My palm tingled, the flesh turning red from the impact. 

        "What is your problem?" I yelled, not bothering to keep my voice quiet. "You have ruined every moment of my life. Every single second."

        "Shut u-" 

        "Maybe you should shut up," I said, cutting Aunt Morrison off. 

        "April, watch your words. I swear if you yell at me again, I will-" Aunt Morrison began. 

        "You will what? Slap me? Leave me to die?" I panted. "I think you've already accomplished most of that."

        "Can you please quiet down? This isn't your house," a stern looking Asian nurse emerged from a room across the hall.  

        Taken aback by her rudeness, I mumbled a quiet 'sorry'.

        Aunt Morrison being the suck up she is, started buttering the nurse up. 

        "We're so sorry. My niece started throwing a tantrum. She has some psychological problems," Aunt Morrison said, her finger moving in a circular motion beside her head. 

        "Psychological problems"; these words set off a bomb within me, the timer ticking faster and faster with each insult my aunt muttered to the nurse about me.

        The nurse nodded and left, snapping at other poor souls in the hallway. 

        "Really? Psychological problems? Is that all you could come up with?" I asked, shaking my head in disbelief. 

        I felt Dr. Collins step up beside me, her hands on her hips.

        "Mrs. Chillman, I am really disappointed," Dr. Collins said. "I didn't expect you to treat your niece like this. Unbelievable."  

        I restrained myself from laughing at Aunt Morrison's horrified expression. Her worst nightmare had just presented itself in front of her. Her fake politeness was finally showing itself.

        "I-I... Uh, you see-"

        "I don't want to hear anything. You've already explained yourself enough," Dr. Collins whispered, nodding as a group of nurses walked past. 

        "Dr. Collins, leave it," I muttered, feeling a sudden surge of exhaustion and hopelessness. "She isn't worth your time."

        "April, are you okay?" Dr. Collins asked, no doubt noticing my change of emotions.  

        I just nodded, and peeked inside Mason's room. He had drifted off to sleep again. 

        He looked so tired, so weak. His eyes were surrounded by a sort of hollowness, dark bags resting under them. His hair hung over his forehead, despite the amount of times nurses tried to push it back. His hair was wild and stubborn, just like him. 

        I clenched my jaw against the sudden yearning to run my hand through his wild locks, to hold his hand and assure him he was going to be alright. My fingers itched to hold him. I wanted to hear him say my name, his voice granting my name a beautiful melody. 

        I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. 

        "Do you want to go inside and see him?" Dr. Collins asked. 

        I opened my mouth to say 'yes', but halted before I could utter anything. Turning around, I met Aunt Morrison's eyes, who shook her head, a warning. 

        Biting my tongue, I shook my own head, telling Dr. Collins that I didn't want to go in. I let myself lie, while my heart battled against my actions, fighting to go close to Mason. 

        Dr. Collins nodded her head, but I could see that she didn't quite believe me. 

        A heavy silence set over us, each one mulling over their complex thoughts. What has my life become? Just when I had hope for a better future, it all came crashing down. My current life was like a faulty firecracker. Just when I had lighted the cracker for a new beginning, it sparked to life for a few moments before sputtering out.  

        Suddenly, I heard Ivana's name from somewhere around me, and I zoned out of my thoughts. 

        It was Dr. Collins. She was talking on the phone. When she hung up a few minutes later, I asked, "Where's Ivana?"

        "She went home with her dad. She was too affected by Mason's condition," Dr. Collins replied. 

        "What about Mr. Buntley?" 

        "He's all right. Fortunately, there are no severe injuries. Just a broken wrist and a few bruises."

        I exhaled a sigh of relief. Ivana and Mr. Buntley were really close. It would completely break Ivana if something happened to him.  

        "Mrs. Chillman, thank you for your concern and time. You can leave for your home now. All has been settled," Dr. Collins said to Aunt Morrison, her voice stern. 

        "Oh, yes, of course. April can leave now, right?" Aunt Morrison asked, and without waiting for an answer, continued, "Let's go April."

        "Uh, if you don't mind, I'm going to take April to my house. I have a few doubts about her health, so I'd like to keep her under my supervision," Dr. Collins said. 

        For a few moments, Aunt Morrison stood still, her eyes darting between Dr. Collins and I.

        While Aunt Morrison was making her decision, I felt a sort of eagerness at the thought of staying at Mason's house. I'd finally be able to exit the torturous house I've been calling 'home' for so long. The best part is that I'd be able to see Mason, without Aunt Morrison or Courtney there to come between us.  

        Finally, sighing, Aunt Morrison muttered, "Fine. Feel free to take her. After all, we wouldn't want to disappoint you, Dr. Collins."

        Her sugary voice was back. the only reason Aunt Morrison agreed to this was to gain Dr. Collins' trust back. Some people never change, and that scares me. 

        "That's great. April, are you okay with this?"

        "Yeah," I replied, feeling a sense of security as I thought of the love the Collins have given me so far. 

        Suddenly, a nurse came rushing out of Mason's room, her eyes frantic. 

        "Doctor! Doctor! T-the patient!" the nurse stuttered as she gasped for air. 

        "What happened, Caitlin?" Dr. Collins questioned, trying to calm the young nurse. 

        "The patient. H-he's having trouble breathing," the nurse said, her hands waving wildly. "He keeps on mumbling something like 'Avil'. 'April', maybe?"

        My eyes widened, my heart rate rising to its max. Oh lord. Mason's in trouble. 

        "Oh god, Mason!" Dr. Collins whispered, and ran to Mason's room, the nurse calling the other nurses around her before following her inside. 

        Blinded by fear and worry, I took a few steps to follow the nurses inside, but before I could get to the door, ice-cold hands closed around my wrist, holding me back. 

        "Where do you think you're going? Don't you remember our deal?" Aunt Morrison hissed, this time careful to keep her voice to a whisper. 

        That silenced me, and I stood there, hopeless. My shoulders hunched, my body taking the form of a popped balloon. Slowly, the fight seeped out of me, they way air does out of a balloon when poked with a pin. I was tired of fighting against everyone. Why couldn't Aunt Morrison just understand me for once?

        Taking advantage of my state, Aunt Morrison added, "Oh, and don't you dare going close to Mason when you're in that house. I'll find out if you do."

        There goes my freedom. 

        Suddenly, the nurse, Caitlin, emerged out of the room, again. 

        "The patient is calling you. The doctor told me to call you inside," she said to me. 

        Before I could answer, Aunt Morrison took charge, "No. She isn't going anywhere."

        "But-"

        "I said no," Aunt Morrison said, cutting Caitlin off. 

        "Excuse me? My son is dying, and you're keeping her from going in there? He needs her!" Dr. Collins yelled, stepping out of the room. 

        Taken aback, Aunt Morrison stood still, her eyes widening. 

        I kept my eyes on Aunt Morrison, willing her to allow me to go. Mason needed me. I couldn't just back down. I could just let him die. 

        "Please let me go. Please," I whispered so that only Aunt Morrison could hear me. 

        We all awaited Aunt Morrison's answer, each second precious as Mason lay in there, fighting between life and death. 

        Oh god. If my shooting star had any hope of coming back, then this was the right time. 

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Author's Note:

Hello! Here is chapter 27!

I am finally back with an update. I took really long to update, and I'm really sorry about that. With assignments from school, it's hard to update frequently. Also, it is currently winter break. So, I decided to take a few days to relax. However, I will try my best to update as frequently as I can. 

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you thought of it in the comments. All of your support motivates me so much. 

Also, is it winter break where you live, too? Let me know in the comments. 

Thank you for reading, and have a great day! :) 

- Anika