Chapter 15
Awaken
As the sun was beating down, Sarah Beth felt flies circle her head. This irritated her, but the throbbing pain in her leg was too much for her to handle. She closed her eyes and wished she could go to sleep. When Charlie saw her eyes close, he thought she had gone into a coma and became hysterical.
“Wake up, Sarah Beth,” Charlie screamed as he shook her. “Somebody help me. I think she is in a coma or maybe …dead. She’s not responding.” He looked around for someone to come, but no one was around. “I love you,” he exclaimed as he pulled the blanket up to Sarah Beth’s neck. Her eyes opened, she smiled, yawned, and then fell back with her eyes closed.
Charlie didn’t know if she was faking it or really passed out. He was panicked and not up to any cruel games. He leaned down to check her breathing. This time her eyes didn’t open. Her breathing was shallow, and he felt there was truly a need for alarm.
Darkness surrounded Sarah Beth, and she made no response to Charlie. He continued to talk to her with her head in his arms. Out of character, he leaned over and started stroking her hair with the gentleness a mother would use towards her newborn baby. “Come on Sarah Beth, don’t leave me. Just wake up.” Again, he put his ear next to her mouth to check to see if she was breathing and looked around.
With eyes slightly opened, she mumbled something and saw Charlie next to her, but then in a flash he disappeared. In her unconscious state, she felt herself falling to the ground; nothing felt right. It seemed that everything was circling around her like she was in a dark hole that sucked her under. Then she lost all memories of her dream.
After a while, she woke up and yawned, not remembering anything. She looked around and saw a strange boy sitting near her. Startled, she leaned forward and looked down at her leg. Was that blood? Do legs bend that way? She didn’t think they did, not normally anyway. It seemed like all her memories were hiding under a fog. She didn’t understand what had happened to her or where she was.
“Um excuse me, who are you?” Sarah Beth asked the boy. Wide eyed, he took her hand, but Sarah Beth pulled away.
“Sarah Beth, I’m Charlie,” He argued.
She shook her head. “My leg hurts, but I don’t remember falling,” she murmured. “Who’s Sarah Beth?” she asked tilting her head. She wondered and looked down at her leg which was oozing blood and twisted in the wrong direction.
“Why is my leg broken?” she asked confused. Charlie looked around; he narrowed in at her, this better not be a joke. He studied her eyes to see if she was being sincere or if there was mischief inside her. She had a lost look which prompted him to continue.
“My name is Charlie. Your name is Sarah, Sarah Beth. You tripped and broke your leg,” he answered slowly. His words sunk in but then seemed to bounce right off.
“Sarah…Beth?” she mumbled, it didn’t seem to stick with her, or ring a bell.
“Beth,” she said. “It sounds correct; that’s right; that’s my name! My name is Beth,” she said smiling. Charlie eyed her. She looked around at her surroundings. She was on the ground, under a tent. Nothing seemed familiar.
“Where am I?” she asked. Charlie looked around.
“We’re at the camp ground,” he said. She looked up trying to remember.
“When did I go to camp? I remember a little. I was dropped off by my mother,” she breathed and paused. “Charlie…” she said. The name stuck.
Sarah Beth attacked him with a hug. She remembered who she was and that Charlie was always there for her; then she managed to smile.
Jorgina crawled over and looked at her. “Wow Sarah Beth, you were really tripping, but I guess you’re okay now. Welcome back.”
“What’s up?” Charlie asked. “You had me scared there for a while.”
“I had a dream,” Sarah Beth whimpered, then broke out into giggles. Charlie stared at her like she was crazy. He took a rag and placed it on her head.
“You’re insane, the pain has gotten to you,” he said. Sarah Beth peered at him, snatched the rag off, and threw it down.
“No, when I was dreaming I saw myself in a hospital. No one I cared about was near me. I should have known, my mom wouldn’t smile at me, and my father who has been M.I.A for two years wouldn’t come back to me. I touched my head, but something about it seemed to feel real. I looked around, and it felt like I wasn’t alone any more. That’s when I saw you, Charlie. You were asleep near me. I poked you, and you woke up. I know this is confusing, but I’m not crazy. For once, I’m happy,” she smiled.
Charlie looked at her, clearly thinking she had lost it. She signaled him to come closer. He leaned in, and she attacked him with a hug. He fell backwards, scared. She smiled again at him.
“I’m sorry for the jerk I’ve been,” she announced and limply stuck out her hand. Charlie slowly moved to take it.
“Friends?” Sarah Beth asked. He took her hand and shook it.
“Friends,” he agreed as he smiled back.
She wondered if this was real or if she was having a dream. She felt his hand touch hers, and she knew for once, her dream had awoken her. She slowly fell back onto the ground. The cold felt good against her back. Her leg was still hurting, but yet she felt unusually calm and peaceful because she knew she was with someone who truly cared about her. She and Charlie just smiled at each other like two dorks, but then a real dork arrived...Eugene and the spell was broken.
He peeked in to look in on her and then quickly popped back out. “Maria, I think you need to go look for some water. You know people can live three weeks with no food but only three days with no water,” Eugene yelled in his overly loud voice.
“Let Charlie go,” shouted Maria.
“No, I’m not leaving her. Sarah Beth needs me.”
“It’s weird, I know, but yes, I do need him,” muttered Sarah Beth. “Obviously Jorgina can’t go because she can hardly walk, and Cody looks like he can hardly move. You’ll have to go, Eugene.”
“No, I think it would be better if I went looking for herbs and plants to treat everyone’s wounds, and let Maria go looking for water and food.” Eugene explained.
Maria protested, but then conceded. “Ok, fine, I’ll go.”
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