Out of Time Page 10

  “Here are the completed forms.” Mrs. Midleton told the woman, handing the board over. The woman nodded and scanned through, making sure she didn’t miss anything.

  “I’ll get these put into the computer and a nurse will be with you shortly.” the receptionist said.

  As Sasha’s mom walked back, Sasha caught her eye. “Can I see your cell phone?”

  “Why?” her mother asked, puzzled.

  “I’d like to call Mandy and let her know I’m okay.” Sasha said honestly. Her mother took out the phone and pressed the button to enter the home screen. Her eyes widened as she looked at the time displayed at the top.

  “A bit late, don’t you think?”

  “I know, but I think it’s important.” Sasha begged. Her mother relented, handing her over the cell. “Thanks.” Sasha punched in the numbers, pressed the call button, and waited for an answer.

  “Hello?” a groggy voice on the other line responded. Sasha smiled widely. Mandy.

  “Hey Mandy.”

  In an instant, Mandy was yelling with excitement. “You’re alive! Where the hell have you been?”

  “Long story I guess.” Sasha told her solemnly.

  “Why are you on your mom’s cell phone? I know that’s her number.” Many asked. Sasha usually took the house phone because her mom was pretty strict about personal calls on a line she used for business.

  “I’m in the hospital.” Sasha said, and before she could tell Mandy to not freak out, she started doing so.

  “Are you all right? I can go wake up my parents and ask them to drive me over to you. Granted, they probably woke up with the phone ringing anyway.” Mandy told her. It sounded as though Mandy was looking for clothes in her dresser and Sasha tried to dismiss her.

  “No, don’t worry about it. I don’t think there is anything wrong with me. The police officer that found me told my mom to take me here. It’s just precautionary and I feel fine.” Sasha tried to reassure Mandy.

  “You do?” Mandy asked skeptically.

  “Yea. Absolutely fine. Wonderful, even.” Sasha said with a giggle. She heard a sigh on the other line, and it sounded like the sigh of relief.

  “Okay. Call me in the morning I guess. You aren’t going to school tomorrow, are you?”

  “I don’t know.” Sasha said, putting the phone down. She bent over to her side and whispered to her mother, “Am I going to go to school tomorrow?”

  “Honey, you’ve already missed two weeks.” Mrs. Midleton said with a smile. “I don’t see what one more day is going to do. Besides, you need your sleep.”

  Sasha picked the phone back up and replied to Mandy, “Mom says no.”

  “Well if you don’t mind, as much as I miss you, I’d like to get back to my dream.” Mandy told her. That usually meant Mandy was having a very lucid dream that was very juicy and full of adventure. Mandy had a habit of writing her dreams down, hoping to make stories later from them.

  “It’s okay Mandy. I know it’s late.” Sasha said calmly.

  “Thanks.” Many replied. They both ended with a quick goodbye and Sasha hung up the cell, handing it over to her mother to put on silent before sticking it back in her purse.

  “Sasha Midleton?” a woman stood in front of them with a clipboard. She was normal height with brown hair and glistening brown eyes. She was in the typical nurse scrubs, but she had a white lab coat over top of them.

  “I’m here.” Sasha said, addressing the woman. She smiled and nodded.

  “Hello Sasha. My name is Joy. Come on back.”

  CHAPTER 23

  The next day Sasha woke up feeling fully rested. She squirmed happily in her bed as she stretched underneath the warm comforter. After getting out of bed and getting dressed, she exited her bedroom and made her way to the kitchen. The sound of her mother cleaning dishes greeted her as she entered.

  “Hey Mom.” Sasha said with a smile.

  “Hi honey.” her mother said with a turn of her head, smiling back. “How are you feeling? You’ve been sleeping for a long time.”

  Sasha glanced at the clock on the stove. It read 11:52 AM. She’d been asleep for nearly twelve hours. She responded, half-surprised, “Yea I know. I can’t believe I slept in that long.”

  “We didn’t get home until close to one in the morning. I wasn’t surprised. I’ve only been up for a couple of hours myself. I told the office I needed to work from home today. I suppose that’s where being a real estate agent comes in handy.”

  “You can go in now, I’ll be fine.” Sasha said to her mom, who waved her off.

  “No, it’s all right. I don’t have any showings scheduled for today anyway.”

  “Do you want to do something, together?” Sasha asked. After experiencing life without her mother for years, she wanted to take advantage of every opportunity she had with her mother.

  “What did you have in mind?” Mrs. Midleton asked, eyebrows peaked in interest.

  “A movie maybe? Or we could play cards.” Sasha offered.

  “We haven’t played cards in a while. It’s not the same since your dad died.” her mom said solemnly.

  “I know.” Sasha sighed. “I miss him. I’ve been thinking about him lately.”

  “You have?” her mother wondered.

  “I know we don’t talk about him much anymore. It’s too painful. I was thinking about the driver that ran into him. The drunken man the witness saw flee the scene. I wonder if they could ever find him in the future.” Sasha told her.

  Her mother shook her head. “I don’t know dear. They didn’t have the traffic cameras there back then.”

  “Wouldn’t it be nice to go back in time and stop it?” Sasha asked, not even realizing what she was saying until the thought left her lips.

  “It’s not possible sweetie.” her mother soothed.

  “If you could?” Sasha wondered, as if it was a possible alternative.

  “Everything happens for a reason.” her mother answered. “It was your dad’s time. He’s in a better place now.”

  “I know. But —.” Sasha started. Her mother was going to kill herself. That didn’t mean it was her time to die. Self-inflicted death couldn’t be done for any good reason. People did care even if they didn’t always show it. Ending your own life doesn’t solve anything.

  “Cards.” her mother demanded, cutting in. “Are you going to get them? I have some in the cabinet drawer.”

  “Yea all right.” Sasha said, knowing her mother was dismissing the conversation. Maybe it was because she was thinking about the same thing. What she might have done if Sasha hadn’t returned. At any rate, it was good to think about a possible mistake in your future. Correct that mistake so you never end up making it.

  Sasha walked over to their china cabinet and pulled a drawer open. Mixed in with a container of Uno and another card game she’d long forgotten the name of, she pulled out a deck of standard cards and walked back to her mother who had sat down at their kitchen table. Sasha offered to shuffle.

  “What are we going to play?” her mother asked. Sasha took a moment to think.

  “Gin is always a good choice.”

  “Sure.” Mrs. Midleton said as Sasha removed the jokers and deftly flicked her fingers through the deck to shuffle.

  As she handed out the cards, Sasha said, “It’s nice to be back.”

  “I still don’t know what is going on with you. Maybe the test results will give us answers.”

  “Maybe.” Sasha said, hoping she was wrong.

  CHAPTER 24

  “Hey Sasha! Wait up!” Sasha twirled around on the gravel sidewalk of the school, after walking towards her home. Simon was running towards her and yelling.

  “Waiting...” Sasha said with a cheeky grin, tapping her foot and crossing her arms. As he caught up to her he took the chance to catch his breath.

  “Did they find out what happened to you?” he wheezed out. Sasha was so busy getting back into the rythym of school and catching up with teachers regarding projects she wa
s sorely behind on that she hadn’t had any time to see and socialize with her friends.

  “The test results should be in today. Mom will let me know when I get home.” she told him.

  “Can I walk you home?” he asked. Sasha thought he might have felt guilty about the whole situation since the door-in-attic activity was his idea.

  “Yea, I guess.” she told him. He’d never offered to walk her home before. Her stomach did a somersault. Was this the right time? Should she say anything?

  “Hey, are you okay?” he asked and she realized he had stopped in front of her.

  “Are you?” Sasha replied, grinding to a halt. The corner of one side of Simon’s mouth upturned.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  Sasha sighed deeply. Here goes nothing. “A little bird told me you had a crush on me.”

  “Uh...” he stammered, taken completely off guard.

  “You don’t?” Sasha asked, her stomach flipping even more. This was not how she expected the conversation to start and she sure didn’t want it to end badly.

  “Well...I...” Simon continued to stutter and his face started to redden.

  “See, here’s the thing.” Sasha started, trying to explain as easily as she could. “While I was gone I realized...um yea. I remembered you. I remembered I really liked you. A lot more than I thought I did or could.”

  “Okay?” Simon asked, wondering if that was the end of it.

  “Anyway, I’m not going to delay what could be a really good thing between us. A great thing, even. So you want to go out?” Sasha asked nervously. She suddenly felt awash in adrenaline and the little voice in the back of her mind that assured her she was doing the right thing by letting it all out just now.

  “Are you serious?” Simon wondered, his jaw dropping.

  “Totally.” Sasha stated. They continued their walk to her house.

  “You didn’t hit your head? Super hard?”

  “Nope.” Sasha said, breaking into a fit of giggles that released her tension.

  “This is really weird. I have no clue how you found out because I haven’t told anyone. I’ve been actually kind of intimidated by you. That’s why I hang out a bit more with Mandy and Kendra — although Kendra can be deadly dull at times.” Simon scratched his head. “Who was this little bird?”

  “It’s a long story. Well, more like a short story that spanned over a long time.” Sasha told him.

  “You aren’t making much sense.”

  “I know.” Sasha said, adjusting her backpack which had started to slide off her shoulder. “I’m kind of being vague on purpose. So was that a yes?”

  “You know, it’s typically the guy’s job to ask the girl out.” Simon said with a smile.

  “I know. I’m not very traditional aren’t I?” Sasha fluttered her eyelashes.

  Simon chuckled. “Or predictable. That’s for sure.”

  “The way I like it.”

  “So you are ‘catching up’ from what we missed?” he wondered. She nodded.

  “You wouldn’t believe how much I learned since I have been gone. This is quite...elementary really.”

  “Yea I noticed how fast you were writing in our calculus class. I thought you were horrible at math. Maybe the test results will show that you’re a genius or something.”

  “Wouldn’t that be cool?” Sasha wondered aloud.

  “Not if you don’t graduate at the same time as me. Who knows, you might be able to get into some prestigious school on a full ride.” he told her, looking down at the ground.

  “You know, the calc papers haven’t been graded yet. I could just totally suck at math.” Sasha smiled and he looked up.

  “You haven’t ever been that bad.”

  “My first year I slept through most of the class!” she announced. Truthfully, she had better grades in math that year than any following year.

  “Yea, but that was geometry. It’s super easy. Calc? Not so much.” Simon told her. She waved him off.

  “Right, I know. So...is that a yes?” she asked again. He paused, wondering what she was referring to.

  “Oh. I never did answer the question, did I?”

  “Why do you think I’m bringing it back up?” she asked him slyly.

  “Yes. That’s a yes.” he smiled, taking her hand in his. He brought it up to his lips and kissed it, bringing a sensation of completeness over her.

  “Sweet.” she said to him. She removed her hand from his momentarily and he looked puzzled, but she needed that hand. She took his face with both of hers and planted her soft lips on his. He almost stumbled back in surprise, but held himself, reaching up to cradle her face with his and she relaxed, hands ebbing down to rest on the back of his belt. It was like lightning, the chemistry they had. It was as though sparks of energy were rushing through them. As if they were meant to be together, forever.

  “Whoa.” he said, breaking apart after a period of time had passed. Sasha hadn’t any idea how long they had been kissing. She hadn’t even thought to look around to see if anyone else was around. She felt so utterly at peace.

  “Whoa is right.”

  “I didn’t expect you to do that.” Simon said, breathless.

  “I’m fulfilling my promise.” she smiled lightly at him, retrieving his hand. He clasped hers tightly as if he never wanted her to leave his side.

  “To whom?” he wondered.

  “To you. Um...indirectly.” Sasha muttered.

  “We’re here.” Simon said, stopping in front of her house. Sasha looked up and blushed.

  “Yea. I hope my mom didn’t see that. Being the only child and all, she might freak a bit. I’ve never had a boyfriend before.” Sasha said, trying to peek in the windows and see if she could make out her mother’s figure.

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll head out.” Simon said nervously. Sasha watched as he started to creep away.

  “That’s fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.” she told him. Meeting her mother as an official couple was something he didn’t plan on. Sasha could tell by the look on his face. He looked slightly terrified as he told her goodnight. “You are so new at this.”

  “Yea.” Simon said, shrugging. She knew he’d never had a girlfriend. They’d grown up together for the most part. Sure, girls hung around him. None ever seemed to catch his eye.

  Trust me, you’ll improve. she thought to herself as he waved and walked away from her. She breathed a happy sigh as she headed up the walk to the front door. Her mom was there to greet her and she gulped. Not now.

  “I heard from the doctor. They have your test results back.” her mother told her.

  “And?”

  “Apparently there is some kind of increased activity in some part of your brain. I couldn’t begin to try and tell you what it’s called. I’m not good at pronouncing or remembering those medical words.” Mrs. Midleton said. She looked at her daughter with a worried frown and creased forehead. “They’ve never seen anything like it before and they don’t know what to make of it. The doctor said he’s going to have some other people look at it, but he thinks it’s going to be in the pile of unknown cases. Maybe when the technology is better they’ll find out what it is.”

  “So nothing ‘bad’, right?” Sasha wondered.

  “Nope. You’re fine I guess. It’s not like you have a tumor or anything.” her mother told her, her voice calming.

  “That’s reassuring.” Sasha chuckled lightly. Her mother shut the door and walked inside, putting the phone that was lying on the table back on its holder.

  “Was that Simon I saw for a second outside?”

  “Yea, he walked me home.” Sasha said with a smile.

  “That was nice of him.” her mom commented as Sasha headed into the kitchen.

  “By the way, he’s my boyfriend now.” Sasha said, opening the door to the fridge. She scanned over the contents to see if anything looked appetizing for a snack.

  “Now?” her mother asked from the corner of the kitchen.

  “Yea.
” Sasha responded, picking out an apple from the vegetable bin. “Today. I thought you’d like to know.” She bit into the apple as she closed the fridge door. “Hey, do you know anything about the history of the town? I’m researching a family by the name of Everidge.”

  “The name of the school?” her mother wondered and Sasha nodded. “There was a family who sold their property and land to build the school.”

  “Really?” Sasha asked after swallowing a hearty chunk of apple.

  “You hadn’t noticed the plaque in front of the school?” her mother asked, opening the fridge herself and taking out a beer. She went over to one of the kitchen drawers to grab an opener to flip the cap off.

  “No, why?” Sasha inquired. Her mom took a sip of the newly opened beer.

  “It was in memory of their son Mankus. They left him alone to go to the market and when they came home he was gone. It was such a sad story. I’m glad ours didn’t turn out like that. You’re safe and home.”

  “What happened to the house?”

  “Well, actually it sat on a large hill. They moved most of the house farther away because of its historical value, but some portions were left and demolished. Then they flattened out much of the hill and that’s what they set the school on.” her mother explained, taking a few more gulps. Sasha leaned against the counter.

  “So, like, the attic in the top of the school is their front door or something?” Sasha wondered.

  “Where it used to be, I guess.” her mom said as Sasha finished off the apple and threw the core in the trash can.

  “Weird.” Sasha said, shaking her head. It might not be the actual door, but it could be some kind of paranormal connection with what was there.

  “Why do you say that?” her mother asked her.

  “Have you ever heard about the school being haunted?” Sasha asked her mom.

  “Occasionally.” her mother said with a nod. “I hear rumors, but that’s all. It’s not as though they have sent paranormal investigators out there. It’s still a school. There would be security issues.”

  “Do you know where I can find more about the history?” Sasha wondered. Her mother being a real estate agent had its perks. Perhaps she’d be able to help her uncover the secrets in the school.