??? ??

ੈ✩‧₊˚
𝔼𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕚𝕝𝕒 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕣
ੈ✩‧₊˚

When I opened my eyes, everything was blurry. Fuzzy. My head... empty.

I blinked, staring at the ceiling above me. It was white. Plain. There was no sound except for the faint rustling somewhere close by. I shifted, feeling the rough texture of the sheets under my fingertips. The room was small, just four walls and a single window. No decorations, no pictures.

Where am I?

I turned my head slowly, my gaze catching on the wardrobe. There was someone there... a figure, folding clothes. I squinted, my vision still struggling to clear.

Mum.

Ella.

She looked like her. Hair the same, movements soft. I tilted my head. The woman's shoulders shook, her back hunched slightly, like she was... crying.

"Mum?" The word slipped out of my mouth before I could think.

She froze, then turned. Her eyes were wide and wet, glistening as she stared at me. The clothes she was holding fell to the floor, forgotten, as I pushed myself out of the bed.

The ground felt shaky beneath my feet. My legs trembled, almost giving out, but I kept moving, each step heavy and awkward. My arms reached out, fingers numb, barely able to grasp. The room swayed, the walls bending and twisting in my vision, but I didn't stop.

She caught me just as I stumbled forward, her arms wrapping around me, holding me close. My face pressed against her shoulder, and I breathed in a scent that was warm, it was unfamiliar, but comforting. My head felt... light. My thoughts scattered.

Alive.

She was alive.

There was no blood.

"Emmaline," Mum hugged me tighter, her body trembling. I tried to think, to make sense of it all, but everything was so slow. My brain... it wouldn't work. I just stood there, clinging to her, feeling her warmth, feeling her heartbeat. "I'm here, sweetheart. Mum's here."

She's alive.

That's all I could think.

She's here.

"Leila."

The voice cut through the quiet. I froze, the sound echoing in my ears, foreign. I blinked, confused. I didn't recognize it. I didn't even know someone else was here. It was just me and Mum... Ella.

I looked back slowly, my gaze drifting to the couch next to the dresser.

My eyes fell on him. The boy who saved me.

He had tanned olive skin, his curly black hair messy like he'd run his hands through it a lot. Brown eyes watched me carefully, like he was waiting for something. I tilted my head, trying to place him. He stood up and took a small step forward, but then stopped, glancing to the side.