The Ascension of Laney: Chapters 1-5

five

Kass

Laney and I get to the Burger Bar and it's packed. We have to wait in awkward silence for twenty minutes to be seated. I've been trying to figure out all day what I'm going to tell her about why I disappeared. She's probably going to flip out because even if I can explain why I left and didn't return, I can't explain why my parents suddenly disappeared. I have no idea what even happened to them and I can't ask. That would lead to the Archs being skeptical and probably another memory sweep. I'm not willing to lose Laney in any way again. I refuse to process what that will mean for me and my life as I know it.

Laney and I put in our drink orders. She orders a margarita on the rocks and nearly downs it as soon as it appears on the table. So far, I've only made small talk and I can tell she's getting angry. As soon as we order our food, I know my time is up.

"Kass, I came here for an explanation. So far, I haven't gotten one."

"I know, I'm sorry." I pause and look at her. She's beautiful. Her auburn hair falls in waves over her shoulders. She has light makeup on but I've seen her without and she's just as beautiful. I take her in like this will be the last time I see her. Miguel has been in meetings with the Archs all week and I'm really hoping they haven't been picking up on my feelings. I'd be reassigned in a heartbeat and I don't want that. She's beginning to look impatient and I sigh before telling her, "I was in a coma." She looks confused now. "Let me start from the beginning."

"That night was the best night I can remember. It took a while to come back to me, but I'm so glad it did. After I left you at your doorstep that night, I drove around. I wasn't ready to go home, I was too wound up, so I started heading toward the lake. I don't remember if I was planning to stop there or if I was just driving aimlessly. I got to the bridge, the one that barely fits two cars..."

She nods, "I know the one."

"Well, there was a truck on the other side. It was obviously speeding, and I tried to slow down enough to pull off before the bridge, but I was too close already. He slammed right into the front of my car." I don't tell her the impact sent my car over the edge and into the lake. I don't tell her I swallowed too much water trying to get out of the cab of the truck. I don't tell her the driver kept going after my car had sunk completely under the water, as if nothing had happened. I don't tell her any of that because surviving an accident that extreme doesn't make sense. "The driver didn't stop. I don't know how, but he got past me. Shortly after, I blacked out."

"Oh my God."

"I woke up a year later from a coma. I couldn't remember most of my life."

"You had amnesia?" She sounds slightly skeptical now.

"Yes."

"Why were your parents gone the next morning? Completely packed and moved? There was nothing left in your house, Kass. How did they move that quickly?"

How the hell do I explain that? If I even had an inkling of what happened to them or where they ended up, I could maybe formulate something but I have no clue. Apparently, I've taken too long to answer because Laney is grabbing her purse and beginning to slide out of the booth.

"You know what, Kass? It's a good story, but too bad it's not true. Why couldn't you have just left me alone? I was so much better before you pranced back into my life." I flinch, but she either doesn't notice or is too angry to care. She starts to turn and I grab her arm gently but tight enough to ensure she's not getting away.

"Laney, I can't explain how the house was packed and how my parents moved so fast. Maybe they hired someone but the hospital transferred me out of state pretty quickly and my parents were supposedly by my side as often as possible while I was out." Not true; the Archs probably wiped their memory of me. I haven't seen them or heard anything about them since before the accident that claimed my human existence.