I started to hear voices around me, but they were distant, like I was under water. I could feel a sigh leave my body, as my mind powers were still in check and there were still no headphones. My eyes were heavy but I forced them open, people were waiting for me to open my eyes, I wouldn't let them wait longer.
I squinted, blinking a few times in a desperate attempt to clear my vision, but the world remained stubbornly blurry, like a watercolor painting left out in the rain. Everything was an indistinct smear of colors and shapes, but I could sense their presence clearly, as if my mind had found a way to compensate for my weakened body.
Silva's worry was like a heavy blanket draped over me, suffocating and impossible to ignore. It tugged at my heart, a steady thrum of anxiety that only intensified the longer I kept my eyes open. Dowling's hope, on the other hand, was more fragile, like she was clinging to a thread that might snap at any moment. She was hoping I'd be okay, but even she wasn't certain. That doubt lingered in the air, and I hated that I could feel it.
Harvey's emotions were different, more layered. There was relief, sure, but also a flicker of something else—pride? Satisfaction? It was like he was reassuring himself that he'd done everything he could, that he'd helped me enough. But beneath that, there was still a trace of unease, like he wasn't quite convinced he'd done enough after all.
And then there were the others, their emotions muffled by the door but still present, like a distant hum at the edge of my awareness. They were waiting, anxious, impatient. I could feel their desire to see me, to know if I was okay. It was overwhelming, like too many voices speaking at once, and I had to fight to keep my mind from spiraling into chaos.
So, yeah. My mind powers were definitely intact—unfortunately.
I closed my eyes once more, feeling how heavy my eyelids were, and a small hope that my mind would stop. Of course it didn't, but a girl could only hope.
After a few minutes of hoping I would just pass out again, I opened them again. But this time the world was less blurry, I could see Silva's face lit up, but he was still in pain.
My hands went to my ears once more, all the thoughts, emotions and memories all at once was exhausting and painful. A whimper left my lips as I pushed my hands harder on my ears, as if to block out the mental assault.
"Gabrielle." I heard someone say, my eyes shot to the sound and it was Mrs. Dowling. "How are you feeling?" She asked soft. Tears stuck my eyes, but I forced them away.
"Headphones," I mumbled, my voice barely more than a whisper. It was the only thing I could think of, the only thing that might offer some relief, some way to quiet the storm raging in my mind.
Silva and Dowling exchanged a glance, and the shift in their emotions told me everything I needed to know before they even spoke. Dowling sighed, a mix of regret and frustration leaking into her aura.
"They were destroyed," Silva said gently, his voice tinged with an apology he didn't need to voice. "That kid, the first-year who tried to take them from you on the first day—he... well, he broke them."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, the realization settling in with a crushing weight. My headphones were gone. The one thing that had always helped me manage the constant flood of thoughts, the only buffer I had between myself and the rest of the world—it was gone, destroyed by some dumb first-year who didn't even know what he was messing with.
I shook my head in disbelieve, he had destroyed my only source of peace. My whole body flinched and ached, and with all Silva's hurt it only got worse. They didn't mean it right? It was just a cruel joke, right?
