Life is Worth Living

         Samantha Jensen took long, relaxed strides towards her first class. Her alarm had failed to go off this morning. She figured it wouldn't do her any good to be worrying and running down the hallways when she was already ten minutes late. Doing so would just make her hair a mess in this already unbearably dreary weather and she would probably receive a detention anyway. Samantha had always sported a breezy and relaxed personality which helped her when she found herself in the most stressful situations. Even if that was so, nothing would prepare her for what would change her life forever.

         Nearing the classroom, Samantha turned at what sounded like a sob. Hunched against one of the many gray, dull lockers was a young girl. Confused as to why she hadn't seen her there as she passed the lockers, the brunette focused her eyes on the girl. Who is that girl? Oh my gosh, she's crying? Is she okay? She figured that she had just been too consumed in her thoughts to notice the young girl sitting there but now the sobs shaking the thin body belonging to the crying girl were hard for Samantha not to notice. She cried as if in pain, gasping every once and a while as if it were hard for the girl to breathe. The girl was young in appearance and looked to be a few years younger then Samantha herself. Upon closer inspection, Samantha noticed thin scars along the arms of the other girl. Among the scars appeared to be some fresh cuts as well. Oh...my god...I hope she got those scars by falling off a skateboard..Samantha knew better then that, however. Those scars are either self-inflicted or caused by another.The young girl quickly became silent, hid her face behind thick strands of unkempt, dark blonde hair, and sunk lower, just as she noticed Samantha was in her presence. Samantha could see that it took the other much effort to stay quiet, seeing as how the other girl's body would suddenly shake as if hiccupping for air. I think I should go now... Observing the younger girl's reaction, she reckoned that the young girl just wanted to be left alone and she quickly decided that it was none of her business as she continued walking on to her designated destination, a classroom that most likely held an angry teacher.

         Surprise washed over Samantha as she mused over why her 1st hour teacher hadn't given her a detention for being fifteen minutes late. Wow...he must be in a good mood... During lunch she had told one of her close friends about the girl she saw in the hallway and pointed her out at a lunch table far away. It hadn't been hard to spot the girl because she had been sitting all by herself with red, puffy eyes. Samantha had to admit that she was a little worried for the young girl, after seeing the scars on her arm, but had been cautious about approaching the girl because she didn't know how the blonde-haired girl would react to a stranger. " Oh, you mean Desdemona. She's a total reject, a total loser. She sits around all day and doesn't say a word and just look at her hair. It's called a TAKING A SHOWER." Her friend laughed at her own joke. Samantha was new to this school and made friends quickly but didn't exactly know everyone yet. "What?" Samantha was astounded that her friend would ever say something so vile and mean-spirited. " Why do you look so surprised? Don't bother with her." Still worried for Desdemona, Samantha started to rise from her seat with the intention of talking to her. An arm reached out and stopped her just as she started to walk towards the miserable-looking young girl. " She isn't worth you time. just sit down Sam, and stop acting like such a goody-two shoes." Samantha felt that she should make sure Desdemona was all right none the less, and continued walking, ignoring the sneer her friend made. Just as she neared a few feet away from the table that the young girl was sitting at, the lunch bell rang, and Samantha was cut off by a bunch of rowdy freshman pushing and shoving each other. " Hey, watch it!" Annoying little.. By the time she got through, Desdemona was nowhere in sight and for the rest of the school day she remained unseen.

         Samantha let out a sigh as she thought about Desdemona while sitting against the trunk of her beautiful tree. Although it was Autumn and the leaves had begun falling off, gathering into disarrayed heaps on the ground, the she was content looking up at the vibrant colors of the tree. The tree resembled a brilliant flame. The warm colors of red, orange, and yellow intermingling with each other were a magnificent sight to see. At school, Samantha was a hard-working student when she wanted to be but usually had no problem acquiring adequate grades without much work. She wished to someday become a radio DJ, and maybe write a book. She had come here to rest and get away from the homework she was assigned this weekend. The tree was located on a high cliff overlooking the sea. Although she had a fear of deep water, Samantha liked to come to this sanctuary to gaze at the sunset. The sunset would reflect upon the surface of the water giving the sea a golden hue. The water directly below the edge of the cliff was not as shallow as one would have thought it was. It was deep and that was the reason why Samantha had always refrained from going near the edge of the cliff. The thought of deep water greatly unsettled her. Pushing those frightful thoughts to the farthest corners of her mind, she looked at the grass blowing in the wind. The breeze grazing the grass was gentle and yet she could see the grass flowing with the wind. It was so peaceful and serene. The long blades of grass all gently blowing in unison reminded her of a graceful dance. Thinking of all that occurred this past day in reminiscence, Samantha drifted off into a peaceful slumber, or so it would seem to a spectator.

         Visions of gray and black swirled around her like a tornado with herself caught in the midst of it all. She could see it in her mind, like the back of her eyelids. She tried desperately to open her eyes wider for they felt heavy and unmoving. Her surroundings seemed unfamiliar and all was hazy and blurry. When her eyes came into focus, she could still see that she was resting against the tree she had drifted to sleep against earlier but something was different. Something's not right... Something about the place she knew so well made her uncomfortable and she sensed a premonition about the place. It's too quiet. She strained to hear any noise at all, but not a sound was heard, not even the chirping of an insect or the breeze of the wind. Maintaining her usually relaxed manner, she tried to speak but no words came out. Before she had anytime to panic, a gust of wind blew towards her and the sound of horrendous wailing was evident in her ears. The monstrous cry was loud enough to shatter her ear drums. The cry was almost inhuman. Multiple voices echoed in her head, whispering undeterminable words. The voices did not contain any kindness. They sounded mad and insane as they grew from soft to so loud in her head that she thought she would go mad. Samantha covered her ears, and went into a fetal position, shutting her eyes tightly as if it would stop the disturbing noise. A shrill, blood curdling scream broke the chaos and it became silent.

         Opening her brown eyes hesitantly and getting up on one knee, she felt a presence and turned her head towards the ocean. There, standing on the edge of the cliff, was Desdemona. Desdemona turned towards Samantha, arms outstretched in the air, attempting to lock eyes with her. Samantha met her gaze and saw the anguish in those bright green eyes. They glowed softly in sorrow. It suddenly became hard for Samantha to breathe. She instantly felt the girl's pain. She felt abandoned and rejected. She felt as if she was alone in this world, alienated from everyone else. She felt that nobody cared for her. Her breath was taken away at the ache she felt in her heart. She couldn’t breathe. It felt as if her heart had been ripped out and she had been left there to die by herself. This is what Desdemona felt and these feelings were somehow transmitted to Samantha. Hot tears of anguish fell down Samantha’s cheeks as she felt what Desdemona felt. Please...just let it stop.. These feelings grew stronger until the emotional and mental pain became so significant that Samantha wanted to jump off the cliff and end the pain herself. Oh god I can't breathe!! Actually considering it, Samantha, still writhing in pain, stumbled towards the edge of the cliff. Before she could jump off, however, something stopped her, the vision of Desdemona throwing herself into the depths if the foreboding sea, a sad smile on her youthful face. Another piercing scream shattered Samantha's ears as she saw a bright white flash.

         Big brown eyes shot open, and Samantha awoke with a start. She had only been dreaming. A light veil of perspiration covered the skin upon her forehead and upper lip as she took quick, panicked breaths. She turned her back on the sea, refusing to look where Desdemona had stood in her dream. I was only dreaming? This notion was hard for her to believe. But every seemed so real...I must be going crazy or something...Brushing aside the hair that had become plastered to her forehead, she closed her eyes trying to forget the sounds of the screams, and trying to forget the look on Desdemona's face as she jumped, but the vision of the young girl's face was scorched in her memory. A noise behind her quickly made Samantha jump and she quickly snapped her head towards the edge of the cliff. It was Desdemona. She was quick to get up on her feet. "Wait! Stop! Desdemona!!" Samantha quickly called out to the girl while rushing towards Desdemona in an attempt to grab the young girl before it was too late. The young girl slightly turned her head towards Samantha, the sorrow apparent in her emerald eyes. She shook her head slowly and threw herself into the sea just as Samantha was close enough to touch her. No! Without a second thought, Samantha jumped after her, one hand encircling the other's wrist and one hand barely catching the edge of the cliff. While desperately trying to pull both her and Desdemona up, the rough edges of the rock dug into her skin, causing trickles of blood to flow down her straining arm. Samantha clung on for her life and Desdemona's. Please ..please..I can't die now. Just when Samantha finally got some footing on the side of the cliff, part of the rock and cliff she was clinging on to broke off, and they both plummeted and were swallowed by the sea.

         She opened her eyes in the water, noticing blood flowing from her side. Unfortunately for Samantha, her side had connected with a jagged piece of rock jutting out of the cliff's side. The contact with the surface of the water was harsh and brutal, almost knocking Samantha out. Frantically swimming to the surface, she realized that Desdemona had been separated from her when they hit the water. The unbearable pain of her side caused Samantha to stay awake and aware. I have to find Desdemona. Samantha knew that she had to find Desdemona because she could have fallen unconscious. Reaching the surface, she took a gulp of air. Not letting herself panic, she pretended that she was in shallow water, and swam underneath. Okay...don't panic..just don't panic.. Searching around in haste she finally saw the small body, slowly sinking lower and lower into the depths of the sea. Desdemona luckily missed the jagged edges of the sides of the cliff. Ignoring the pain at her side, she quickly swam towards the unmoving figure. Putting one arm around Desdemona's waist, she used all her might to swim towards the surface as fast as she could. She finally broke out into the surface, just as she was running out of oxygen. All the while trying to stay calm, Samantha relaxed and focused on swimming out to shore. As time passed by, the pain at her side started to numb away and she grew sleepy. Samantha knew that falling asleep would mean death. It was getting dark and Samantha knew there was little hope that someone would see them and come rescue them but she didn't give up. She kept on swimming, struggling to keep her eyes open. In time, it grew windy and the sea broke into strong currents. Samantha swam into the currents, letting it drag Desdemona and herself towards the shore.

         They rode current after current until finally reaching the shore. Her head resting in the sand, Samantha coughed up water that she had swallowed. She was sure that she had lost a lot of blood, and that if help didn't come soon, she might die. She wasn't afraid though. She had died to save someone else's life. To her, nothing was more noble then that. Samantha had overcome her worst fear. Not many people did that in their lifetime. Looking over at Desdemona, she realized that the young girl might be dead or might need CPR. Trying desperately to rise up from the sand, Samantha cried out and fell back down, unable to move any further. She was exhausted. Her voice was raspy as she tried to call out for help but sleep soon overwhelmed her and she was forced to surrender to it. Just as she unwillingly closed her eyes, eyes of emerald belonging to Desdemona slowly opened and that was the last thing Samantha saw before she was engulfed in darkness.

         Her head was throbbing. Unable to move her head much; she opened her eyes to see a bright, white light. Am I in heaven? Samantha thought she was as a white figure strode next to her, gently touching her face and side. Was this what angels looked like? Her vision was blurry and she could only see distorted figures here and there. She suddenly heard a voice that brought tears to her eyes. Mom! Her mother was there, gently holding on to her hand and smothering her with kisses and tears. " Oh Baby, I came as soon as I heard. I'm so glad you're safe. I don't know what I would have done what if were to lose you." Mother and daughter held eachother, sobbing uncontrollably. Mom.. " Mom, I love you so much." " I love you too, Baby." Her mother hugged her tightly, afraid to let go. They both became silent, not knwing what to say, but holding on to eachother as if their lives depended on it. Her eyes slowly came into focus, revealing to Samantha a snow white room, a happy tear-streaked mother, and a doctor dressed in white. The doctor that Samantha had thought to be an angel calmly told her that she was lucky to be alive and that Desdemona was safe in another room. A young man had heard her cry and had come to their rescue. The doctor explained her injury and she was told not to get out of bed for a month to fully recover from the trauma and her side wound. Smiling contently to herself, Samantha had a feeling that everything would be alright. She couldn't wait to get out of this bed and she couldn't wait to talk to Desdemona. She wanted to tell Desdemona that life was worth living and that no matter what happened, there would always be people who cared for her. Samantha cared for her and wanted to help her. She felt a deep joy in her heart for being alive and for having saved Desdemona's life. After this, swimming in deep water will be a breeze. With that thought, Samantha Jensen drowned out the doctor's words and this time she really drifted off into a peaceful slumber.