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I pulled my knees to my chest, feeling the cool leather of the seat against my skin.
It was at odds with the warmth of Ceara’s embrace, a warmth that now felt like a distant dream.
A sudden lurch made me grip the armrests, my nails digging into the soft material.
The ship seemed to be passing through some turbulence, though what could possibly disrupt our path in the vast emptiness of space was beyond my comprehension.
The Assistant said something in a language I didn’t understand, his voice a soothing cadence of low and high pitches, echoing in the confined space.
As the ship stabilized, fatigue began to settle in.
The adrenaline from earlier events, combined with the emotional turmoil, was catching up to me.
My eyelids felt heavy, and despite my restless mind, the lull of sleep was impossible to resist.
I stretched out on the seat, the smooth leather cool against the back of my neck, and let the soft hum of the ship cradle me into slumber.
* * *
The soft chirping of hospital monitors roused me from the clutches of a deep, dreamless sleep.
My eyelids fluttered open to take in the stark white walls and sterile environment of a room I recognized all too well.
I was in St. Lumina Hospital, the very place where I worked on Earth.
Pulling myself into a half-sitting position, I noticed the soft, cottony feel of the hospital gown against my skin, replacing the rougher attire I remembered from…
I bolted upright at the recollection.
The room was flooded with the bright golden light of the afternoon sun.
Its warmth caressed my skin, filling me with a comforting, familiar sensation.
The ambient sounds of the hospital, distant conversations, soft footsteps, and the distant beep of machines, whispered in the background.
Turning my head, I was met with the faces of my co-workers — Rebecca with her curly brown hair, and Jamie, always in his favorite blue scrubs — even Dr. Fields, with his silver hair and wire-rimmed glasses, was there.
They all wore expressions of profound relief.
Rebecca rushed forward, her usual stoic demeanor melting away as tears glistened in her eyes. “Ellie! Oh my god, we were so worried about you!”
As she embraced me, I felt the warmth of her body against mine and the faint floral scent of her shampoo.
It was real.
This wasn’t another illusion or alien environment; it was home.
“What… what happened?” I managed to whisper, still trying to process the situation.
Dr. Fields stepped forward, his voice gentle yet clinical. “You were attacked a few nights ago in the alley behind the hospital. Some of your things were found at the scene. And then… you up and vanished. The entire hospital staff was out searching for you. We couldn’t fathom where you’d disappeared to.”
Jamie chimed in. “It was like you just vanished into thin air! But then, just as mysteriously as you disappeared, you reappeared at the hospital’s entrance this morning, unharmed save for a few bumps and scrapes!”
His words felt heavy, and I tried to process them.
Had everything that happened — Ceara, the Supervisor, that otherworldly prison — been just a dream?
A side-effect of the trauma from the attack?
