White floors, white walls, and white ceilings. I was walking through the hospital, holding a small pot of purple hyacinth flowers. I smiled at the nurses I passed and then walked into a room I was well accustomed to. It was a small standard hospital room, with two beds and a wide open window that showcased the outside world like a movie on a theatre screen. Outside there were butterflies fluttering about, and I found my mother sitting on one of the beds, smiling softly at them.

She turned to face me as I stood at the end of her bed, her smile fading away. Her ghostly pale stuck to her bones, with dark circles around her once vibrant but now dull green eyes. And all of her hair was gone, replaced with a pink scarf. Yet despite looking like a corpse, she was still so beautiful.

I walked up to her, clinging to the pot as I smiled at her. She didn’t smile back. I tried to offer the flowers to her but she simply turned away and went back to staring out the window. I placed the pot on the nightstand, and then took a seat in the chair beside her bed.

“I’m so disappointed in you, Ollie,” Her voice was soft. “You used to be such a good boy…”

I tried to speak but I couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come out.

“You promised me you would make me proud,” she continued to say. “But you haven’t at all. You’re a liar and you don’t care about how you affect others. I’m ashamed to call you my son.”

Her words echoed throughout my head. I froze, staring at her. She looked back at me, staring me down with her cold, lifeless eyes.

“Did you hear me?” She asked. “I said…”

I tried desperately to speak, to apologise, to beg for forgiveness. But I couldn’t, nothing came out of my mouth. She kept staring at me, staring at me like I was a mistake, like I was nothing but filth. I tried to cover my ears, so I didn’t have to hear it again. I couldn’t handle it the second time around.

Not from her.

“I’m ashamed to call you my son.”

I jolted awake, feeling hot and clammy with my hair sticking to my forehead. I was short of breath, feeling disoriented as I stared up at the plastic stars on my ceiling. I steadied my breathing, covering my face with hands, trying to collect myself.

What the actual heck, brain? A text from Cole wasn’t enough?

Feeling somewhat claustrophobic under my sheets, I threw my covers off and sat up. I let out a heavy breath, wanting to shake off the feeling my nightmare had given me. I felt my stomach twist as I thought of her words from my dream, echoing in my head.

I knew what a load of bull it was, but I just couldn’t shake it. My stomach twisted and churned, and before I knew it, I was throwing up in my trash bin.

I’m so glad I decided against the mesh bin.

“Is this karma?” I sat on my bedroom floor, the vomit bin between my legs. “Is this what I get for taking advantage of Mr Palmer?”

I felt my stomach fill with nausea again.

“I’m sorry, Mr P, I’ll never do it again.”

Mum’s face came to my mind, along with her God awful words. Despite my reaction, I knew better. I knew those words could never be true. No matter what I did, she would always love and be proud of me.

“Oliver!” A knock at the door brought me out of my spiral. I looked up as it opened, with Elliot sticking his head in.

“You sleep in or something…” he paused as he looked down at me. “Well, you look like you need a coffee.”

I smiled weakly at him.

“Heh, that obvious?” I asked, wiping my mouth.

I stood up, grabbing hold of my bin.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Rough night, followed by a rough morning,” I shrugged. “Life just likes beating me up with a baseball bat of regret.”

He chuckled at that, but I saw the concern in his eyes. “You didn’t answer my question though.”

I sighed. “I’ll be fine. I just had a nightmare over mum again.”

“Ah, they’re shit,” he replied. “You wanna stay home then?”

“It was just a nightmare, Elliot,” I said. “If anything, I’ll probably do better being at school than here today.”

“Fair enough,” he replied. “But you better hurry then if you want your parking spot.”

“Wait, what time is it?” I asked, looking around for my phone.

I found it on my bed and went to turn it on, only to find it was flat.

“Just after 8,” he answered.

“Greattt,” I groaned, quickly putting my phone on charge.

“I’ll deal with your bucket, just hurry up and shower,” Elliot said.

“You sure?” I asked.

“Consider it me paying you back for when you cleaned my vomit off the car.”

“I guess fair’s fair then.”

I passed him my bucket and he accepted without any signs of disgust.

“Better hurry now~”

Doing as told, I quickly showered and brushed my teeth while Elliot dealt with my spew bucket, claiming the title as the World’s Best Brother. I changed into my uniform, grabbed my phone and necessities, then made my way downstairs.

Elliot was in the kitchen, munching on some toast while making some coffee. 

“That for me?” I asked, dropping my bag on the counter.

“Sure is,” he replied. “Feeling better?”

He turned around, passing me my cup of coffee.

“Yeah, thanks,” I answered, not even hesitating to dive straight into the coffee. “Ahhh, that’s hit the spot.”

“Glad to hear, now eat.”

He gave me a plate with a plain buttered slice of toast.

“You need something for your stomach.”

“I do have something,” I replied, holding up my mug. “Coffee.”

“That’s not food,” he frowned, watching me drink a mouthful.

“It’s all I need,” I smiled at him.

“If you don’t eat some toast, I’m calling Mr Palmer,” he threatened. “I’ll let him know you’re starving yourself and then he’ll make you eat lunch with him. Do you want that, Ollie? Do you really want that?”

“You’re a sadist, you know?” I scowled at him.

I picked up the toast and took a bite, gaining a satisfied look from Elliot.

“There, was that so hard?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes at him, bitterly munching on my toast.

“What are you doing up so early anyway?” I questioned him, taking a sip of my coffee.

Considering Elliot made sure all his classes were all in the afternoon, and that he only worked night shifts, saying Elliot was not a morning person would be a huge understatement.

“Going out with Belle today,” he replied. “She’s coming over soon.”

“How cute,” I replied. “Let her know I sa-”

A loud familiar screech startled us both in a jump. It was a sound we recognised instantly - the cry of a banshee.

Not just any ol’ banshee though, no, it was our banshee of a neighbour.

Great, what now?