Prologue

Where to start? I don't really know myself, quite honestly. I suppose you really can't start anywhere when you're lost. I don't mean the type of lost where you can't find your destination, I mean the emotional type of lost where you're mind is confused and you don't really know your surroundings. I suppose I could try to start with something like the present, though I still don't really understand what's going on with that, either. All I see is darkness. It's been this way for a while now. At first I was scared, really scared, but I heard familiar voices of people I thought I should know telling me everything would be all right. So I relaxed and took deep breaths. It was kind of hard to calm down because I could hear eerie noises in the background; a soft beeping along with a soft, painful moan. I tried to say something, but it hurt to speak, so I just listened instead. Or tried to, anyways. I was starting to feel very tired, my mind starting to shut down, refusing to take anymore in. I contemplated fighting it, but I was just too weak. The blackness was already there and finally, so were the dreams...

My eyes opened a crack and a soft stream of light awakened my thoughts. Where was I? Everything had a sort of hazy glow to it that stung my eyes. I opened them all the way, not prepared for the brightness that hurt them. It took a while before I finally got them to adjust, but when I did, I suddenly wished I hadn't opened them at all. I was in a hospital room. I saw my body laid out before me on a white mattress but I couldn't believe it was mine. I felt it, too, and it hurt like heck. What had happened?

"Oh Ashley, my girl! You're awake!"

I looked over to see my aunt Penny rushing over to me from the doorway, tears streaming down her face. She leaned over and patted my hand, looking down at me with a confusing expression on her face. It looked like she was incredibly happy, but yet, at the same time, there was a sad hollowness to her eyes. She looked like she had been crying.

"What happened?" I managed to whisper. Some emotions had finally been triggered when I saw my aunt and fear and confusion started to overwhelm me. Why was Aunt Penny so upset? Why was I lying in a hospital bed, hurting all over? Where were my parents?

My parents. Everything finally hit me like a lighting bolt. Brightness, confusion, shattered glass, screaming, blackness... the accident. I was finally ripped out of my surreal high and into reality.

"Aunt Penny..?" I mustered, my questioning gaze meeting her smiling face. She understood what I was trying to say and her smile dropped, the sadness causing her to look older than she actually was. She shook her head.

The world slowly faded away. I turned away from my aunt, staring at the white wall in front of me. The whole scene rushed up the plaster like a painted picture and overwhelmed me. I remembered coming up to the red stoplight, me in the backseat, my mom in the passenger's, my dad driving. We were all quiet like usual, just taking in the world around us as we headed home from dinner out. The world was dark and the city lights glowed transcendentally around us. There was no traffic, just the night air as it wafted in through the open windows. There was no other way to describe peace. Everything was calm and everyone was happy. Then headlights in the rear view mirror, coming way too fast.

SLAM.

The glass windows caved in, the car spun out of control, my mom yelled out my dad's name: "Rob!"

We hit a telephone pole and I blacked out.

Now here.

I replayed it over and over in my head, seeing my parents frightened faces one last time.

I was dimly aware of a light shone in my eyes. A man's face appeared before me and asked if I was alright. I could only stare. I don't know why I couldn't function, but I just couldn't. I was in shock, not quite sure how to get out of it. Maybe, maybe if I closed my eyes for a while, it would all just go away...

Authors Note:

The second chapter is not as depressing, promise. This is just a little background on Ashley for you that I may change to a later chapter.. not sure yet.

Reviews are always welcome. They let me know you're out there and give me the motivation to keep this going, so feel free to just say "yea" or "nay," if anything. Thanks. :}