Thank you for waiting.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Flor woke up feeling refreshed for the first time since she visited the Ryonogun. The feeling of the grass on her cheek as she opened her eyes made her feel more relaxed than a warm bath, although a warm bath didn't sound bad to her either. But it wasn't just the grass by itself that made her feel so welcome, it was the fact that it was the same grass she fell asleep on.

She got up, stretching. There was a strange sort of calm that beset her without any apparent source. Not that she wanted to complain or even consider it much – she felt too emotionally exhausted to think.

The world around her wasn't immediately different, but the more she rubbed her eyes, the more she realized that this wasn't quite the same place. The mountain seemed to be in the same place, not that she could see it anyway, but the city and planets above were gone. Instead, in front of her a little way was a door. The hospital room door.

She looked down at the grassy knoll. Never had she seen a location cross between her dream and awake worlds before. She stepped off the knoll, walking backward towards the door as if waiting for the grass to suddenly disappear.

Bump. She felt for the door handle, opening it up and slipping inside. The room was just how she left it – bed sheets undone, mysterious gift packages on a sink counter, the bathroom door ajar..

She closed the door behind her. The air was getting a little stale in the room, so she didn't want to stay long. Turning around, she opened the door again, fully expecting the room to change, and that it did. She was now on the other side of the hospital hallway, just like before. Leaving the room without a second thought, she found herself alone, surrounded on both sides by seemingly endless hospital corridors.

But time had passed. Castor was gone, and even if he weren't, he'd remember her, right? There shouldn't be much to fear. Now, which way did he come from...?

She took one of the side hallways, away from the general direction she went with Beryl and Eloise. It led, surprisingly enough to her, immediately into a lobby area. It had a reception desk, plenty of chairs, and a variety of pleasant items to keep guests waiting happy – some candy dispensers, a television hanging from a ceiling corner, a few trash cans... But the strangest detail of all to Flor were the windows. There were enormous windows surrounding a set of glass doors that should be showing the outside, but instead, they revealed nothing but a brick wall. The glass doors led to nothing but steel, industrial-style doors on the other side. She couldn't decide if this was an intentional decision or the result of the dream world's strange properties.

Before she left, however, she peeked at the desk. Atop it was an assortment of office equipment, including a phone. She picked it up and held it to her ear. Buzz. She dialed one, and the tone registered over the handset. It began to ring. Her heart sped up in anticipation. This was a working telephone, not that she expected anyone to answer.

"Hello?" asked a voice on the other end. It was the voice of a younger woman, not too much older than Flor.

She immediately grinned. "Hello! Who is this?"

"Didn't you dial me first?"

"I-I'm very lost, and I am unsure what to do next."

"...Hold on, where are you?"

"I'm in the hospital. I-In the lobby, I believe. I am currently using a desk phone."

"...Alright, we can send someone out to you. Just stay where you are, okay? And stay quiet, we're detecting something coming down the hallway to you. If you end up in the library, let us know – there should be a phone in there."