English Accent (The Accents #1)

She doesn't like pineapples

My consciousness was coming back slowly.

At first, all I could hear was the low humming in my head and my pulse vibrating somewhere at the back of my skull. It felt like a woodpecker had somehow taken up a residence inside my head and was now trying to get out. I was almost sure than once I woke up, there were going to be cracks all over the back of my skull.

Then I started hearing low voices. I couldn't quite distinguish what they were saying, but they sounded familiar. I think I recognized my name being said in a hushed tone a few times in a voice I definitely knew, but I couldn't place it or wake up.

Once I felt a light touch on the side of my face and a grip on my palm. I stirred a little, but the move caused me a new wave of pain, so I fell back asleep.

The next time I woke up, I decided I've had enough of sleeping. Ignoring the stubborn woodpecker still living inside my head, I gathered myself together and slowly opened my eyes. My vision was blurry, so I blinked a few times to clear it. Once I could see normally, I looked down.

I was in a bed, tucked in a soft white blankets. I couldn't move my head around so much, so I just took in everything within the reach of my sight. There was a window to my left and a stream of light fell into the room through the little crack where the blind wasn't completely drawn. The walls were pained a light color, maybe white or soft gray. There was dim in the room, the only source of light was that small sliver of sun from the outside, so I couldn't really tell. At first I didn't know where and why I was, but then...

Then I recognized the smell. Sterile. Chemical. Unpleasant. Reminded me of a hospital.

I wrinkled my nose. I didn't want to be in a hospital. They were terrible. I didn't like them. They brought back bad memories. And I thought that in my life I've spent more than enough time in the hospitals. I didn't need to come back here. No. Way.

"Abi?" A voice to my right caused my head to snap in its direction.

I immediately frowned as the sudden pain radiated through my skull. My head fell back on the pillow and I clenched my teeth to keep from moaning.

"Don't move." The voice said, this time closer.

There was a movement somewhere to my right and in the next second, a face appeared above me. I took her in, bringing the pieces together.

Olive skin. Pointy nose. Big, dark brown eyes. All of it framed by a curtain of dark brown hair.

Sierra.

I smiled, realizing I wasn't alone here. Seeing it, she smiled back, too, but it looked painful.

Then I noticed how she really looked.

Her normally tanned skin was a few shades paler now, almost loosing its olive tone. There were lines of worry around her mouth and dark spots of tiredness loomed under her eyes that were sad and filled with worry.

She looked terrible.

My smile disappeared.

"Where -" My throat was dry, so I swallowed and tried again. "Where am I?"

"In the Forest Health Medical Center." She said, confirming my assumptions. "You were brought in last night."

Last night? Which meant it was day now? Well, that would explain the sliver of light shining through the window, but...

"How long was I asleep?" I asked.

Her mouth was pressed into a tight line.

"Eight hours." She replied. "Not so long for a normal sleep in your state, but still long enough to give us worries."