Ugh, what happened?

I open my eyes to a bright light. My throat is dry, like I hadn't drank anything in a long time, and there's something down it.

A tube.

I barely remember a thing. I know I had surgery, and my head hurts, so I know that I had head surgery.

I move around, trying to scream. Nothing comes out as I want to cry. Where's mom, or dad? Hannah? Zane or Vylad? Where is everyone?!

"Garroth, you're awake. Calm down, I'm right here." My dad grabs my hand, which was desperate to be held.

I immediately calm down. My dad is here, I'm okay. I squeeze his hand so tight, it probably hurts him. But he doesn't say a word.

"I know that tube hurts, bud." It does, it does like crazy, "But it's helping you breathe. They're going to take it out soon."

But why do I need help breathing? And how soon? Like a few minutes soon, or a week soon? I wish I could ask dad about these things.

I release my hand from his grip and move it slowly to the bed. I look up at him, who looks at my hand curious. I start to "write" letters, though you can't see them. I move my hand carefully so he can see.

M-O-M

Is what is spell out. I wonder where she is. It's nice having dad here, but where's my mom?

"Ah." My dad nods, "She's at home with your brothers and some family, like grandma and grandpa. I'm sure she'll be here soon."

I try to nod, but my head hurts. Extremely bad. I take my hand, surrounded with cords and attached to tubes, to feel a bandage on the side of my head. It's soft, and I don't dare press on it.

"That's where they took the cancer out, bud." My dad explains as he takes my hand away from the bandage. I'm not supposed to touch the spot, apparently.

I start to "write" again.

A-L-L G-O-N-E?

I do add the question mark.

I look up to my father, a blue mask covering his face, shakes his head. He looks down at me, and up at all the machines.

"No, it's not completely gone." He explains, "They couldn't get all the bad cells out. You're going to need a special medicine to make it go away."

I nod and start to feel tired. Maybe the medicines? I don't know, all that I know is that I'm tired and I want to go to sleep.

"You can go to sleep, Garroth." Dad squeezes my hand and releases it.

I fall asleep, hoping to dream about something.

~•~

I look around, and I'm not in the hospital with a tube in my mouth.

Why?

The grass is green, the sky is bluer than blue, and the trees are swaying in the wind. I start to get scared, no one's here.

"Hello?" I call out. I'm only eight, I can't defend myself if something happens.

No answer.

I decide to walk around. The breeze feels good. I let my hand brush against the long grass, which makes my fingers itch.

The farther I walk, the prettier it gets. I notice the light blue flowers on the ground, and the wheat fields off in the distance, blocked by white picket fences. It's beautiful.

And then everything starts to change.

Everything starts to turn ugly black and brown colors, not the pretty colors like I saw before. The sky is no longer blue, it's black with blood-red clouds. I tense up, not knowing what to do.

The clouds make red rain fall. It burns a lot. One or two drops get in my throat, making it feel like my throat is melting.

Where is everyone?

"Hello? Please!" I call out as I shrink to the ground, engulfed by the now black grass.

I open my eyes to have soaking wet cheeks.

I was crying? I don't cry during dreams.

Both mom and dad are standing over me, masks covering their faces. Dad's fingers feel cold against my hand, and mom's fingers are warm against my face.

"Garroth! Are you okay?" My mom asks, extremely concerned. I struggle for breath, odd because I still have the tube in my mouth.

I cry more, wanting just to be held and told it will be okay. They can't do that, they can't hold me. They can tell me it will be okay, though. But that's not the same.

"Shh, you're okay, everything's okay." Mom says as she grabs my hand and brushes her hand on my face. There we go, some comfort.

Was everything that was happening in that dream cancer? Was the black and the red and the brown all what'll happen to me?

I can't cry harder, mostly because I don't want to. But some because I can't cry any harder. Cancer is scary.

And it's a new reality, a reality of your beauty turning into ugliness.

••••••••
Hey guys! The qod is:
Do you think O'khasis will ask for help from Phoenix Drop or not?
Thanks for reading! Bai!
••••••••