“Elizabeth, sit while you eat!” Mrs. Baker yelled.

“Yea, yea”, I said amidst my chewing and shuffled to the seat with slices of bread in my mouth and my shoes in my hand.

I placed the shoes on the floor and with my feet in, I began to tie the laces.

“You”, John started, “Are you really Elizabeth?”

“Hmm?” I looked up from tying my shoe laces. I was a bit careless and crumbs fell off the bread and onto the floor.

“Ah!” He screamed, “Crumbs! On the floor!”

I silently gauged him for a while.

“Clean freak”, I grumbled and stuffed the rest in my mouth walking towards my backpack. Picking it up, I turned around, “Bye Valerie, Will.” And with a mischievous smile, “bye dear brother John”.

Happily, I walked out the door to behold what this ‘school’ was going to be like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John Baker stared at the door still looking at the after image of his supposed little sister. She was so innocent, gentle…. But now it was like an entirely different person. Sure this personality was more outgoing, open and truthful----a bit too truthful sometimes, but she was the total opposite of herself a year ago making it difficult for him to adapt.

Last summer she had tripped and fell off the stairs and hit the ground head first. He had heard the sound of her body hitting the ground.

It was more of a ‘crack’ than a ‘thud’.

He was baffled…no, he froze at the amount of blood seeping out of her head and fortunately recalled himself in time,calling an ambulance, dialing his parent thereafter.

When they arrived, Elizabeth was already having an operation.

His mother was bawling outside the room and his father was trying his best to console her. Margaret who was just 4 years old wouldn’t stop asking ‘when is Lizzy coming out to play?’ He put on a painful smile and told her ‘soon enough’.

But when the doctor came out of the operating room, her face held no emotion. His mother beckoned with her eyes and after a few seconds which seemed like a century, the woman spoke.

“She’ll last a few hours”, she said a turned away slightly.

It was as though John had lost his voice. His baby sister, the one who always told him to stop dotting on her so much…. Was about to die?! That made absolutely no sense. She was the one who would throw his favorite shoes in the garbage if they ‘defiled the air’. There was just no way….

Nurses led them towards the still breathing Elizabeth. The doctor stood at the entrance and pointed to the bed. The family walked ahead and peered into the face of their daughter, sister, family and friend.

She had no expression on her face. Was just breathing, slowly breathing. There were no words. The only sound was the beeping of the heart monitor and rustling of clothes.

John raised his face to look at the device and watched as the numbers went down.

“No….” came a voice. He looked at his mother. Her face was pain stricken.

“No…” she said a bit louder this time.

John bowed his head so as to see no more. Then he glanced at the doors where his baby sister stood; held by a nurse and promised to protect her and dote on her.

That he would be a better brother.

If he was more attentive this would never had happened.

So many ifs ran through his mind and for the first time since he was 5 years old, a tear drop slid down his nose dampening his slightly cracked lips.

Sniff.

John held back the wails. He would have to comfort his mother when his father gave in.

The beeping became louder. And louder. And louder.

John waited for the final call.

Beeeee------

Suddenly, the body began to shake exceedingly. It wobbled like a fish.

“W-What is going on?!” His father demanded turning swiftly to the doctor.

But the look on the doctor’s face shows disbelief and surprise as she walked closer.

It was then John decided to look at the heart monitor.

THE NUMBERS WERE GOING UP.

“Wha—”, he started the looked from the body to the numbers. Still disbelieving, he looked from body to numbers again.

“She’s alive….?” He said, half shouting.

“Huh?” the dumbfounded doctor traced John’s eyes and was shocked at what she saw.

The patient was not dying.

His mother soon followed suit, “Wha--, Dr. Harman?! She’s—she’s alive?! She’s going to live?”

The doctor was silent.

Then a brief nod of the head.

And Mrs. Baker fainted.

%%%%%

Every day, John would make out time to see his sister. He had already turned 25 in May and it was towards the end of June. Elizabeth was injured in January so she had missed half the school year.

The school was willing to compromise as far as she got a passing grade on her finals and woke up before the next school year.

But that was the problem.

Elizabeth was not getting up.

“How is she?” a sweet and deep voice said.

John turned to see the busted masculine figure that was a friend of his sister. “Oh, Maddie”. Having heard her voice so many times, John wondered why he couldn’t recognize it when he heard it.

“As still as could be”, John then said softly.

A moment of silence passed then Maddie sighed, “Of all things to fall off the stairs. I knew she was clumsy but not to this extent”

John smiled, “Yea…”

“Her boyfriend is coming soon. He might sicken you with his talk so I suggest you leave”, Maddie said.

“Ok, will do so in a few more minutes” John chuckled. Maddie turned around to leave and whispered something to herself but John heard it.

“Please wake up”

He let out a small smile and poked her cheeks, “I agree”

%%%%%%

On July 2nd, the hospital called saying that Elizabeth moved. The news traveled so fast that before the rest of his family could get there, John, Maddie and his dad were there. Even Lilian.

They all stood at the door for some reason know to neither of them.

There was a bit of rustling and Elizabeth sat up.

She made a few sounds. Then let out a high pitched scream. She was breathing heavily and shivering.

‘Shivering?’ John thought. The room was not cold in the slightest.

Then she stood up with hardly any difficulty.

‘For someone who’s been on a bed that long, wow’ was what James thought.

He was about to speak when Elizabeth started running towards them.

He would have thought she was running into his arms if not for the frightened look on her face.

No… it was a mix of anger and fear.

Slosh

He looked down to see water in front of him and Elizabeth’s feet in it. Someone spilled water in a patient’s room.

He was about to face palm when Elizabeth dropped to her knees and muttered something incomprehensible then “Get me out of here!”

The voice that delivered the order was crisp, threatening and demanding.

Before he could do a thing, his father grabbed Elizabeth and pinned her to the bed.

She was struggling to get up and his father glanced at him. John quickly walked over to help and as though they finally regained their whereabouts the rest moved towards the bed.

She suddenly stopped struggling. John and his father let go.

Abruptly she sat up. They were about to pin her again but all she did was feel the bed. She felt it slowly then vigorously. John looked at her. ‘Her eyes are closed? Why?’, he thought curiously.

“Elizabeth” he called softly.

She seemed shocked and turned towards him waiting for something. He thought that was weird so he called again.

“Elizabeth”

This time her brows raised and she opened her mouth.

“Beth”

‘Beth?’ John thought, ‘she shortened her name even when she always complains when we do it? No… instead of that it seemed like she said ‘Beth?’ Not ‘Beth’.’

He prepared himself to call her again.

“Elizabeth??!” his father roared jolting everyone including Elizabeth herself.

She swirled her head furiously but her eyes were still closed. Then with a thump lay down.

Then finally she opened her eyes. Just for a second though because she closed it immediately after. Only slowly opening them after a moment.

“Huh?” came the small voice.

John smiled lovingly. She was back. His angel, was back.

As he watched her ask questions he realized she has encountered memory loss. ‘Probably from being so close to death’ he deduced.

All the time, he kept a straight face while thinking of ways to spoil her all over again.

%%%%%

It’s a good thing life is unpredictable right?

John was now torn between calling her a devil’s incarnate or an absolute lump of joy.

Some of her actions were downright annoying but the rest were indirectly or directly sweet. He clumsily let a gentle smile creep into his face.

Valerie Baker smiled too and wondered what her son was thinking about as he made about 20 different faces. She just chuckled and flipped the eggs in the pan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stared at the huge building and the people walking around. They all wore what I wore with slight variations and modifications. I did have a concept of school but the school I thought off although vague was definitely not like this.

'This school is indeed very pretty'