19 February 2013
I awaken slowly, as if there was a nightmare I couldn't get out of my head. There was a problem though. I couldn't tell if that nightmare was real. I slowly come to myself. I hear the quiet but extremely annoying beeping of many machines, feel the bright lights shining through my eyelids, feel my breath, ragged and uneven, forcing its way in and out of my lungs. Right then I knew I was in a hospital. I had been in a hospital once before, as a five year old, when I had injured my ankle. I almost laughed as I remembered how innocent, how clueless about the world I had been then. Almost. I was interrupted by a small pain, starting in the core of my body and working its way out into every limb, every toe and finger. It burned like flames, and I really could imagine I was on fire, although it would be a different type of fire than the flickering flame of a candle, or even the hot, smoldering ashes from a forgotten campfire. I try to move, to even twitch my toes, flutter my eyelids. Nothing. It was as if my body was simply too tired to do anything other than breathe. I struggled, trying to make a sound move past my lips, trying to win a war against my own body. A war I should not be fighting in the first place. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, a small moan, nothing more, escapes my lips. It was nothing significant, but it nearly brought tears to my eyes. There was also something else that had changed with that small sound. It was suddenly as if I had broken an invisible barrier. I could curl my mouth into what would have probably looked like a terrifying excuse for a smile, move my fingers and toes, open my eyes. I didn't open my eyes however, because I wanted to know what was going on before I got swarmed with questions, most of which I probably wouldn't know the answer to. I had no memory of what events led me to be here. All I remembered was climbing over the fence one day when school got out, waving goodbye to Quinn, Celeste, Marie, and Eli. After that, it was just a flurry of pain and darkness that made my head hurt to think about. One thing stood out though. I remember feeling a jolt of electricity run through me, a stab of pain, and darkness. As if I wasn't already confused enough, I now had to deal with memories that weren't mine. Or at least I hoped they weren't.
Chapter 1 • Opuss № I