“Raena, would you like to go for a stroll in the garden?”
“Lydia, would you like me to read you another book?”
“Raena, hurry up! You have to see this!”
“Lydia, don’t move, I’ll do it for you.”
“Raena, come!”
“Lydia, stay still.”
“Raena!”
“Lydia!”
Taking a sharp breath, Lydia almost choked on it as she lay on her back. Her eyes sprang open, and she stared at the white ceiling, afraid to look away, afraid to move. She thought she had heard a cry, which was why she woke up, but now that she was awake, there were no noises whatsoever. No beeping of machines or murmurs of voices outside the door, no rustling of paper or the muted sounds of the TV.
Slowly, hesitantly, she raised her hand. Her muscles felt stiff, but she had full control over her limbs. She tried to bend her feet, and th
