Anywhere But Here

Chapter Eight, Zyra's POV,

I wake and the first thing I feel is pain. Pain throbs throughout my body, mostly in my arm. It hurts so badly and I wince in pain. Then I notice a strange feeling in my other arm, I realize someone is holding my hand. Two memories surface in my brain of me holding hands with someone, my mother, and Dawn. This hand feels calloused and rough, definitely the hand of Dawn.

"Zyra, we know you are awake" I hear an unfamiliar voice say, "We know you can't open your eyes because after what happened, you're body doesn't want to wake up because it needs time to sort everything out everything"

"Please open your eyes Zyra" I hear Dawn whisper.

It's true what she said about my eyes, I can't open them. I try to now, but they won't open. When I hear Dawn's voice, I calm. I struggle with my brain, thinking and thinking about opening my eyes, but it never works. Dawn is now rubbing the palm of my hand with her thumb which is surprisingly soothing. I struggle to move but I can barely lift my hand. Mostly my mind is fuzzy but there's one thing I know is true. That Dawn cares about me. Not just genuinely caring but the kind of care that's more than that. I don't know why she makes me feel like this, but she does. She is still rubbing my palm with her thumb. I try to move again, to no avail. I tell my mind that I am done sorting out everything about my mother, father, and life, but I still can't move.

"Zyra calm down, we can see your muscles tightening and flexing, you can't help that you're brain doesn't want you to move," The unfamiliar voice says.

If I could move I would have snorted at that remark.

"Dawn, watch her for awhile while I get an IV with food for her and a catheter, all we can do is wait for her to get out of this state," The voice says and I can hear the door open and she walks out of the room.

She still holds my hand and I hear her sniffle. 

"Since I know you're awake, let me just say I totally was not crying when I thought you were in a coma earlier, I really need you to stay alive for me Zyra, I need you too, so what I want you to do for me is hold on as long as you can okay?" She says to me softly as if she is about to cry, "Try to squeeze my hand if you'll try"

I focus all attention on my hand and making it squeeze hers. My mind feels like it's on fire, I can do this. I can do this. Then finally it happens, I grasp her hand limply and I hear Dawn squeal. I can't believe I did it. I then hear Dawn sniffled again, then she gasps.

"I have an idea to get your body working, just wait a couple minutes while my brother brings me my xylophone," She says to me and takes her hand out of my grasp.

Why would her xylophone get me out of my miserable state? Just because it helped with my panic attack doesn't mean that it will help me now. I hear the little bleeps and bloops of her texting on her phone. Then I hear the sound that comes after someone sending a text. She sighs.

"You'll be okay Zyra, I know you will, just hold on," She says and that's when I feel it.

It's a strong pull and it wants my brain to shut down. I can't let it win, I need to stay alive, I have to stay alive. My brain gets fuzzy and starts to feel as if it ways a million pounds again. I can't let it win, I can't. My mind, it's still on fire and the pain, it burns. I feel Dawn grab my hand and I hear her shouting. Now my lungs are on fire and every breath brings the pain. My breathing becomes more and more rapid. Burning lungs, burning mind, burnt heart. More shouting arises but I can't make out the words. Burning lungs, burning mind, burnt heart.