Miracle
noun- 1. an extraordinary and welcome event attributed to a divine agency. 2. a remarkable and very welcome occurrence. 3. an outstanding example, specimen, or achievement.

In this case, the dictionary is right to a certain extent. It just missed out one detail.

Every so often I drifted back to the surface of the dark haze that had settled over my mind to groan in pain for a second before slipping under again, the way a swimmer takes a tiny gasp of air before vanishing under the surface of the pool. I was only aware of three things. The first was the steadily darkening sky, with the thousands of stars beginning to poke through the rain clouds above me. The second was agony pulsing through me, every last bit of me ached. The third was the fact that someone, or something had found me...

I was just barely aware of their presence when I surfaced the first time, but as I rose from the depths of pain each time, their presence became more and more obvious. Eventually, I surfaced from the darkness long enough to look at the figure beside me.

I realised now that it was a guy... he looked between about sixteen and eighteen. I was sure I'd be able to tell easier in better light. He had longish dark hair and dark eyes... again I couldn't tell in this light. He was looking down at me his eyes full of concern. I was suddenly very aware as my eyes flicked down to look at his chest, that he was completely naked. My eyes flicked back up to his face, anxious not to look at his six pack stomach, his defined muscled arms and definitely NOT any lower...

"Hello." he whispered. His voice was soft and gentle, rather than a gruff voice, which I thought he should have... but I preferred this voice... it made him seem like he was beautiful both inside and out. "Are you alright?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. "Oh yes, I'm just peachy keen, thanks for asking."

He looked thoroughly confused. "What?"

"Sarcasm is a foreign language to you isn't it?" I frowned up at him. "What are you doing down here anyway?"

"I came to make sure you were alright." he said looking cautious. "Should I go?"

"No." I groaned. "Unless you're going for an ambulance or something... I don't think I need one... I think..." I put a hand down and tried to lift myself up when pain rocketed through my body. I cried out and fell back into the mud. God, was I going to need a bath when this was over. I lay where I was gritting my teeth and breathing hard, squeezing my eyes tightly shut, trying to overcome the pain shredding my body. I must've broken at least a bone or two. I dreaded to think the state I was in.

"I'm Xandrell." murmured his soft voice.

"Amy." I grunted through my gritted teeth. His name however, as he said it, seemed to have a slightly calming effect on me... well as calming as it can be when you're being spoken to by a naked guy who seems to have no idea what to do, can't even understand sarcasm, and he's your only hope of salvation.

"I think I can help you." he suddenly said quietly.

My eyes snapped open. "You can?" I moaned desperately. "Please! Please take away the pain."

He moved down towards me, so close I could smell his sweet breath. His cold hand gently stroked my cheek with a feather-light touch. His hand was like velvet... slowly his face came closer and closer to me, and very carefully and cautiously, he pressed his lips to mine.

It took me a full minute to realise what he was doing, but I was too weak to protest. I felt my stomach squirming as he ran his fingers through my hair. Eventually, he pulled away from me and opened his eyes to look down into mine. He gave a little smile. I lay there, staring up at him in shock. That wasn't exactly what I had been expecting. "I think Amy, you should get some rest now."

He carefully slid a hand under my neck placing the other one under my knees. I braced myself for the pain I knew would come. As he lifted me, I heard myself yell again. Then I was being cradled against his bare chest, my head resting against his ribs, my arms and legs dangling, limp and dead. I felt like some sort of rag doll, abandoned in the corner of a child's playroom. Suddenly, something sprung to the forefront of my mind.

"My bike." I groaned. "What happened to my..."

"You mean the monster that threw you down the hill so you would avoid me?" he asked, turning and beginning to walk along the river to where the slope became more gradual and led out of the valley. "Dead when I arrived on the scene I'm afraid. Mangled all out of shape, the insides everywhere."

"Broken beyond repair?" I asked quietly. He nodded and I groaned again, feeling my eyes slip closed. "Mum's going to kill me." And I vanished again under a thicker haze this time. It was like my mind was being smothered in a quilt.

I stayed here for longer this time. Here even the pain seemed better. Vague noises drifted through the haze to meet my ears, unfinished sentences all merging together, making little sense.

Somebody, help... ambulance!... call the police... her name? Amy... Amy? AMY!...

I think most of the time, I slept, thinking about the poor misshapen corpse of my bike, still lying out there against one of the trees that had tried to kill both of us.

How long has she... could be here... miracle... Amy...

Soon the pain began to ease. It felt easier to drift here in nothingness than to fight the world of consciousness, cradled in the arms of the darkness. This was one of those few times when ignorance was better.

Two days... shouldn't be... Amy... love her...

Slowly... very slowly, it felt like the mist was starting to slacken. I tried to fight the mist off, trying to find my way out of the maze that had become my mind. It didn't speed up the process, and I found myself only growing wearier as I tried to fight my unconscious, and before long, I found myself slipping back down. Sleeping deeper again, but then, the next time, I fought against a still weaker mist and then... and then...

"I'm dead..." I croaked as I opened my eyes to find myself in a white room... but then I reasoned, if I was dead, I wouldn't still feel so sore, my body wouldn't still be aching so unbearably. If I were dead, no-one would have felt the need to put bandages all over me, or an oxygen tube up my nose.

I heard my mothers laugh and I turned my head very slowly and carefully to look at her. "You always did over-react." she said with her little chuckle. I looked closely at her. She seemed strangely thinner and shrunken somehow, but still with Point-four tucked under her shirt, and under her glasses, her eyes were red and bloodshot. "You can't ever complain you haven't slept enough again, not after the last couple of days... Oh, Amy, when are you going to learn?"

"I'm sorry, Mum." I whispered, and suddenly, I had tears rolling down my cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

She immediately got up and moved towards me. "There now, love. It's ok." she murmured sitting on the bed and stroking my sore head. My head throbbed and I closed my eyes trying to push away the pain. "It's ok."

"It's not ok." I groaned, tears still rolling down my cheeks. "I knew it was stupid to go out on my bike when... oh my bike! Mum, don't be angry! Please don't be mad!"

My mother shushed me and stroked my aching head until I quietened down. "Sweetheart, I know about the bike..." I wailed again, but she waited until I'd stopped crying, still shushing me and this time holding my hand. "Yes, it's a shame, but it's ok, we can get you a new bike."

"It won't be the same." I whimpered, trying not to burst into tears again.

"Oh, now love, you've been saying for ages how you wanted that lovely blue bike in the window of that shop in town." said my mother. "And I think we can spare enough to..."

"I don't want it." I said, feeling tears welling up inside me again. "I'm not sure I can go riding again, Mum... not without my bike..."

I couldn't help it. I was being childish and I knew it, but I felt like I'd lost my best friend. I thought back on all the bike rides I'd gone on with Sophie... no more of those... not without my poor bike...

"I won't be able to ride for a while though I daresay." I said quietly. I didn't really want to think about how much damage I'd done, but this seemed the time. "Mum, tell me honestly, how bad is it?"

My mother looked at me. "My lovely, there's nothing wrong with you."

I blinked. How could there be nothing wrong with me after that much agony? How could I have been asleep for two days if there was barely anything wrong with me? "Are you sure?"

"Well nothing bad. They've done all kinds of tests on you, you poor lamb, but aside from a little bump on the head and a few bruises, nothing. There's no brain damage, or internal damage, no broken bones, nothing. The doctor said it was a miracle that you had fallen the way Xandrell says you did and not to have had any really serious injuries. I said to him, 'that's ironic, my Amy's never been lucky in her life'. Obviously your luck's kicked in at the right time my love. I've told the school I'll be keeping you off for a week or so and they'll be sending work home for you, and your friends have been in to visit. They're all so very worried about you."

But only one word of my mother's burbling sunk in. "Xandrell?" I repeated quietly, and suddenly, it all came rushing back to me. His mysterious dark looks, his simplicity... what he had been 'wearing'... the kiss... the kiss?! His warm lips pressed against my cold ones.

"Yes, him." said my mother, obviously eager to continue talking. "The doctor said it was one of the most extraordinary things he'd ever seen when the ambulance pulled in, and the paramedics got out with you on the trolley and wheeled you off towards the intensive care, and running alongside was a boy who was completely starkers!" She hissed the last word as if it were some sort of profanity, wrinkling her nose like there was a bad smell in the room. "He's come in to see you every day as well." She sounded less thrilled about this. "Never leaves the hospital. It's been rather ridiculous. The way he looks at you. Just stands there for hours looking at you. It's as though he's never seen another person before. Very... intense... it's the only way I can think to describe it."

"Really?" I asked, slightly confused. He'd not looked at me that way the first time. It was like he cared a little, but no different. And... he'd stayed? I'd expected, when he was done to just leave and hopefully go find some clothes.

"Obviously hoping for something he's not going to get any time soon." said my mother not seeming particularly amused. "Well, he can get that idea out of his head right now."

"I daresay it wasn't in his head in the first place." I muttered, but I doubted my mother heard me, too busy muttering away to herself now. I sighed. Nothing would persuade my mother away when she was going off into one.

"Am I interrupting?" asked a velvet voice. I looked up at the door. There stood a tall and very attractive young man. His longish dark hair hung in his dark brown eyes. His wonderful body was covered today in a loose baggy t-shirt and dark loose-ish jeans. His dark eyes were fixed upon me. I saw a little what my mother had meant when she'd said about his gaze being intense.

"You clean up nicely Xandrell." I said softly, while my mother looked on angrily.

Xandrell nodded once, acknowledging the compliment. "As do you, Amy." he said quietly. "Are you feeling any better today... girlfriend?"