Darkness was weird. Ari was used to waking up on or near her lab bench that was usually glowing with whatever she had been working on the night before. Had she actually taken a break? Did she actually relax for the first time since she stepped through the doors of Orisha?

Just as she was about to congratulate herself on her new accomplishment she became aware of a serious headache. She wanted to open her eyes and sit up. She tried to open her eyes and sit up. She could not move. She couldn't even feel the rest of her body.

She'd experience something similar when she was little. She was awake but her body didn't know it yet. All she had to do was let her mind go back to sleep so that her body would be back in sync.

Darkness again. Ari found it unsettling and tried opening her eyes immediately. Something was wrong. The headache was gone. Her body was still not her own. She wasn't even sure if she was breathing.

"Be still," a voice echoed in the darkness.

"Who is that?" Ari asked, but she realized she was hearing her thoughts, not her voice.

"You are rushing," the voice replied. It was woman. Ari was sure she was going insane.

"Your body is not ready," the voice continued. "Rest."

Ari lost consciousness.

The light was blue and it burned her eyes. She closed them.

"Open your eyes."

Ari recognized that voice but she didn't remember where she'd heard it. She tried to open her eyes again.

The light was orange now and not as bright as the blue light. Ari forced her eyes open. Everything was fuzzy. She blinked a few times but she still couldn't make out the details of what she was seeing. She rubbed her eyes and blinked again.

"Ari." She knew that voice.

"Mother," she replied. A coughing fit came over her.

"Yes, my daughter."

Ari turned her head toward the voice and saw the faces of her family.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. She rarely saw her parents while classes were in session.

"Oh, Ari," Kazu said throwing herself on top of her sister.

Ari tried to sit up, but Kazu would not release her. "I am happy to see you too," she said patting her on the back.

"Hello, Ari." Opposite her family was a woman dressed in the traditional garments of the Priests. "I am Fei."

"She's your healer," Kazu explained as she pulled Ari so that she was sitting up.

"Healer?" Ari asked.

"Do you remember anything about your accident?" Fei said.

"Accident?" Ari looked beyond the people surrounding her and examined the brown rock walls. All of the walls were bare except for the one that was directly in front of her. It showed the digital image of Ari's body next to her health stats. Various places on her skull, brain, heart, arms, and legs were illuminated. Ari recognized this image as one that was used in medical centers to detail a patient's injuries or ailments.

"It is not uncommon," Fei said to her family, "For people exposed to vibranium radiation to have little memory of some of the time before exposure."

Ari looked at Fei. "I was exposed to vibranium radiation."

"Yes," Fei replied. "Two days ago."

"Two days?"

"You've been unconscious," Ari's mother explained.

"How did this happen?" Ari asked. The last thing she remembered was fooling around in the lab with K'Nabu. "Is K'Nabu okay?"

Kazu looked at her parents and then at Fei.

"Was he exposed?" Ari asked when no one responded.

Kazu shook her head. "You were alone."

Ari was relieved, but didn't respond right away. She needed time to process what was happening. She listened carefully as the healer explained all of her injuries. Apparently she had had several broken ribs, brain damage, and third degree burns. Her ribs and skin healed within hours after arriving to the Temples, but her brain damage was severe. Ari had to be sedated so her body would remain completely still while procedures were performed on the brain to reduce swelling in some places and regrow tissue in the others.

"Whatever you did to protect yourself saved your life," Fei said sitting next to Ari. "The majority of the organs were unharmed, and your brain responded to treatment almost immediately."

Ari nodded unsure of what to say. She didn't remember anything and Fei and her family looked at her as if she had the answers to all of the questions in the universe.

"Will she get her memory back?" her father asked.

Fei shook her head. "Her body experienced an extreme trauma. Her brain eliminated the memories to protect itself from experiencing the events in her mind."

"So I discovered something that many believed was impossible, but I can't even remember what I did?"

Fei nodded.

"Can I see the lab?"

"You're not going anywhere for at least two more days. You need to be monitored."

"And the lab is closed," Kazu said. "No one's allowed in there."

Ari shrugged. "I guess that's fine. I duplicated my work and saved it on the bench in my room. K'Nabu also has a back up."

Kazu looked at her parents and shook her head. Ari was not ready to here that her vibranium license had been revoked. Kazu wanted to wait until the Priests were sure she was well before giving her the news. She dreaded the moment. Ari's whole life was wrapped up in her work.

"If you don't have anymore questions," Fei said standing, "I will leave you."

After Fei was gone, Ari's parents gave her hugs as long and as hard Kazu had just done. Then they sat and talked about home and family. Then they ate. Then, when Ari started to fall asleep, they left.

Ari's family had skillfully avoided the subject of school which was all the information Ari needed. There were only two ways to be exposed to vibranium radiation. One was going into the restricted areas in the mountain. The other was being in proximity of a vibranium explosion. Since she was pretty sure she hadn't been in the Mining Tribe, she was sure she'd been in an explosion. That would also explain why the lab was closed.

So she had been in D'Jo's lab while working with unstable vibranium. That seemed unlikely, but if she had she would have certainly gone through all of the safety procedures. She would have been wearing protection. She would have kept the vibranium in a neutralizing zone so if an explosion had happened most of the energy would've been absorbed. And even if she hadn't done any of that, she would have just left. Why didn't she just leave the lab? It was blast proof.

She didn't believe she could make so many mistakes, but the fact remained that something had gone wrong and she was the only one in the lab. Misuse of vibranium was taken very seriously in Wakanda, so the school and D'Jo would be under investigation. That also meant Ari's vibranium license would be in dispute. Her family didn't want to upset her which is why they avoided the subject.

"So no Nunjari," she mumbled lying in bed. She tried to pretend like it wasn't the end of the world, but she couldn't. Tears fell from her eyes uncontrollably.