The Awakening

8 { @ |\| +

Sophie's POV

My body felt like it was submerged in a steaming jacuzzi for an hour and then dunked in a pool. My skin felt so hot that I was shivering. I tried to fight past the heat, to sit up and get out of the cot, but my body felt numb.

I could hear voices, distant and distorted, but still there. The main ones that stuck out were Keefe, Percy, and Annabeth, talking about some curses and symbols of Greek mythology. They sounded frustrated, like they were trying to figure something out, but failing.

I felt like crying, feeling a pressure building up in my retinas, a vibrant light that would probably blind me if it lingered any longer. Energy started to flow through my body as the light grew brighter. The waves of electricity ran from my head all the way down to my fingertips and toes.

When the energy left my system, my body regained feeling and the heat dissipated slowly. My eyes were open, I concluded, but all I could see was white.

I wiggled my toes and fingers a bit, trying to test out my range of motion. Then, I started to roll out my wrists and ankles. It wasn't until I started to kick my legs and flail my arms slightly that the debating voices stopped.

An alarmed shout sounded from somewhere far away, then shuffling was heard all around me.

My head was pounding, the light still the only thing in my field of vision, but a coldness had almost fully replaced the heat I'd felt previously.

I rolled my neck and shoulders out a bit, before planting my hands on the sides of my body, ready to push myself up to a sitting position.

Hands grabbed onto my shoulders, helping me sit up and rest my back against the wall behind me. I breathed deeply, tilting my head back so that my chin was tilted up to the ceiling.

Wet trails of tears flowed down my cheeks, my eyes hurting from being open for so long. The light was still there, never letting my eyes relax or my vision clear.

Someone was definitely to my left, a hand still resting on my shoulder. Someone on my right grabbed my hand, their thumb rubbing smooth circles on the back of it.

Another person approached my left to grab my arm, their fingers lightly brushed against a spot on my arm. The pain I felt from that small brush was enough to make me bite my lip to hold back a scream. My eyes finally closed tightly, the light surrendering to the intense pain.

When I opened my eyes again, the room and my friends slowly came into focus.

Keefe and Annabeth were to my left, the first still comfortingly holding onto my shoulder and the second having let go of my arm. Percy was on my right, still rubbing circles on the back of my hand.

They all gave me comforting smiles, except Annabeth who still had her calculated gaze.

"Sophie, you're back!" someone exclaimed from the far right side of the room. I turned my head in that direction to follow Elwin with my gaze as he made his way to the foot of my bed. I smiled slightly at him, trying to put myself at ease at the same time.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Elwin asked softly as he passed Keefe a small cloth.

Keefe immediately took the material and wiped underneath my eyes, while I nodded and flashed Keefe a grateful look.

"I just felt this overwhelming heat flood my body, then a white light fill my vision. This source of energy flowed through me, then exited from the tips of my fingers and toes. A cold feeling replaced the heat and numbness, as I began to feel my body. After I felt enough to be able to sit up, the pain from something on my arm made me close my eyes, extinguishing the light," I explained, my voice cracky in some places.