Audra
As I plummeted from the window, the world blurred in and out of focus. My screams tore through the air, raw with terror. The ground rushed toward me, and for one agonizing moment, I understood—this is how I die. Then—impact. Agony exploded through me. My face smashed into the ground first, glass embedding deeper into my skull, sending fresh waves of pain pulsing through my head. The taste of iron filled my mouth as warm, thick blood dripped down my face. My ribs cracked under my weight, the sickening crunch reverberating through my ears. I tried to move, to breathe, but pain pinned me down, trapping me inside my broken body. Tears blurred my vision. Then, suddenly—everything shifted. I was outside myself, hovering above the scene. My broken form lay crumpled on the ground, blood pooling beneath me. I tried to scream, to move, but I was stuck, a prisoner in this strange, disembodied state. Luna rushed over, kneeling beside me. She placed two fingers on my neck, searching for a pulse, but her face remained unreadable. She shook her head, murmuring something under her breath. I wanted to shout. I'm here! I'm not dead! But no one would hear me. I watched helplessly as they carried my limp body down to the lab. Luna worked with practiced efficiency, extracting shards of glass, stitching wounds, and hooking me up to monitors. My eyes flicked to the heart monitor. Silent. Not a single beep. Am I really dead? Panic swelled inside me. My body was right there, yet I couldn't force myself back into it. Again and again, I tried to push my way in, only to be flung back. The more I struggled, the lighter I felt—fading, dissolving. No. Not like this. Please…
Then—blackness.
Two Weeks Later
Thump… Thump…
The slow, heavy sound of a heartbeat.
Thump-thump.
My heart.
Pain surged through me, dragging me back into my body like a wave pulling a drowning victim under. My nerves screamed as sensation returned—a firestorm of aching muscles and deep, bone-deep agony. I wanted to cry out, but my lips wouldn't move. My eyes refused to open. I was locked inside myself, a prisoner in a shell that barely functioned. Then, warmth, it surrounded me, seeped into my skin, into my bones. The burning pain dulled, replaced by soothing relief. Water? Did I do that? I forced my eyelids open, blinking against the dimness. Darkness cloaked the room, shadows creeping along the walls. My body, once broken, was whole. My cuts had vanished, my bones no longer fractured. I sat up, chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. Every muscle screamed in protest as I forced myself off the table. The room was eerily silent—no footsteps, no voices, no signs of movement. Luna's lab was empty.
Thinking rationally for the first time since being brought here I thought, this is my chance. I crept toward the door, my bare feet making no sound against the cold floor. My fingers hesitated on the handle before I pushed it open, slipping out into the hallway of Luna's lab. I looked around rapidly, there was no one. It was the same as before, except this time I wouldn't get caught. I couldn't. I look around my neck to find the locket Kai gave me. I sighed in relief at the sight of it. I was scared they would have taken it. I quietly slink around the lab trying to find an exit. There. The bright red blinkung sign was a dead give away. I raced over my feet slapping into the cold tile of the lab floor. Almost there. I reach for the door and slowly twist the handle. It clicks open and I step out into into a tunnel. Cool air rushed to greet me as I reached the exit. My heart pounded as I scanned the area—no guards, no signs of pursuit. Then, I ran.