Destiny

By Liz High

Chapter 1

I knew I was a good as dead as soon as I saw the mailbox fly over the roof of the car. Not even my blood curling scream could save me now, we were out in the middle of rural Seron. And then there was darkness.

* * * *

So this is what death feels like. Its very peaceful, not at all what I had expected, its all darkness, except for one bright light overhead. I've always been told not to fly into the light but who's here to stop me? No one, that's who. The more I walk towards the light the brighter it gets, until its engulfing me with its beams.

My eyes flicker, only slightly at first, until they're completely open. There's a bright light over head. "Can this be heaven?" I thought to my self, no it cant be, but its certainly not hell. The stench of antiseptic is to strong. And then it hit me, I'm in a hospital. But why?

As I raise my head up it all came flooding back to me. My grandmother was coming back from the factory she works at with me in the car. I guess she was so tired that she feel asleep at the wheel, I'm not sure, I had decided to take a nap due to the fact that I was exhausted. The only thing I remember was crashing into a mailbox and having It fly over the car. I guess that's when I was knocked unconscious.

I looked over and saw my cousin Velessia sitting in nearby chair. Sensing my staring she looked over. "Honey your awake!" she squeaked as she rose. My vision blurred for a second and I saw her getting squashed by a light falling from the ceiling. Then my full vision returned.

"No stay there Velessia!" I said. Startled she took a few steps back and down crashed the light, just as I had scene.

"how did you know that?" she asked puzzled.

"I, I'm not sure", I stammered out.

"maybe you're clairvoyant."

"you really think so?"

"its quite common with people who've had a head trauma."

"what exactly happened Velissa?" I knew a little of the story by my vague memory, but that wasn't good enough for me. I studied velissa for a minute as she twitched around nervously. He red hair had grown out since the last time I had seen her. It was to her shoulders now, and in choppy layers. Her violet eyes, which I had always envied, were full of uneasiness, and were surrounded by shadow, as if she hadn't slept since the last time I had saw her. Maybe she had always been this way though. Grandma had always said she was the black sheep of the family.

"I don't know all the detail, but I do know that your going to live with your real mother and her husband in the capitol. Oh don't worry, you'll be very taken care of and there's lots of shopping. The schools are great. It'll be a good experience for you, besides a girl your age needs to be with her mother."

" but what about grandmother! What will she do, she needs me and I love her. You cant expect me to just leave her!"

I could tell this was going to be quite the adventure just by the look in her eyes. How can they just make me leave the place I'd known all my life to go live with a woman who I barely knew? Half heartedly I walked over to the bathroom mirror and took a look at my self. What would I look like in 5 years from now if I went to live with her? My blonde hair was cut just past my armpits into wispy layers and flipped out at the ends. My eyes were grass green today. It was the color of worry. They had always changed colors based on my mood. I didn't like that color.

I too had shadows under my eyes, which made the green even more a contrast to my pale ivory skin. I was much to pale for a girl my age. When I got out into the sun I burned instead of tanning. It also didn't help that I didn't care much for the sunlight. I was much to contempt with a book in the dim lighting of my room.

"Analisa Davis?" a strange male voice asked in the distance.

"Right here"

"your grandmother wants to see you. Shes on the top floor." Top floor? that's the Trauma ward. She must be in worse condition than I thought! The cold wind rushed by me as I raced out of my room. The doctor was saying something in the distance. I didn't care thought. All I could think about was getting to my grandmothers smiling face.

My feet felt like they were made of lead as I made my way down the stuffy, florescent lit hallways and up the many elevators. Every bit closer I came the more my imagination raced. What condition would she be in when I finally got there? Would she be battered and bruised? Or would she be covered in dried blood, bones protruding from her delecate flesh?

At last I busted through the door. The sight I saw was more chilling than I could ever imagine. The hair on my neck is standing up taller with every set I take towards the bed. There she lay, my caregiver through the first 13 years of my life. Wires weaved them selves down her gently wrinkled arms, each leading to a machine more mocking than the last.

There where two people in the chairs on the right wall that I didn't recognize. They were a young couple. A blonde woman, with the same green eyes and blonde hair as I, the only difference was hers was shaped into a elegant, yet still stylish bob. The man was the complete oposite. Brown hair, chestnut eyes. Even while sitting down I could tell her was considerably shorter than even 5'4" I.

"Analisa?" I heard my grandmother ask. Hopefulness in her newly frail voice.

"OH grandmother! What happened to you? Are you ok. Where is the pain? How bad is it?" I managed to choke out. The tears where starting to come now. It was hard to keep a calm and collected face. With great effort I choked them back, it would only break her fragile heart.

" Relax dearest. I'm going to be alright. The doctors have done the x-rays and I have several severed ribs, broken both of my legs and snapped my arm. All of those things can be healed. The important thing is that you're still alive. I was so worried about losing you. Your life has only begun. I could forgive my self if I had ended it."

"you shouldn't think about that. Im fine. Look at you, your in terrible condition! How can you possible blame your self for something that you couldn't prevent." at that I broke down into hysteria. The tears stung my thought and my eyes. The more grandmother tried to comfort me the faster they came. This couldn't be her fault. I feel so horrible. Here she is blaming her self and worried sick about me when I was walking around fine. She was the one hooked to a billion machines, lying there in pain. A pain not even vicaden could fix. No this was a pain of the heart. She was dying of guilt. And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Eventually I calmed down enough that I could see clearly through the tears. They were now becoming few and far between. The young couple helped me to a chair beside them. Who were these people. I knew I couldn't be grandmother's only daughter. She had left home at 17 and they hadn't heard from her since. At least I don't think she had. No, they had to be a family friend come to visit.

At that moment grandmother turned to me with news in her eyes. I had seen this look before. I had seen it only once before, when she informed me of her new job at the factory.

She explained to me what happened that night. It was almost dusk. We had been returning from a hard day at her factory. She had been exhausted, far to tired to try and drive. We were a few miles away from our house. Highway hypnosis had started to sink in. her eyelids began to droop. She fell asleep at the wheel. What had woke her up was my screams of terror. As when she hit the mailbox the airbags deployed. She saw that I was unconscious and freaked out. In a last attempt to protect me she over corrected. The car went speeding into a telephone pole.

It all made since to me now. Feeling sorry and blaming herself isn't going to help though. She saved me from getting killed. She wasn't at fault, she was my hero. If only she could see it that way.

"do you know those people over there?" grandmother asked.

"aren't they friends of your's?"

"The blonde one's name is Beth, and she is your mother. The male is your stepfather. I am unable to take care of you anymore. It is my wish for you to go and live with them. They have promised to raise you they I would, and treat you as if you were there own." tears started to form in her gentle brown eyes as she said this.

"But what will you do? You need me there with you. I don't want you to be unhappy."

"I cant take care of you. It's for the best. you'll have such a good time with."

I sighed. " I guess your right."

The blonde one rose from her chair, and put her arm around me. "you'll love it with us." I only half believed her. I turned around and saw the short male held a look of disgust on his smashed in face. He reminded me of a pug dog.

I had a bad feeling about this.