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V. HAZY STATE OF MIND
THE first thing that she felt was something cold against her skin. It was an odd sort of feeling— whatever it was. It was solid, pressed against her flesh, and blocked only by the thin fabric of her nightgown. Her fingers twitched at her sides, moving in a way that felt normal but caused her body to ache. Pressing herself up onto her palms, she rested back on her elbows for a moment— the sudden movement causing her vision to blur in and out.
Hermind felt hazy— as though there was a thick layer somewhere in her mind— making her lucid but not entirely able to process what was going on. It was frustrating— she wanted to know what was happening, but it was as if her body was not in tune with her mind just yet.
Bleary-eyed, she blinked several times, pushing herself off her elbows and into a sitting position. Her vision cleared, but what she saw did not help to ease her confusion. She was sitting on what appeared to be a large piece of marble— multiple shades of black, gray, and white swirling around, up and down the slab in an intricate design.
Four figures were standing around her, but she didn't focus on their faces. The dark green hue of their cloaks stood out to her, hiding a fair amount of their figures behind the fabric.
Her eyes flickered around the room, squinting in the minimal light provided from the torches she noted on the walls. The sound of shuffling caused her to turn her head to the side— her chest tightening at what she saw.
Her brothers.
Alive.
Her twin stumbled towards her, staring at her as though he hadn't seen her in years, "Ivy?"
"Stefan?" Ivy peered behind him, her eyes burning as she felt a tear slide down her cheek at the sight of her older brother, "Damon? I don't understand. Where am I?"
Ivy noticed the woman standing beside Damon when she patted him gently on the shoulder, gesturing to the exit of the room with a nod of her head, "We will give you time."
The four women who were surrounding her stepped back from the table; walking out of the room in complete silence.
Ivy was at a loss. Pulling her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs, and placing her chin on top of her knee; she eyed her brothers, repeating her previous question, "Where am I? I don't understand what is going on."
Stefan approached her and before she could entirely process the movement, she realized she had already flinched back; frowning to herself when she watched the pain cross Stefan's face; quickly replaced with a neutral expression. "You're safe, Ivy."
