La Principessa

Chapter 7

Ambedo (N: Am-bed-oh): A kind of melancholic trance in which you become completely absorbed in vivid sensory details; briefly soaking in the experience of being alive.

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ANASTASIA'S POV

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

I whine as the constant irritating noise makes the area above my eyebrows throb painfully. With the constant noise, I grow so annoyed that I find myself wanting to scream at it to please be quiet but it's impossible, my mouth is so parched and the effort of trying to open it alone is difficult.

I feel like I'm in the type of dream where I'm rooted to the stop, attempting to move from danger but at such a slow pace as if I'm paralysed and can't do anything but observe the way I'm going to be caught at any given moment.

I've been stuck in this paralysis for God knows how long and the experience of it is so terrifying that it makes my panic spike again. The unbearable beeping sounds increase and grow louder, making me want to cry from frustration because all I want is quiet.

That blaring noise was all I heard whilst I was in a state of emptiness with nothing but darkness surrounding me as I called for anyone to respond and save me from the darkness taunting me, but no one came.

They never did.

All I see is darkness as I try to open my eyes but I simply don't have the strength to. I grow dazed, I know that I'm awake but why can't I move, why can't I open my eyes? I shuffle whilst lying down and feel the soft material of silk sliding beneath my body and if possible, I grow even more confused, my heart pounding in anticipation.

My bed, well what you can call a thin layer of a blanket, was never this comfortable and I for sure didn't have a silk pillow either. Where am I? I moved some more and groan at the pain that spiked in my ribs at the action.

My body aches so much, and the cuts and bruises on my face and body won't stop throbbing painfully and reminding me of the events of the night I received them. Flashes of my parent's faces greet me and I shudder, attempting to open my eyes to free myself from the horrid image of them.

I blink, quickly opening my eyes and letting myself adjust to the blinding lights as I look up, muddled. It takes me a few minutes as I just blink and get used to the lights that are far too bright when I realise I'm in what appears to be a hospital room, but I'm not entirely sure since I've never been in one.

With all the injuries my parents had inflicted on me, I had to take care of them myself since my parents never cared, and I was given no knowledge of how to properly take care of the wounds. The job was mostly always left undone and the injuries always hurt and resulted in me becoming sick, but at least I lived.

I look up again, observing the space around me and scanning the walls and high ceilings. The room is large and the walls that surround me are soft pink with gold accents. I look over when I spot a window, seeing that it's light outside meaning it's probably very early in the morning. I blink again, the lights still too sharp for my still sore eyes.

Slowly, I try to think about how I'm in this unknown room. I remember running and then running some more, and meeting the kind male who gave me some money and then running some more but my mind is a very hazy place. All I can recall is the burn in my thighs as I ran fast without stopping, the hunger, exhaustion and pain combined making my vision blurry and the roar of the cars as they sped by through the busy streets.