Adeline’s Goodbyes
"Pens down! Your exam is now over. This also marks the end of the exam season for most of you, so be sure to enjoy your summers." The invigilator stood at the front of the examination hall, his rotund form cutting an imposing figure in front of the students. Many emotions flourished through the room, chief among them excitement for the forthcoming break. Barely waiting to be formally excused, the students began rushing towards the exits in a far from orderly manner. At the back of the crowd, Adeline sidled along alone, hoping to avoid the hubbub. She carried a certain amount of popularity among her cohort given her impressive academic performance, but her icy demeanor dissuaded many from approaching her. This lead to her spending a great deal of her time alone, something which she greatly cherished. As she finally reached the door, she was suddenly ambushed by a pair of hands that latched onto her shoulders,
"Hey Addy! Congrats on your finish, where are we partying tonight?" An overwhelmingly energetic voice rang from behind Adeline causing her to audibly groan in recognition.
"Harriet, you know I don't like parties. Besides, I've got to pack tonight so I don't have time" she replied in an exhausted tone. Harriet appeared as the polar opposite to Adeline. Where Adeline was calm and reserved, Harriet always acted carefree with almost inexhaustible energy. While normally they would be an inconceivable duo, anyone who saw them could admit that they were a sight to behold. Adeline stood at an above average 5ft 7, with a pixie-bob of raven black hair. The natural curls and gentle fringe resting on her forehead served to accent her face which carried a charming sharpness that suggested a level of maturity. Her dark caramel skin led to her being particularly contrasting from many of her peers. On the other hand, Harriet was quite pale, with only the slightest rosy tints accentuating her cheeks. With her short height, waist-length golden locks and slightly rounded features, she gave off the feeling of an excitable puppy.
"Eh, no way! If I let you go now who knows when I'll see you next, you're definitely coming out today even if I have to drag you!" Harriet rattled with an exaggerated pout.
"Even if you sulk, my train's tomorrow so I really I can't really stay out too late. I guess if it's just late afternoon-"
"Perfect!, I'll pick you up from your dorm at 6, you better be ready!" Not allowing Adeline even the opportunity to finish her train of thought Harriet interjected before dashing off as they'd reached an junction in the path. Staring briefly at her friend's back, Adeline gently sighed with a smiled.
'I couldn't say it again...' Harriet had long been her closest friend, and a presence that brought a radiant light into her life. Unfortunately, for their 3 years of friendship, Adeline had struggled to ever convey those emotions. Although many believed that her personality with that of a cool headed 'quiet' type, Adeline in fact struggled greatly with interpersonal interactions, and often found herself distanced from her peers. Harriet had been the one that reached out to breach Adeline's self imposed gap, but Adeline still struggled to properly portray he gratefulness to Harriet.
'Tonight may be the last time we'll see each other for a long time, I have to find my resolve' thought Adeline. As she made her way home, she suddenly felt a momentary pain sweep through her brain before disappearing entirely. It felt almost as if her brain was being squashed by some foreign force that stopped as quickly as it began. Hoping it was simply a one-time occurrence, she decided to ignore it unless it becomes common enough to warrant her concern.
Soon after, Adeline briskly walked into her dorm room and gently eased the door shut. The incessant squeaking of the doors had plagued many of the inhabitants of the dormitory, forcing them all to develop excessively careful door etiquette in fear of earning the ire of their neighbours. Almost immediately after entering, Adeline slumped heavily into her mattress, feeling a wall of fatigue instantly hit as she began to relax. Reaching out to her bedside table, Adeline caressed the ornate mahogany picture frame placed on it. Inside of the frame was a photograph of a middle aged lady with a rich brown skin tone. Her radiant smile seemed to flow from the photo almost infectiously. Clinging to her sides were two young ladies that one would believe were exact clones if not for their blatantly opposed personalities that could be seen even through this still. The eldest of the two (by around 20 minutes) gave off an energetic warmth that could be seen in her cheek-to-cheek grin and messy, curled pigtails. The younger was far more subdued and gentle, with her head half obscured behind the woman, only allowing the smallest smile to peek through, she gave of the feeling of a scared woodland animal. These three were Adeline's beloved family, her mother Fatima and her twin sisters Noor and Leila respectively. Ever since her father's passing two years prior, Adeline's family had become even closer, as they had to support each other through their grief. Adeline's only regret was not being able to adequately support her family due to her commitments at her university.
"I can't wait to see those little bunnies," Adeline said as she smiled fondly at the visages of her sisters. Her excitement for her permanent return home seemed to revitalize her as she quickly rose to her feet and began the process of packing up the remain belongings she had strewn all around her small college room.
A few hours later, Adeline and Harriet walked side by side along a particularly scenic natural path. Greenery flanked them along both sides and wild fauna sprouted randomly along the edges of the walkway. Reaching the end of the path, a period cottage peaked through the trees. Contrasting with the traditional wooden beams and the vibrant floral vines that snaked along the exterior, an illuminated sign could be seen above the slightly withered spruce entrance, reading 'The Spirit Glades'. The name struck Adeline as fitting, given the enchanting nature that seemed to surround the quaint pub. Gently pushing on the creaky door, Harriet immediately spotted the rest of the group and dragged Adeline to their booth. She recognised most of the faces there, although mostly as acquaintances she had met through Harriet. Although Adeline did usually enjoy the few social events she allowed herself, the setting now reminded her of more melancholy memories. It was during the last gathering that she attended the she had first received the call informing her that her dad had passed. Adeline's relationship with her dad was by all means a serious one. There were many times where she questioned the lack of warmth, but it took his passing to realise how much his existence propelled her to work her hardest. Now lacking his acknowledgement to set as a goal, Adeline had found herself lost for the first time and without any guiding light to support her.
"...ro ta-" suddenly, a broken ghostly whisper, accompanied by a searing pain in her head, snapped Adeline out of her thoughts. Squinting in pain, she hurriedly checked around her to locate the source of the whisper, but all she could see were the rest of her group chatting casually as they had been. Slightly puzzled, Adeline could only conclude that it was a symptom of the excessive mental fatigue she had been experiencing as of late, recalling the similar occurrences of the same pain she had experienced earlier in the day. The night ended soon enough with Adeline remaining zoned out for the majority of the conversation. She had instead spent most of the time wondering in concern at the incessant jolts of pain that continued to afflict her through out the evening. As they began giving their farewells, Adeline suddenly felt a pain orders of magnitude higher than what she had been experiencing. Adeline tightly gripped her hair as tears began forming at the corners of her eyes.
"Addy?... Addy! what's wrong" exclaimed Harriet in a panic. She had noticed Adeline wincing in pain a few times through the night but had decided not to bring it to attention, but seeing her friend visibly suffering in such intense pain made her heart sink. Adeline, however, could not see this. In fact, Adeline had entirely lost awareness of her surroundings. She could not hear, see or feel, as her mind was entirely grasped by a level of pain she had never before imagined possible. For what seemed like hours, she wailed as she attempted to resist the pain but in the end, her mind succumbed to pain and she began feeling even her consciousness escaping from her grasp. In her last moments, she felt her mind drift through her regrets, she did not have the opportunity to have her heart to heart with Harriet, she did not have the chance to embrace her sisters once more, she did not have the chance to give her mother the support she deserved. But worst of all, she did not have the chance to finally figure out her true purpose in life.
'I really wasted this life...' thought Adeline, as her mind finally fizzled out.
Adeline's consciousness gradually returned. As her awareness returned, she realised something fundamental had changed about her being. It quickly became apparent that she could not sense her body any longer. While she briefly considered the prospect of having some sort of paralysis through her entire body, she quickly dismissed that after considering the fact that all her senses seemed to have been replaced by something completely foreign to her, as if she was directly understanding her surroundings rather than perceiving them through her senses. There was very little for her to 'understand' however, given than she had seemingly been in a pitch black abyss for the indeterminate time she had been awake. Time seemed to trudge along as Adeline questioned many things. Was she dead? or possibly comatose? What was the origin of the pain? What happens now? When it seemed that she was beginning to lose her grasp on her mentality, her surroundings began morphing. Soon, the image of a large, classical hall replaced the black void she had been accustomed to. Within the hall, rows of people draped in a variety of black outfits sat solemnly, facing a coffin flanked by a plethora of flowers. Over time, one person after another made their way to the front as if addressing the other attendees before returning to their seating. Adeline's senses had of course remained non-existent, only being able to 'understand' the general situation yet lacking and detail. This continued on until a specific person made their way to the front. A short pale girl with the energy of a typhoon. At least that was how she remembered her. Instead, the energy she felt from her now was subdued, as if her very soul was paying respects.
'I didn't think it was possible for her to be solemn' thought Adeline. She found herself greatly moved by the emotion that Harriet displayed. In fact, Adeline had almost immediately realised that what she was witnessing her own funeral. She could recognise her mother and sisters all mourning for her. Feeling their overwhelming emotions, Adeline felt a deep regret at not even being able to say goodbye before leaving them. Time swept on and Adeline watched from afar as people began gradually filing out of the room. Soon, Adeline was alone in the dark empty hall. While lost in thought, she was interrupted by a sudden influx of light in front of her. Coagulating into strand-like masses, the light converged into a sphere and began rotating rapidly and turbulently like the surface of the sea. The ball of light then condensed significantly until it formed a lean, female humanoid body. Gently floating in front of Adeline, the figure's voice boomed,
"Greetings young soul, it seems you have answered my call"