It was a pretty hot day in the capital city of Greece, Athens, as it normally was in the middle of June. The sun was high in the sky making even the morning unbearable.
Under the scorching sun, a teenage boy was walking through a square right in front of an Orthodox church.
The teen was probably sixteen or seventeen years old. The high school student had a height of one meter and eighty-five centimeters. His light brown hair was haphazardly combed back while some strands of hair fell across the right side of his head and his right eye. His eyes, the color of gray-blue, wandered in boredom, eventually landing on a bench.
The teenager, wearing black shorts and a black t-shirt, walked over to the bench and sat down, all the while he made almost no sound. Not even his breathing was discernible.
He was staring at the street in front of him, looking left and right as if searching for something. A few minutes afterwards, a girl, around the same age as him, appeared around the corner of the street.
The moment he saw her his face brightened up. A faint smile graced his face, which didn't have any facial hair but a few small pimples on his lower half of his face, where his beard would have been.
When they made eye contact, the girl's cheeks reddened a little and she waved at him from the other side of the road. The boy immediately got up and waved back at her. She was his girlfriend with whom he had arranged to meet with at this square after their exams ended.
The girl arrived at the crossing at the same time as the boy reached its other edge. Now they were at a distance where they could hear each other's voices.
The girl then spoke to the boy. Her melodic voice was loud and clear.
"How'd you do in your exams, Nicolas?!"
The boy named Nicolas remained silent for a second or two. He seemed to be thinking of an answer that would please his girlfriend. His lips were slightly pursed but she couldn't see them.
Eventually, Nicolas replied while scratching the back of his head. His expression was awkward.
"I did terrible. The exercises were just too difficult. If I ever stumble upon that bastard who put them, I'll show him my opinion about them."
The girl rather annoyed spoke to him with a stern voice, sounding like that of a teacher trying to discipline a child that did something bad out of habit.
"What have we said about cussing? The next time, you'll be making company to the birds on top of a tree. You hear me, Nicolas Hanais?"
Nicolas, turning his head sideways, replied hurriedly. His voice was full of anxiety.
"Geez... I was just joking around. You don't have to be so harsh to me."
After hearing his reply the girl laughed at him. His reaction seemed to contrast with his tough exterior.
Now the light had turned green and she proceeded to pass to the other side as she spoke to him with a gentle voice.
"Anyways... I did terrible at my exams too. I guess we-"
Before she could finish her sentence, an old, large car hit her at her left side with great speed, knocking her five meters away. The driver had tried to avoid hitting her, turning the steering wheel to the left but by the time he noticed her it was already too late.
Shocked, the driver didn't notice the wall. The car crashed. His head slammed into the steering wheel, knocking him unconscious or worse.
Nicolas, who had watched the whole scene unfold before his eyes, stood still, as if frozen, looking at his girlfriend on the street. His breathing had become ragged and heavy. He felt as if someone was strangling him to death.
His eyes, wide open, were blood red, as if he wanted to cry or kill anyone close to him. His facial expression was so tense that his face had turned completely pale. Together with his constricted pupils, Nicolas seemed like a starving wolf.
After a second, he walked over to the girl, whose face was covered with blood and cuts. Kneeling down, he hugged her head with his arms and checked her breathing. She was still breathing, though her breaths were unsteady and shallow.
At that moment the girl coughed and the boy felt something on his left ear. It was blood. Her blood. Her eyes were open, staring blankly at the sky above them.
With a pained voice she uttered a whisper.
"Is anyone... there?... Mom, dad... brother?"
The boy, still hugging her, replied to her with a whisper of his own. His voice gentle.
"... They are all here, together with me."
"Ah... Nicolas... is that you?"
"... Yes, I'm here for you."
"... Why can't I... see you?... Where... are you all?..."
Now, her breathing was growing fainter and fainter and so was her voice.
"... Have you... left me?... Don't... leave me...alone..."
As she said that, Nicolas hugged her even tighter and he spoke with a voice as faint as hers.
"Don't worry... I'll come to you... very soon."
A few tears slid across his face as he kissed her forehead and closed her eyes. She wasn't breathing anymore. Nicolas looked at her with sad eyes full of tears, his lips pressed tightly together.
He then looked at the sky above him as he spoke with a whisper only he could hear.
"... Yes... very soon..."