Anne & Annie

Prologue

“Hey, get up.”

I hear a sweet gentle voice just beside my ears. I feel the soft breaths fanning over my earlobes, forcing my tired sleepy eyes to open. As I do this, I am blinded by bright light. My whole body is weak and aching, especially on my wrist part where it’s a little red and itchy, too.

I try to get up, just like what the voice is saying. My whole body seems to follow its command without any second thoughts. I wince from the pain as I pull my body up in a sitting position. I realize I wasn’t breathing at all.

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” a soft whisper this time, near my ears. I try to look around, but only the bright light seems to be the only thing I can see though it’s not hurting my eyes.

“Your wrist… it’s swollen but you have to stand up.”

I manage to straighten my legs and stand up. My vision spins around but my hands touch something solid, I couldn’t see it but I felt it. It’s warm and comforting.

“There you go.” The sweet voice fills my ears once again, soothing and calming every ache I feel on my body.

“I’m going to hold you.”

I’m feeling her, beside me. Like a drop of sunshine warming your nape in a summer day or that first snow that falls in winter, giving you that comfy chills in your bones. She radiates nothing but the warmth that soon I feel like I am floating in the air. I look to my right, where I am holding her hand.

All I see is white, but I know it’s there, holding me back.

We begin to walk, or at least that’s what I feel. My legs are moving to its own accord, along with the person I am walking with. It feels as if every step we take its light as a feather-like we’re stepping on something soft yet solid.

A feather comes floating around, I try reaching it but it suddenly disappears. My companion is silent beside me, but her grip is tightly around my pale hands.

As of this moment, I can’t feel a thing nor can’t I think about anything. My mind had gone numb along with my body. For me, what only matters is the time here, now.

“We’re almost there.” Every word comes out like a lullaby.

And then I felt it. The hardness of the pavement and the noises of crowded people and the smell of cement buildings, all fill my system replacing the once solitude and peace I am feeling. I almost fall but the hand that’s holding me tightens its grip.

I look down and see a pair of feet, not mine but from my companion. I turn my gaze beside me that’s when I finally saw her. She’s the same height as I am, and that’s the only thing I can distinguish because she’s wearing a pink hoodie, covering her entire face and head. I try to look at her face but its cover with nothing but shadow.

We continue to walk on the busy streets of the unknown yet familiar place. People are everywhere; they seem to be in a state of oblivion and just went on hurrying past us without giving a glance as if we never exist. The trees sway along with our movement, my companion and I make our way through the crowds, they’re muttering and whispering to each other, words I can’t understand.

We only stop our track when a loud siren comes filling the entire area. Everyone including us turns our heads towards the direction where it’s coming from. An ambulance is rushing fast on the roads, the red alarm continuous to spin making a louder sound that quickly fades away as it’s getting far.

We are all staring.

My companion suddenly pulls my hand, motioning me to go with her. We continue to walk. My mouth are pursed together tightly, I couldn’t ask questions nor even mutter a single word. I’m simply just following where she will bring me because for a moment it’s the only thing I can do.

“Let’s hurry.” I can’t see her face but I know she’s smiling. I can tell because of her sweet cheerful voice.

We continue to walk again until we reach a curve where there’s a tall tree. Behind the tall tree is a tall building. My companion stops when she notices I stop too. She looks at me but I still can’t see her face. The hoodie is covering it up. “Come on.” She says this in a most gentler and sweet voice ever. She gives my hand a warm squeeze. I shook my head, I wanted to say, “I’m tired” but not a word comes out of my mouth but despite this, I think she manages to understand.

“I’m sorry, just a little more. Okay?” her voice is enough to make me believe. I continue to walk again with her towards the building.

As we get closer, I finally have the chance to read the sign on the big white wall.

Springfield Medical Center.

We’re at a hospital.

She pulls something from the pockets of her hoodie and places it on my hand. It’s a facemask. “Wear this.”

I do what she says.

I feel my breaths getting heavier as soon as I put on the mask. The ambulance siren echoes again and I look to the right corner of the hospital where it says emergency room. My companion gently guides me towards it. Then suddenly I feel my wrist burning a little. I stop walking.

My companion looks at me. “It’s okay. Just a little more.”

She keeps on saying that, I’m starting to have doubts about whether should I follow her. She notices m face and I feel her smiling. “Trust me,” she whispers softly at me.

The paramedics are in a hustle, opening the ambulance door and pulling out a stretcher with someone laying on it covered in white blankets. I manage to take a glimpse. It’s a girl with pale lips and closed eyes. She seems to be sleeping. I notice the white sheets near where her hands, I assume, is lying.

They are red. My wrist starts to itch and burn again.

A crying lady comes out after. My companion and I just stand there watching them like some sort of movie. I want to move but my feet are frozen right on the spot.

“Save my daughter, please.” The lady’s crinkled face is completely wet from the tears.

She’s trying to reach the stretcher where the girl is peacefully laying, crying, and crying that I can’t help feeling sad for her.

“Oh Annie my darling, wake up please…mama’s here…Annie...”

My companion holds my hand tight again. “Let’s go.”

We follow the paramedics and the crying mother inside the emergency room. The smell of alcohol disinfectant attacks my nose. I couldn’t make sense of what’s happening but the girl was brought inside another room and the mother tried to go with her.

“Annie! Oh god, please… save her.”

I am still clutching my companion’s hand. But the itching starts to worsen as time goes by. We wait outside. I keep on looking at the woman, she doesn’t notice us.

My companion is quiet.

My throat is dry.

We are waiting.

And then the door opens. A doctor comes out wearing a mask similar to mine. We are standing in the corner, near where the mother is.

The doctor shook her head

The mother’s face turns white.

My companion looks down; I can feel her sadness tearing apart.

My wrist is burning painfully I let go of my companion’s hands. She turns to look at me, her face still covered in shadow.

“I’m sorry, Annie.” She whispers softly to me.

Companion’s POV

I HAD no choice.

The mother lost her consciousness upon hearing the dreaded news that her daughter is dead, hitting her head hard down on the floor. I turn to look at Annie beside me who’s already looking pale. She’s clutching her wrist and I know she’s in deep pain. I can feel it. I bite my lips and feel the urge to hug her so tight.

This shouldn’t happen. It's all my fault.

“Annie…” I try calling her. I feel her hands slipping away from my grip. And before I knew it, she loses her consciousness too.

I kneel down, about to hold her when a black feather floating, rests on my arm. I already know I’m in trouble.

“You shouldn’t be doing this.” A voice says behind me. It’s cold enough to make me feel chills all over. I feel all the hairs on my arm rising.

I ignore it and cup Annie’s face with my cold hands. I try to wake her up.

“You know the price.” I feel its presence getting close to me, behind my back.

“I’m willing to pay,” I say.

I’m willing to do everything to save Annie, even if it will cost me my life.

A black feather falls down again, this time landing on Annie’s pale cheek.

“You know the consequences.”

And with that, the black feathers disappear, leaving nothing but a trail of black smoke leaving me alone with Annie who is still lying in my arms. Her eyes are peacefully close

Those were the eyes that had cried a lot of tears. I know because I saw it.

I always do.

“We’ll make it right, I promise Annie. You’ll be okay.” I hold her hand and close it, then open it. A white feather is lying on her white palm.

I stare at it with an ache on my heart. “I promise, no matter what it costs.”