CHAPTER FIVE

Awake

Suspended animation in cryosleep was like the time before I was born. Darkness and nothing. I don’t even remember being cold.

I woke up to a hazy silhouette lurking around my bed. My eyes couldn’t adjust to the light, no matter how much I rubbed them. My body felt light, and my leg moved freely. The cast had been stripped off. Most of all, I felt no pain for the first time since the accident in gym class. No pain. In fact, I felt great, like I could run a mile and beat Mr. Gold’s high standards. Had I died and gone to heaven?

“Don’t worry, sweetie. Your eyesight will return in time.” It was the voice of an older woman. She patted down my hair. “You’ve had quite the sleep.”

It felt like only minutes had passed since I fell asleep. Maybe I wasn’t out for that long. “Can I see my family?”

“Right now, you must rest.” Her voice grew stern. I blinked.

“Dr. Kline will be in later to discuss the specifics.”

“Dr. Kline?” I thrashed my arms around to find her, but the sound of footsteps grew faint. “Where’s Dr. Resin?” For once, I was eager to see him.

“Your new doctor is Dr. Kline.”

The door clicked closed, and then a monitor pulsed by my bed. My legs were cold, so I reached for a sheet, but there was nothing there. I lay on a cushioned surface.

Even the pillow was built into the frame. How was I supposed to sleep without my arm under my pillow? I couldn’t go anywhere halfblind, so I closed my eyes, waiting for this mysterious Dr. Kline. I’d had so many doctors over the years, their names and faces blended together like a police lineup, with Dr. Resin right at the top. But he was right. I’m awake, alive.

Anxiety and anticipation spread throughout my body in eager little bubbles, like my veins were filled with Mountain Dew. I tapped my fingers to the same rhythm over and over to keep busy. I couldn’t wait to get home and ride Thunderbolt, tease Timmy, and eat a giant bowl of chocolate ice cream.

The door opened and I squinted to focus. The vague shadows gave way to faint blurriness. I made out the face of a middle-aged man with dark hair.

“How’s my new patient doing?”

I sat up on the bed and bent forward to read his expression. “Dr.

Kline?”

“That’s right.” He took a seat beside my bed and brought out a device that looked like an iPhone. “Your results look good, my girl. As you’ve probably already noticed, after we reanimated your body, we healed your leg and cured the cancer. You’re one hundred percent cancer-free.”

The burden clenching my chest lifted and I bit my tongue to keep from crying. “A lot has happened while I’ve been asleep, hasn’t it?”

His eyes flickered as if he held something back. “You could say that, yes.”

“How long have I been frozen?”

Dr. Kline rose and put the iPhone beside the bed. “Let’s invite your family in. I think it’s best they fill you in on specifics.”

He stuck his head out the door and gestured to someone down the hall. I wiggled both feet while waiting, marveling at how I was still alive. Life seemed too good to be true, and I soaked it in, savoring each moment I breathed without pain.

A man walked in beside the doctor. He was the same age as my dad and had the same dark eyes, prominent nose and rugged chin, but curly blond hair covered his head. Could my dad have changed his hairstyle? It didn’t seem very businesslike.

I stuttered, “Dad?” No wait. What if Timmy was all grown up?

“Timmy?” I wished I could see clearly.

The man walked around the bed and sat beside me. He was neither of them and both of them at the same time.

“David and Timothy Streetwater are my ancestors.”

The room rushed around me like a washing machine on high cycle. My mind wrestled with his words, wrapping itself around them and denying it. “Where’s Timmy? Where are my mom and dad?”

“Dr. Kline said it would be hard on you.” He took my hand and squeezed it. “I want you to know, I’m so glad you’re alive. My wife and I have adopted you. We’re your legal guardians now. My name is Valex Streetwater, and my wife is Len.”

Valex? Len? Did everyone’s name sound like a household cleaner? What happened to all the Marys and Toms? “What year is it?” I demanded, bracing myself.

Valex glanced at Doctor Kline and the doctor shook his head in a subtle no. Valex patted my arm. “We’ll get to that.” He gestured to a woman out in the hall, “Why don’t you come in now, honey?”

An Asian woman with long, shiny black hair peeked in. She wore a bright pink dress that looked so straight it must have been made out of paper. That’s when I realized Valex’s clothes were strange as well. He wore a gold tunic with a yellow dot in the middle. My eyes were getting better by the minute, but I didn’t like what I saw.

The Asian woman stepped in. “Are you sure?”

Valex turned to me and lifted an eyebrow. “Do you want to meet her?”

My stomach flipped. That giant bowl of chocolate ice cream didn’t seem so appetizing any more. I’d woken up on the wrong side of the bed, or fallen into an alternate universe, like on The Twilight Zone. I squeezed my eyes shut and wished it all away. Please, please, please be a dream.

When I opened my eyes, Valex still sat beside me, waiting for my response. When I looked into his eyes, I saw my dad, and when I studied each curl, I saw Timmy. My mom’s thin, arched brows were his as well, along with Grandpa’s cheekbones. I reached out and touched a stray end of his hair.

“You look just like them.” My voice shook.

“I’ll be there for you, just like they were.”

Anger rose inside me and struck out like a lightning bolt. “No. I want to go home.”

Dr. Kline pushed between us as if he could take back my harsh voice. “She’s had enough for today.” He yanked on Valex’s arm until he stood. “We have counsellors available to help her. Let’s let her digest this new information.”

“We’re just going to leave her here?”

Dr. Kline ushered Valex out of the room.

Part of me wanted him to stay because he reminded me so much of Timmy and Dad, and another part of me couldn’t bear to look at him. He was proof my world was gone.

“She’s due to stay and speak to counsellors while we monitor her condition.” He whispered under his breath, but his voice carried. “We have a high suicide rate with woken cryosleepers. You may pick her up when she’s come to terms with her status.”

Valex spoke over his shoulder. “Get some rest. We’ll be back for you when you’re ready.”

I had no words. My entire body was in denial, shock jarring me until nothing made sense.

After the door shut behind them, I couldn’t hold back the tears. They came like a tidal wave, soaking the front of my hospital gown. I pounded my fists on the bed, thinking of all the things I’d missed. Now that I was alive and healthy, I didn’t want to go on. What was the point?

A nurse scuttled in and pressed a needle into my arm. The hospital room disappeared around me into the endless oblivion from which I came.