All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
The Awakening
The girl awoke on her bathroom floor. Any remembrance of the past night was wiped from her head. She achingly pushed herself to her feet and stared in the mirror. All of a sudden, she heard an agonized scream and realized it was her own. She could barely recognize herself. The reflection was gaunt, bloodied, and tired. She quickly looked down at herself and saw something completely different. Her skin was glowing, her limbs were thin yet healthy, and she felt completely rested. Confusion and fear crept into her mind. Why was her reflection so sickly? Why was she lying on her bathroom floor? All of a sudden, the realization hit her. The reflection in the mirror wasn’t her physical appearance, but her mental instability. She remembered the months of depression. She remembered the tragedy. She remembered the pain. She remembered blaming herself for what her brother did. The girl crumpled on the floor as the endless waves of emotion drowned her. She was sick of this weight and this sadness that had filled her every thought for almost a year. She wanted everything to go away. For some reason, those emotions were familiar. The girl closed her eyes and was brought back to the moments before she woke up lying on the floor. She watched herself sobbing in her room, writing something on a piece of stationary. Her house was empty, and as usual, there was no one there to comfort her. She watched herself sit up and head for the bathroom. In horror, the girl realized what she was about to do -- or already had done. She shut her eyes, knowing that she was about to do the exact same thing her brother had done to her. Abruptly, a thought came to her mind. “What happened to your brother was not your fault. You don’t deserve this, and neither did he.” Calm washed through her body. But, it was too little, too late. What was done was done. Anxiety rose up in her. She wanted a second chance, she wanted to start over. Yet she could feel herself fading. The darkness was nearing. “NO,” she thought. The fight and tenacity she had lacked the past year came to her in a burst of energy. She struggled against the wall of black for what seemed like hours, and finally felt it give. Everything was getting brighter and brighter. There was a tingling sensation in her chest. Abruptly, she opened her eyes to a stark, white room. Bandages covered her wrists. She felt dizzy and tired. She noticed that a team of doctors surrounded her, worried looks on their faces. “She’s awake!” One of them cried. She heard a gasp and a sob from the other side of the room. There were her mother and father, looking defeated and anguished. The girl realized that what she did would affect them like what her brother did affected her. She had been cared for all along. Warmth coursed through every ounce of her being. She decided that she would live her life for the fullest for those who no longer could. “I’ll do this for you,” she said to her brother. For the first time in a while, she was happy to be alive.
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 2 comments.