Nick heard voices. All types of voices, women's voices, men's voices, all unfamiliar. They were mumbling to amongst themselves, in hushed whispers. Time passed, the voices grew slightly louder, and Nick felt the urge to open his eyes greater than before. He tried to pull memories from the back of his mind, to maybe understand better, but he couldn't.
"Nicky, Marcie and me want to tell you a story, Nicky; you have to wake up now." It was another voice, this one of a little girl, whom, Nick recognized. It was Natalie. Natalie was Nick's little sister, who was 5. Nick adores her; he loves Natalie more than life itself. They'd stay up late, Natalie in his lap, him, stroking her blond, curly hair, and her, retelling a story, cuddling her teddy bear, Marcie, to her small chest. "Nicky, open your eyes."
So he did. His eyes opened, at the same time. Light blinded him, for a second, he shut them again, and reopened them, to be met by a sight he loved dearly. Natalie sat on his chest, a wide smile on her pretty face. In his eyes, Natalie was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, much like his mother. Natalie looked prettier now, glowing, and happy. She leaned forward and kissed his nose, "I love you Nicky."
Nick smiled, "I love you too, Nats." Natalie got up, standing on the bed and held Marcie to her chest, "Say bye-bye Marcie," the bear's hand waved at him, and together they walked to the end of the bed, she turned and smiled at Nick, "Bye- Bye, Nicky." She stepped off the bed, and disappeared into thin air, much like mist.
Nick's smile disappeared, "Natalie, wait! Nats!" He reached his arm for her, "Natalie!" He grew weak and lay back against the bed, "Natalie…" He slipped into unconsciousness once more.
A few hours later, Nick woke up. The bed was reclined forward, so he was sitting. A woman and a man stood over him, prodding him with instruments and writing notes down. The woman's name tag read Nurse Goldie. When she saw Nick's eyes open, she smiled and took his hand.
"Nick! You're awake!" Goldie wrote something down on her clipboard, she turned to the man and told him to get a tray of lunch. She turned back to Nick and looked him over, "How do you feel Nick?"
Nick looked around rapidly, taking in the sights. "I'm fine, where am I?" His voice sounded rough, as if he hadn't used it in a couple of days. This was impossible, since he told Natalie a story the day before, in the car. Speaking of which, what happened earlier? "Nurse Goldie, where is my family?"
Nurse Goldie gave him a look that scared him, "Do you feel any pain? We have painkillers," she said pulling the blanket further up his neck. Nick shook his head, "I'm fine."
Just in time the male nurse returned with a plate of steaming food. Nick eyed the tray and bit his lip, he was in a hospital. The male nurse, whose name was Jared, set the tray on a table and wheeled the table over, so it was over Nick's chest. Goldie squeezed his hand.
"Give us a holler if you need anything," she said smiling once more. Nick stopped her, gripping onto her wrist, gently.
"How long was I out?"
Goldie took a deep breath, "A week." Nick let her go and nodded.
They left the room, pulling the privacy curtain over his side of the room. Nick sat there in shock, what had happened? He couldn't remember anything happening in the road trip his family and he had taken. He didn't feel hurt so nothing could be wrong with him, unless it was internally.
Nick sighed, and looked at the tray of food. There was a bowel, of some kind of white, creamy soup, a roll, a cup of red juice, and a shiny red apple. Nick tore the bread in half, dipped it in the soup and ate it slowly. He finished the roll, and ate a few spoonfuls of soup. He downed the fruit juice and left the apple. Feeling a bit full he lay back against the bed, and sighed. He reached beneath his covers and to make sure his legs were still attacked, scratched them. Nothing. He did it again, this time harder. He pushed the table to the side and pushed the covers off, so violently they fell to the floor. Nick was wearing a hospital gown, it was blue, and for some strange reason it reminded him of Lake Michigan, he loved jogging past the lake every day. Nick rubbed his thighs and felt nothing. Panic flared in him, he tried to lift his legs, but nothing happened. A sob escaped from his mouth and he pressed the button to call the nurses. "Goldie! Jared!"
Goldie and Jared ran in, with a bottle of liquid and a syringe each. "What? Nick are you alright?" Goldie said looking at the table and blanket, which lay lamely on the floor.
Nick wiped his tears away, "No! I can't move my legs!" Glancing at each other, Goldie and Jared set the bottles and syringes down and sat on the bed, on either side of Nick. "Nick, sweetie, you and your family got into a car accident, you're paralyzed. But there is a chance you will be able to walk again."
Nick looked at his legs; he reached down to run his fingers over them. How was he to dance, and perform now? He was completely useless now. "Where's my family? Are they okay?"
Goldie gripped his hand, "They're okay, not hurt. Not in any pain." Nick didn't believe it for a second, not the way Jared was looking at her, and the look in her eyes.
"Where are my parents?" Nick gripped the sheets beneath him. Goldie reached over him and grabbed something. Marcie, Natalie's teddy bear. Nick took it from her and clutched it to his chest. Dread filled him.
"Nick, I'm sorry. They… They died in the accident. They all died on impact." Nick let out a gasp, as the memories flooded back into his mind. His Mother's shriek and Natalie's crying. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell limp against the mattress, back into unconsciousness it is.
That was it; the social worker dropped him off at Nick's Aunt Lucille's. Aunt Lucille lived in Westerville, Ohio. House at the end of the street, dark, scary, typical Haunted House, minus the evil horrors that live inside. Aunt Lucille wasn't you're average aunt. She never called, never came over. And there was a nasty rumor about her that she was an evil witch, who sneaks into your home at night and kills you, using your bones as jewelry. Of course none of that was actually true.
Nick reached up for the doorbell to try to ring it, but being only able to use his top half, he was unable to do many things, including ringing doorbells. Cursing he knocked on the door and waited for his aunt. Aunt Lucille must have dragged her feet through tar because she arrived about 15 minutes later.
She gave him a fake smile and allowed him in, "Ah Rick, how nice it is to see you. This way."
Nick frowned, "Uh, It's Nick, Nicholas."
She turned to look at him, eyes into slits, "That's what I said." Aunt Lucille looked nothing like Nick's mother. Nick's mother was graceful, and lovely in every way. Aunt Lucille… Well they have the same curly blond hair and brown eyes. But Lucille reminded Nick of a toad, and her crooked nose was helping at all. She was rude and filthy rich. No one exactly knows where she got all this money, it sort of appeared.
His aunt led him through the kitchen and to a small room. Nick looked up at her and urged him in with a flick of her finger. "Go on then." Nick rolled himself in backward and looked around, slowly. All there was in the small room was a single bed and a nightstand. Aunt Lucille shrugged, "Don't bother to unpack; you will be leaving tomorrow morning. I enrolled you in Dalton Academy; you will live there until you graduate, you will get an allowance. I will pay for whatever your scholarship to college doesn't and will raise your allowance until you begin work." She raised an arrogant eyebrow at him and strutted off into another room. Nick felt a chill pass him, this is what loneliness felt like. His friends were back in Chicago, no goodbye. His family was dead, he had nothing. Remembering Marcie he took it out of his suitcase and hugged it to his own chest.
He had never wished himself dead before, but now… He wished he had in the accident.
Aunt Lucille helped him into his chair, and looked up at Dalton. "Well good luck Rick." She got back into her car and left him. Currently he was in Dalton's parking lot. Boys swarmed around him, some going out, since it was Saturday, and others standing at the front doors, staring at him. Lamely holding onto his pride, he wheeled himself up the ramp. Two boys held the door open for him, watching him closely.
Once inside a boy, who was wearing a whole bottle of gel in his hair, ran up to him, a huge smile on his face. "Finally! HI! I'm Blaine Anderson!"
Nick gave him a shy smile, "Hello, I'm N-"
Blaine cut him off, "I know, Nick Duval." He took his suitcase from him and handed it to an onlooker, "Trent take this up to Jeff's room," Trent waved at Nick and turned, he ran up the staircase. Nick frowned for a second, "Wait, what?" Blaine walked behind him and began to wheel him to another room, babbling excitedly. Nick took the time to look at the students, they looked neat, charming. A couple of them smiled at him even.
Blaine pushed him into a room, "As I was saying Headmaster Ramirez will give you your schedule and I'll take you to your room." Headmaster Ramirez was a Hispanic woman, her brown hair hung loosely in waved by her shoulders, her brown eyes were friendly and she smiled at him.
"Hello Nicholas, Welcome to Dalton Academy, best All Boys Boarding School in Ohio. Glad you chose us, here is your schedule and Handbook. Read the rules over and memorize your schedule, the hallways area bit confusing." She handed Nick the papers and he held it tightly in his lap.
"Thank you, Headmaster," he said smiling shyly.
"Come back if you need anything, or I think. Mr. Anderson will be glad you help you, as well as any other one of the boys." She looked at Blaine and smiled, "Dismissed."
"Thank you," they said in unison. Blaine gripped the handles of his wheelchair and pushed him out of the room.
"What I tell you…" Blaine began to ramble, excitedly, as he pushed him to an elevator. Nick looked around, looking at paintings, statues, and vases. Once on the third floor Blaine pushed him down the hall, "Nick?"
Nick snapped out of his own thoughts and apologized, "Sorry, what you say?"
Blaine smiled, and ruffled his hair, "I said where'd you come from?"
Nick nodded, "Chicago, Illinois." Blaine practically died of excitement.
"Oooh, I want to go there so bad, is it nice? Are the people nice? Is the lake cold?"
Nick chuckled, Blaine reminded him of an overly excited puppy, "It is very nice, well, it depends on where you are, the middle of the city is amazing. The people are mostly nice, traffic is loud and people are impatient, but otherwise it's nice. The lake is cold, but it's nice on hot days."
Blaine stopped in front of a door. Room 817. He stuck the key in the door and unlocked it, pushing the door open. Nick rolled himself in, to see a tall blond boy, sitting at his desk, staring at a laptop screen. Blaine shut the door, making the blond jump. Nick set his hands in his lap, arms exhausted from the ramp.
"Nick, this is your roommate, Jeff Sterling!" Blaine said as the blond boy walked over to him. Nick looked up, to look at him. Jeff's hair reminded him of Natalie, making his heart jump. He blinked sadly.
"Hi, I'm Nick," he said quietly. Jeff had the most particular hazel eyes, like nothing Nick had ever seen before. Jeff stuck out his hand, which Nick took a shook gently.
"Hiya, roommate!" Jeff glanced at his new roommates wheelchair, "Does your… Um..." He pointed towards his own crotch, "Work?"
Nick turned red, and looked away. Blaine pushed Jeff, so hard that he stumbled and tripped over the bed. "Jeff! That's rude!"
Jeff popped up like a meerkat from the side of the bed, "Sorry. Sorry. That was a stupid question, sorry."
Nick bit his lip and rolled over to his things. Blaine narrowed his eyes, "Nick, I'm one door over, if this idiot starts annoying you, you know where to find me." He rolled his eyes at Jeff and left the room.
Nick put his socks and underwear in his drawer and rolled over to his wardrobe. He looked up to see a bunch of hangers; he cursed and reached up to attempt to grab them. "Here, let me help you," said Jeff reaching over him and grabbed the hangers. He gave them to Nick and nodded.
"Thanks," Nick said shyly he waited for Jeff to go back to the desk before wheeling himself back to the bed. Jeff helped him hang his clothes up when he was done, they chatted lightly. Nick put his suitcase away and set Marcie by his pillows. Jeff frowned at the teddy bear.
"Dude, why do you have a bear? Isn't that for little kids?" Nick gave him a death glare.
"It's my sisters… Well was my sisters," he added quietly pulling out his textbooks, which had already been in his room, along with his three uniforms.
Jeff lay on his own bed, on his tummy and held his head in his hands. "What do you mean was?"
Nick took a shaky deep breath, "None of your business." Jeff looked down, and sighed. Silence filled the room as none of them moved. "Hey, Jeff?"
Jeff looked up, "Yeah?"
Nick smiled, "My plumage works."
Jeff smiled right back.
I couldn't get this idea out of my head for weeks, so I finally wrote it up and decided to put it up. I hope you liked it! Next chapter will be up soon!