What is Fate?
Every muscle ached. There was a throbbing in the back of my head. A vile bitter taste covered my tongue. There were voices surrounding me, unintelligible due to the loud ringing in my ears. I tried to open my eyes but they felt so heavy.
"What's happening?" I tried to speak but was unsure if I succeeded. My tongue felt too big for my mouth. What happened? Did I get hit by another bus? It sure felt like it. What were the odds of that happening twice in a lifetime?
The back of my eyelids turned blood red, and the sudden change startled me. My heart started racing. I attempted to lift my thousand pound eyelids again. The intolerable ringing was starting to fade away into the fog. Someone was trying to communicate. Everything was confusing and frightening and the throbbing intensified.
"Where am I?"
Suddenly my eyelids were wide open. It wasn't my doing. A blurry face of a stranger was a foot away from me. I opened my mouth to speak. Blinding light flashed in my eyes and I yelped in surprise. The light went out and I blinked. It was then that I realized I was speeding through a corridor. Was I in a hospital? That meant these were doctors.
"Good evening, Miss Evans. I'm Healer Southwark. Can you hear me?"
Miss Evans? That wasn't my name. And was that man British? I frowned and blinked a few times. My vision cleared and it was then that I noticed this doctor was pointing a stick at my head. I stared as a tiny slip of paper was spiraling out of the tip. There was a brunette woman by my legs doing something similar. "What is that?" I attempted to point at the stick but pain shot up my arm.
"Please try not to move. You've been badly injured. Do you remember what happened?"
I scrunched my face up. What did happen? Everything was so foggy and my body was aching. I shook my head and hissed when pain jolted up my neck.
"Maggie, get me a vial of PR potion." He told the brunette.
"Right away, Healer Southwark." She had a British accent, too. The doctor - healer? Nurse? - dashed away.
Potions? Healers? Weird sticks? A conclusion formed in my mind, like a beacon of light clearing the fog. My eyes darted back to the Healer. He was pointing the stick at my abdomen. His scrubs were a bright lime green. The photo on his badge smiled at me and blinked. I glanced back at the Healer. His lips were moving, soundless, as he moved the stick in a complicated manner. Blue light glowed from the stick and my insides felt like they were turning into ice.
"What's happening? I don't understand! Where am I?" I could feel the hysteria rising up within me. I tried to sit up. An excruciating pain exploded in my abdomen and I fell onto my back.
"Maggie!" The ringing started up again. I squeezed my eyes shut. What was happening to me?
Someone was touching my arm. "Iris," Who was Iris? That wasn't me. "We're here to help you. Iris can you hear me? Iris?" Everything was getting foggy again. The pounding in my head was making it hard to think – hard to comprehend.
"Iris?"
"Noo," I hissed as the pounding intensified. "My name is Elisa. I'm not Iris." I clenched my teeth. "Please, make the pain stop." My voice cracked. Iciness trickled down my thighs and up my chest, making me feel numb everywhere except for my neck and head. Every passing second my nerves burned hotter and hotter. I wanted to scream.
"Healer Southwark?" There was a gasp.
"It's her magic. Immobulus!" My limbs froze. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I felt my back touch the cold hard stretcher. All I could hear was buzzing. Healer Southwark was looking at me, his lips moving and wand pointed at my temple, but I couldn't understand. Maggie's dark eyes were full of compassion as she showed me the tiny crystal vial in her hand.
Cool crystal touched my cracked lips and a bitter, thick liquid dribbled down my chin and throat. If I could I would have sighed in relief. Almost instantly the burning disappeared, replaced by a dull and almost nonexistent throbbing. I blinked. My eyelids were growing heavier by the moment. I looked at Healer Southwark. His lips moved. Maggie nodded and dashed out of sight.
I blinked again. Healer Southwark was gone.
I was alone.
Darkness embraced me.