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.
be no pain, Ava. Just wake up. Come back
No way.
here, in
back. This
But I'm here, in this serenity of darkness. I feel pain, but it doesn't
die, Ava. You're
Alive.
Alive means death—
that's enough. Wake up. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You
* * *
sandpaper scraping against my lids. Everything is blurry, shapes
Ava.
I try to speak but my throat is parched, voice a ragged
palm. The slight weight of her head resting on my hand. I turn my head slowly, painfully. She's there, silver fur shining, blue eyes bright with
awake. Relief colors
swallow dryly, my tongue heavy and thick. "What happened?"
nuzzles into my arm. I want to protest but
my name, but I'm already
* * *
a heart monitor. The chemical scent of disinfectant. Starched sheets
eyelids are heavy but I force them open. The ceiling swims into focus—white tiles, fluorescent lights. A hospital. Selene is curled up beside me,
relief
here. They're asking me questions, one
I out?" I rasp,
Selene whines softly. We were so
you okay?" Lucas asks, way too
Lisa pipes up, from my other
a punch to the gut. I struggle to sit up, my muscles weak and uncooperative. Selene helps, bracing her body against mine, and both Lisa and Lucas rest their hands on my back to lead me up
process that
pinches my hand, connected to an IV pole with a few bags hanging off it. One of the
my waist. My hair is lank and
Selene cautions as I waver, dizzy. You've been through
back, trying to piece together how I ended up here. Training with Jericho and Lisa. Collapsing on
yawning black hole
"What happened to me?"
skin. Warmth flows between us, a feeling of comfort, and the urge to press
your wolf is trying to emerge. Do you feel any
glance toward my wolf, disguised as a husky for a reason she has yet to explain, and her ears flick
not. She's way
Selene soothes, sensing my unease. This
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