Chapter 112 Ava: Waking Up
Darkness.
Light.
So cold.
It burns.
My lungs ache.
Something's holding me down.
There are whispers. Prayers, I think.
Chaos reigns in this hazy world. Something beeps incessantly.
I'm sweating. My hands are too warm.
… up.
What's that?
… Ava, you…
Who's that?
… can you hear me?
I struggle to reach the voice that calls me, but something sucks me away again.
Frustration simmers, but I'm too tired to fight it.
Ava, you have to wake up.
There it is again.
I know you can hear me, because I can finally hear you.
Hear me? Hear me what? Am I talking?
Yes.
No, I don't think I'm talking. I'm too tired. My body is crushed beneath the earth. Fire ate every last bit of me. I drowned. The air was sucked away.
You're alive. You're asleep in the hospital. You're just fine. You just need to wake up.
No, no.
No, no, no.
Waking is pain.
I remember the pain.
Just wake up. Come back to
No way.
here, in this
back. This
serenity of darkness. I feel pain, but it doesn't kill me.
won't die, Ava.
Alive.
Alive means death—
up. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You never died. Wake.
* * *
against my lids. Everything
Ava.
comforting. Grounding. I try
wet nose presses into my palm. The slight weight of her head resting on my hand. I turn my head slowly,
awake. Relief colors her
and thick. "What happened?"
Rest now. She nuzzles into my arm. I want to protest but exhaustion drags me under
my name,
* * *
beep of a heart monitor. The chemical scent of disinfectant. Starched sheets rough against my
into focus—white tiles, fluorescent lights. A hospital. Selene is
Her relief washes over
here. They're asking me questions, one talking over the other. It's painful
I out?" I rasp,
weeks, Selene whines softly. We were
you okay?" Lucas asks, way too close
are you feeling?" Lisa pipes up, from my other
sit up, my muscles weak and uncooperative. Selene helps, bracing
process that leaves
pinches my hand, connected to an IV pole with a few bags hanging off it. One of the bags looks like milk, and
my waist.
as I waver, dizzy. You've been
piece together how I ended up here. Training with Jericho
yawning black hole in
"What happened to me?"
hesitant and gentle against my skin. Warmth flows between us, a feeling of comfort, and the urge to press my cheek into his
thinks your wolf is trying to emerge. Do you feel any
the idea fills me with trepidation. I flick a glance toward my wolf,
She's way
afraid, Selene soothes, sensing my
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