Chapter 26

"She's alive!" The call rang out through the hallways. PAs, doctors, nurses, and medical students flooded to Mabel's hospital room, marveling her miraculous journey from death to life.

"It wasn't really death to life," a doctor loudly tried to explain. "It's scientifically called a near death experience!"

"It was- like magic!" a PA explained in amazement. "She just- opened her eyes!"

"The heart monitor started up again… we had nothing to do with it!"

"The girl fell off a cliff!?"

"No, I believe it was a rock."

"You idiot it was a slope!"

"Look how much skin was torn off!" a young medical student said in disgust. "Thorn bushes, looks like. Blech." Mabel looked down at her body self consciously. Immediately she wished she hadn't. Skin was ripping off, not to mention huge, angry purple and black bruises, a mangled leg in a nasty position, and small rocks wedged into her limbs. She didn't even want to feel her head. If the skull was cracked, she could die for... real? A happy sensation that felt warm and fuzzy took over her body. She wanted to go back to the heavenly place. She was so disappointed when she came back, feeling as if a small child would feel when they left their grandma's house with warm cookies, love, and-

"Mabel!" The excited chatter in the room stopped and Mabel's thoughts broke. She saw her brother, grinning broadly with swollen red eyes and tearstained cheeks. She opened her arms out to him with a newfound strength. In a matter of seconds, he was there.

"You really did die this time," he laughed as he cried, recalling the memory.

"No flower or hill can stop me from coming back to my brother." Mabel said firmly. "Never."

...

"Mabel Pines? Your test results are in. You have a small fracture in your skull, as well as some pieces have shifted. We are taking you into immediate care, although some effects of the fracture may last a few years, such as headaches, panic attacks, drowsiness, nauseousness, loss of consciousness, vomiting, changes in pupils such as sizes being unequal and not reactive to light, restlessness, and confusion. We highly recommend a surgery to replace the pieces that have shifted, as well as imaging tests such as cerebral arteriography to see the flowing of blood vessels in your head. We also highly recommend you take medicines such as antibiotics to help prevent infection, antinausea medicine to calm your stomach and prevent vomiting, sedative to help you stay calm and relaxed, and steroid medicine to decrease inflammation. Do you have any questions?" a nurse finished her long speech and looked up. Mabel's eyes were as big as a cat's and her brother was holding her cold hand. "You can come pick up the medicine later if you like."

...

"Come on, Mabel. We're best friends."

"No! You tried to murder her! She trusted you! A girl who loved you, and trusted you. And you were going to murder her. Over a flower..." I shouted. Sorcha leaned her face in, her dark curls writhing and growing around me like a canopy.

"I needed it then as much as I do now. I can't destroy it and you know very well why. I'm going to get you, Mabel Pines, and when I do you're going to wish you had bever been born. You're going to help me whether you like it or not. Somehow you know everything I do. Feel everything I feel. We're very alike, you know. And you know it." she hissed.

"Why do I have to do this!? I don't want to help you!" I scream in frustration.

"Then why did you come back?"

"That wasn't my choice and you know it."

"You're right. It was mine."

"That isn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair!" Sorcha said in fury. "I'm going to get you. I will hunt you down. You are so dead!" I turned away at her words.

"That's right. Cower. It's where a dirty snitch belongs, anyway." Sorcha scoffed. "Enjoy your life for the time being. While you can." She turned slowly into the ghastly figure at the top of the slope and swug my hands like a little girl. "While you can."