Chapter 17
The sterile, antiseptic smell lingering in the air was sharp and cold, piercing through the fog of her half-dreams and bringing her slowly to consciousness. The scent felt strangely familiar, triggering something deep within her—something unpleasant. It was the unmistakable smell of a hospital, blending with faint traces of bleach and rubbing alcohol, and it wrapped around her, grounding her in reality as she drifted back from the darkness. Anna opened her eyes to the white room, which she recognized as "the last place she wanted to be in," a hospital room. After shaking, the bad feeling hospitals would give her from her previous experience. Anna tried to remember how she had come here. She tried to move so the person sitting next to her bed moved too, which made her feel the presence of someone else in the room; she moved her head aside to see Sue, the captain of the cheerleaders and Mark's little sister. Seeing that she was awake, Sue got closer to Anna and said with clear relief," For God's sake, Nilson, you scared us to death.." she stood heading out without giving the confused Anna any chance to reply, "... let me tell the others that you're awake, they are so worried. " Anna finally found her voice and stopped her at the door, saying, "Wait a second, Sue, what happened? How did I get here?" Sue sat back in surprise. "What do you mean? How did you get here? Don't you remember?" Anna shook her head in a no, so Sue started saying, " We went to celebrate; Allan invited us..." Sue kept telling Anna what happened. However, Anna heard nothing cuz as the mention of Allan echoed in her mind. Suddenly, the sterile scent of the hospital faded, replaced by the warm, vibrant atmosphere of the restaurant, where laughter and the clinking of glasses filled the air.
Anna found herself walking alongside Mark and the rest of the team after they agreed on celebrating; Sue, Lina, and Lilly, the cheerleaders, joined them too, but at the exit of the stadium, they were surprised by Allan waiting for them with a snagged smile." I heard you're celebrating?" He wondered, and before anyone responded he led the way saying "Come on I'll treat you to a good meal" Ethan – The strategist of the team, always observing and ready to offer advice warned him "You probably should take it slow, we're too many to be invited " Allan gave him a short stare and kept walking, the rest exchanged glances confused what to do till Carlos – The comedian, always keeping the team’s spirits high, even under pressure_ said playfully " come on, move it guys, we don't get invited to a meal by the heir of an empire every day" agreed to his statement the rest followed one after another. They split into two cars and started their journey toward the restaurant Allan chose.
The basketball team stepped into the restaurant, and it was a different world. Crystal chandeliers hung like glowing constellations from the high ceiling, casting a warm, golden light over polished marble floors. The scent of fresh lilies mingled with the faint aroma of fine cuisine, wrapping around them like an invitation to indulge.
Sue gasped, clutching Lily’s arm as her eyes darted from the grand staircase to the gleaming tables set with crisp white linens and sparkling glassware. "I thought places like this only existed in movies," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the soft notes of a piano drifting through the room.
Lina nudged Anna with a grin. "Guess we have Alan to thank for this VIP experience," she said, her voice filled with wonder.
The rest of the team kept dropping comments on how elegant and glamorous things were, but Anna barely heard her. A strange familiarity tugged at her as she scanned the restaurant, her gaze lingering on details she couldn’t quite place. The chandeliers, the scent, even the elegant curve of the staircase—it was all like a distant memory trying to surface. Her heart beat faster, an unease prickling beneath her excitement as if she’d walked into a place she was meant to remember but couldn’t grasp. Alan was pulling a chair waiting for her to sit down, but she was immersed in her weird feelings, so Sue grabbed her to sit down Anna noticed that everyone was sitting already and looking at her in expectation, she cleared her throat and sat down only to hear Dan complain " thought you' re saying something important!!" The rest moved their sight to her waiting for her response " It's OK, you guys enjoy now; we'll have enough time to talk tomorrow" They all breathed out in relief, Anna realized that they were all worried that she'd ruin the celebration so she laughed saying " don't get so excited, you'll get your piece tomorrow "
Just then, the loud voices outside the room raised and pulled Anna back into the stark white room. She blinked, disoriented, as Sue’s concerned face came back into focus. “Anna, are you okay? You just went quiet for a moment.”
“I—what happened after the restaurant?” Anna asked, her heart racing as she searched Sue's eyes for answers; something happened; her mind was pushing so hard to remember, but the noise outside was distracting her. Eventually, a knock on the door and Mark entered, he stood next to Sue and with a smile said "Welcome back Coach, made us worry back there" Anna smiled back and responded "Sorry, Captain, please let everyone know that I am okay, let them go and rest, we still have coming games, and thanks for your care everyone " Mark nodded replying " sure, I came to let you know that we're leaving, now that you're awake, Allan will stick around till your guardian is here" again another word that makes her head spin " Guardian" the picture of Alex came to her mind foggy with buzzing sound. Anna nodded to Mark, trying not to faint again and freak everyone out. Sue said something that Anna failed to hear cuz of the buzzing Still, she nodded and murmured thanks. The room was empty. Anna dropped her head back on her pillow, ignoring the voices outside. Her head was hurting, and the pictures kept changing in her mind. The game, the care, the restaurant, she was sure there was something unpleasant happened, something she wanna know, yet she was running from remembering.
On the other hand, in a deserted place, a man wearing black, with an eye patch, was sitting on an old but elegant desk, his fingers taping something on his phone while the other men around him waited obediently.
" I'll keep an eye on her. " That is what his phone screen showed just before he turned it off and put it down, saying to the alerted men surrounding him, " Now we can keep up from where we stopped. "