Blast from the past

With the second step your foot doesn't connect to the floor straight away, a bright flash and a deafening boom throws you back like a paper ball. The stench of smoke fills your nostrils before your eyes can see the black fumes dancing into the clear blue sky. Your ears ring, head feeling to heavy to lift you lie still on what you assume is dirt. You should be feeling lucky you didn't end up head first into a tree. Should be, but you don't.

I failed...

Everything fades to black.

Unknown time. Unknown place.

"... your ass if you don't wake up soon." You definitely hear a voice though it's hard to hear. The ringing has stopped but you feel worse than you did before. "Mum is upset. She can't lose you too. I can't lose you." You feel something warm around your fingers, a gentle squeezing sensation. You try to squeeze back but your body betrays you. You try to open your eyes. To move. To speak. To cry.

Your body betrays you.

Saturday. October 26th. 2069. Guardian General Hospital.

A steady high pitched beep repeats itself nearby. Damn someone needs to turn that alarm off already. You fill with annoyance at the interruption to your peaceful sleep. "Can-" You swallow hard, throat feeling dry as sand. "Can someone turn that alarm off, I'm trying to sleep." There's a thud followed by a shocked gasp. Soon after footsteps hurry away with the faint voice calling out.

"Doctor!" The steps fade with the voice. Moments later after almost falling asleep again the voice returns, clearer this time, most certainly feminine, along with another set of footsteps. "This one, Michael Silver spoke. I believe he's waking up."

"Very well nurse, I'll take a look." A deep, uninterested man's voice replies. The steps come closer, right to the side of were you're lay. "Michael, are you awake? Can you hear us? I'm Doctor Allen Buck, please let me know if you can hear me."

"Ye-s." You croak out. "What's going on? Am I late for work?"

"You're going to be fine young man, don't worry about any work for now, you've been in an accident. We'll write you a note to excuse any missed days." Young man? I'm pushing 70 and this is my doctor? What accident? That car that crashed into me?

"Is the driver okay? It looked like my bike went through his window." You try to recall the memory, hazy as your memories are with your head throbbing in pain. There's a moment of hushed talking until the doctor's voice returns.

"You appear to be slightly confused right now Michael, I'm sure you'll start to remember soon once you've had a while to rest while we wait on your family to arrive." You strain to open your eyes into the blinding light as a hand rests on your shoulder. A pale blue curtain is half drawn around the bed you're lay in. Light fills the white walled room from a nearby window on the wall next to your bed. The nurse stands at the foot of your bed wearing dark pink scrubs with a clipboard in hand and tucked against her chest.

The Doctor wears a clean white lab coat with a white shirt underneath, keeping his top button undone. Down below is a pair of black suit trousers which appear perfectly ironed and freshly polished smart shoes with an almost reflective shine in the black leather. His face is cleanly shaved, dark brown hair combed and a sunken set of dark eyes look down in pity at you under some wrinkles along his forehead. You grasp his wrinkled hand as it drags away from your shoulder.

"My family's dead Doctor." You stare firmly at him. "They've been dead for a long time now." His mouth opens but no response follows, at least not by him.

"You're family visited you just yesterday." The nurse says as she flips through her clipboard. "Your aunt and cousin both signed in to see you."

"But that's..." Of course. How could I forget! "My uncle! Is he okay? Did he make it out?" A high pitched beeping increases in speed from nearby. The Doctor's hand grasps yours firmly.

"I'm sorry but... No one inside survived the explosion. Had you been any closer you're likely to have died as well." The ringing returns to your ears. Your eyes droop to your lap followed by your hands. Your mind fogs over leaving only a single thought on repeat. I failed him.

You don't notice the staff leave you. You don't notice how long you're sat in bed staring into your young, weak hands. You don't notice when another pair of people arrive. You don't notice when those people try speaking to you. You do notice when those hands grab one of your hands each.

Your thoughts project out of your mouth. "I failed him. I failed him again. I failed you. I couldn't stop it. I was so close. I was too weak. I-" Your face ends up smooshed into large pair of breasts with a suffocating hug.

"You are alive and that is all that matters." The voice comforts you in her embrace. The voice is familiar, her scent too. Nostalgia brings tears to your eyes. You **** them upwards. Your aunts beaming smile meets your teary gaze. Full lips never felt so comforting to look at before. Dark bags lay under a set of deep brown eyes warm your heart while long brown strands of hair tickle your forehead. "It's not your fault honey." Your aunt, Janice Galloway, whispers sweetly.

For 50 years you built up walls to numb yourself to the pain and tears and with four little words it's all meaningless. The guilt you had been carrying for decades absolved. Tears flood out of your eyes. Your hands grasp onto the back of her open cream knit jumper, pulling her closer to yourself as you bury your face into her chest, mouth wide open without any words able to come out. She strokes the back of your head as you cry. Minutes pass before you finally start to calm down. When the tears start coming to a stop your aunt pulls your wet face up and plants a gentle kiss on your forehead. "I understand you know what happened and there's a few questions that some people would like to know when you're feeling better but for now there are some things that you need to know..." Her smile wavers ever so slightly.

"Simplest of all is the fact you've been here for almost three weeks, your tutor has made some notes to help you catch back up on your work and offered to take you in for some special weekend lessons if you'd like." You nod, thankful you can keep on studying for now but unsure what to say. "Next is... Well it's..."

"It's batshit crazy Michael." The other woman says. Your cousin, Cassandra Galloway. You turn your head slowly a fresh set of tears threatening to overwhelm you again. Her watery filled hazel coloured eyes look exactly the same as the day she left. Her glossy auburn hair is tied up in a loose ponytail, keeping it from covering the rosy cheeks on her slender face. Quivering heart shaped lips attempt to speak again. "The ex- The... Dad's..." Tears draw lines down her cheeks, forcing her mouth to stop. Your aunt's eyes begin to fill with tears as well.

"I know." You say, remarkably calmly. "I know about Uncle... And I know about what came after..." This time you hold both of their hands as they start to shed some tears. This time, the first time, the Emergence happened shortly after the explosion at your uncle's place of work. With the portal to another dimension open, the world become a very lively one. Especially for Ashfield city being ground zero for the supernatural. Thinking back on what little you looked at in your first life; a treaty was signed within the first week due to the same languages being used in their dimension, and from there the supernatural began being integrated with everyday life. That should mean these special classes will also contain the beginning of the supernatural starting classes.

"The world is turning upside down right now." Janice chuckles through tears. "I'm sorry honey, I didn't want to be crying while you've just woken up." She pulls you in for a deep hug once more.

"Mum, nobody here minds if you cry. And if they do I'll just hit them for you." Cassandra says staring you down while hitting her fist into her palm for emphasis on her threat. The sleeves of her fur lined denim jacket pull back slightly which she rolls back down before resting her hands back into her lap were her plain black cap waits. A black cropped cami top is all that she wears under the jacket to conceal her perky breasts, her skinny legs being covered by a pair of dark grey cuffed cargo trousers. "Isn't that right Mophead." She throws you a half smirk quickly which fades quickly when she glances at your weeping aunt.

You feign a frown and retort. "Not my fault I've not had chance to bathe yet, at least I still look better than you on your good days, Chicken legs." You return the half smirk and rub Janice's shoulder. "Cassey's right though, Auntie. We don't mind when or where you cry, we'll be here for you. For each other. Anytime." Janice holds your hand against her now wet cheeks and kisses your fingers.

"Thank you honey." She fans her hands against her face with a strained laugh. "Look at me crying like a little school girl, honestly. I'll go and speak with the nurse about getting you checked out. I won't be long, Cassey, stay here and look after your cousin." She rises, from having been kneeling on the floor, and smooths her jumper out. Bright orange stripes from her long sleeved top can be seen through the little holes throughout.

"Of course mother." Cassandra smiles as you both watch her leave taking determined strides in her denim mom jeans. The sight brings a subtle smile to your face as you remember her always wearing that style of jeans whenever she wasn't dressing up or going to work.

"What? These are comfy and I'm a mum so I have to wear them." You remember her saying one time after buying another pair.

"What's with the smile doofus?" Cassandra breaks your recollection instantly replacing it with the last words you ever heard her speak before disappearing.