My days of recovery came and went in the blink of an eye, and I was more than eager to see anything outside of the white walls I grew to hate. As much as I wanted to leave this place and go home, there was still one last thing for me to do.

One last person to say goodbye to.

I stepped out of my hospital room and into the hallway, where I took the elevator up to the fifth floor. After passing by the receptionist desk and a few doctors standing in the hall, I stood outside of a room and took a deep breath before entering.

“Val?” I said, knowing she couldn’t hear me. The machines surrounding her bed were the only things keeping her alive.

And maybe, just maybe, the person sitting in the chair near her bedside.

“Hey, Ty. How are you?” I asked him, placing my hand on his shoulder. I didn’t expect a response, for every time I came to visit Valeria during my rehabilitation, he would be in the room staring at her in silence.

I turned my attention to my best friend, who laid with her eyes closed and an oxygen mask covering her mouth. I leaned in and kissed the side of her face before saying, “I love you. I’ll be back soon.”

My actions must’ve sparked something in Tyler, because he looked at me and simply asked, “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why is it that you get to walk out of here, but she doesn’t?”

The stern, aggressive tone in his voice offended me. “Tyler, I’m sorry. I’m sad too, but I don’t think it’s fair to—”

“Life isn’t fair, Aliyah,” he shouted, cutting me off. “Why is it that everyone else can make their wishes come true, but not me? I’ve been praying for her to get off this damn life support every single day, and nothing ever happens. Why do I have to suffer while everyone else is happy? It’s not right.”

I didn’t have the words to console him, and I lacked the knowledge of why some people could manifest their desires and others couldn’t. It was moments like these that made me feel powerless, regardless of what I was capable of.

“If only I was a better person,” he continued with teary eyes. “A better listener. A better protector. If I had put in more effort into loving her, none of this would’ve happened.”

“It’s not your fault. Something happened the night before Val was manipulated. Whatever it was made the demons attracted to her. You can’t blame yourself for something out of your control.”

He said nothing and looked back at Valeria in his usual trance-like expression. There wasn’t anything I could do to make the situation better, so I decided to walk out of the room, but not before saying, “She’s not dead, Tyler. Just remember that.”

My brief exchange with him was not how I wanted to start my first day out of this place. I brushed it aside, however, and took the elevator down to the first floor of the hospital, where a man with shaggy gray hair confronted me.

“Aliyah Dawn, I presume?”

“Uh, yeah? Who’re you?”

He adjusted his glasses before speaking. “My name is Alvin Steinberg, and I oversee this facility that you’ve been a patient of for the past two months. I must say, your case for being here intrigued me. Tell me, what will you do now with this second chance at life?”

This guy was giving off creepy vibes that made me want to turn around and leave out the back door. He didn’t have a strong negative aura around him, but something about the way he spoke and looked at me was off-putting.

“Well, I’m gonna finish high school,” I told him. “Afterward, I don’t know. Maybe do some volunteer work over the summer until I figure things out?”

“I see. And would this volunteer work have something to do with… saving people from themselves?”

Okay, red flag. That couldn’t have been a coincidence.

“Um, what? How do you…”

The nurse who had been my therapist approached us with a smile. “Good afternoon, sir,” she greeted him before addressing me. “Aliyah, your family is waiting for you outside.”

“Okay,” I replied, keeping my eyes on Alvin. Either I was being paranoid, or this man knew about my abilities.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Very well. It was a pleasure speaking with you,” he said to me as if we had a full-blown conversation. “I do hope we meet again, Miss Dawn. Carry on with your ventures in life.”

He sauntered away and left me in the company of my therapist. She sat me in a wheelchair and pushed me down the bright corridor of the hospital. I waved goodbye to the staff and patients I became acquainted with until my therapist opened the door at the end of the hall. When the sun’s rays beamed down on my skin, a feeling of freedom and deliverance overcame me as I covered my eyes with my arm.

“Aliyah,” my mom’s voice called out from a short distance away. I blinked a few times before I stood up and saw her and my dad standing in front of their car. After giving my therapist a goodbye hug, I reunited with my parents.

“There’s my girl. I’m happy to see you,” my father said, embracing me with a tight squeeze before kissing my forehead.

“You ready to go home?” my mother asked, holding me close as well.

I nodded and got into the vehicle, waiting for my dad to start the engine. Looking out of the window, a daunting, familiar sensation shot through my body, and all I could do was whisper my angst at the shroud of purple mist and shadowy creatures consuming the area.

“Welcome back to hell.”

***

We arrived in my neighborhood of Pelham Bay after an hour drive, a residential area in the Bronx that embodied the perfect mix of an urban and suburban environment. I unbuckled my seat belt and stepped out of the vehicle while examining the beige exterior of my house, examining the verdant lawn surrounding our driveway. I was quite surprised at how tall the grass had grown.

“Looks like Dad’s been slacking.”

“Hey, I heard that,” my father chirped as we walked in through the front door.

“Where’s Mya?”

“She’s at an art show displaying her latest work,” my mother answered before opening the door. “She’s been really motivated lately. I’m so proud of her.”

Walking into the house, I couldn’t help but smile as I looked around the off-white living room. It didn’t take long for my dog, Cinnamon, to rush down the wooden stairs and pounce on me.

“I missed you so much, girl,” I laughed out, excited to kneel and rub my hand through her dark-brown fur again.

“Aliyah, your room’s all ready,” my father told me. “I made a few adjustments, but don’t worry. You’re gonna like it.”

His face widened into a comical grin. The same expression he would have whenever he tried to fool me.

“Uh-huh. What did you change?”

“Hey, now. Your mom insisted I do it. Go on and check it out.”

I rolled my eyes and walked upstairs to my bedroom, expecting a disaster. But wow was I left in awe at the lavender walls and stylish interior design that was fresh and sophisticated. I could not stop rubbing the back of my hand against the mauve, cotton bedspread that complimented the violet rug and lilac drapes hanging from the window.

My fascination came to an end after spotting a photo of Valeria on top of my shelf. I picked up the vintage frame and held it close to my chest, shutting my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Val. I should’ve answered the phone that night. I should’ve been a better friend. Maybe then, you’d still be here.”

Maybe I’m just not good enough.

Valeria falling off the roof of the school replayed in my mind over and over again. I placed the frame back on the shelf in hopes of moving on and getting the moment out of my head, noticing a picture of my brother beside it. His gentle smile and soft features began to wash away the ghastly, vivid thoughts of the incident.

“I’m scared, but I’ll keep going. For you.”

With nothing particular to do, I fell flat on my bed and considered calling Lucas. I had planned to surprise him in person by keeping my discharge from the hospital a secret, but the urge to speak to him right away couldn’t be fought. When I tried to call him, though, all I got was his default voicemail.

Curious of his whereabouts, I decided to scroll through his activity on social media. Upon viewing the images on his page, my heart skipped a beat.

“Oh, hell no.”

My eyes narrowed in anger at the photos on the screen. The girl with jet-black hair who I met on my way to save Valeria was in each picture, standing happily next to Lucas. It was no doubt in my mind that she was Robyn, Lucas’s co-singer.

I didn’t trust her one bit.

Scanning through the rest of his page, a video played of the band performing. The aggressive tune and graphic lyrics were difficult to withstand, and I could just feel the disgust shaping my face as I watched Lucas and Robyn match each other’s vocal intensity.

At this point, I was more than ready to march over to his house and find out what the hell was going on, but my eyes landed on a post that read the band would be performing tonight at a house party. This was my chance. I rushed downstairs and approached my parents, who were sitting together in the living room on the brown linen sofa. I put on a broad, fake smile that resembled my dad’s comedic grin.

“Oh boy, now she’s doing the face. What is it?” he asked.

“Mom, Dad, Lucas and his band are performing tonight at this party, and I really wanna go and support him. I remember telling you guys not to let him know when I was being released ‘cause I wanted to surprise him. So please, it’s my only chance. I won’t be able to—”

“No, Aliyah. You just got home, and there have been reports on the news of people disappearing. I’m sorry.”

I frowned at my mother’s sharp response and looked over at my father, who appeared almost as disappointed as I was.

“Honey, I think we should let her go. She needs to—”

“No, Richard. It’s not happening.”

I was ready to turn around in defeat and walk back up the stairs, but I gave my father one last pleading look before doing so.

“Diana, please, let her go out and have fun. It’s just for one night. Lucas will be there, and you know he’ll look after her no matter what. She’ll be okay.”

My mom groaned and sighed, glancing down at the beige rug before looking back up at me.

“Aliyah Dawn, you be back by eleven and not a minute later. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Mom. I promise. Thank you so much. I love the both of you.”

I sprinted back upstairs and into my room to get ready. My anxiety and determination for answers had driven me to tell a white lie, but it was one I decided to live with to confront Lucas and Robyn face-to-face.