Chapter 10 A Stranger

• I awoke with a start, my eyes snapping open. My head throbbed and every limb felt heavy, as if weighted down by lead. The walls around me were no longer the blue I remembered, but a soft mix of grey and purple. The bed beneath me was so much softer, too, like sinking into a cloud.
• I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over me. That’s when I noticed him: a man seated in a high-backed chair beside my bed. My chest tightened. Instinct made me tense every muscle.
• Before I could gather my scattered thoughts, he reached out and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Easy now,” he murmured. His voice was warm but carried a quiet authority. Somehow, his calmness soothed part of my frayed nerves.