After being ordered by the State to undergo Deep Sleep, a treatment for troubled teens, Jo awakens in the hospital with sporadic and unexplained memories. Upon celebrating her rebirthday, she recalls strange past events that makes her question reali...
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The inside of my belly fluttered again and the thought of something living inside of my body made me scream. "There's something in there! Something's inside of me." I thrashed my upper body back and forth in the chair, yanking at the straps around my wrists and ankles.
"Jo, wait." Mom's hands went to my shoulders to keep me still. "Hold on. Calm down."
Beeping, footsteps, and audible whirls of machines were prematurely drowned out by my cries. "I want out. Let me out."
Dr. Schwartz appeared as if summoned by the computer's alarms. "She's experiencing a mental breakdown. We have to put her under."
"No," I protested. "No more sleep." I just wanted the nightmare to end. "No more blood. No more sleep. I want to go home. Just let me go home." My sobs did little to comfort me and my pleas did nothing to stop the darkness from slowly seeping in and taking over.
My muscles relaxed like noodles and I lay in a pool of blackness. Steady rhythmic beeps and alarms surrounded me until the familiar sound of Dr. Schwartz's voice crept in.
"We performed this procedure thousands of times on various patients and had been successful but for a small percentage. Ms. Spencer, I am afraid Jovial is one of those unfortunate cases."
"Just let me work with her, Doctor." Mom's voice lifted my spirits. "Just give me time with her, and I promise she will turn out to be one of your greatest success stories." Her voice quivered and it was then that I recognized the hint of uncertainty.
Fleeting moments of stark white and mother's worried eyes went by. Interesting sounds faded in and out and time was no longer relevant.
It was only until I opened my eyes again, that I realized I had been asleep. "Mom?" She slouched in a chair across from my bed. With her eyes closed and her torso draped over the armrest, her breathing deepened. Was she asleep? "Mom?"
Her head rose and her sights landed on me. "Jo!" Enthusiasm lit up her face. She rushed to my side as I lay flat and still against the hospital bed mattress. Grogginess and the bright lights blurred my vision and instinct urged me to block the light with my hand.
My palm hovered over my eyes and I smiled when I was able to see her face more clearly. My heart filled with warmth knowing I didn't wake up alone and that she sacrificed a comfy bed and decent sleep to be here when I awoke.
After a few seconds, the realization that my arms were no longer bound hit me. I sat up, taking no time to lift my shirt and examine my stomach.
"It's okay, honey." Mom ran her delicate fingers through the tangles of my hair. "You've been through a lot. I know, but don't worry."
I pressed on my abdominal muscles with my fingers to provoke the strange and uncomfortable flutter, but instead seen and felt nothing out of the ordinary, only my flat unblemished belly. "It felt like something was moving around in there. I could've sworn something was inside of me." When I caught a glimpse of her expression, I added, "And I know I wasn't dreaming when I felt it."
