Chapter 1: Awakening

Her eyes fluttered open, her breath hissing softly between her teeth. Hazel eyes flittered around the room, straining to adjust to the blinding white that surrounded her. Pale brown hair fanned out behind her head, long and smooth against her neck and shoulders. A tube was strapped to her mouth, forcing air into her lungs. She felt a cold tickle of liquid inside her nose and shivered involuntarily. Her body felt numb and cold, the only warmth coming from her right pointer finger. A steady beep-beep filled the room, bringing forth a dull throb in her head. A young woman sat beside the bed, dark red hair falling around her head, pastel eye lids hiding her eyes. Soft breath fluttered from between her light rose lips, her dark blue jacket slipping off her shoulder.  She leaned against the arm rest of an oaken chair, a black shirt hugging her slender frame. Blue jeans flared around her ankles, black boots adorning her feet. She pushed herself slowly to her elbows, trying to lean against the pillows stacked against her back. She moved as quietly as she could, straining not to wake the girl. The darkness that had clouded her vision for so long was gone, though the pain was still there. The dull ache in her lungs, the steady pound in her head.

She finally adjusted so she could lean against the pillows, listing to her breath hiss in and out of the breathing tube. Her eyes wandered around the room, taking her surroundings slowly. Beside her was a dark bed-side table. Flowers, cards and stuffed animals stacked on top of each other, flooding over the edges. She moved to reach for one, fascinated by the purple butterflies that danced across the card, but her arm suddenly refused to move. A small grunt of frustration escaped her lips and the girl’s eyes sprang open. She sprung to her feet, knocking the chair backwards and sending a loud crash through the room. Gray-blue eyes locked with her’s flaming with joy.

“Emra!” She screamed, her hands jumping to her mouth.

The name sounded familiar in a way. She stared at the girl, opened mouth, before something faint tugged at her mind. My name. “That’s me.” She said shakily, speaking around the tube with some difficulty.

The girl laughed and fell to her knees by the bed, throwing her arms around Emra’s neck. “You’re okay.” She said softly.

Confusion spilt inside her. Was I not? Where am I? She raised her hand and placed it lightly on the girl’s shoulder, surprised to find it shaking with sobs. She looked down the bed and saw that she was covered with a soft white blanket, the edge of a silver metal railing glinting at her in the soft light. A TV flashed cartoon images in one corner, the sound muted. Curtains hid a window beside her, black and velvety.

“Where am I?” She asked the girl.

The girl sat back on her legs, looking up at her form the floor. “You’re in the hospital silly.” She stood and ruffled Emra’s hair. “Let me go get the doctor.” She turned and walked to a hard wooden door, stopping with her hand on the handle. Turning back around, she locked eyes with Emra. “Don’t go back to sleep ok Em?” Then she was gone.

Emra sighed heavily, looking around her. The hospital? She strained to remember what had happened. It was like there was a block in her mind preventing her from remembering anything past waking up. She closed her eyes, trying to think back to the nightmare that had haunted her for so long. The headlights….the pain….the screaming… the boy and the girl. Her eyes flew open and suddenly she was gasping for air, her lungs screaming inside her chest and her rib cage bursting with agony. Just as suddenly as the pain had come, it was gone. A tear spilt from her eye, tracing its way down her face. She used what little energy she had to draw her knees to her chest, hiding her face. The door opened and she heard the gasp of painful surprise from the newcomer. Her eyes were curious. She forced herself to look up, meeting the gaze of the boy that stood in the doorway. His skin was a sickly white against the half-open oak door, his eyes a dark blue that captivated her. Gelled blond hair stuck up on his head, his lips were rosy and flushed. He adorned a dark green t-shirt, a band called Green Day spilling and sliding over the cloth. Dark, almost black, jeans splayed out over his legs, white-tipped black shoes protecting his feet. A single necklace hung around his neck, though it was hidden under his shirt. Her face began to flush slowly as he continued to stare at her with opened mouth desperation. In his hand he clutched a dozen roses, the thorns digging into his skin from the strength in which he held them. He dropped the flowers and crossed swiftly to her, a more solid look coming into her eyes. Slight fear blossomed inside her as he sat beside her on the best, his eyes fixated on her face.

Suddenly he reached for her, drawing her gently into his arms, holding her tight around her waist. She breathed in his smell as rolling shock hit her like a tidal wave. Jasmine. Her mind tumbled. Rosemary. It was the boy from her nightmare; the one who had freed her from her darkness. Tears suddenly flowed to her eyes, a product of her frustration. She did not know any of these people, but they clearly knew her. She could see the relief that shone in their eyes, the happiness that radiated off of them. It was like a splash of sunshine after a long rainy day. It filled her heart and she wanted to remember them. She wanted to know why they were so happy, what had happened to her. Emra pressed her hands against the boy’s chest, pulling him closer and trying to remember. He held her tighter, though she could hear the gasp that had escaped his mouth. The smell twisted her mind, sending pain through her skull, but she did not pull back. She had to know. Finally it was too much. Pulling away, she sat back on her mound of pillows, closing her eyes against the harsh white light. The boy shook her arm quickly, his free hand cupping her face fiercely.

“Hey. Emra! Wake up! You can’t go back to sleep!” His voice was unnecessarily loud.

She blinked open her eyes slowly, staring into his blue ones, so close, so full of panic. “I can’t remember.” She mumbled against the tube.

He brushed a strand of hair from her face, a gentle look dripping onto his face, as sweet as pure honey. “Em don’t talk. Just lay back. No going to sleep though.”

She glanced to the door as the girl returned, her sweeping red hair fanning out behind her as she walked. Two doctors filed into the room behind her, their sweeping white lab coats catching her eye. She forced her gaze away from the coats and looked up into their faces as the leaned over the side of the bed, smiling at her with dazzling white teeth. One was a young woman, her blond hair pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head. Her face was kind, yet strained. Green eyes stared kindly into hers, her creamy skin nearly blending with the wall. Underneath her coat she wore a black t-shirt, a rose stamped across the front. Cursive green words loops across her chest; Stop and smell the roses. Emra shifted her eyes to the second doctor. This one held a stethoscope around his neck, his face older but just as excited as the first’s. Warm brown eyes bore into her’s, crow’s feet wrinkling the corners as he smiled. Wrinkles stretched across his forehead, his graying brown hair falling across half of it. He wore a plain gray shirt and jeans underneath his coat.

“Can you breathe okay, honey?” The woman asked her gently. Emra nodded, hoping she would remove the tube. “Alex check her vitals.” The woman’s voice became brisk and stern. “Call the Drasen’s and let them know the good news.”

The man, Alex, nodded and quickly began moving around the room. For the next hour, a whirl wind of activates took place. The doctors kindly pushed the girl and boy out the door before turning back to her, checking instruments and her heart. Listing to her lungs and gently applying pressure to her rib cage. They shone lights in her eyes, asking her to follow it. She had to cough to prove that she could, hold up numbers and stand shakily to her feet. The first time she stood, she fell back over onto the bed. The lady, who she now knew as Doctor Rebecca, wanted her to stop, but Alex saw her determination and let her try again. The second time she was able to walk around the bed once before she had to sit down.  Finally, after all the tests had been completed, the tube was removed. She took her first free breath, marveling at the coolness that filled her lungs, expanding inside her chest. At first she couldn’t get enough, gasping in the air until she was light-headed. A small smile tugged at her lips as she lay back onto her pillows, staring up at Rebecca as she pushed Emra’s hair from her face. Alex went to the door and allowed the boy and the girl back in, wiping Emra’s smile from her face.

“Emra, sweetie what’s wrong?” Worry creased her forehead. “Are you feeling alright? Do you need the breathing tube?”

“Jasmine.” The word spilt from her mouth before she could stop herself. A small smile light up the boy’s face.

“Excuse me?” Alex said, leaning over the other side of the bed to look at her.

“Jasmine and rosemary; I remember the smell.” She mumbled, looking down and picking at the thread of her blanket.

Rebecca narrowed her eyes slightly. “What else do you remember?”

“Her eyes.” Emra gestured vaguely to the girl.

“Emra?” The girl’s voice filled her head, as she walked forward, a frightened look hidden under her pretty face. “Emra, what’s my name?”

Emra fumbled to speak. There had to be something! She’d remembered the jasmine hadn’t she? The girl’s voice was familiar, the voice that had been screaming her name.

“You were yelling for me.” She said instead, forcing herself to look into her eyes.

The girl nodded, her red hair falling over her shoulder. “Yes. I was. After the accident.”

Rebecca placed her hand on Emra’s shoulder. “Emra. Answer her. What’s her name?”

            Again she searched her mind, trying to grasp at spider webs. Something teased at the edge of her mind, there but just out of reach. She reached for it, trying to grab it to pull it forward. But nothing. No letter, no sound, no name came to her. All could she remember was the pain. The lights. The jasmine. She shut her eyes for a moment, trying to hide the tears of guilt threatening to spill from her.

“All I can remember is the jasmine