just a cosmic accident, a blemish in the universe? A joke? I wiped away a tear that managed to slip out and layed back in the grass to watch the night sky.

Darkness, the most comforting of elements, surrounded me. You could hide away from the world, take refuge in the darkest of places without worry of ever being found out. It was soothing to know you weren't under constant scrutiny by human eyes, for under constant scrutiny are we all...

___

I awoke to the sound of a siren. It was just barely dawn and- damn- I had slept on the golf course! Man, I was lucky no one came along with any evil intent. It would be like this world after all...

I watched the firetruck zoom by. Hmm, Drear hopefully wasn't around. I got up and wandered down the road towards home. Ya, I really should go home; get ready for school and go about my dreary life as usual. There was something to be said about returning to a routine when you felt horrible. Made things seem normal- almost.

"Lea!" a car pulled up as several of my school friends filed out. Paul practically shoved Zack and Edd out of the way.

"Hi guys, what's going-" but I couldn't finish my sentence as I was crushed by their hugs.

"We thought you were dead!" Paul tried to pull back but couldn't because of the other two. They broke off mumbling awkwardly.

"What are you talking about?" I frowned at them. "Did something happen?"

"Everyone thought you were dead!" Edd said again, not really hearing me.

"We thought the worst!" Zack's face was a mask of grief.

"Why? What happened?!" I was a little hysterical now.

"Well, your neighbors called the cops because they heard screaming from your house."

"That was just my mother." I waved it away like it was nothing (she always screamed in her sleep after a lot of alcohol). They looked horror stricken so I quickly explained the alcohol.

"Lea, that's not why she was screaming." Paul said quietly.

"Then-wha-"

"Someone broke into your house and went through the place. They beat your mother within an inch of her life. They tried to burn- LEA!"

I heard them calling after me, but I continued to run. In the morning light I could see I was much closer to my house than I thought. I darted across the old golf course to the houses on the other side. I made my way through the backyards, turned right on the street, then hurtled down the road to my house.

Police swarmed the place like bees. I walked up slowly and stood with all the neighbors staring at the flames the firefighters were trying to put out. Mrs. Jade leaned over, eyes still on the house, "Apparently they tried to torch the place. Thank God June called the police when she did! And that poor girl! Missing! Probably kidnapped." she finally had glanced at me and realized who I was, "LEA!" There was a stir in the crowd as people tried to move around to look at me.

"Lea!" I heard several yells. The guys were piling out of Paul's car again. They pushed through the crowd to get to me.

"What's going on over here?" one of the chief policeman walked over at the sound of the commotion.

"It's Lea. She's not missing!" Mrs. Jade said excitedly, clutching my wrist and dragging me to the front of the crowd.

"You're the daughter?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Girl, your mother is in bad shape. She's staying at St. Luke's up the way. Do you want a ride there?" he asked kindly.

"We'll take her!" Paul stepped up to my side. The cop nodded and walked off. Didn't he want to know where I had been? Oh well. If he slacked on his job then it wasn't my problem. At least I could get to the hospital faster now.

"Come on, Lea!" Paul took my hand and led me through the crowd; Zack and Edd were already in the car. I climbed into the backseat, forced back there with Zack because two guys couldn't fit back there at once.

"Have you seen her?" I asked quietly.

Paul shook his head in the driver's seat, "No. We just heard about it. My mom came and told me you were missing, so I got Edd and Zack and we came out."

"You came looking for me?" I frowned slightly, absently thinking of Drear. He had said he wasn't going to take my mother, but what about now? Was she really as bad as people were acting?

"Ya, we hoped you might have gotten away or something." Zack explained.

"That would have been a long shot." I sighed and stared out the window.

Edd turned to look at me from the front seat, "We knew that, but we thought that maybe- We've seen you fight before. You're pretty tough."

"When?" I frowned at him trying to remember. I had never gotten into a huge fight or anything...

"Remember that time that Bran Johnson decided he liked you and he-"

"Oh ya." I cut him off. I never realized they saw that. That Bran Johnson was a creep...

Paul laughed shakily, "Ya, he had that bruise over his eye for a week! Could barely chew for two!" they all laughed. Guys had a strange sense of humor...

We settled into an awkward silence as we approached the hospital. Paul parked the car in the visitor section and glanced back at me as I got out without a word.

"Are you alright?" Edd maintained his distance while watching me carefully. I knew they were nervous; my intensity always made people around me nervous.

"Fine." my voice sounded hollow. We walked through the sliding glass doors and up to the front desk.

"Hi, I'm Lea Brenett. I'm looking for my mother, Gwen Brenett." I just stared at the nurse. She gave me that condescending look the twenty and thirty-year-olds had when dealing with teens. I didn't even flinch at it; her eyes widened as my intensity swallowed her.

"She's- she's in room 530. Fifth floor." the nurse pointed to the elevator.

"Thanks." I marched off in a cold fury. Drear better not!

"Lea, would you calm down. You're kind of scary." Zack backed away from me as glared at him. The elevator doors closed.

"You want me to calm down?" I asked quietly. Anyone who didn't know me would say I was the picture of calm, but the guys knew me.

"Lea, we know you're upset but you kind of-" he stopped as the doors opened on the fourth floor to allow more people in.

The nurse pushing the elderly man in a wheelchair stopped, "We'll take the next one!" she tried to smile but winced and backed away quickly.

"-scare people to death." Zack finished. I refused to speak to him. The doors opened on the fifth floor. I made my way down the hall, just glancing at the smiling nurses. Why were they smiling? How cruel! Calm down, they're just trying to be friendly.

Room 530. I reached for the handle and stopped at an awkward cough from one of the guys, "You can stay out here if you wish." I replied, not looking back at them.

"Thanks." they muttered and went to go sit on a bench. I turned the handle and walked in. There were two women standing there looking at a bruised lump in the bed. The lump was my mother, the women were the nurse and doctor.

"Sorry hun, you can't be in here." the nurse said in that same condecending tone as the nurse at the front desk.

"You'll find I can. This is my mother." I didn't even bother trying to sound polite. The doctor considered me before dismissing the nurse. The nurse squirted the edges of the room to avoid me, but not before she cast me several dark looks. Like I cared...

"So you're Lea?" the doctor asked. She had wavy brown hair tied back and light brown eyes hidden beneath angular black glasses. She had highly defined cheekbones and an intense stare just like mine had been described to me. She was looking at her clipboard as she said this. "I'll be honest with you, things aren't good. Your mother is in bad shape. If she doesn't come out of the coma in soon..."

"I understand." I said quietly. I made my way to my mother's bed and took her hand in mine. It was so cold, and that was saying something coming from someone with cold hands to begin with...

"I'll leave you alone for five minutes, but then I'll need you to leave."

I nodded as I heard the door close.

"Mom?" I called softly, stroking the back of her hand lightly. No response, but I didn't expect it. I studied her scabbed and bruised face. The bastard that did this must have taken something heavy to her. I didn't see how human hands could do this.

My emotional wall crumbled around me as I sank to the floor with a sob. What had my mother done to deserve this? She didn't deserve this! I brushed some of her dark hair carefully away from her face, making sure not to touch the bruises. I would have taken it all, if just to spare her!

"You sicken me!" I turned at the voice. It was Drear, but all the humanity had gone from his eyes now. It was Death that now stared at me in disgust mingled with pity.

"You will not take her!" I stood and faced him defiantly.

Drear pulled his hands out of his coat pockets and crossed his arms, "That is not for you to decide, mortal." he walked towards the bed but I blocked him hastily.

"Please!"

"Save it for when your own time comes!" he snapped and pushed me out of the way. "I've heard it all before!"

"No!" I yelled and tried to shove him away. He was too big and I only succeeded in pissing him off. He pushed me against the wall, arm against my throat, entirly ready to strangle me.

"Lea!" I heard banging and realized I was pinned against the door. "Lea open up!" I heard Paul call.

I longed for death now. Drear would end it for me and then it would all be over. That's when it happened. That humanity in Drear's eyes returned. He pulled his arm away in shock but still held me by the shoulders against the door (mainly to keep the guys out, I figured). Ha! I had him figured out now! I knew why he was cold and heartless sometimes and not others. The difference was whether I wanted death or not! Whether I wanted him!

"I'll leave her for now if you say you'll come with me." he watched me. I could see the confusion in his eyes. He hadn't figured out why I affected him sometimes and not others.

"Where?" I gasped as his hand gripped my throat. Pain shot through my body; I wished for death again. His eyes softened slightly as he let go.

"Just say it!" he pleaded as if this were driving him mad. "Please!" he closed his eyes so as not to meet my stare.

"I'll, I'll go with you..."