Until We Break (Formerly Wicked, Wild, Wonderful)

Original Edition: Chapter Fifteen

A C T  T W O

"What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?"

-Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give

THE SUN FELL FROM THE SKY UNCARINGLY. It seemed to do so all at once, lifeless and slow, similarly to Naomi Morgan herself as she was wheeled through the hallways of Riverside General Hospital. And just like the sun, Naomi left behind everything. The dusk of her hospital room contained crumpled pillows stained with her shattered dreams and a soaked floor where all her mournful musings spilt from her eyes and onto the crisp white tiles. So, it was fair to say that as she was now, folded into a creaking wheelchair, Naomi Morgan had nothing left; whether in her or of her. But nevertheless, the sun dipped an unapologetic farewell, the stars came out and Mr and Mrs Morgan exchanged whispers.

Naomi uttered nothing as she sat in the lobby area. Her parents engaged with Dr Gonzales as much as they could, probably to find out the cost of the quickest fix, but the conversation was long and unresolved. They didn't say much as they returned to her; she hadn't expected them to. She didn't need anyone to tell her that this was something she could not come back from. Mr Morgan's mouth adjusted itself as he took the reigns of Naomi's chair and pushed her toward the exit.

She wanted to tell him to let go but her jaw was locked shut and she couldn't quite squirm either because her spine was stiff as board. He was selfish for what he did to them, she knew, for disregarding all of them and lying and manipulating and faking and burning images into her head she could never throw away, in full print, colour and a bold time-stamp. Yet, she could not voice any of that. A whimper left her throat.

So it was that nothing had changed for the Morgan family as they quietly left the hospital building and quietly strolled into the parking lot. No one spoke or uttered condolences. William who was waiting by the car, leaning against the frame of their family SUV, was expressionless as well. He watched his sister's corpse park next to him in silence and exhaled with his shoulders as his parents readied the car.

They both were forced to watch the bustling Riverside traffic fake progress just beyond them where cars stayed still and streetlights flickered on. Naomi looked over at her brother. Her wheelchair had put them at the same height now. It was much easier to see his jaw work in his mouth and his eyes moisten. He was gripping the handle of her wheelchair too, all his features pointed and angled. William was usually quiet, but somehow this was different. As if he was quiet to keep something in rather than keep everyone out. The lights off the horizon bounced off his curly hair and as she looked at him, unwavering and unspoken, Naomi found herself wondering if her younger brother had just become a man before her very eyes.

The car came alive suddenly and Mr Morgan announced their departure. William and her mother helped guide Naomi into the back seat with as little discomfort as possible while Mr Morgan folded the wheelchair and packed it into the trunk. Once they had all gotten in, he reversed them out of the parking lot and then into the traffic.

Clouds slowly darkened into nothing as the sky changed. Naomi hadn't seen Jessica at all since the studio and she pondered if she only existed just to torture her then leave. Or maybe only to build her up before kicking the ladder away from under her feet. It was brutal how she came and left in the blink of an eye. In true Jessica Kingsley fashion. But it was impossible to think of Jessica without also thinking of The Riverside Dancing Academy, where Naomi Morgan did not have to be Naomi Morgan. In fact, she could leave Naomi Morgan at the doors of the dance studio and slip into skins of other sufferers. For hours, that was who she was and everyone loved that version of her. That person was tragic and beautiful.