Question

@haleyelizabeth2017

Answer 1

Up in Flames
By Meadow Taylor

I screamed as a burning plank of wood fell on top of my legs. The extreme heat of the dancing flames came to be too overwhelming and I fainted just after the sound of sirens filled my ears. My mother and father were in the house, but I heard nothing of them.
When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a hospital bed surrounded by people. I was still very overwhelmed from everything so I drifted in and out of consciousness. The people never left. When I finally stayed awake for long enough, I examined them. I saw my crush, Ethan, and my other best friend, Emily, and both of their parents. They talked to each other quietly and Ethan glanced at me. He smiled weakly.
“Hey,” He greeted. “How are you feeling?”
“Overwhelmed,” I replied. “How long have a been here?”
“About a week.”
“A week?!” I tried to sit up, but I got lightheaded.
“Don’t worry,” Emily assured me. “Just relax.”
“What about you guys?”
“We’ve all been here the whole time,” Emily’s mother said with a smile. “I’m going to go get your surprise. I’ll be back.”
“Alright,” Emily said for me as her mother left the room.
“I really don’t need anything,” I protested. “Well, maybe except some water.”
Trust me,” Emily said with a grin as she handed me a bottle of water. “ You’ll love what we have for you.”
“Why don’t you get some rest?” Ethan suggested.
I closed my eyes and within a few seconds, I was asleep. I had nearly no energy, so I needed as much sleep as I could get. I awoke about five minutes later to something soft being rubbed across my face. I opened my eyes and saw my puppy, Rebel, rubbing his neck on my face and crying.
Rebel was my adorable little Dachshund-Chihuahua mix puppy. He was a golden tan color, which at that time looked almost black from the fire. He was only 6 months old and he had already barely made it out of a fire.
“Hey, Rebbie boy,” I greeted Rebel. I called him Rebbie for short. “Thank you so much guys!”
“You’re welcome. We knew you’d like that surprise,” Ethan said.
“Did my parents make it?” I wondered aloud.
“Well…Um…Not…” Everyone muttered and shifted around uncomfortably.
“They didn’t,” I said for them. “Did they?”
“Not exactly,” Ethan’s mom said. “We’re so sorry.”
I buried my face in my hands and sobbed. Rebel joined in with me. He hated seeing me upset. I eventually cried myself to sleep.
When I awoke, Rebel was asleep next to me on the hospital bed and everyone was upset. When they saw me looking at them, they quickly wiped away any tears and shot me very forced half-smiles.
“What now?” I asked them. “What’s wrong?” I looked at the doctor who lowered her head.
“We have done x-rays on you,” She began with a heavy sigh. “They show that you broke your legs and that you may never be able to walk by yourself again.”
My jaw dropped. I looked at my friends who had their heads down. Tears flooded my eyes and I screamed in agony.
“NO!” I yelled uncontrollably, contorting my face. “I’M NOT PARALYZED!”
I uncovered my legs. They were badly bruised and blackened. I tried as hard as I could to move them, but they wouldn’t budge. I pinched my arm.
“This isn’t real,” I tried telling myself. “This is just a really long, unbearable nightmare.”
Nothing happened. I took a deep breath and laid my head back. Emily and Ethan covered my legs again.
“Whatever did I do to deserve this?” I asked myself miserably.
The nurse walked in, half-smiling.
“You are free to go whenever,” She said to me, handing me a bag of pain relievers. “Take these whenever you feel you need to. There is a wheelchair just outside this room.”
“Thanks.”