Nasaza

XVI

I dropped my racquet as well as Aadesh's racquet fell down to me. I didn't have enough time to move out of the way, the racquet hitting me smack in the middle of the bridge of my nose. The pain was instant, and I dropped to my knees on the ground. Blood started gushing out of my nose and onto the ground.

Tip....tip...tip...

I stared at it for a long second before I felt a burning sensation across my nose.

I covered my face with my hands and tried to breathe in through my mouth, but the burning sensation was too much. My eyes stung with pain, and my nose felt as though it was on fire. My head was spinning, and I felt light-headed. I couldn't see anything clearly, and I wasn't sure what was happening.

"Sanskriti!" I heard Visakha's voice.

I couldn't see anything, and I was so dizzy.

"Are you okay?" she asked, but I couldn't answer her.

I tried to get up, but I was too weak to move.

"Sanskriti!"

I heard her voice again, closer now. She had to be right in front of me. I couldn't see her, but I felt her hand on my shoulder.

"Sanskriti..."

"I'm fine," I tried, blinking to regain some of my vision.

I could barely see her face in front of me. It was fuzzy, but at least I could notice her now.

"You're bleeding," she said with concern.

I tried to wipe the blood off my face, but everything was moving around for some reason and I couldn't seem to catch it. I must really be dizzy to not be able to move my hands properly.

"N-no shit, Sherlock," I tried once again.

"Let me lead you off the court," she said, wrapping her arm around my waist as she did so.

She started pulling me off the court but I resisted. There was no reason for me to not finish this match, it should have been easy. I just needed a little bit of time, and then I would be fine.

"Don't," I tried to say, but my words came out like a mumble. I was sure that my nose was broken, but maybe it wasn't. It was probably just a minor injury, and I would be fine in a few minutes.

"The match is off Sanskriti. Sunai nahi diya tujhe?" I heard another voice. I turned my head but everything was so so so so so so so blurry-

When I blinked, some of my vision came back, and I could see the outlines of the people around me. I could make out Amrita standing beside Visakha, both of them worried.

"What?" I mumbled again. I couldn't seem to speak properly, but I could understand what was being said to me now. What was going on? I had only been hit on the nose, hadn't I? How was my vision impaired? I didn't understand.

"We need to get you to the MI room" Amrita said, inspecting my bloody nose.

"There's no need," I started to say, but my words came out as a whisper.

"She can't even speak properly," she said to Visakha.

My brain seemed like it was working in slow motion. I couldn't keep up with the conversation, and I was completely numb.

"I...I'm...fine," I said with tremendous difficulty. I tried to get up. "Just...give me a minute..."

I began to take a deep breath, and I could smell the coppery scent of blood. I looked at my hands and saw that they were shaking, and my nose still hurt. I tried to pinch myself to see if I could still feel the pain, but I couldn't. It was a strange feeling. I felt as if everything was a dream.