They say hope is the last thing to lose. If you lose hope, you lose everything. Anyone who loses their faith, their reason, also loses their soul.
This is the story of how Nadine clung to her only hope: to find her family safe and sound. A strange a...
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Paris, France. April 2036.
"Where is Nadine?" Antonia whispered at a volume too low to be heard. She was lying in a room. They wouldn't let her out. She had been there for two days, she thought, unable to count them properly.
She didn't remember much of what had happened. She had memories of the months when everything turned into chaos. Losing her family, the crimes in Paris, the fleeing of the figures of power. She also had a vague memory of the university being taken over by that chaos. She never left, just changed rooms the night she and Nadine ended. She found plenty of empty rooms, students began to flee. Everything had spiraled out of control in just a few days.
The following months were nothing but confusing and blurry flashes, tinged with red. Drugs distorted her perception of reality during that time, and her mind struggled not to remember, to protect itself. However, for the past two days, the only things she consumed were provisions in good condition and clean water. The absence of toxins in her body was like a fog lifting, exposing painful memories.
Rosadella watched her with a serious and distracted expression, standing beside her. A male nurse, short in stature, slender, with hair almost as dark as her eyes, spoke to her in a low and timid voice.
"The toughest part hasn't arrived yet; her condition is such that she's still under the influence of drugs. Detoxification is a hard process that is usually done gradually, step by step. The problem is we can't afford to spend the few medications we have on her. This will make the process more intense, but the injured need the medications..." The young man hid his lips in a line, his gaze wandering over the sheets. "I'm sorry, really. Both of you have some difficult days ahead..."
"Don't worry, Álvaro. Thank you. I'll stay with her as long as necessary."
"Where is Nadine?" Antonia repeated a bit louder.
The nurse looked at her, whispered something in Rosadella's ear, and with an apologetic smile, he left.
"Hello, my name is Rosadella," she said, with a slight sideways smile. "Nadine can't see you right now. She's okay, safe, but she's busy."
Memories of Nadine's screams when she was confined caused a slight shiver in Rosadella. To disguise it, she took a step forward, standing by Antonia's bed with her arms crossed, delicate flower tattoos visible on them. She wasn't wearing her hoodie. She waited for Antonia's response, which took a few minutes to come.
"Why?" She suffered from a severe headache, which worsened every time she moved or spoke.
