ERYN I woke up slowly, like my consciousness was being dragged back into my body against its will. For a few seconds, I didn’t move at all. I just lay there staring at the white ceiling above me, trying to convince myself that I had to still be trapped in that dream. Niko. My chest tightened instantly at the name, and I turned my head slightly, my throat dry as sand. “No…” I whispered hoarsely, my voice barely coming out. “That didn’t happen.” It had to be my mind breaking down. That was the only explanation that made sense. I remembered him too vividly, too clearly. His laugh. His eyes. The way he… I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe. “I need help,” I murmured to myself, my fingers curling weakly against the sheets. “I really need help.” But then my eyes shifted and everything stopped. The hospital room, machines, faint beeping of monitors, sterile scent of antiseptic. My breath caught sharply as reality snapped into place so violently it almost hurt. I wasn’t dreami
Read more