My head felt like two different things were trying to occupy the same space when l woke up.
I groaned, squeezing my eyelids shut, but that just made the throbbing worse. It wasn’t just a regular headache; it was a noise, a constant, roaring static inside my skull.
Then the feeling came. Waves of feelings that weren't mine.
My eyes snapped open. I tried to focus on the ceiling, but the room was spinning. What was this? It felt like my mind was suddenly flooded with somebody else’s life, somebody else’s burdens. It was overwhelming, terrifying, and I couldn't push it back.
"Astor," I whispered.
He was sitting in the armchair beside the bed, watching me. He looked tired, but his posture was rigid, like he was waiting for a bomb to go off.
I pressed the heels of my hands into my temples,
