Hidden Wings (2 page)

I must have fallen asleep for a while, and woke to whispers at the door. Whispers astonished and baffled that I had survived; that
anyone
could have survived such a horrific crash. But here I was… a medical marvel, with lacerations that seemed to be healing remarkably fast, and one broken arm. No head injuries, no internal bleeding, no major damage. A complete and total miracle.

I kept silent and still hoping they’d think I was still asleep, and leave me alone.

But my mind was awake and kept wondering how it all happened… The crash, that is. I tried to think back but my mind was blank, and I couldn’t seem to remember anything beyond my seventeenth birthday, so I went there. I went back to that happy place, and pulled the memory from the depths of my mind.

*****

We were all at home, a beautiful home near the beach. My parents were in real estate and made that first purchase together.

My mother adored throwing parties, and had decorated our pool area with hundreds of twinkle lights. Floating candles bobbed in the water, and everything was decorated in lime green, pink, and turquoise. There were balloons, streamers, tables filled with fancy-filled cupcakes, a chocolate fountain with an assortment of fruits, colorful candies in iridescent bags, sorbet-punch, and a spread of make-your-own sandwich stuff, neatly arranged on colorful platters.

Dad hung a huge banner which read: HAPPY SWEET SEVENTEEN, EMMA! with swirls of the matching décor colors around it.

My parents had invited my friends, along with some of their closest friends as well. I had
two
friends, to be precise…Jeremy Needles and Lia Ling.

Everyone sang
Happy Birthday,
I blew out the seventeen candles flaming atop my strawberry-cream cake, and then opened my gifts.

The adults gave me envelopes filled with cash or gift cards, which was the safest gift for a teenager these days. Lia gave me a bright-pink digital camera, with a matching pink case and scrapbooking kit, and Jeremy got me a Kindle.

“Kindle Fire,” he said with excited eyes as I opened the box. “It’s touch-screen.” He even managed to download all of his favorite books onto it. Wonderful! A lifetime worth of Jeremy Needle’s lit-picks. Just what I always wanted…Not!

They slept over that night and we watched the whole
Lord of the Rings
trilogy, ate popcorn, and drank Dr. Pepper until four the next morning.

*****

Two years prior to that day, we were living in an apartment in the middle of Los Angeles. It was close to my parent’s office, but mom started second-guessing me attending high school in the city. I’d gotten into some trouble with friends. You know… the friends who weren’t really friends; preppy, wannabe bitches who used and abused everyone around them, thinking they were better than everyone else.

Well, a few of them started a cat-fight in the bathroom with some Gothic chicks. The Goth girls kicked their butts (which I was secretly happy to witness), but everyone involved was dragged into the Principal’s office. I wasn’t a bad kid, just guilty by association, and therefore, suspended for a week.

That’s when the desperate search for a new high school began. My mom chose a religious, stuffy school; a total 180 from the previous one I attended. No one stood out there, because everyone looked the same. The dress code: navy blue, no-more-than-one-inch-above-the-knee skirts, white blouses, mid-calf socks and covered shoes for girls, and khaki pants with navy polo-shirts for the boys.

It was hard starting a new school without any friends. Everyone had settled into their own cliques, and I was suddenly the clique-less outsider. I remember that first day in the cafeteria, standing alone with my tray in hand, searching for a place to fit. As I did a quick scan of the tables filled with students talking, laughing, teasing, and staring; two smiling faces, sitting all alone at the back corner of the cafeteria, caught my glance. They waved for me to come and join them, and so I did… and every day since for the past three years.

Lia Ling is a shy, sweet, Asian girl: short and thin with long, stick-straight, black, shiny hair, with a cute, round face, and slightly pudgy cheeks under pink-rimmed glasses. Her mother makes her homemade lunches, which she carries in a tin Care Bear lunchbox.

Then there’s Jeremy Needles, our nerdy sidekick, aka: The Nerdmeister. Even a makeover wouldn’t work for this guy. Nerdiness was too deeply embedded into his genetic make-up. He’s tall, stick-thin, and his only noticeable muscle is his brain, which is covered with untamable, curly-brown hair. Every day he wears his bright orange, coke-bottle glasses on a large, pointy nose, and has barely-there lips. His true loves are his books and anything electronic.

Because of them, I remained an outsider with the other cliques. But, I didn’t care. I actually liked the fact that I was flying under the radar in the new school. I had no pressure to please, and a chance to breathe and have some fun.

*****

The accident must have been directly after my birthday, because there was nothing but darkness after that.

To make it worse, there was one, single question that kept beating on me, again and again… How was I going to survive without my parents? It was something a teenager should never have to worry about.

Regret started to seep into the cracks of my shattered heart. Did I tell my parents I loved them enough? Did they really know how much I appreciated them? I think they did. At least…I hoped they did.

And then, I heard my mother’s voice speaking softly in the recesses of my mind. “
Don’t dwell on the negative
,” she’d say. “
Always look on the positive side of things. It’s a lot brighter there, and easier to find your way
.” A tear escaped my eye as my thoughts lingered on her.

My future looked grim, but then… even in the darkness, there was the tiniest glimmer of hope. A hope that I did have a relative still living on this God forsaken earth that did have a part of my blood flowing through their veins, and she actually wanted me. That should count for something.

And the fact that she was related to my mom, the kindest, most beautiful person that ever walked the face of the earth, was definitely a plus. I missed my mom and the thought of her sent a piercing pain straight through the middle my heart. I wished the pain would go away, but I knew that every time I’d open my eyes, it would be there in some form, haunting me for the rest of my life.

I was tired; more like exhausted, and my eyes were still heavy and swollen. So, I closed them and faded back into a deep, needed sleep.

Chapter 2:

The next morning the doctor gave me an all-clear, and signed my release forms. I sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Lia and Jeremy to arrive. My brain was still numb to everything that had happened, and I was glad. I didn’t want Jeremy and Lia to see me fall apart. I was always the strong one. I needed to reassure them that I’d be okay, no matter what happened.

I’d called Lia to let her know where I was and what had happened, but she’d already heard the news and sobbed through our entire conversation, apologizing after every other word. She was glad I was alive, but devastated about my parents. She and Jeremy had grown very close to them over the past three years.

I’d asked her to complete one, last,
humongous
favor for me; to swing by my house and grab a few of my things, and not to forget the picture of my parents on my nightstand.

She already knew that the key to the front door was hidden under one of the potted plants on the porch, and although she was a little freaked-out by going in, she agreed to do it… as long as Jeremy went along.

I instructed her to grab my warmest clothes, even though I wasn’t sure if the warm stuff I had was warm enough for Alaska. Everything I had was “wimpy” warm - for California cold. I knew I’d have to update my wardrobe before winter or I’d freeze to death. It had just turned October, so I still had some time. Hopefully they had malls wherever I was going.

The thought of moving to an unknown place, with an unknown relative, was awkward and unnerving. I didn’t know what I’d be walking into, and it was the unexpected that was scaring me, and turning my stomach into a whole new set of knots.

Voices carried down the hallway, and I instantly recognized one of them…Jeremy. He had such a distinct, goofy, snorty laugh. As soon as they rounded the corner my heart felt a little better. I didn’t realize how much it helped to see their familiar faces.

“Hey Emma!” Lia said, dashing over and giving me a big, warm hug. I winced in pain.

“Oh my gosh! I’m sooooo sorry!” she gasped, backing up with her hands in the air, shooting me a look of panic.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m alright. Just a few bumps and bruises. That’s all.” I said, hoping she wouldn’t feel too bad.

“Are you sure you’re alright? How are you… really?” I knew she was concerned. Lia was a worry-wart, a trait she’d picked up from her mother. Even though she didn’t want to admit it, they were a lot alike.

“Alive,” I answered. There wasn’t much more to add to that.

“Emma, we’re so sorry about your parents. I hope you’ll always remember that Jeremy and I will be here for you. Always.”

I nodded, trying to hold back tears, but they started to flow as soon as Lia’s did. She walked over, plopped down next to me, and wrapped her arm around my shoulder… carefully this time.

“Yeah, Emma. We’re always just a phone call away,” Jeremy muttered, sitting on my other side, carefully placing his hand over mine. Jeremy was like my nerdy brother and this gesture, to comfort me, was his most sincere given he wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of guy.

“Thanks. You guys are the best,” I said, wiping my face dry. Lia popped off the bed and headed towards the tissue box in the bathroom.

Jeremy cleared his throat. “We brought your things,” he said, shuffling to get my suitcase, wheeling it to the side of my bed. He then smiled, pushing his orange framed glasses back on his nose. He was wearing long beige shorts, a brightly colored Hawaiian floral shirt, knee-high tube socks, and bright orange, Converse shoes. His curly hair was matted and unkempt. Typical Jeremy.

“Oh yeah… and I think you’ll need this,” Lia said, handing over a plastic bag.

I reached in and pulled out some clothes… my traveling clothes, and they all matched. Typical Lia.

“Oh! And your make-up bag, toothbrush, panties and bra are in there too,” Lia whispered.

“Ewwww! Too much info,” Jeremy huffed, giving her an eye.

“Oh please, Jeremy. You were the one who reminded me to make sure and put them all in the bag,” Lia scolded.

His face turned a bright shade of red. “I did not!”

“
What-ever,
Jeremy,” she huffed, holding her hand up in his face.

“That’s it… I’m gonna change. You guys can sort out your differences while I’m gone,” I said bundling everything into my good arm, and quickly disappearing into the bathroom. As soon as the door snapped shut I heard them grumbling, and then the TV blared on.

I’d already taken a shower after the nurse came in and removed my IV a few hours earlier. I tried not to think about my parents, even though they were constantly on my mind. I needed to look strong while my friends were here. They needed to know that I’d be alright, and that they didn’t have to worry about me. But the mere thought of being brave and being alone, made my heart throb. This would be the most difficult task I’d ever have to face.

I slipped out of my hospital garment, noticing the countless cuts and bruises all over my body. I sighed, staring at my reflection in the mirror, carefully tracing an inch-long gash on my left cheek. It was much worse the night before, but it seemed to be healing super-fast. I hoped it wouldn’t leave a scar, but the good thing was that it was near my hairline so I could at least cover it with my hair.

Getting dressed with a casted arm was a crazy task, and my head looked like it had a scraggly, brown, birds-nest perched on top of it. I sighed and grabbed the brush.
Another major problem
. My right hand…the dominant one…was in the cast.

I’d never tried applying make-up, or brushing my hair with my left hand, and now I knew why. But all-in-all, I managed to pull it off, and somehow look half-way decent. Who cared anyway? I was going to Alaska, for heaven’s sake. I’d never heard of any hotties from Alaska. All I pictured were big, scruffy men in red flannels with facial hair. And that was just another downer to add to my already huge and continuously growing pile of negatives.

Well, this is it.

I gave myself one last glance.

Pathetic, but I couldn’t look any better than this.

“Are you ready?” I whispered to myself.

Nope
. I wasn’t. How could I ever prepare for something like this?

I huffed and exited the bathroom to hear Jeremy holler, “FIIIIIINALLY!”

He was sprawled out on the bed with the remote in hand. Lia sat on a chair in the corner of the room fiddling with her new iPhone 5.

I mustered a fake smile. “Sheeze. I’m a bit busted up here. Give me a break,” I scoffed at him.

I noticed Lia wasn’t wearing her favorite pink-framed glasses.

“New glasses?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ears to show me. “My dad accidentally sat on my pink ones; snapped ‘em right in half. When we went to get a replacement, they asked if I wanted to try a new color. I decided it was time to change it up, so I decided to go with the aqua. I bought this new jacket that matched,” she smiled, fingering her new aqua colored threads.

“Well, the color looks really nice on you,” I commented.

“Thank you,” she chimed. “And you look nice too.”

“Nice try… but thanks anyway. And thanks so much… you know… for grabbing my stuff. You guys truly are the best friends ever.”

“Well, you totally add the coolness factor to our group,” Jeremy chuckled, flicking the TV off.

“Hardly,” I breathed.

“It’s true,” Lia admitted. “We were the terrible two. No one even gave us a second glance until you showed up.”