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1
SUMMER
Flat on my back, my ears ring incessantly as the world around me dissolves into chaos. The explosion sends people running in every direction, their panicked screams barely heard. My vision blurs and the ground beneath me feels unstable, like it might give way any moment. Nausea twists my insides, threatening to spill out onto the pavement.
As the smoke billows from the wreckage, I’m transported back to another time, another place. A memory of a day in my past, when I was just six years old, resurfaces, a scene I had locked away, buried deep in the recesses of my mind – a car exploding, flames consuming everything in its path, including my parents.
Now, history repeats itself, with Cathal caught in the middle of it all.
Staring up at the smoky sky, tears stream down my face, mixing with the grime and soot as I struggle to catch my breath. My hands tremble uncontrollably, and I feel the weight of the past and the present crashing down on me. Guilt and fear intertwine, leaving me feeling lost and helpless. Why does this keep happening? What cruel twist of fate has led me here again?
Gasping for air, I choke on the acrid smell of burning rubber and gasoline that fills the air. The sirens in the distance do nothing to calm my racing heart, only amplifying the sense that the world around me is spiraling out of control. As much as I want to run away and escape this nightmare, I know I can’t leave Cathal behind. Sitting upright, my body screaming in protest, I blink a few times to clear the haze from my vision.
Trying to push the flood of memories back into the box where they belong, I can almost hear my aunt’s voice telling me I’m worthless and that I bring disaster wherever I go. But I refuse to let her words define me anymore. For Cathal, for Ciarán and myself, I must find the strength to get up off the road and move forward.
Catching a glimpse of Ciarán, his face streaked with blood and eyes wild with fear, I think he’s yelling something at me, gesturing for me to leave the scene, but I can’t make out the words over the echo of the explosion and the chaos around me. When I nod, trying to make sense of what he’s saying, he dashes towards the wreckage, desperate to find his triplet brother.
Tears prick at my eyes as I stand there, frozen in place, unable to comprehend what has just happened. My mind races with questions and doubts. Did Cathal survive? How could this happen? Does fate have it out for me? The images of my parents’ car engulfed in flames all those years ago come back to haunt me again, making me feel like that helpless little girl again.
As I watch Ciarán disappear into the thick black smoke, my legs finally regain their strength, and I force myself to get up and move, staggering through the chaos. The feeling of uselessness gnaws at me; every fiber of my being wants to help, but I don’t know how or even if I can.
The sound of people shouting and crying fills the air around me, blending with the sirens that are drawing ever closer. The sight of shattered glass and twisted metal beneath my feet only serves to heighten the sense of dread that overwhelms me.
Feeling the heat against my face as I near what was once a car, I spot Ciarán. Though covered in ash and sweat, he’s managed to find Cathal and is hauling his unconscious brother toward the sidewalk.
My chest tightens at the sight of them, fear and relief battling for dominance. I want to shout, to call out to Ciarán, but my voice is lost in the cacophony of sirens and screams, my throat burning with the smoke billowing around me. Panic claws at my insides; I need to be by their side to offer any small comfort I can.
I push through the crowd, surging in the opposite direction, ignoring the sharp pain in my lungs from inhaling the thick, acrid air. The world around me feels surreal, like a twisted nightmare, but I focus on the two brothers ahead of me, willing my legs to carry me faster.
When I finally reach them, I’m out of breath, my heart thundering. Ciarán looks up, blood still streaming down his face, his eyes filled with determination. Cathal, on the other hand, is frighteningly still, his skin unnaturally pale.
Trying to keep my emotions in check, I clench my fists. This isn’t the time for tears or collapse. They need me, and I refuse to let them down.
“Go back to the apartment,” Ciarán growls.
Shaking my head, I try to speak. “N-no.”
Ciarán’s eyes lock onto mine, fury burning within them. “Summer, listen to me,” he says, his voice urgent yet tender. “You need to go. Now.”
“I’m not leaving you,” I croak. “Don’t make me! Is he...”
Glancing down at Cathal, I push down the nausea.
“He’ll be fine. He’s tougher than this.”
“Is he alive?”
My gaze locks with Ciaran’s, and his face softens. He takes me by my upper arms and nods. “Of course he is. Never met anyone as stubborn as him.”
“Oh-okay,” I mutter.
His words are meant to be comforting, but they don’t quite reach me – not with the chaos swirling around us. The tension in the air is suffocating, uncertainty hanging heavy like a dense fog. The sirens stop as the first responders arrive at the scene in what feels like forever but was probably only a few minutes.
“Okay,” I whisper again, nodding even though my heart is filled with a dread I can’t shake. I force myself to focus on Ciarán’s steadying presence beside me as we both watch over Cathal, helpless to do anything else.
Glancing down at my trembling hands, I will them to stop shaking. My mind is a whirlwind of emotions, threatening to pull me under, but I fight back, trying to anchor myself to the here and now.
“Summer,” Ciarán says again, more urgently this time, snapping me out of my thoughts. “We need to stay calm and focused. Can you do that for me?”
