Unfrozen

Two beginnings, one ending

Laughing, talking, joking. Four girls, all drunk, were returning from a party at one of the popular kids' house. It was dark and cold, the road was small and dark, since there weren't any street lights and the full moon was half covered by the clouds. If you ever dreamt of a superpower, that moment and that place was where you'd have it - where you would be invisible.
Laughing, talking and joking, foolishly careless, four girls walked through the road. Drunk and euphoric, one of them tripped.
"Gettt up, bish! Hurry up!" other girl shouted and laughed at her friend, who struggled to stand up.
"A up..." struggling girl murmured..
That's when it happened. As the girl stood up and proceeded to walk towards her friends, they heard loud honk. Before the girl could react, despite the drivers efforts, despite the girl's friends' shouting, the bus hit her. This night has ended tragically.

Few weeks later the girl's family and friends gathered to say their final goodbyes.

***

I can't see. I can't hear. It feels like I am drowning. White. White everything, white everywhere. Sterile, pure, unnatural white. The bright light, reflected by the walls, by the clothes, by the faces, by the everything, blinds me and everything is blurry. I can't see. I hear voices, but I cannot understand what they are saying. Are they saying anything? I don't know, I don't know anything, I can't remember what happened, I don't know what is happening now.
And then I feel a stinging pain.
I get injected?
What is it, I wonder?
And then, everything goes black.

***

I woke up and the first thing I saw was the white colour again. But not the blurry patch, like earlier. I clearly saw a white ceiling with a lamp in the centre. I felt something like a mask used for narcosis on my face. Was I in a hospital? Why? My mind was very clouded, I couldn't remember what happened, and on top of that I had a huge headache. I tried to sit up but it was hard to find the strength. I felt like I was tied to the bed with weights so I wouldn't move, my muscles were hurting from even slightest attempt to change my position, it was like I haven't used them in years. Am I paralysed? a terrifying thought appeared in my mind as I attempted to look around. Everything was so unnaturally white, but outside of that it seemed like it was completely normal hospital. I couldn't, however, remember what the hell has happened? Did I have an accident and I am an amnesiac now? Did I become paralysed? No, I still feel my body. I think... What year is it? My memories were just scraps floating around in my mind, like debris from a house destroyed by a tornado. Faces of people, their voices... Nothing fit together. Suddenly the door opened and I was greeted by a creepy man with a perfect smile.
"Hiya, Ellie. What's up, pal?" He asked. It felt weird. Unnatural. And who the hell asks questions like these in a hospital? That guy sounded like a dad who tries to be cool, but fails at it.
"The ceiling" I tried to say sarcastically, but I couldn't open my mouth. I couldn't move a muscle. It hurt.
"Peculiar." the doctor (who else could he be?) said. He took out a syringe with a light blue liquid inside of it and injected it in my neck. I felt a shiver go down my spine. Few moments later, the weight slightly lifted from me. The doctor took off my mask and asked again, just in less dad-ish way.
"How are you feeling, Ellie?"
"Am I paralysed?, tell me I'm not paralysed? What happened?" I felt desperate for answers, I was confused and scared. I felt like an animal that was abandoned by its mum.
"No, Ellie, you are not. Your muscles just weren't used for a long time. It's one of known side effects of earlier cryogenic freezing techniques" he answered calmly, still smiling unnaturally. Wait, what?, I thought, cryogenic freezing? "After some rehabilitation and treatment, you should be able to move normally."
"What?!?" I asked, feeling like in some kind of a science fiction movie. At the same time it all started to come back to me. The faces of my family, their names, my memories. And that last night.
***
I wasn't the kind of person who gets drunk during a party at some kid's house. I wasn't the kind to party at all. Nearly whole my school life I was the nerd and the looser. Until that one fateful Halloween night.
This year, I moved to London, so I could go to a good college with my childhood friend, Sarah, who was almost complete opposite of me. Outgoing, popular, loved make up and nice clothes, loved to party, but was still a good student and loved science fiction like me. We basically grew up watching Doctor Who, Star Trek and Star Wars together. If there is something she hated about me, it would be the fact, that I always refused to socialise. She'd always pester me about going out somewhere, about going to Tess's party etc. I finally gave in one week before Halloween. Me, Sarah and her two other BFFs went to someone's party together. I won't lie, I had fun, I even regretted not going to parties before. I've wasted so much of my life!, I thought that night. The music was loud and so not my style. Yet, I still had fun. For the first time I kissed a guy, for the first time I tasted alcohol. And I got drunk, I was completely smashed. So was Sarah and her, no, our friends, when we finally left the party. We were messing around on the dark street. We got too careless.

***

After the accident I was rushed to the hospital. I was in critical condition and on top of that, my body had been intoxicated by alcohol. My family has been told, that I died even after the efforts of doctors, while in reality, I have been frozen in hope that future medicine can save me. Future. That one fascination, fuelled by TV shows. I was there. But I couldn't find a shred of enthusiasm, I wanted to know what year was it. How much time did I spend in a freezer? I wanted to know, yet I realised that the answer would terrify me. Despite knowing that everyone I ever cared about was probably already dead or incredibly old, I wanted to know.

And then the Creepy Doctor told me.
"One hundred years" he said.
It was 2117.
I was 116 years old.
"You truly are blessed" the doctor added.
I felt my whole world crushing down.
I felt the desperation take control over me. I experienced multitude of different emotions to the extremes I never expected to know. I knew nothing would be the same, but to hear it directly... My family, my friends, my dreams, my ambitions, my weaknesses and fears, my everything was long gone. But I wasn't. Why couldn't they let me die? What is the point? I asked myself. What is the point of keeping me alive if everyone and everything I ever cared for was gone? Why would I want to keep existing, if I didn't have anything to live for? I wanted it to be a bad dream. I wanted to wake up, to see my family again, to argue with my brother. I wanted to go to another party with Sarah, I wanted to watch TV and whine about how our TV shows used to be better X seasons ago. I wanted to pass another test and play truants in the library reading a book. I wanted to experience all of these small and trivial things again.

My first moments in 22nd century were just a rollercoaster of panic, confusion and despair. But in the end... I was truly blessed to get this another chance at life.