PATRICIA'S POV

Pain. Pain is all I feel. I'm writhing around in sheer, utter agony, wincing and squealing, my eyes scrunched shut. When I decide to open them, I notice that I am lying on my back in a lonely white room. Machinery surrounds me on all sides, and a tube is inserted into my right arm. I'm in a hospital.

I rack my brain to try to remember the events leading to me being here. I distinctly remember being stuck somewhere with Eddie… Yes, definitely Eddie. But Eddie is all I can remember. I remember nothing else aside being in a dark, dank area with Eddie.

Scanning my surroundings, I see no one else is within the room. There are no nurses or doctors. Do my friends know I am here? I can't help but wonder why exactly I am here.

The heavy metal door creaks open and three women with white masks and coats enter. Through her mask, a blonde nurse says to me:

"How are you feeling, Miss Williamson?"

I stare at her bewildered. "Um, fine? Why am I here?"

A redheaded nurse with long eyelashes says:

"You were found unconscious in a closet in your school. We're not sure as to how it happened, so we're hoping your memory will jog soon so you can relay the details." She says it with such a flat tone that even though I cannot see her mouth, I know she is frowning.

"Wait, is Eddie here? Where is he? Is he ok? I need to see him!" I'm shouting now, my voice shaky and unsteady.

I shoot upright and scream, writhing my way out of the bed. The three nurses try to hold me back down, but I slap and hit and wriggle until I'm standing. I slug my way to the door until I feel a slight prick in my arm and the world turns dark.

When I wake up, I'm back on the stiff metal table, three more tubes in my arms.

"Where is he?" I ask repeatedly. The nurses ignore my plea and continue to run tests and examine my machinery. "Are any of my friends here?"

As if on cue, the door swings open and a receptionist says:

"Miss Williamson, a girl who says she is your friend Joy Mercer is here to see you. Shall I send her in?"

"Yes!"I squeal, almost screaming with delight. Joy enters the room, and the nurses leave me to talk with her.

Joy smiles, but there is something hidden behind it. Fear? Sorrow? She sits on the edge of my bed and grabs my hand.

"Patricia, are you ok?" she whispers.

"I think. Have you seen Eddie?"

Joy just giggles solemnly. "You're so devoted," she jokes.

I don't smile back.

"Look, Trix, I need to know what happened to you. We've all been so worried about you two. You were gone for hours, and then Madame Kahn reported you two unconscious to Mr. Sweet. He drove you two here, and you've been here for hours. It's already gone into the next day. Did… did this have anything to do with Madame?" Joy urges me to tell my story.

My eyes bulge. Madame reported us to Eddie's dad? She knocked us out, then sent us to the hospital. What could her motivation possibly be? To get us away from school? To incapacitate me? Is Eddie ok?

"Patricia? Hey, look. Eddie is ok. I just saw him," she says, as if reading my mind. But it's not like she'd have to. Of course I'm thinking about Eddie. "Are you feeling better, because, you know, there's the Halloween party at the house tonight!" she sings.

I force a smile, but I'm only thinking of Eddie. I wonder where he is, how he is feeling. As the Osirian, what if he was more affected by the figure than I was?

"Joy, where did you see him? What room was he in?

"Room? Patricia, you were knocked out. Not him. He's waiting outside."

My eyes light up. "He's ok! But why didn't he come into see me?"

Joy grins. "Of course he did. He stayed by your side the entire time the nurses were checking you out. They told him to leave and he's been sitting outside tapping his feet and biting his nails for 10 minutes. It got irritating."

I heave a sigh of relief. But then a thought crosses my swirling mind. Why was I harmed by Madame and not Eddie? It doesn't make any sense.

"Did Eddie tell you what happened?" I ask.

"He told me all about Madame, about the car fight, and how she can transform into this figure. I told him that Fabian and Cassidy made a discovery too."

"Cassidy?"

"We-we let her in. She said she knew all about Madame already. She has an eidetic memory and has been to Egypt, so she's useful. And… she kind of overheard us. Plus, she said she knew something about Eddie, which worries me slightly."

"She knows about Eddie? Did you tell her about the Osirian?"

"She already knew somehow."

"Ok, now how is that possible? Never mind, what did she and Fabian find?"

"They have this theory going that Madame is what's called a host, which means she's hosting an Egyptian god or goddess and it's living inside of her, possessing her mind and taking control. They also planned a stakeout of the school, so if you're up to it tonight, come after the party, ok? We're going to get the truth." She smiles boldly at this plan.

"I'm always up for Sibuna. It's Madame I'm wary about. After all she's done to Eddie, I experience distraught feelings around her. I get… scared."

"Patricia? Scared? That's a new one," Joy jokes, but I do not smile back. Joy sees that this doesn't amuse me and says, "I'm sorry Trix. I didn't realize… Look, I don't know what happened to you, or how you felt, but I can see you're confused. But I really need Eddie at the stakeout, and I don't think it's a good idea to let you out of his sight."

"Fine," I relent. It's so hard to say no to Joy. Not only is she persuasive and brings up good points, but she is my best friend. I also agree; I don't want to leave Eddie's side for one minute. Madame might hurt him, and I'll never wash the guilt away.

"I get out of here in a half hour, as soon as the nurses take this ridiculous tubes out of my arms. Tell Eddie to get in here and we'll be back soon."

"Yay! I hope you have a costume." Joy grimaces. "Oh, and one more thing," she says slyly. "Don't bring a sleeping bag."

"What?"

"Just you. Don't bring one. Trust me. You'll appreciate this."

"Appreciate what, exactly?"

"Trust me."