Esme’s POV
I open my eyes slowly.
It feels like they weigh a thousand pounds. My vision swims at first, blurry and unfocused and for a moment I don’t even know where I am. The ceiling above me is unfamiliar, white and smooth, with a soft light glowing from a corner lamp. The air smells like disinfectant and something metallic underneath.
My body feels wrong.
I try to sit up, panic already rising in my chest, but the moment I move, a sharp pain shoots through my hips and tears a groan from my throat. It’s sudden and brutal, making my stomach twist. My head pounds too, a deep, steady ache that feels like it’s pressing from the inside.
“Ah—” I hiss, clutching at the mattress.
I lift one hand to my head, my fingers brushing against thick fabric.
Bandages.
My breath stutters.
“What… w
