Chapter 12 Just One Breath 2
25 Pomita
Chapter 12: Just One Breath-2
She dropped out of college to work full-time. The moment she was offered a scholarship again, she took it-even knowing how brutal the schedule would be. Every class, every shift, every sleepless night-it was all for him.
She ate once a day, sometimes not at all. She skipped every indulgence. Every outfit was thrifted, every dollar saved. All for Jamie’s surgery. All for a future that didn’t constantly feel like a
countdown.
She returned to the bedroom in silence, tugging on an old hoodie and curling up on the thin mattress beside her brother’s room. She stared at the ceiling in the dark, letting the silence wrap
around her.
Next week would be better. Her new schedule-MWF at Blackwood, classes in the evening, barista work the rest of the week-was brutal but doable. She just needed to find the rhythm. Find the
balance.
And keep flying under the radar.
She had to.
Because she couldn’t afford to lose this chance.
The thought haunted her into sleep.
Sometime past midnight
The nightmare came as it always did – uninvited. Relentless.
She was 18 again, laughing in the kitchen, her mom smearing frosting on her cheek while her dad held up a cheap balloon that read Congratulations, Adult!
Jamie was small, giggling with two front teeth missing.
Then everything changed.
Flash. Sirens. Screams.
The cake hit the floor. The balloon popped.
She was running.
Metal twisted. A crumpled sedan. A stretcher.
The cold burn of antiseptic and the unforgiving white of hospital walls.
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Chapter 12 Just One Breath 2
“Are you the daughter?” someone asked.
She nodded.
“Can you identify the bodies?”
Her knees buckled.
She was screaming and no one heard her. Crying and no one answered.
And then Jamie, so small, so fragile, looked up at her and asked:
“Are they gone?”
She woke with a gasp.
+25 Points
Her chest heaved as her eyes adjusted to the dark. Sweat clung to her skin. She didn’t scream.
Never did.
Just shook in silence.
Jamie stirred in the next room, but didn’t wake. Maya squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep
breath.
Another.
And another.
It was just a dream.
But the grief never really left. Just… learned how to wait.
She reached for the cracked phone charging on the floor and checked the time. Almost 4 AM.
A few hours before Jamie’s appointment.
Before she had to smile again. Be strong again.
She curled tighter under the blanket, staring at the peeling ceiling above.
Some nights, the past refused to stay buried.
But tomorrow, she’d smile for Jamie.
And next week, she’d find a new routine.
Because she had no other choice.
The night dragged on, and once again, sleep never came. By 6:00 AM, her phone alarm rang, slicing through the stillness. Maya dragged herself out of bed and tiptoed into Jamie’s room. He
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