Zeravia's Five

one

Present day, May 17th.

Tate's eyes opened wide as the boy sprung up into bed. He gasped for air, instantly moving a hand to his lower stomach. A pearl of sweat rolled down his forehead while he clutched at the ghost of a wound that wasn't there. For a second, he asked himself if he had died. The white walls of the room and its pristine condition nearly drove him off the edge. The beeping of the many machines that were monitoring him at all times added to this feeling as he questioned if he had been dreaming or if Isobel had truly attempted to kill him. He pulled the wires hooked to his arms, chest and forehead before getting up and out of bed. His head snapped from left to right. This room was familiar. His mind was so foggy he couldn't tell wether or not this room was one he had seen or been in before. The boy pulled his white shirt up, looking down at his unscarred stomach. A dream. That was all that it was... it had felt so real. He still had the taste of his blood on his tongue and the wound to his stomach felt like it was still burning under the surface. He looked at his hands, noticing the bandages wrapped all over them going a little bit past his wrists. They weren't thick and they were quite comfortable so he assumed they were only there for show.

The room was completely white and windowless, but the bright light hanging from the ceiling was enough to give him a headache. It was basically empty apart from this single twin bed, desk and chair. If he didn't know better he would believe he was in a psych ward. That was how they were described in every book he had ever read... books that had been banned by the Enclave of Elders. He heard the door opening and turned on his heels staring at the woman that came inside.

She wore a worried look on her face, her brown hair pulled back and held by an alligator clip. She waited before stepping closer to the boy as if she knew he still needed time to adjust to reality. Based off of the wrinkles around her mouth and her eyes, he could tell she must've been in her fifties at least. Why did she look so familiar? She took in a deep breath and flashed him a genuine smile.

"Tate? Are you fully back yet?" She asked tilting her head to the side.

He couldn't answer her... not because he didn't want to, but because he had no idea what fully back meant. She gestured towards the bed, inviting him to sit back down and he did so almost right away. He was compelled to trust her somehow. Her eyes hid nothing behind them and her smile made him feel warm on the inside. She walked closer, moving her hands towards him. His eyes grew and he moved back, climbing onto the bed completely.

"Don't touch me!" He snapped as he stared at her in fear.

His reaction didn't surprise her which probably meant she had anticipated it. It must've been a common thing for him to not want to be touched. He then understood the meaning behind these bandages. They acted as gloves for him. He examined them a little more and noticed the part of the bandages he had to pull in order to completely undo these gloves. The woman must've seen him looking down because she smiled softly.

"You'll remember in a few seconds... this happens every time we put you under a forced sleeping state," she informed him pulling the desk chair to sit on it. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled, "Once you've gotten back to your old self, I'll be able to give you the results of this last test, but I must make it clear with you Tate... this was the last one," she spoke so calmly it shook him. He listened to her carefully as she tried to resonate with him over an argument he did not yet remember, "This room is not where you belong. It wasn't then and it isn't now,"

The boy's grey eyes moved around scanning every detail of the room he was in. From what she was saying he understood that this was some kind of medical place. She went on talking, but as she did, her voice seemed to get muffled. His thoughts began to clear up as though everything was getting in order. This dream he had woken from started to feel less and less like it had been real and he cut her off mid-sentence.