Me And The Dark

Chapter 51

The whitish light filled the room, giving off an oppressive coldness that made Valentina Pierce shiver as she slowly regained consciousness.

Every breath was a struggle against the weakness that invaded her, her body crying out for rest after the considerable loss of blood due to the wound inflicted by Mattheo Riddle.

The urge to stand up and take stock of her situation nagged at her, but even the simple movement was a challenge. Her weak heartbeat echoed in her head, accentuating the vulnerability of her condition.

Eyelids heavy, she tried to open her eyes, but the harsh light invading the room momentarily blinded her. She blinked, gradually adjusting her vision to the unfamiliar environment.

When she tried to rub her face to get rid of the torpor that was numbing her, her hands met with unexpected resistance. She then realised that she was tied up, shackled by invisible links in the fog of her emerging consciousness.

A voice, distant and indistinct, rose in the room. "I think she's waking up," whispered someone whose face and identity she could not make out.

Tension rose inside her, fuelled by the uncertainty of her situation and growing concern about what lay ahead.

Valentina finally managed to raise her head a little, her tear-filled eyes staring at her father beside one of the doctors. "Dad..." she said in a broken voice, letting out sobs that reflected the intensity of the terrifying ordeal she had just been through.

At only 18, the young girl seemed crushed by the weight of these events.

The relief of seeing her father made her vulnerable, but the feeling was short-lived. The bonds around her wrists tightened as she tried to free herself from the bed to which she was tied, adding to her distress.

James Pierce, his arms crossed, questioned the doctor in an almost indifferent tone. "Her memories?" Valentina, completely lost, stared at her father, wondering why he stood by while she suffered.

"Dad, please..." she whispered, her voice breaking even more, overwhelmed by sobs. She wondered what she had done to deserve such a fate in her life. Why did life seem to be working so hard on her, while evil was rumbling outside, ready to engulf everything?

The doctor assured that Valentina would remain there until further notice, with no outings, no visitors, and without the use of her powers. A nod from the doctor to James Pierce sealed the deal.

As James Pierce headed for the exit, the door slammed shut, forcing him to turn back to his daughter. "Don't leave me here! Emily's not dead!" shouted Valentina in desperation, trying to make him react.

James Pierce watched his daughter for a moment, a flicker of guilt perhaps passing through his eyes. "Start the treatment." Without saying another word, he waved his hand, indicating to the doctors to start the treatment, then left the room without a backward glance.

"What?!" screamed Valentina, struggling against the restraints holding her to the hospital bed. Her anguished cries echoed around the room before two doctors approached to restrain her, while a third stuck a syringe into her arm.

"Please..." she murmured before falling back into a deep sleep, plunged into the unknown of her destiny.

Valentina

I was sitting on the spotless bed, my legs tucked up against my chest, my arms wrapped around them in a desperate attempt to hold myself together.

My gaze stared fixedly at the white tiled floor, as if each tile could give me an answer to the questions that haunted my thoughts.