A blur of color filled my vision as I looked out the window at the changing trees. The sun was setting, illuminating its orange light onto them, making the autumn leaves even more vibrant. I lightly exhaled hot air onto the car window and drew a heart in the fog. It began to fade away like the sun behind the mountain, replacing the orange beams with moonlight. Suddenly, familiar, aqua-colored eyes flashed in my head, captivating me with their unique color.

A sudden touch on my shoulder made me jump, and I yanked out one of my headphones. Warm, brown eyes met mine with amusement.

"Did you hear me?" My brother asked.

"What?"

My brother and parents laughed in unison while my eyes flicked back and forth between them, trying to figure out what was so funny.

"Your mind is always somewhere else," he replied. "I asked you what your spoiled-self wanted on your pizza since you practically threw a tantrum about getting some tonight."

"Just because I have a food preference doesn't make me spoiled," I huffed and crossed my arms, ignoring his question about which pizza I wanted.

I stubbornly whipped my head towards the window, staring out into the darkness. My dark, brown hair covered my eyes so I couldn't see my brother's face.

"Okay," he said,sarcastically. "Whatever you say. So, what did you want? Mom is calling it in right now so it's ready when we get there."

I simply shrugged, dragging on my stubborn state, which seemed to bother Ethan like I hoped because he let out an agitated sigh. I felt a petite, warm hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at the source through a curly lock of my hair. My mom's brown eyes locked with mine, spreading warmth and comfort through me. She turned around to look at me through the car door and seat.

"Honey, I'm going to call in our order right now. I don't know about you, but I have been craving a barbeque pizza for the longest time." She gave me one of her perfect smiles and winked.

I couldn't help but smile back. Even when I felt like my world was crashing around me, my mom made me smile and feel like everything was going to be okay.

I nodded as my stomach grumbled at the thought of barbeque pizza. My mom caressed my pale cheek and gave me an approving, playful grin. My eyes slightly drifted passed her head to the front of the car, where two bright lights caught my sight.

It was like everything was in slow motion. When my mom heard my brother and dad scream, her face began to fill with worry, and she turned towards the front of the car. I watched the smile I loved slowly fade away. Before she could see what my dad and Aiden were yelling about, the light engulfed us, and a large bang rattled my body.

Our small sedan launched into the air before rolling, causing us all to be shaken around like rag dolls in our seats. Everything was suddenly black as I felt the impact of our car hit the pavement. It was as if all my senses were gone, and I was floating in a black abyss. The only thing that seemed to work was my hearing, which picked up on a feminine voice.

Claire...

I heard my name being called by an unknown entity repeatedly, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find where it was coming from. Instead, I floated in the nothingness, wondering what had just happened. One minute my mom spoke to me and the next, pain seared through my body as the car rolled.

I couldn't tell how much time had passed or what was happening. Still, after what felt like minutes, the sound of my name began to fade, and everything around me grew brighter until my eyes shot open. Slowly, my senses returned to me. All I felt was panic and pain as I realized I was dangling upside down in the car. Frantically, I looked around to make sure my family was okay. However, it was dark, so I could only make out their still silhouettes.

It was quiet. I called out to them and tried shaking Ethan, who was next to me, but I got no answer.

"Aiden!" I screamed as I shook him harder.

Tears soaked my cold cheeks. I looked forward through blurry eyes towards my parents.

"Mom? Dad?" I asked in a small, shaky voice.

My state of mind had gone from panicked to scared. I wasn't sure if the people I loved were okay. I waited a couple seconds before I called their names again, but they still didn't answer. I began to angrily yank at my seatbelt, trying to release myself so I could check on my family and get help. As I got angrier at being constrained, I began to get lightheaded. I wasn't sure how long I was upside down for.

"Mom? Dad? Ethan? Are you guys okay?" I begged while I held back sobs.

In the distance, I could hear a siren that seemed to be getting louder. A sliver of hope and relief swam inside me as flickers of red and white illuminated the dark car.

"Help!" I called out, but my energy was draining, and the dizziness worsened.

Black spots took over my vision, and before everything went black again, I heard people yelling, "Over here!"

I was again engulfed in darkness, but I wasn't alone this time. The same aqua eyes stared back at me like they always did, calming me with their familiarity. I've never been sure who this man was, but he's always been in my head. His exotic eyes entranced me, almost making me forget about what I had just gone through.

Almost.

I fought to open my eyes, knowing that if I opened them, I would have to face whatever had happened; the thought terrified me. Still, my concern for my family surpassed my fear of the unknown. A beeping sound echoed in my head, then became more prominent, indicating that the sound was coming from a machine of sorts. My eyelids felt heavy, and my head ached. I forced my eyes open to find myself in a hospital room. After blinking a few times, everything became more clear. By looking at the dim lights, I realized it was still nighttime.

I tried to push myself to a sitting position, but it worsened my headache, so I settled for lying down. Questions filled my head about my family. I longed to see my mother's bright smile, hear my dad's dorky laugh, and see the way my brother's forehead wrinkled whenever I would say something that irritated him. Guilt overwhelmed me when I began to think of the worst. If anything happened to them, it would be my fault for making them go out for dinner. I gripped the thin sheet covering half of my body at the thought.

The creak of a door caught my attention and disrupted the battle inside my head. A redheaded woman wearing light blue scrubs walked into the room towards me. When her blue eyes met mine, she looked surprised I was meeting her gaze. The nurse rushed over to me and looked at the monitor.

"It's a miracle!" She exclaimed and put her hand on mine. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm—I'm okay. Just sore," I replied, hoarsely.

The nurse began to dial a number on her phone and told whoever it was that I was finally awake.

When she hung up, I asked, confused, "How long have I been asleep?"

A strange emotion crossed the redhead's pale features. "You have been in a coma for almost three weeks."

The fear that I had been trying to keep at bay flooded through me, and I pushed myself up. My head began to pound. "What? Where are my parents? My brother? I want to see them."

Panic was evident in my voice.

The nurse put one hand on my back and the other on my shoulder while she lowered me back down. "Shh. It's okay. Calm down. The doctor will be here shortly to talk to you," she responded in a tone that told me something wasn't right. She was no longer meeting my gaze.

On cue, a man with brown hair in a white coat walked into the room. The nurse walked over to him and began to whisper. The only thing I could hear was something about parents. Anticipation built up inside me. The doctor nodded at the nurse, who stayed by the door while the man approached me.

"Claire, do you remember what happened?" The doctor asked in a gentle voice.

My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to recall that night. "We...were in a car accident. I saw bright lights, and the car rolled. I remember waking up inside the car upside down, but then I don't remember anything else."

The doctor nodded as he sat on the bed and put his hand on my shoulder. My dad often wore the same look when he told me he couldn't make it to my soccer game.

"You were greatly injured in the crash. You suffered from a brain hemorrhage. We were able to stop the bleeding, but we weren't sure about you waking up. "How does your head feel right now?"

"It hurts a little, honestly," I replied while I looked between the doctor and nurse. "Where is my family?"

The doctor and nurse gave each other a look before the doctor sighed. "Claire... I'm so sorry. We did everything we could..."

"No!" I interrupted him.

I couldn't accept his words. I couldn't let him say it because it would be real, which meant I would never see them again. The memory of my mom caressing my cheek and how I treated my brother flashed in my mind. Tears began to flow down my pale cheeks, blurring my vision, and loud sobs escaped my lips. My head was throbbing, but my heart hurt worse. It felt like it was ripped out of my chest.

I would never be able to see them again, and it was all my fault. They would still be alive if I hadn't thrown a fit about getting pizza like a spoiled brat. The guilt caused me to cry harder. I began to wish I had never opened my eyes. My world had fallen apart because of me.