I awaken in a bright, noisy space...a cacophony of unwanted sensation and sound.
My senses struggle to adjust to the sudden brightness. Although blurry, everything was white...an endless dimension of white.
Was I in heaven?
"Another suicide?"
Huh?
My ears pick up the sound of two distant female voices.
"Typical. Teenagers are so selfish these days."
"I know. They need to think about their parents, it's really hard to raise a teen, you know."
"Yes, I always feel bad for the parents. It must be extremely difficult for them..."
"Ah...so, so selfish..."
I definitely wasn't in heaven...not after hearing that.
I open up my eyelids a little, squinting through the bright white. I was in a hospital ward, and those were some gossipping nurses...there's no doubting it.
"Mika?"
A familiar voice causes me to perk up and turn to face the right side of my bed, where a young woman with blonde hair and curly pigtails sits with a concerned expression on her delicate face.
"Izzy...?" My voice comes out soft and fragile, my heart clenching at the sight of my friend in distress.
She gives me a sad smile before reaching out and gently embracing my hand within hers.
"How are you feeling? You gave me quite a scare there." She speaks up in her usual, caring tone. The voice of a true motherly figure.
I avert my gaze, gathering my thoughts. I...tried to kill myself, didn't I? That wasn't like me...she must be so confused and worried... "I'm okay." Is all I manage to say, when in reality, I had a lot more to tell.
"Hm..." She hums out softly, not convinced, and after a brief pause, she speaks up again. "I'm here for you, you know? People care about you."
Izzy...
To avoid the risk of bursting into tears, I keep my mouth shut. Instead, I nod in response, causing her to smile contently in return.
"A nurse will be coming to speak to you soon. Their name was..." She pauses, tapping her chin. "Anabelle...? or Affagato...or...something." She smirks sheepishly, successfully getting a chuckle out of me.
Typical Izzy. Though, after what I just heard earlier, I don't know if I want to speak to any nurses at the moment...
But whatever, time will tell.
"Ah! Speak of the devil!" Izzy perks up, gazing up at the double doors of the ward as they swing open.
Two nurses step inside. One of them looked young...awfully young.
"Miss Mika Aiko?"
