Loved You For Eternity

~Zoey~

I stood behind the glass with my right hand placed in Dad's. I gulped, but I couldn't bring my heart to stop pounding while we both glared at the blonde female doctor who had been administering medications to Mum for almost half an hour.

"It's okay, monkey. Your mum will be fine."

Dad's voice sounded shaky, his hands almost quivering as he pulled me into a warm embrace. It seemed as though he didn't believe in his own words of comfort. I noticed his eyes welling up with tears as the doctor approached us, her brow furrowing as the corners of her mouth turned down slightly.

"Dr. Lynder, what happened? Can we see her?" he asked, dashing toward her without hesitation.

Her deep sigh, followed by a haunting silence, prompted me to barge into the room where Mum lay. Beads of tears began flooding my eyes when I sat beside her, taking one of her stiff hands in mine.

I swung my gaze around the room, and my heart raced even faster when I caught a glimpse of Dad's tear-soaked face; then I averted it back to Mum and caressed her fingers, my lips trembling as I spoke.

"M-Mum...what's happening to you?"

However, silence loomed between us, teardrops seeping from her open eyes while she remained frozen.

"Please don't leave us now....I-I can't cope without you here..."

I shut my eyes and drew her hands closer to my face, sobbing as I muttered words.

"Look at me, it's me...Zoe, your Zoe."

My words, like silent raindrops, fell into silence, causing me to sob harder until she finally uttered some words in a whisper:

"You'll be fine, honey....Love will bind us."

I lifted my gaze and planted it upon her, allowing me to notice the faint smile that lit up her face before it faded away.

One final gasp, and her eyes sealed shut, the grip her hand had on mine loosening in an instant. A suspenseful chill washed over me as I let go of her hand.

I cried out, my sobs loud and uncontrollable this time when the doctor's hand softly rested on my shoulder.

"She's gone."

My screams reverberated throughout the whole place, followed by a sudden wave of darkness that engulfed everything and everyone except me.

In the blink of an eye, I found myself in a dark and empty void, haunted by the echoes of Dr. Lynder's last words:

"She's gone."

"NOOOOO!" I cried.

Then....

Gasp....

****************************

My eyes shot wide open to the blinding rays of sunlight, followed by a gaping yawn and a few stretches.

It was a dream, I whispered to myself, my heart still racing from the vividness of it all.

As I sat up, the weight of the dream lingered in my chest. My dad and I-our lives were never the same after that day. He became a shadow of the loving and decent father he used to be.

The bond we once shared as a family faded into oblivion, and each family dinner we managed to have either concluded with him drowning himself in countless bottles of alcohol or a heated argument between us.

The space between us dug deeper, and the darkness that accompanied our loss continued seeping through, threatening to rip us apart for good.

The buzzing sound of my digital alarm clock yanked me out of my thoughts, and I flung my gaze at its screen to realize that it was already 6:45 a.m.

"Oh, shoot...I'm gonna be late," I muttered, panic flaring in my chest.

Wasting no time, I leapt out of my king-sized bed and landed with a bounce, stealing a glance at my mirror to see how messy I looked in my poofy hair and silk nightgown.

I darted into the kitchen, hurriedly filling the coffee maker with water and coffee grounds before slamming the brew button.

That was when my gaze met a new sticky note on the kitchen counter. Its lemon-green hue contrasted the dull brown counter, and a few words were scribbled upon it in my dad's cursive handwriting:

"Off to the truck store...don't forget to lock the house."

I sighed, pacing around the kitchen until my coffee was ready. My heart still raced with anxiety, a reminder of the nightmare that felt too real.

A few more preparations, and I finally arrived at school, my stomach twitching in knots as I tread down the cream-walled hallway, heading straight for my locker.

It had been, give or take, three months since I last visited my hellhole of a school, and a LOT had changed since then; for starters, Trisha, my best friend, moved to Italy to live with her elder brother. More unfortunately, it seemed like my locker had been reassigned to someone else, leaving me with no space to secure my belongings.

Everyone's eyes peered at me as I moved past the multi-colored array of lockers, each labeled with numbers starting from ten.

I could feel blood slowly drain from my face, and my legs seemed to wobble as though I would trip and fall at any moment. Whispers came from all angles, filling the whole place while everyone avoided speaking to me, yet I paced further until I bumped into someone.

My books slammed onto the ground with a loud thud, and by now, I began pleading with the universe to make me vanish.

"Hey."

The voice sounded familiar, but my gaze remained pinned upon the pile of books on the blue chess-patterned floor.

I gulped, letting down my backpack before reaching for my books; but that was when a gentle palm rested upon my hand, causing me to steal a glance at the curly-haired dude, whose face was imprinted with a bold smile.

"Zoe, it's me...Asher," he said.

'Oh dear, Asher West, the class nerd', I thought.

A deep sigh escaped my mouth as I grabbed one of my books and allowed him to help with the rest. I lifted my gaze and pinned it upon his nerdy face, gaping at him for a few seconds before he adjusted his bogus pair of glasses and handed me my books.

My gaze scanned him from top to bottom, and I couldn't help but feel disappointed at his outfit; he was clad in a crisp button-up shirt, paired with a plaid bowtie, tailored slacks, and neatly polished shoes.

"Hi...um, Asher," I said, forcing a smile, my heart still racing from the awkwardness.

He yanked me forward, and we began walking, ignoring the obnoxious stares from every other person in the hallway.

"I know we didn't relate with each other before...um...the event, but we can be buddies now because we're alike," he whispered, his tone earnest.

I scrunched my brows upon hearing those words.

"What do you mean?"

He chuckled briefly, and we both halted.

"There's a rumor that's been spread about-" he paused.

My brows twitched as I pulled them into a tighter frown.

"About what?"

By now, I had summoned more courage to look him in the eyes because, well...nerd. My gaze pierced through his eyes, allowing me to see nothing but fear linger within them.

"Talk!"

He gulped, his lips trembling as he munched his response:

"Your mum's death...someone's telling everyone that she died of a bizarre and contagious disease, and that you could be infected too."

I gasped, blinking vigorously in an attempt to hold back my tears.

"Who's the source?", I inquired.

"I'm not sure, but--"

The bell rang, interrupting his response; we both quickened our pace, feeling the curious stares as we pushed through the crowd.

"What's our first class?", I asked.

"Science class"

"Oh, and I've got a warning for you...", he added.

"What?"

He chuckled for a second, yanking me through the blue door, into our class which I could hardly recognize;

"Beware the class prince, Ethan Hunter"