Reality.1

Chapter 1. The Accident

"Say cheese!" Stella said from the passenger seat. "Let me take a picture of you two."

Miguel and I both turned to her and sported huge smiles. It was almost too long since the three of us get together again.

"Faster! I swear you're going to get us killed," Miguel teased, laughing at my sister.

Stella rolled her eyes. "Com'on guys. It has to be perfect! I swear I'm better than that photographer you've chosen--"

I didn't get to hear the rest of Stella's snide comments. I turned my head to the road. "Miguel!" I shouted a truck was swerving in our direction.

The next thing I knew there was a blinding light in front of me and we were flying through the air and with a big thud, everything went black.

It was almost as if someone pressed the pause button.

Where am I?

"Hello?" I shouted. I waited for a few eons before I shouted again but still no response. There was no one around. Though I wasn't sure, I couldn't see anything other than darkness.

"Hello?" I called out yet again. And to my surprise, there was still no response. However, there was a great deal of chance that no sound was coming out of me. I couldn't feel my lips. I couldn't feel a single part of my body. It felt like I was floating through the ground but getting nowhere at all.

I should be scared or frustrated. I have no recollection of the events that led me to this place. Yet, I was feeling nothing at all. There was no emotion inhabiting me.

I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong though I was sure there was something out of place.

It felt surreal at the most, maybe it was a dream after all.

Suddenly two orbs of light appeared out of nowhere. They floated before me, one was red and the other was blue. They were immensely beautiful, their lights were both warm and welcoming. They flickered as if conversing with me. They seemed to be waiting for something.

It was me. They were beckoning me.

The lights wanted me to follow them.

But which one should I follow? They were heading in different directions.

"Wait!" But the lights didn't falter. They were moving away from me...

Wait!

Wait!

Wait!

WAIT!

"Hah!" I breathed air in my lungs. It was too sudden, it was burning me. What just happened? I swear there was something I have to do. What did I miss? I knew it just seconds ago but now it was gone.

I squinted my eyes and anchored my body in a seating position. The white-washed room gave way to my whereabouts. Tubes were connected to my arms and a beeping machine was beside me.

"Doctor! Doctor! She's awake!" I heard shouting in my vicinity. Hands started probing my body, lights were put in my eyes. I have no idea what was happening to me.

My body felt heavy and I didn't have an ounce of energy to stop what they were doing.

"Why am I here? Where's Miguel?" I managed to speak but regretted it the moment the words came out of my mouth. My throat felt like Sahara, it was the driest I remembered it had been. It was painful that I have to ease myself by coughing.

"It was a miracle..." I heard one of the nurses say.

"Water," I mouthed and a straw was put to my lips.

"Honey!" The familiar voice burst inside the room. "Oh my goodness, Honey! Honey! You are awake!" I was immediately enveloped in a tight hug. "I thought we lost you too." Miguel kept crying, sobbing like a little child.

"Why? What happened we were..." I stopped myself as memories flashed uninvitedly inside my head. "Where's Stella? Where's my sister?" Tears involuntarily flowed down my eyes. The last things I remembered were the screeching of the tires and a loud banging sound.

Miguel refused to speak and in his silence, I found my answer.

"I'm sorry, Honey. I'm sorry. The doctors tried to save her but it was already too late..."

"No.no.no... that cannot be true. Why?" I cried until there were no more tears left to cry. My sweet sister was gone and I didn't even get to say goodbye. Where was the justice in there?

Miguel spoke with the doctors as one of the nurses injected something into my stream to calm me down. I suspected it was a tranquilizer, the moment it went to my arm. My kids felt heavy with sleep.

"Hah!" I coughed. Darn it! How long would I be overwhelmed with air? I calmed myself as my situation sunk deeper.

My sister died because of me. If I didn't push her to come, she would be okay.

I sighed, a month into my wedding and a tragedy happened. How could I go forth with it?

My mind was torn from my internal monologue when a nurse came into the room.

"Doctor. Doctor! Doctor! She's awake. She's awake!" The nurse shouted in hysteria. Then she proceeded in probing my body and checking my vitals.

Why are they so hyped about me? Did I go into a coma and woke up again? I palmed my face; there were no wrinkles or crow's feet. My face felt the same.

I coughed again and a straw was put in my mouth. The cold water was easing my nerves when the most unbelievable thing walked inside the room.

"Stella?" I croaked. The tears brimming the side of my eyes rained down my face. "You are alive?" I grabbed her arm and felt her warm skin. She was indeed alive. "How? But I thought ...Oh, Stella."

"I thought we lost you too..." my sister cried in my arms. "I'm so scared to lose you."

I burrowed my brows in question. "What do you mean? Where's Miguel I ought to talk to him. He has some explaining to do."

A grim expression clouded my sister's exterior. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Thalia. The doctors tried but they couldn't bring him back."

Horror washed over me. "No. That cannot be true. He was just here a while ago. I talked to him. That girl!" I pointed to the nurse who checked my vitals. "You saw him right? The first time I woke up, he was there. I saw him!" My throat hurt from the exertion that I need to cough. "You gotta believe me. He even told me that you were..." It was insane, how could that be? Maybe I was dreaming earlier? But it felt so freaking real! I even saw the same nurse. No. No. No, I am not going insane.

"But it was the first time you woke up ma'am. It was also by a miracle that you did. You have been pronounced dead awhile ago but your heart suddenly beat again." The nurse turned to the newly arrived doctor and whispered words out of my hearing.

So I am really dreaming earlier? But how can I be sure that I am not dreaming this time? How can I know which one is real?

A needle pricked on my left arm. "This will calm her down." The doctor addressed my sister.

"Everything will be okay, Tallie," she crooned to my ears as the drug lulled me back to sleep.

"How are you, Honey?" Miguel smiled at me, the signature smile that made me fall head over er heels with him.

"You gotta be kidding me." Those were the exact words that came out of my mouth. "Where's Stella?"

Confusion drained from Miguel's face. "What are you talking about, Honey? We already talked about this, right? Stella is gone..." he paused, choking on his own words. "She died in the crash, do you remember?"

I racked my brain for the possible answer but it only led me to one, they were all fucking with me. "Come on Miguel, let Stella in here. Stop this stupid joke. It ain't funny at all!" I shouted furiously.

"Thalia. This isn't a joke."

I crossed my arms over my chest. I refused to talk to him or anyone until someone tell me what was happening to me. Every passing minute I was getting closer to insanity.

Doctors came inside the room to check on me. "What is wrong with her? Is something wrong with her brain?" I heard Miguel ask one of the doctors but even the medical experts couldn't offer him a viable answer.

"It's just stress. She's dreaming about things. The drugs must have caused it too."

Stress?

Dream?

And how would I know which one is the dream?

How would I know if I'm still sane?