Free Survival -Guardians of Vesturon [1] by A.M. Hargrove

loss was. In my case, the worst was the loss of my father. Maybe it was because I was such a tender age when I lost my mom, or maybe it was because it had only been my dad and me. In any case, the profound and abject misery I felt when he died will be carved in my memory forever.
    I remember the announcement over the intercom…my physics teacher’s slight nod to acknowledge my departure from class…the clicking sound of my heels as I walked down the tiled corridor…the cold feel of the door knob as I turned it to enter the principal’s office…the looks of pity on the faces of those present…the smell of the principal’s aftershave…the feel of the cold cloth on my forehead when I regained consciousness…the sounds of the emergency room…the antiseptic smell of the hospital…all the machines to which my dad had been hooked…the deathly pallor of his face. I remembered it all as if it had just happened…every single time I thought of it. What would happen to me in the next weeks would come to hold many more of those unforgettable defining moments.
    * * * * *
    I opened my eyes to see her standing about five feet from me, shrouded in a hazy mist. She reached toward me, and I started sobbing. Why did I have to start hallucinating now?
    “Maddie, don’t cry. I’m here to help you. You must reserve your strength. Crying will only weaken you, and you can’t afford that now.” She placed her warm hand on my brow, soothing me. It was an odd sensation.
    “Oh, for the love of God, Mom! Why do you have to show up now? I have spent so many hours thinking of you and wanting to talk to you. Why now? This is so not fair!” I croaked between sobs.
    She replied, “I told you honey. I’m here to help you. You are not in the best of situations right now.”
    “Really, Mom? Who’d have guessed? I’m dying, right? It’s okay, you can tell me. My life hasn’t exactly been a cloud of cotton candy, you know.”
    “Maddie, don’t say that. You cannot possibly want to die. You are destined for great things in your lifetime. You must believe that,” she scolded.
    “I’d like to, Mom. I really would. I can’t help but disagree with you on that though,” I muttered. “I never thought things would end up like this. You know something? If I’m going to die here, no one will ever know I’m gone for at least a week or so. That’s the kind of life I have, and that’s not much to brag about.”
    “Oh, Maddie, I’m sorry. You know it wasn’t our choice to leave you. It was not in our hands. There are much greater powers at work here.” Regret laced her words.
    “I’m not blaming you. I know you and Dad would still be with me if you could. It’s just that life doesn’t mean a whole lot if you don’t have anyone with whom to share it. I’m just glad you’re here now, so I don’t have to die alone. You will stay with me, right? I mean I’m so scared,” I begged.
    Her image seemed to become clearer as she continued to speak. “Maddie, listen to me. Help is on the way. I’m not going to let you die. The man who hurt you turned away after you fell. He thought you had died. I’m here to see that everything is done to prevent that; trust me when I tell you great things await you if you’ll only be patient a bit longer.”
    “Mom, I can’t feel my legs. I don’t get it. They should be killing me. I’ve been shot, right? I pulled one of those arrows out, but I don’t think I can get the one in my leg. My head and my face are killing me too. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I feel my legs?” I could feel myself panting from exertion.
    “Maddie, just stay calm. Take slow deep breaths for now,” she advised. “I’m here with you.”
    I wanted so badly to hold her hand that I found myself reaching for her, begging, “Could you please just hold my hand?”
    I could feel the blackness threatening to take over again, so I fought to stay awake. I didn’t have the strength to beat it, much less compete with