STORMS AND TWISTS

CHAPTER NINETEEN

It was three weeks after the ugly incident that almost claimed Casey’s life. The students in school were in dread for a short while but they had all gotten over it. Melissa was also living her life in New Orleans but not like before.

It was astonishing for her to keep seeing coming through and disappearing. She was greatly disturbed. She acted abnormally before one and they thought she was crazy. Her life became awkward due to that.

It was late in the afternoon on a fateful Wednesday when she was going back to the dormitory that she saw Casey right in her front as usual. She shivered in fear and he advanced towards her.

“Casey, please I will do whatever you want. Please I was a bad person now but I have changed.” She pleaded.

“My sister and my father are both sad because of you. It’s your entire fault. How are you going to make them happy again?”

“I’m so sorry”. She apologized

“Okay I forgive you. There’s no reason to hold grudges. I will never appear to you again. I promise”

“Thanks a lot. Now I feel relieved”.

“Okay, bye forever”. He said and faded on into obscurity.

Just then, her friend and roommate, Emily came from behind.

“Who were you speaking with?”Emily asked from behind.

That scared hero off’

“Whoa! You almost startled me to death, Emily”. She said, trying to evade the question she was asked in the initial place.

“Who was that?” Emily insisted on getting her answer.

“What are you saying? Who like how? I don’t understand what you are up to”. She said nervously. She was sweating.

“You were speaking to someone just now and you are denying that”. Emily pointed out.

“No, I wasn’t speaking to anyone. You might have been hearing voices but trust me when I tell you this has nothing to do with me”.

“Okay, but be careful. You might need to see the school psychotherapist.”

“I am fine. I don’t need that. You don’t just trust me, do you?”

“Alright, it’s your life and you can do whatever you want. By the way, we are going to miss music class so we have to be on our way”. Emily said and smiled it off because she didn’t want to appear as incessant.

…

Clara was by Casey’s bed. She wished he would just back to life and the trying times would be over.

“When are you coming back?”She said, holding his right hand.

She was fed up. The emotional pain it caused her was too much. She was frustrated to the core. She looked at the other corner of the room and saw tons of “Get well soon” cards over there. Some were roses, some others were gifts and the most populated were fancy greeting cards. It was a great pile of cards and she had to take them home at weekly intervals.

She gave the cards a closer look. Some were from the Junior Football Team; Oliver’s card was there, his classmates, his friend Cody and even his classmates at St. Marks. They all came right away when they heard the news and they ignored the fact that it was during school hours.

The visit was even courtesy of the school management. But Mill High School never for once cared. The proprietor didn’t show up and there were no delegations that came on his behalf.

They might have had a hand in the so-called accident because she didn’t want to believe her brother would just slump and hit his head and nose on the ground.

For now, she wanted to focus on her brother and later, she would get to the truth.High HH

Everyone was almost used to a life without Casey. Only three people were exceptional; Clara, Mr. ‘Manuel and Cody. Melissa too couldn’t forget and guilt eats her up whenever she thought of that name. Three needed him back but eight wanted him to live. The other five wanted to clear their names because his death would implicate them.

It was seven months after the incident. Casey was getting better and better and Clara got happier and happier. She was not going to lose him like she did with her mother. Josiah stood by her all the while and supported her. It was then that their friendship got stronger and stronger.

They became closer that they could not do without setting eyes on each other for a day. They would do video chat whenever Josiah was away on business conferences with her father. She only did two movies within that time as she was not stable.

Josiah had already fallen in love with her. He knew that the feeling was mutual and not one-sided. He just had to wait till the right time to tell her.

As all these happened, Melissa decided to go back home. She wanted to know about Casey’s health and curiosity drove her to go back home. She knew she would be queried on that but she had the most perfect excuse to give for that.

She left New Orleans telling everyone there that her family wanted her to come home. She came in the evening. She was surprised not to find anyone home but the housekeepers. They told her everyone had gone to the cinema to see a new movie.

In the meantime, she set her room in order and sat in the living room to surprise them. Soon, she heard the horn of the car and she knew that was her dad’s car. It parked and she heard the chatter of her siblings.

Cody was the first person to enter.

“Good evening, Melissa”. He said. He paused for a moment. What was he saying?

“Melissa? What are you doing here?”

Then the others came in.

“Melissa!” They said out of surprise.

“What are you doing here?” Mr. Morris asked.

“Dad, I can explain”. She said, moving around with restlessness.

“Okay. I want to know why you came all the way from New Orleans without deeming it fit to inform us”. He said, tapping his foot on the ground.

Dad, I miss everyone”.

“That’s off point”.

“I will explain myself better”. She said, picking up a glass up water and gulping half of its content to make her nervousness vanish away.

“I have been in New Orleans all this while trying to be popular and cool but now I realize life is more than that. The real people that do matter are you and not my fans. If you don’t exist, neither I nor the fans exists.” She paused a little and walked up to her parents.

“Thanks for being you. You taught me a lot of things which I was trying to consider null but now I see them as key. Sincerely, there’s no place like home.”

“I am proud of you, daughter”. Her mother said and hugged her.

“It’s good to be back at home”. Melissa said and exhaled in relief.

It was two months later and that made it nine months since Casey was in comatose. Clara didn’t stop staying by his side- she never got fed up for once. Also, Josiah, Cody and Melissa came together every evening to check up on him.

Nevertheless, Cody and Melissa were yet to resolve their differences. They knew they were both wrong. Cody believed that the other Melissa offended him more than he offended her and she also felt the same way about him although she was not aware of what he did.

They kept grimacing at the sight of each other. Their ego took over them and they believed they were justified than the other person.

It was 3:00p.m on a Tuesday afternoon. It was exactly nine months and a day since he fell into coma. Clara was by his bed. She kept crying because she remembered the precious and treasured moments they had together.

She remembered that he was still in the elementary school when she had to move into the university. It was hard for them to part and she could recall that they were both crying.

She snapped out of it when she heard someone talk. The voice was more like Casey’s.

“Where am I?” The voice said. She looked up in silence only to realize Casey had woken up. Her joy knew no bounds.

“You are alive, Casey you are alive”. She said, beaming with smiles. She jumped for joy and he just gazed at her with a quizzed look because he was oblivious of the reason she danced around.

“What’s going on here?” He asked.

She stopped and fixed her attention on him.

“It’s glad to have you back, bro”. She said, still beaming with smiles.

“Today is a Tuesday, isn’t it?” He said, giving her a quizzed look.

“Yes, but it’s kind of special because you have been in a deep sleep for nine months”. She said.

“OMG! I was in coma!”

He exclaimed in fright.

“I would not place it that way”. She said, putting up a nervous smile.

Just then, the doctor came in.

“Oh, you are up from coma already. By the way, that’s good news”. The doctor said and turned back. Clara thought the doctor would be so surprised than he was. She turned her glance back to Casey. He had a morose look on his face.

“You should be happy. Why are you unhappy?” She said, sitting at the edge of the bed.

“I was in this condition for nine months and I know you and dad have gone through a great deal of tumult”. He said in a worried tone.

“Worry less about that and by the way I think I need to inform dad. He will be overjoyed once he hears this.” She said, taking her phone out from her purse.

She told her father and he promised to come and witness it right away. She was happy that the vacuum of joy that was present will be filled once again. The happiness will be restored again and they would live as a happy family.