Strange Tides [Bree Davenport]

Chapter Twenty Two

Trigger warning: This chapter contains mentions of sexual assault. Read at your own risk.

When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is a bright light above me, making my aching brain pound even harder against my skull. Right now, I have no idea where I'm at or what I was doing before I fell asleep, but the only thing I know is that the pain in my head overrides anything else right now. I know for a fact that this is the worst pain I've ever been in. It doesn't even compare to what I felt when I've been glitching lately or when I had to get my chip fixed; this is so much worse than that.

I dig my knuckles into my eyes, trying to get rid of the pain in my head, but that doesn't really work. Instead, I continue to lay down where I'm at and hope that resting here will help the ache all across my head. I lay here for what feels like hours, waiting for the headache to disappear, but it doesn't. It just continues to get worse and worse until I feel a little nauseous. I can't continue laying here any longer.

As I stand up, I realize that I'm lying down in a random hallway in the Academy, one that not many people go to. It's incredibly close to one of the exits that lead outside, and I frown as I see darkness outside. I have no idea how I got here in the first place, and I have no idea how long I've been like that. What was I doing that knocked me out here? The last thing I remember was arguing with Davenport about not choosing this life and falling into River's arms. What else happened after that? I'm not exactly sure, and that makes my heart thud against my chest.

I hurry back toward the main area of the Academy. The sound of my footsteps echo around me, making my head hurt even worse. Still, I can't stop now because I need to get a few answers about certain things, like what time it is and what day it is. 

When I step into the main area, I notice Adam standing by the supercomputer. He sees me immediately and hurries over to me. "Bree, where have you been?" Adam asks me with a frown on his face. He has a deep frown on his face, one that scares me. "Davenport has been looking for you. We need to have a family meeting as soon as possible."

I fall into step with him and hesitantly ask, "How'd your mission go today?"

He gives me a sideways glance, one that scares me a little bit. I've never seen Adam look so serious before. "That was yesterday," he says with a frown on his face. "You know, yesterday when you went to the mainland. That happened yesterday, not today."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, it's been a long night -- and day, I guess."

I remain silent, wondering how I don't remember a whole 24-hour period of my life. Something went wrong, I know that, because I should remember. I should know what happened the rest of the night last night and what happened earlier today. I don't mention any of this to Adam, though, because I don't want him worrying about me. Not yet. Not right now.

Adam leads me into the Mentor's Quarters, and I see Leo and Chase waiting by Davenport, who stands near the supercomputer. Leo and Chase are talking quietly together about something that I can't hear. They both seem to have frowns etched onto their faces. Their words stop immediately when they see Adam and I walk toward them.