As if it had been a single moment.
My eyelids slowly, cautiously opened, and I felt the soft fabric of the bed beneath me. Am I still here? The last thing I remembered was also a bed. A hot touch, a trembling sigh… and now, I'm lying here again.
But something felt off.
It was as if a part of my memory had been torn away. As if a piece of my existence had gotten stuck somewhere else. I had no idea how long I had been lying here. Maybe minutes had passed, or hours. But it could have been days. I couldn't tell.
Had I died?
Or had I been brought back?
Was I in another world?
The answer didn't take long to arrive.
A sharp, piercing scream shattered the silence.
— HEY, MOM! MOM! LOOK! EVERYONE, LOOK! SHE'S AWAKE! OH MY GOD, SHE'S AWAKE! — Elis shrieked as if she were witnessing a miracle. — Oh my God, Avarka! Hello? Hello?! Can you see me? Can you see my hand? I'm holding up two fingers! Now three! Now two again!
I flinched.
— Elis, enough! — I groaned softly. — Please stop, or I swear, I'll go right back to sleep!
My head throbbed. I simply didn't have time to process what was happening. I only realized that suddenly, everyone was clinging to me. Clara and John were already wrapped around my neck, hugging me so tightly I could barely breathe, pressing little kisses on my face, and somehow, even holding my hands at the same time. Everyone was talking at once, words buzzing around me like I had fallen into a beehive.
— Are you okay? — John's voice was full of concern. — Is everything alright?
— Look at her forehead! — Clara gently ran her fingers across it. — And her hands! Look at her hands too!
— Let me breathe! Please! — I tried to break free from their overwhelming attention.
John kept his scrutinizing gaze on me for a moment, then nodded firmly.
— I'll go inform the royal family that she's awake.
Clara, who had been silently observing until now, stepped forward.
— Yes, go, dear. They need to know.
John didn't hesitate any further; he was already on his way. Clara, however, turned back to me, the concern still etched on her face.
— Stay here and rest. Elis will stay with you. I'll go and get the doctor.
I wanted to ask what had even happened, but I only nodded.
Elis sat down beside me on the bed, first eyeing me with concern, as if expecting me to collapse at any moment. Then she raised an eyebrow and tilted her head curiously.
— Alright, spill it! What happened?
I blinked at her in confusion.
— I was going to ask you the same thing.
Elis's face darkened for a moment, then a spark of excitement flashed across it.
— Listen, we know what you did. We heard about it. Everyone heard about it. They said that… you were paralyzed.
For a second, there was silence.
— At first, I didn't even want to believe it! — she continued, giving my shoulder a light smack. — But girl… I swear, I nearly fainted when I found out! How could you be so reckless?
I had barely caught my breath, and she was already launching into a monologue.
— Tell me, what the hell were you thinking? — Elis put her hands on her hips, looking at me like a scolding mother. — What was going through your mind when you decided to go up against the most powerful among us?
Her voice grew more intense.
— How did you think you could just stand up to the ruler? What were you thinking?! — She gestured wildly, as if trying to slap some sense into me. — Why did you believe that everything would be fine after pulling something like that? Do you realize that the entire Academy is talking about it? That we all thought we had lost you for good?!
I tried to respond, but she didn't even pause.
— Every teacher, every mentor, everyone froze! They said you had been paralyzed! That you just… — she bit off the sentence and took a deep breath. — I honestly thought, for the first time in my life, that I was going to cry because of you.
Behind her anger, there was something else. Her eyes glistened, her lips trembled, as if the earlier panic was still coursing through her. But then, as if flipping a switch, she narrowed her eyes and spoke in an entirely different tone.
— But you know what? — She suddenly glanced around as if making sure no one else was nearby, then leaned in closer to me, a mischievous grin creeping onto her face. — Tell me… what happened?
I lifted my head, staring at her in confusion.
— That's what I'd like to know too.
But Elis wasn't letting it go. She studied me intently, then suddenly, a triumphant smile appeared on her face.
— Aha. So you don't remember? — she asked, but doubt laced her voice. — Are you sure? Because I swear, if you had seen yourself while you were asleep… Even Mom and Dad left the room…
— What do you mean? — I furrowed my brows.
— Oh, darling… if only you had seen the naughty little smiles you were giving in your sleep… — Elis stretched out the words, clearly enjoying the situation. — I don't know what you were dreaming about, and I have no clue where you went, but I swear, tell me the place, and I'm coming too!
I felt heat creeping into my face.
— Elis, shut up.
"No, no, no! Now you have to tell me!" She patted my arm with sparkling eyes. "We thought something terrible had happened to you, but you were napping with an expression like you'd just had the best night of your life!"
I tried to push her away, but she only leaned in closer.
"So? What happened? Don't lie to me, I can see that you faintly remember something!"
I wanted to tell her that I didn't have a complete picture of everything. That it felt like someone had erased the details from me. That I didn't know where I had been, but the feelings… those remained.
Touches.
Heat.
My heart suddenly started pounding faster as a faint memory flickered—of something… or someone.
But before I could say anything, the door suddenly burst open.
Clara had returned, and with her, a doctor stepped in. Elis instantly sat back into a normal posture, as if our previous conversation had never happened.
But I still felt my face flush. And for some reason… for some reason, the feeling wouldn't fade.