CHAPTER 58

　　I opened my eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, waiting for the world to stop spinning. Slowly, painfully so, my sense of self returned, pain and exhaustion rushing through my body as I started feeling every sore muscle and bruised skin, every cut and burn. My vision cleared, and the room came into focus, then my hearing returned.

　　The first thing I heard was the quiet drip-drip-drip next to me, mixed with the humming of a machine. I looked to my right to realize there was an IV drip hanging from a long metal pole right next to the bed, with another machine beside it showing my heartbeat and monitoring my vitals.

　　I allowed my eyes to wander around, only to realize with relief that I wasn’t in a hospital. The bed was familiar and so was the tidiness of the room, the dark furniture, even the dressing room across from the bed.