“Open your eyes.”
Fuzzy. Heart beating. Ringing.
“Open your eyes.”
Fuzzy noise filled her ears, as if she were caught in a whirlwind storm. Her senses slowly collected the information around her in her awakening state. They were once only words, but now they were words with meaning.
“Open your eyes.”
She could hear her heart beating, could feel the blood pumping through her veins. She felt her life coarse through her like runaway electricity. It was there and it was real, but then it wasn’t. The fuzzy noise, the ringing, wasn’t real.
“Open your eyes.”
She opened her eyes. Blurred images greeted her, overwhelming her senses. The fuzziness was fading, but it still wasn’t real. The world was becoming clearer, her eyes blinking as the sunlight of the room shone down upon her.
If only she knew this wasn't real.
Her eyes adjusted. She tried to remember where she was. She knew only facts. She knew only what her body was experiencing. She knew that the world seemed hazy; clear, but hazy, as if a light fog had settled down over everything. It was hazy, but it was subtle. It was still bright, but then it wasn’t. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.
She knew that her heart was beating and that her life radiated through every pore and molecule of her body. She knew she was lying flat on her back, staring up at a ceiling. She knew that a mattress supported her from beneath and that a soft pillow cupped her head. She knew these things because they were fact, but they weren’t real.
She slowly turned her head to the left and immediately locked her eyes with the brightest and most beautiful color of blue anyone could ever witness. She knew that she should be shocked and that she should be scared, but she also expected this. She’d been waiting for this for so long. She’d asked for it night and day for what seemed like an eternity, and now here it was. Here he was.
“You’re here,” she whispered, tears immediately springing to her eyes. A small smile danced across his lips and that beautiful color of blue that mixed in his irises searched over her face sadly. He whispered softly, “I’m here.”
“Where have you been?” she asked quietly.
"Here," he responded.
The peace she had been yearning for crept up through her stomach and inched its way over her soul. She searched his face eagerly, an empowering happiness sweeping through her heart.
She’s waited for this moment since the day it happened.
His body lied there next to hers on that foreign mattress. He was so very close. She could see him. She could smell him. Not his cologne persay, but him. His very essence.
God, this couldn't be real.
She tried to move, to reach over and touch him to know that he was really there, but she was surprised to see that she could not. She tried lifting her arms but they lied against the bed like lead. She tried lifting her legs, but it was fruitless.
“You need to wake up,” he said tenderly. She stopped trying to move, not wanting to waste the time she had with him. This was just too good to be true.
She smiled at him, her voice was calm and overflowing with wonder, “I am awake.”
“Open your eyes Julia,” he stated gently. His eyes were a stunning blue. His eyes were sad. His eyes were full of love. “Open your eyes.”
“Open your eyes Julia,” a woman’s voice. Julia's body jerked, not expecting the harsh interruption.
“Wake up Julia,” the woman’s voice again. Julia jumped, her eyes clinching shut involuntarily. It was such a harsh sound and yet it was incredibly calm and soothing.
“Open your eyes,” it demanded gently.
The fuzziness was gone. The haziness was gone.
Julia’s eyes snapped open. Her heart lurched in her chest.
Nick was gone.
Panic and confusion pierced her. She searched the spot where he once lied and all at once pain came crashing down on her. Her head pounded. She could feel it pulsating behind her eyes. She felt restrained and paralyzed. Her arms screamed out in agony. Her lips were dry and chapped and her throat felt like she hadn’t taken a drink of water in days.
This was real.
“Where is he?” she croaked. The sunlight was still there, but the fog had gone.
“He’s not here,” the woman replied. Julia turned her head towards the voice, her arms and legs writhing involuntarily. She became suddenly, keenly aware that she was strapped down.
“He was here,” Julia stated, the panic echoing through the small, hollow room.
“He’s not here,” the woman repeated. Julia couldn’t see her, but she was there.
Julia felt like crying. She felt her heart bursting in her chest. Felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. But most of all, she felt fear.
Julia stopped struggling. She whispered, “Where am I?”
The woman appeared then, stepping up to the side of the bed, a chart in her arms. She smiled down at Julia, a look of sympathy clearly etched over her features. Her hand reached out to gently touch Julia’s and though it was meant to soothe her, it only scared her more.
Julia repeated again, though now more forcefully, “Where am I?”
The woman squeezed her hand tenderly, “You’re safe now.”
Story Notes:
'Imaginary' by Evanescence came on my iPod the other day and this idea just dawned on me and I was like huh, this would be a cool story. I told myself I wouldn't start more than one story at a time, but this has been nagging at me and it won't go away, so I had to start writing it. Check it out! I'm really excited about this. :)
