MARA OPENED HER EYES.
The first thing she saw was light. A blinding light. It made Mara’s eyes sting and water. But for some reason, she couldn’t close her eyes.
Where am I?
Mara forced her mind to remember, but it seemed blank. She didn’t know what day it was, what time it was, or where she was. Mara willed her head to move, so that she might find a clue to her location, but it felt like it weighed a hundred tons. She tried to move her arms and legs too, but her efforts were wasted. They were all numb.
And her head. Oh, it just hurt. Maybe her heart got transferred to her head, because it was beating. And it stung. And was there a bee in her ears? It was buzzing. And that light really was irritating. It was killing her.
“Mara?”
A voice. She heard that voice before somewhere. The voice seemed to belong to a woman. It sounded caring and nice. And warm. It made her heavy mind a little lighter. She could raise it a little bit now. Where was the voice coming from?
She managed to scan the room she was in. There were white walls, and monitors of all kinds surrounded her. So she was in a hospital. But why? Was there an accident that she couldn’t even remember?
“Mara!”
She was hugged by someone tightly. And something wet touched her cheeks. Tears.
Why is this person crying?
When she was released from the hug, Mara finally saw its face. Her eyes were unfocused, and she couldn’t see who was in front of her. All she could see was a faint outline, and then, slowly, he eyes focused and the image became clear. The figure in front of her had long black hair, dark eyes, a little pointy nose, and small lips. It was her mother! How could she have forgotten her own mother?
And then memories of her mother suddenly flooded her mind. Like they have been forgotten for a long time.
A male voice suddenly joined. It was deep, but a little hoarse. It was unmistakably her brother’s. Now she remembered.
“Mo . . . Mom? Bri . . . Bria . . . Brian?”
Speaking was like a foreign activity. Her voice was hoarse. Her throat was burning. It hurt even just to speak. The voice didn’t even seem to belong to her.
What happened?
Then, a doctor came in, and was surprised to see his patient awake. He should have been called at once if the patient showed any peculiar signs, for the better or for the worse. Well, at least his patient was awake. And she looked well. For a doctor like him, that was all that mattered.
“Ms. Evans, I’m glad to see you’re finally awake.”
“Thank you.”
The doctor then checked her vitals, but Mara was oblivious to everything. She was racking her brain for some answers.
How the hell did I end up in a hospital?
The doctor must be finished in whatever he was doing, since he stopped hovering around her. He then faced Mara’s family.
“She seems good. Just maybe after a few tests and then if no problems are detected, she can go after a day or two of rest.”
“Really, doctor? I’m so happy!”
“Yes Mrs. Evans. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other patients waiting for me.”
Mara let herself survey the room she was in. She noticed that there are two people in the room she didn’t know, if her memory serves her right, which already failed her big time. One was a raven-haired boy with glasses, and a little girl with blonde hair. She seemed to know the girl form somewhere, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Honey, are you alright?”
“I think so, Mom. Why are you here?”
Aimee looked offended and hurt. She had to be there, naturally. Did she expect anything less?
“Of course I’m here, Mara. I’m your mother.”
“No, I mean, why are you here in Guinevere? Aren’t you supposed to be in a seminar in
“Dear, I can’t just be in
“I was in a coma?!”
“Yes, sweetheart. For three and a half days, to be exact.”
Mara was speechless. It took sometime before the thought sink in.
A coma?! I was in a coma?! My God! For how long? How? Why can’t I remember anything?
“How?”
“You were trying to save a girl from a truck. You hit your head in a post.”
“A truck? What truck?”
Mara was starting to get dizzy. Her head was throbbing. It was like that her head refused to process any of the information given to her. She was starting to get a very bad head ache. She just wanted to rest. To stop thinking.
“Don’t you remember any of it?”
“Of course I don’t! Why do you think I would be asking?!”
Mara was surprised at her own words. She spoke without thinking. She never intended to say those. Especially not to her own mother. She knew she was just concerned for her own well-being. She didn’t mean to bombard her with questions.
“Mom, I’m sorry. I really am. I’m just confused right now. I’m really sorry. It’s just that my head is throbbing and I have absolutely no idea how I got in this situation. I’m so sorry, Mom.”
“It’s alright sweetheart. I know how you feel. Do you want me to call the doctor? Do you want some medicine for your head?”
“No thanks, Mom. I just want to sleep.”
“Sure, my dear. I’ll just be here by your side. Sweet Dreams.”
Mara closed her eyes and prepared to slip into oblivion once more. Just as she was drifting to sleep, she heard her brother’s voice.
“Be sure to wake up soon this time, sis.”
“Promise.”
And then she floated into the deep waters of a dreamless sleep.
***********
Ezra was amused.
He just saw Mara Evans wake up. He was actually surprised at this. It had been a long time since he was been last surprised. It seemed almost new to him.
But what amused him most was her temper. He thought she was as sweet as her face.
Such temper coming from an angel. How Ironic.
Ezra had to admit, Mara Evans was beautiful. Not the supermodel or Hollywood actress kind, but she had an air of innocence around her. Her chocolate-brown eyes gave a radiant glow to the room. The contrast of her dark hair and her eyes was dazzling.
But it would have been better if they were sapphire rather than brown.
Ezra realized at once that Mara was nothing like his sister. It was not just the eye color, but everything else about her. For one thing, Keziah never lost her temper. She was always calm and sweet. Keziah was the perfect example of an angel in the flesh. Maybe that was why God took her so fast. He was running out of angels.
Ezra could plainly see that Mara was very different from what he had expected. Probably because he expected her to be every bit like Keziah, but what astonished him more was that he wasn’t the least bit disappointed. He had known from the very start that she was something else, based from Brian’s way of thinking about her, but he still hoped that she was like his sister. Maybe that would bring back his happiness. He hated to acknowledge it, but he missed being happy.
Of course, Ezra was relived that Mara finally woke up. The sooner he could talk to her, the better.
She seemed to have forgotten about the accident. He hoped it was only temporary amnesia. It wouldn’t help if he had to explain the accident to her. Surely, she wouldn’t believe him. She needed to see it with her own eyes. It would have been easy if he could read Mara’s mind. He would just tell her exactly what she was thinking at the moment. Judging from what he just witnessed, she wasn’t the type of person easily convinced. He needed to think of another way to explain it to her.
Well, the only thing he could do was wait.
**********
Mara woke up after a few hours. She seemed to be in a good mood for a change.
Ezra and Violetta were finally introduced to her. When Mara was acquainted with Ezra, she seemed to like him. She even permitted herself to talk to him a bit. She was lively and warm, very much like Keziah. They had the same smile too. The smile that pained Ezra’s heart when he saw it. Ezra was certain that even though that smile caused him pain, he would do the best he could to see it as often as possible.
But when she was introduced to Violetta, she froze.
For the first time, Violetta seemed to be in the real world. She looked directly at Mara’s eyes.
And she did the thing that surprised all of them, Ezra himself included. She smiled. For the others, it was a pleasant surprise, but not exactly a shock. But for Ezra, it certainly was. In two years of knowing her, he never saw the girl smile. She never even thought of smiling.
Her smile was contagious. In no time Mara was grinning from ear to ear. Ezra thought his heart would stop.
“My name is Violetta.”
The girl’s voice was melodious and soothing. Like music.
‘Hi Violetta! I’m Mara.”
The girl seemed reluctant at first, but after a few minutes she climbed at Mara’s bed and sat next to Mara. Violetta took Mara’s hand in her tiny ones and said:
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving my life.”
It was clearly seen that Mara was deeply touched. Ezra was sure of it even though he couldn’t read her mind. She was blushing, and the smile she was wearing appeared to have been fixed in her face. Ezra couldn’t help noticing that Mara looked even better when she blushed. Ezra couldn’t remember the last time Keziah blushed. All he could recall were her pale cheeks while her life was slowly slipping through her fingers. Why couldn’t he remember her last blush?
“You’re Welcome, Violetta. It was an honor.”
***********
Later that day, the doctor arrived and examined Mara. He made Mara tell him her day before the accident happened, in full detail. Mara was quite embarrassed on telling that she was given her first detention, especially to her brother. He was always strict when it came to her grades. Mara would never admit it, but she owed Brian her honors and awards. It was because of him that she persisted on being at the top. She was sure that he would explode. But when she told them about it, he didn’t seem the least bit bothered.
Is Brian sick or something?
The doctor informed them that Mara has Selective Temporary Amnesia. It was only the accident that she forgot. However, the doctor assured her that she would remember it in a few days, a month at most.
That night, Ezra and Violetta stayed at the hospital. Violetta insisted, or for a closer term, demanded, that they stayed with Mara. Ezra didn’t complain. Mara was relieved that he didn’t. She kinda liked Ezra. He was handsome and charming.
Mara was troubled that Ezra would have to sleep at the couch. There were only two bedrooms, and Brian refused to sleep next to their mother. Mara couldn’t see the sense of it. Brian was Aimee’s son, so what’s wrong with sleeping at the same bed? Brian was the demanding one. Aimee was glad to sleep next to her son, like the old times, when Brian was only a kid. Brian volunteered to sleep at home, but like a real gentleman, Ezra offered to sleep at the couch. How kind.
Who could help liking a guy like Ezra?
Well, she was only a girl after all.
***********
Mara woke up with a gasp.
That nightmare again.
She was being haunted again by the nightmare she had been having since her fourteenth birthday two weeks ago.
Mara looked around once she had her normal breathing back. The lights were all turned off, but the window was open, and the full moon could be seen clearly. She could see Violetta beside her, still asleep. Mara was relieved she didn’t wake the girl up.
“Are you all right?”
It seemed that she had woken Ezra up. He sounded worried. He walked from the sofa, which was where he was sleeping, and sat beside her.
“I’m really sorry that I woke you up.”
“No, it’s alright. I was still awake.”
Mara became calm as soon as she heard Ezra’s voice, though she had no idea why.
“Want me to tell you a story?”
“What story?”
“Just some random fairy tale. Actually, it originated from my family. It may lull you to sleep.”
“Sure, I would love to hear it.”
Mara was sure that as long as it was Ezra who was talking, it didn’t matter if he wanted to tell her the history of American Revolution.
Ezra’s voice then filled the air, telling the story that started more than a hundred years ago.
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