𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒

awakening

YUKI
3 years ago

People say that when someone dies, they leave this world to find the next. In life, you learn that everything is temporary; fragile, like a raindrop before it hits the pavement. And death is our rebirth.

But not mine.

I awoke, cold.
My eyes, blurry.
My skin, shredded.

I was dead, wasn't I?

My blood, I could feel it flowing through my veins. It warmed the limbs that sat frozen and blue on the metal table. My heart, I could hear it beating in my ears.

Where am I?

Bright and yellow, a light shined down on me, greeting me back to life. I tried to pick up my head to examine my surroundings, but like the rest of me, I was too cold to move; plastered to this baking sheet like cookie dough. I let my eyes roam, as they were the only thing that responded to my brain.

There was no one. Not a trace. I was in a barren room with only glass walls to keep me company.

Wait.

I strained my eyes to look at my feet, but I couldn't see them. A lump blocked my view.

Those weren't there before...

Then it hit me.

The memory came whipping from afar in a haze before becoming clear as day. Midoriya. Bakugo. The villains. The part of me being cut into pathetic pieces was the most vivid. I cringed at the flashback. I let the memory spin in my head, replaying it until I could recall every detail from that day. And every time I found myself at the end, I came to the same conclusion: I was dead.

But I was sure that I wasn't dreaming. The smell of latex gloves filled my nostrils and the stitches that sewed my skin together stung like a bitch. It was too real to be fake.

Abruptly, my ears began to ring. From a light tickle, it grew until the sound scratched the insides of my ears. I gritted my teeth in pain, shutting my eyes hard in hopes of defeating the pain. But it continued to ring. I felt a liquid slip out from the crevice of my ear, flowing down my face and neck until it dappled the metal sheet.

My mouth flew open, a deafening scream eradicating my throat in pain. My mind began to throb with the desperate need to get out, to run, to flee. I prayed to be anywhere but here, to be able to move without fear of snapping a bone. The light above began to flicker. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I screamed once or twice, my limbs suddenly freed and thrashing against the metal.

It stopped.

I slowly blinked open my eyes, finding myself still like a child holding onto roller coaster handles for dear life. I exhaled in a single huff, releasing the stiffness of my body. Looking down, I was draped in the ugliest, paper-thin hospital gown. Then, I looked at my hands, turning them over and back. At the wrist, a stitch that went all the way around connected my hand and arm. Same on the other. My eyes trailed up my bare arm, finding the same stitches. Where my eyes couldn't see, I glided my fingers over my skin, finding that the stitching went all the way up to my face. I choked, sputtering my saliva in shock. What happened to my face?!

I desperately spun, looking to find my reflection in the glass. But there was no glass.

My eyes shot wide, my body rotating, my feet pivoting. I was in a completely different room.

I stood in the room that overlooked the glass cage I had just been in before. I hesitated forward, examining the room ahead. The metal table I once laid paralyzed on was bare of me, leaving nothing but a drop of my blood behind.

My breathing quickened and I felt lightheaded. On the brink of fainting, I caught myself on the window, my head hanging by my shoulder as I hyperventilated. I brought my free hand closer to my face, shaking so badly I almost had to look away. "What's happening to me?" I whispered, my voice cracking as tears began to fill my eyes.

Ringing. My ears began to ring again.

The faded sound began to crumble away as it was replaced with... voices? My head perked and I wandered the room, wiping my eyes as I followed the sound. They started as mumbling, words that I couldn't decipher. But the more the ringing faded, the clearer they became.

"—it's awake, sir."

"Good. How is she adapting?"

"Quickly. However, the side effects are already in effect. But she's managed to activate 'Teleport.'"

My mouth fell to the floor and my eyes grew round. 'Teleport?' I repeated silently, confused by what they meant.

"That's a good start." There was a long pause. Are they talking about me? I clenched my teeth in anger, the skin on my forehead creasing with how hard I scrunched my face. They're toying with me! This isn't the real room!

"Let's bring her in." The voice came again. Curiosity overswept me. I couldn't help but wonder what they meant by that. The two voices faded back into ringing, making me realize that I could hear them even though they were in a different room. My eyes jumped back and forth in confusion. There's no way this is real...

I just about jumped ten feet in the air when a dinging noise sounded behind me. Whipping around, the wall behind me was illuminated by a red light. I squinted, finding that the wall was split in half. In the instant of realization, the wall began to part, splitting with the sliver that broke it into two. A bright light grew as the gap grew wider, opening up like an elevator. I hurried back in fear, looking for anything sharp to defend myself. But there was nothing.

When the doors had fully opened, two people dressed in white coats came walking out with clipboards in hand. One, a short, bald man with goggles and a poofy gray mustache was flanked by a tall woman with brown hair and friendly brown eyes. I continued to walk backward until my back pressed against the nearest wall. I bared my teeth at them, my eyes like slits filled with hostility.

"Who are you?" I hissed, pressing harder against the wall as they slowly made their way to me. "Where am I?!"

"Hello Ms. Ikeda," the short man greeted with a smile that could only be portrayed through his thick mustache. "My name is Kyudai Garaki—Dr. Garaki."

I upturned my chin, pulling as far away as I could get.

"And this," he pivoted to introduce the woman next to him, "is my assistant, Ms. Nakamura."

I eyed them both, my lips still pulled back into a snarl. "Where am I?" I demanded again.

"Will you please join us upstairs?" Dr. Garaki ignored my question, extending a hand to me.

"Where. Am. I?" I asked again through gritted teeth. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me!"

Dr. Garaki exchanged a glance with Ms. Nakamura, giving each other a slight nod. The woman stepped forward, nearly closing the gap between us. "We'll explain everything." Her eyes were wide against mine, unwavering, too. I scanned her eyes, finding comfort within them. I exhaled and relaxed almost obediently, trusting her words without question. My head relaxed on my neck and my back pulled from the wall. Ms. Nakamura smiled at me warmly, extending her hand for me to take. Without a second thought, like a mind corrupted, I took it.

My mind felt fuzzy and my legs moved on their own. I stared blankly ahead as the two of them led me into the elevator. Ms. Nakamura continued to hold my hand as the doors slowly closed, the room disappearing behind iron walls.

Then, we went up.