A few weeks later
Pain. All of my nerves felt like they were enflamed, and all my muscles were flexed painfully. I could feel my wrists, my ankles, and my head were restrained with leather straps. My body fought these restraints with a ferocity like a rabid dog. I could hear several voices yelling around me yelling, "What's happening?" "Increase the dosage!" "Her heart rate is critical!" "Get her stabilized!" I shook my head violently and I felt hands trying to hold it still. Relief finally started from my arm and spread to the rest of my body, finally causing me to lose consciousness again.
A few days later
I felt consciousness again, this time the pain was only coming from my throat; mostly I just felt weak. My eyes fought to open, they felt like Atlas trying to lift the Earth in mythology. Once I was able to see, I saw bright florescent lights lit some distance away from me surrounded by large dark ceiling tiles. The room felt so cold that I felt goosebumps forming on my arms, and though I wanted to hold myself for warmth, my wrists were still restrained with leather straps. Despite the pain, I cried out trying to get help and suddenly the lights above me shattered. Darkness took over the room and I closed my eyes as the glass shards showered over my body. I saw red light flashing through my eyelids and an alarm sounded. This frightened me and I tried to cry out again, this time I heard more glass shattering around me. I finally realized that this was not working, so I stopped screaming and waited for someone to come check on me.
I heard people enter the room saying, "Oh God! Careful, don't get cut!" "What happened here?" "Has someone broken in?" "Is she awake?" I groaned in response to the last question, hoping that someone would clear the broken glass off me. With my eyes still closed, I had to rely on my hearing to know who was where in the room; someone came next to me and I again felt the same relief from earlier spreading from my arm and I again lost consciousness.
Three days later
I again woke up to fluorescent lights above me with the same large dark ceiling tiles. My throat was still painful, but after what happened earlier, I didn't want to try to use it. This time, I opened my eyes and tried to lift my head and was successful in doing so. I looked around me to see a mostly white room with strange equipment all around me, some containing a glowing liquid and others with various components working. I could hear the whirring of gears turning and the slight whining of electricity running through machinery. The familiar beeping was a steady beat and I could barely hear it this time. I noticed that many of the machines had a label that read, "Indian Hill". Now was the moment that I realized something strange. Although I could read the label, I couldn't remember how I learned to read.
My mind struggled to find a memory of learning this skill, without success. I couldn't remember being in school or being taught. I also couldn't remember anyone's name, anyone's face, not even my own. There was a large void in my head that was overwhelming, and it frightened me. Where am I? A voice I didn't recognize asked inside my head. I kept trying to find something to tell me what was going on, who I am, why I'm here, and what happened earlier. Finally, I heard a door open, and saw a man walk in with round glasses, a beard lining his chin, and a bald head wearing a black striped three-piece suit. "Ah!" he said, "You're finally awake. Excellent!" His friendly tone made me feel reassured and I was grateful that someone was concerned about my wellbeing. Is he a friend? Does he work here? What is his name, I wonder…? "I would ask you how you are feeling, but we don't want a repeat of the last time you used your voice…at least until you learn to control it…" What? What does he mean? What's wrong with my voice? Since I didn't know what was going on, I complied with his advice. After all, I didn't want him to leave me alone till I at least had some answers.
"I'm sure you're very confused. Do you remember anything from before you woke up?" I shook my head. "Ah…I see. Well, I am Dr. Hugo Strange, the director of Indian Hills. You suffered an accident and we brought you here to bring you back. Are you in any pain?" I nodded. "Can you show me?" he asked as he started to loosen one of my wrist restraints. When my hand was free, I pointed to my throat. "I see…well, it will probably be some time before your voice is back to normal." He then released all my other restraints and asked if I could get up. Though it was difficult due to my weakness, I was able to sit on the side of the bed and was able to see the rest of the room and the person with me clearly. I wanted to stand, but Dr. Strange stopped me, "Now, take it easy. You need to regain your strength before trying to do too much." For some reason, this annoyed me, and I tried to get up anyway.
My bare feet touched the freezing cold tile floor and my legs collapsed immediately, causing my body to fall. "Ms. James!" I heard him yell while I fell to the floor. Is that my name? I asked myself as he quickly went to an intercom next to the door that he first entered. "I need two orderlies in Room 3C, now." He came back over to me, kneeling. "You see? You need to be patient, my dear. You will be able to walk again soon, I assure you." I again felt anger toward this man for some reason and tried to get myself up off the floor, without success. I slammed my wrist on the floor in frustration, and he took that hand into both of his own. "That's enough. Don't make us give you another sedative…" This threat calmed my resilience reluctantly. Finally two large men in white lifted me back into the bed. Thankfully, they didn't put me back in the restraints.
The doctor lifted the blanket that was at the foot of the bed over me, which I was grateful for. Despite my earlier fear, I carefully and quietly said, "Thank you…" He smiled at me. "Now, get some sleep. The next time you wake up, we will get to work on regaining your strength." But I couldn't sleep without some answers. I again spoke softly, "Who…am…I?" "Oh! You are a reincarnated siren from ancient Greece. As I said before, you were in an accident and we are restoring the magical properties of your voice." I nodded, but in my mind red flags flashed. He's lying…he called me Ms. James earlier. My trust of the doctor was immediately extinguished, but there was nothing I could do in this state. Therefore, I decided to play along till I got enough strength to get out. Although I didn't have any memories, my instincts had an overwhelming drive to escape this place.
