September 30th, 6:22 AM-

"Chiquitita."

A gentle hand on her shoulder and the quiet voice gently coaxed the sleepy girl from her slumber. Short, dark hair sticking up in all directions, Bernadette sat up slowly in bed, rubbing her eyes sleepily until her vision focused on her father who stood smiling warmly at the side of her bed.

"Good morning chiquitita, how are you feeling today?" The girl scooted backwards inch by inch so she could lean against her headboard.

"Good morning Papa. I am feeling all right this morning, eight out of ten," she reassured him with a small smile, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and rising slowly so the blood wouldn't rush to her head.

Waking up, just like everything else, was a delicate process. Smoothing out her floral night gown, she followed her father down the stairs for breakfast. Already downstairs, her elder sister Juji sat at the countertop sipping on a glass of water and holding a handful of baby carrots in her long, thin fingers.

"Good morning, Juji," Bernadette greeted with a small smile, pulling up a seat beside her. Juji smiled in return, pushing the plate of baby carrots towards her sister.

"Good morning, Bernadette," she replied quietly, their father beginning to prepare breakfast for the sisters. "Are you going to school today?" she questioned, her dark eyes drifting down to her glass as she spoke, gently swirling its contents as she rolled her wrist rhythmically.

Bernadette pushed her black hair out of her face, nodding thoughtfully, "Yeah, I'm going to try today. Just a half day, though. I'll come home for lunch, and then would you be able to drive me to my PT session today?" she inquired, biting her lip and smiling sheepishly at the older girl. Juji eyed her younger sister curiously, her full lips pursing as she cocked a brow at the request. The two held one another's gaze for some time until the elder sister cracked a smile and popped a carrot into her mouth.

"Of course I'll take you."

Bernadette let out a long sigh of relief, positively beaming as her father served up a breakfast of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, and a small bowl of grapes. She nibbled amiably on her toast, Juji making sure to tease her for the amount of crumbs she left in her wake. It never took long for her to fill up, and with a couple grapes left in the bowl she pushed the remains away and slid off the bar stool to put her dishes in the sink before trotting back up the stairs. Today was going to be a good day, she could feel it in the warm excitement that flitted through her chest as she opened up her closet and searched for her school uniform.

She nearly hopped both legs at once into her slacks, buttoned up her oxford with quick, nimble fingers and pulled on a cardigan over top, the uniform still a bit stiff with how little wear it had gotten since she had been sick. Truth be told, Bernadette was pretty much always sick in some regard, but this particular bought left her out of school for a few weeks, though it felt like years to her as she grew bored of the confines of her house. It wasn't that ridiculous of a notion, a few weeks here and a few weeks there added up quickly, to the point where there wasn't much chance of her to graduate along with most of the students her age. At this point in her life, graduation was the last thing on her mind.

As she hopped down the stairs with a chipper pep in her step, she found her father standing by the garage door waiting to chauffeur her to school. She scooped her bag up off the floor and held it tight to her chest, tightly enough that she could feel her heart pounding rhythmically against it.

"Don't forget to text me when you need me to come and get you for therapy," Juji called after her, the elder sister's long lean frame draping itself across the open doorway as Bernadette and her father got into the car.

"I will!" she promised, waving goodbye as they pulled out onto the driveway. The road seemed to stretch out in front of them, taking longer than she remembered to get to the school. She spent the drive in eager anticipation, drumming her fingers on her school bag anxiously, still clutched against her chest.

"Don't worry," her father assured her with an encouraging smile. "You'll be okay today. But make sure you let me know if you need anything, okay? If something does happen you let me know."

Bernadette smiled hesitantly, her mind focused on the pattering of her heart against the bag as she leaned her head on the window.

"I promise, I will."

September 30th, 7:30 AM-

As soon as Bernadette slid out of the car and waved goodbye to her father as he headed off for work, she became a different person. Here, she was that awful, sickly kid who had absolutely no idea how to properly socialize with anyone. Here, she was not herself. Here, she was—

"Hey, Bernardo!"

She turned, looking around for the unfamiliar voice calling for her. Her dark eyes fell upon a boy she recognized from her history class, his long locs a memorable feature that triggered her memory. Despite being certain she knew him, she couldn't recall his name for the life of her.

"Oh, hey," she replied sheepishly, offering a stiff wave of the hand in greeting. Richard? Devon? Chris? She followed him to class, deciding it might be best to sit by a familiar face, even if he had an unfamiliar name. She only had to make it through half a day, and if she just kept reminding herself of that then surely the day would go by smoothly.

"Did you get sick again?" the boy asked, much to Bernadette's surprise. She didn't expect anyone to remember she was sick, truth be told she always figured everyone just thought she was lazy and ditched. Then again, the teachers didn't treat her like a ditcher, maybe that was the giveaway.

"Yeah, just some health complications," she said simply, pretending to take furious notes on the powerpoint on the overhead before them.

"Aw, that's rough. Glad you're back though," he said with refreshing earnest in his voice, flashing a sympathetic smile.

"Harvey!"

The teacher turned irritably towards the boy who in turn stiffened with embarrassment, their conversation immediately drawing to a halt. Bernadette's face pinkened slightly, though she turned away from the boy and hid her face by resting her cheek on he the palm of her hand. Harvey, that's right. She was touched he was glad to have her back, though she couldn't even remember the two of them ever conversing much outside of obligated interactions during group projects or class discussions. But he had remembered her.

After the bell rang, Harvey stood as the black haired girl made her way for the door. His eyes were golden brown, and kind looking; every time she caught he glance he seemed to be looking at her expectantly, as though waiting for her to say something profound.

"So, what's your next class?" she asked the boy, taking a few slow steps down the hall.

"I'm going to chemistry, you?"

"Oh, I'm going to Spanish," she said meekly, knowing that the language classrooms were in the opposite direction of the science labs.

"Nice! Hey, are you gonna be around for lunch? You could sit with me and my buddies today, if you wanted," he offered, sticking his hands in his pockets stiffly. Bernadette froze, eyes widening slightly at the offer. "Ah, uh, I'm only here for half the day, so I'm going home at lunch, sorry. I have another doctor's appointment later on today, sorry," she admitted, turning away slightly towards the hall that lead to her class without realizing she had apologized twice.

"Don't sweat it! Good luck at the doctor, I'll see you tomorrow," he called as he turned and headed in the opposite direction. "Feel better!"

The smile that spread across her face was impossible to wipe away, and she trotted off to her next class positively beaming. The Spanish room had a warm air of familiarity as she opened the door and took her seat next to another familiar face whose name she'd surely never forget. Kelsey Jacobson was the only person in school Bernadette confided in, as the who had been friends ever since the Griggs family moved from Madrin to the sleepy town of Monroe. Kelsey was something like an angel, and was all kinds of pale from her grey eyes, nearly white blonde hair, and skin that didn't look like it had seen the sun since she exited the womb.

"Hey, Bernie!" Kelsey grinned, "glad to have you back," she said cheerfully, propping up her face in her hands, pushing up her full cheeks and smiling expectantly. "Are you going to tell me what you're so giddy about today?" The girl wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Bernadette pouted slightly. She was incredibly easy to read, especially for Kelsey.

"It's uh, just someone was being really sweet in history today," she explained bashfully, scratching her head and looking away in embarrassment, spying Kelsey's pale lips spreading into an even wider smile out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh? Whooo is iiiit?" she inquired, wiggling her nearly invisible brows some more and interlacing her fingers. Bernadette crossed her arms defensively and raised her shoulders up to her ears.

"…Do you know that guy, Harvey?"

Her companion nodded, fingers pulling apart so she could tap her chin thoughtfully. "Why yes, I think I do. He's the new kid here, isn't he? I'm pretty sure he just moved here at the beginning of the year," she thought aloud, reaching out and grasping Bernadette's dark, dainty hand in her own pale chubby fingers. "It sounds to me like this weekend you and I are going to have to have a sleepover and discuss this more thoroughly!"

September 30th, 12:50 PM-

As soon as lunch period rolled around, Bernadette fished out her old cell phone and texted her sister to let her know she was ready to go home, though she snuck into the food line discretely in order to grab a few cookies to eat while she waited. With her secret snack she headed out front of the school, finding a nice sunny spot to sit down and have her afternoon snack while she waited for her sister's red jeep to pull up. Once the elder Griggs girl did arrive, Bernadette climbed into the passenger seat with a small smile.

"How has your day been?" she inquired, her cheerful demeanor from the morning carrying on into the afternoon. Juji shrugged, her full lips curling into a small smile.

"It hasn't been too bad so far. And you?" Bernadette's smile faltered. She couldn't help but feel something was bothering Juji, and felt the urge to ask what was wrong. And yet, at the same time if her sister didn't bring it up of her own volition, then she probably didn't want to talk about it, so the girl dismissed the air of melancholy in the car and instead opted to tell her sister about Harvey.

"And then he asked me if I wanted to sit with him at lunch, but I told him I was going home. So that was pretty nice, but I didn't do so well on my Spanish quiz I don't think. I'll probably as Kelsey to study with me next time to help me catch up."

"There's no reason you shouldn't be an expert is Spanish by now. You don't need to invite friends over, why don't you just go ask dad to help you?" Juji asked, her little sister shrugging indifferently.

"I don't know. I guess I can before the next big test," she mumbled, dropping her head downward. Truth be told, she didn't like asking him for help much. He was a busy man, and he had already done so much for her. Did she really deserve to continue asking him for help, especially on things as trivial as studying for a Spanish quiz?

The jeep's rumbling engine quieted as the pair arrived back at the house, and Bernadette went straight up to her room to change into something a little more comfortable. Rummaging through her drawers she opted for a black t-shirt adorned with the faces of The Beatles, and an old, comfy pair of athletic shorts. Thundering back down the stairs she slid across the hard wood floors into the kitchen in her socks, ready for a proper lunch. Juji presented her with a bowl of strawberries as she herself slurped up a bowl of ramen. Bernadette pouted, sticking a piece of fruit in her mouth and pushing it over into her cheek with her tongue so she could speak.

"Can't I have some of that too? Just this once?" Juji gave her a critical eye, shaking her head.

"You need to watch what you eat, hun. This stuff has tons of sodium, definitely not good for you, make a sandwich or something," she suggested, taking her bowl out to the living room and flipping on the television. Bernadette let out a long, high pitched whine, but did as she was told and fixed herself a turkey sandwich, dropping a few strawberries on her plate as well before plopping down beside her sister with as much sass as she could muster, earning a vindictive look as the bowl of ramen churned with the shaking of the couch.

"Hey, don't get mad at me," Juji complained, elbowing her sister in the side. "It isn't my fault, it's for your own good." Bernadette criss crossed her legs, placing the plate in the center of her lap as she nibbled on the bland sandwich. She attempted to direct all her malice towards the whole wheat crust, giving it her best stink eye, as though it were to blame.

"I know it's not your fault. But it isn't my fault either! I just want to be able to eat shitty food too," she pouted.

Life could be so unfair.

September 30th, 3:30 PM-

Her father always insisted upon a period of rest during the day to ensure she didn't overexert herself, but it could get incredibly boring. That was why Bernadette turned to the wonderful world of cinema. With her daily resting periods she became a film and pop culture aficionado, laying in bed with her trusty laptop and watching movies for hours, and blogging reviews with a focus on women in film. All of this was done under the name of Bernadette, of course. Even if she was too afraid to come out at school, no on questioned her online. Online, no one ever had to know. Today's selection was another romantic comedy that failed to uphold any kind of actual romantic integrity that didn't rely on a phoned in misunderstanding and a sudden change of heart. No surprises there.

Once the resting period was over, it was back in the car so Juji could take her to the facility where physical therapy was held. It mostly consisted of light cardio workouts, seeing how much her heart was able to take. Unfortunately, it wasn't much. Not to mention it was monotonous and infuriating as hell. Needless to say, it was not Bernadette's favorite part of the day, and she usually left feeling downtrodden and frustrated with herself.

Today was no different, and she sat outside sniffling quietly as she cried in frustration. It felt as though everywhere she turned there were insurmountable obstacles, like her body was simply not capable of any of the things she wanted it to do. She wasn't able to exercise much without quickly becoming short-winded, she wasn't capable of eating certain foods without fear of further heart problems or other complications, she wasn't capable of handling anything stronger than hormone blockers, and she wasn't capable of summoning the course to come out to her peers.

The thoughts swirled in an unstoppable riptide through her mind, enough that she began to feel lightheaded when she stood to walk it off. The feeling of utter defeat tugged on her heart as Bernadette walked down the sidewalk, rubbing her eyes to clear them of any forming tears. Pulling her hands away she spied the town's new and supposedly innovative recreation center off to the left. She had never been there before, but why would she have? In her self conscious stupor she doubted there would be much there that she would be able to do, but some strange mix of curiosity and newfound determination, or perhaps stubbornness, drove her through the doors.

Navigating the giant complex, Bernadette spied a large window that overlooked the pool area below. Gazing down, it seemed the pool was relatively unpopulated, with only a few small children splashing around in the shallow end of the pool and a few older boys seeing how long they could hold their breath under water. She allowed herself a tiny smile. Swimming counted as light cardiovascular exercise, right? After a little searching she spied the family locker room, and located an empty locker to stow away her socks and shoes before heading out to the pool. Slowly shuffling towards the deep end, Bernadette placed one cautionary toe into the water to test the temperature. A sharp whistle blow startled her, and she jumped slightly, looking up at the lifeguard in his stand.

"You can't wear that shirt in the pool," he called out to her, a rich shade of red coloring her cheeks as Bernadette grew flustered. With a deep, steadying breath she approached the boy with a frown.
"Is there something I can wear? I misplaced my swim top," she requested meekly, wringing her hands with concern. The boy in the stand looked at her for a moment before climbing down off his tower and heading through a door marked 'staff only'. Bernadette waited uncertainly by the poolside, surprised when the boy reappeared holding a lifeguard swim shirt, handing it over to the girl.

"Just make sure you give it back when you go."

Positively beaming, Bernadette expressed her thanks graciously as she trotted back to the locker room to change shirts.

"And no running!"

When Bernadette approached the poolside for the second time, she sat down carefully on the edge and managed to dip both feet in the water, shivering slightly before she let herself slide over the edge and into the pool. Her attempts at swimming proved feeble at best, as she kept one hand on the wall most of the time to steady herself, and swam back and forth across the short side of the pool rather than lengthwise to help feel a little more accomplished.

Starting in the shallower end may have been a good idea, and the thought crossed her mind more than once whenever her hand would slip from the wall and she sank slightly. But here she was alone, no one would let her push herself when they were watching, so this may have been her only chance to try. Slowly she could feel herself becoming worn out, and her pace slowed considerably. Hanging onto the wall with both hands to watch her breath, she could feel light tremors underneath her fingertips. Looking around no one else seemed to notice them yet, or they didn't care, but as the shaking became stronger and the lifeguard's stand began to shake a few concerned voices echoed through the pool, some simply confused and others panicked.

Bernadette found herself in the latter group, the pain in her chest and the sensation of her heartbeat speeding up didn't help matters. She knew the sequence of events that followed all too well.

Quickly the girl became short of breath.
Slowly her grip on the wall loosened.
Quickly she lost consciousness.
Slowly she sank.