"Miss, are you okay? You look pale," a kind woman asked gently, snapping me from my daze.
I blinked slowly, barely able to lift my head. "I'm okay… I'm waiting for someone. They'll be here soon."
It was a lie. But I didn't know what else to say.
"If you need help, just let someone know, alright?" she said kindly before walking away.
I nodded weakly and closed my eyes again. My body was trembling. I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep until someone shook me gently.
"Mia. Mia…"
I slowly opened my eyes, my vision swimming with shadows and blurred lights. A man was kneeling in front of me. I couldn't quite make out his features—everything was hazy—but one detail stood out clearly: his eyes.
They were violet.
Not just purple, but a rare, striking shade of violet that caught the dim light like polished glass. Beautiful… and unfamiliar.
"Who… are you?" I asked weakly, my voice barely audible.
"I'm Nelson," he said softly, his expression full of concern. "Your brother."
"My… brother?" I blinked in confusion. "You're lying. My brothers are inside… in the emergency room."
"I know," he said gently, brushing wet strands of hair from my face. "But I'm your brother too, Mia. Just not in the way you're thinking right now."
I wanted to argue, but my body felt like lead and my thoughts were a mess. I could barely keep my eyes open.
"You're burning up," he muttered after pressing the back of his hand to my forehead. Without hesitation, he slipped off his coat and wrapped it around me.
"I'm fine," I said faintly. "Just… cold. And dizzy."
"No, you're not fine," Nelson replied calmly, but firmly. "You need treatment. Let's get you back inside."
He started to help me up, but I resisted feebly.
"I… I'm waiting," I whispered, "for my friends… Lucas, Caspian, and Alex. I wanted to see if they're okay. I didn't know if they made it down…"
My voice faded, my eyelids fluttering.
"Mia?" His voice grew sharper, more urgent. "Mia—hey, stay with me! Look at me. Mia!"
But I was slipping again. Everything was fading into that same deep fog—warm, heavy, and dark.
Just before I lost consciousness, I felt his arms around me, steady and secure.
One final thought echoed in my foggy mind—
Violet eyes… Nelson… Who is this man? Why did his name sound familiar, yet completely foreign? Why did those eyes feel like something I should remember… or something I was meant to forget?
Then, everything went dark... again.
***
"Who is she? I've never seen her before," a young female doctor asked curiously. Her white coat was woven with the name Ardelia–
"My younger sister—though there's no blood relation," Nelson replied, his brow furrowed as he kept a protective grip on the unconscious girl's hand.
"Huh? That's a surprise. I thought you'd never have any connection to another girl besides Orabella. Does she know about this?"
"No. Please, keep this secret for now. I'm asking you as a friend, Ardelia."
"Don't worry. As a doctor, I can't disclose patient information anyway. Rest assured," she replied calmly.
"How is she?"
"I managed to bring down the fever for now," Ardelia explained. "But this girl… Nelson, I don't know how to say it. You're not technically her guardian, but—"
"I am, at least for now. Just tell me."
Ardelia sighed. "I checked her vitals. Her immune system is extremely weak—lower than normal. I'm not sure what caused it, but you need to be careful. Even mild exposure to rain, germs, or viruses could make her dangerously ill. Look what happened after just a short downpour—she developed a severe fever immediately. Her immune system is like that of a newborn."
"That bad?" Nelson asked, shocked. "She never got sick in front of me before"
"Well, now you know. Take good care of her," Ardelia urged after a deep sigh.
"What about her family? Did you notify them?"
Nelson hesitated. "No. I'll handle it. Until she wakes up, she's under my care."
Ardelia studied him for a moment, wanting to argue — then sighed. "Fine. It's your choice."
As she reached the doorway, something made her glance back. Nelson, usually so composed and detached, sat by the bed, his hand still holding the girl's. His expression — a mix of fear and tenderness — startled her.
"You're playing with fire, Nelson," she murmured softly.
He didn't answer. His eyes stayed on the girl, as if afraid that letting go would make her disappear.
***
"I love you, brother Nelson. You were my first love."
"Please don't go! She doesn't love you — not like I do!"
"I'll do anything to make you stay. Just tell me, anything — I'll do it for you."
"NELSON! If you walk away from me today, I swear you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
"Alex, please, just go. Stop pushing me to the edge. I'm begging you — leave me alone!"
"Mike, I swear it was an accident. I didn't mean to push you — I slipped."
"Eldest brother, I only told her to stay away from you. It was her choice to leave. It's not my fault!"
"Second brother, please believe me. I never told her to get an abortion — that was her own decision. You have to trust me!"
"Third brother, what are you talking about? There's no way I would hide a call from the military or him. Please, trust me!"
"No — it wasn't me. It wasn't me! I didn't do any of that!"
"Mia, Mia — wake up! Wake up!"
"AAAH!"
I woke up screaming, my heart pounding as cold sweat clung to my skin. My chest rose and fell rapidly while I struggled to breathe.
What… what was that dream?
"Mia—are you okay?" a man's voice said beside me, low and filled with concern.
I flinched and turned toward the sound. A man sat close to the bed, his face tense with worry. He was handsome, with sharp features and eyes the color of violets—so vivid they almost glowed in the dim light. For a moment, they looked strangely familiar. But when I tried to remember, pain shot through my head.
"Who… who are you? Do I know you?" I asked, my voice rough and trembling.
"You can call me Nelson," he said gently. "Don't worry, you're safe here. I know things feel confusing right now, but it's okay. When you're ready, I'll tell you everything."
I looked around in a daze. The pastel-colored walls, the faint scent of antiseptic, the soft rustle of a curtain—it all felt distant, unreal. My mind was clouded, fragments of memory slipping away before I could grasp them.
"Where… where am I?" I finally asked, my tone uncertain.
"This is my friend's clinic, near the hospital," Nelson explained softly. "I'm sorry I brought you here without asking, but it was an emergency."
I blinked, still trying to process everything. "What time is it? I need to go. My friends—I don't even know what happened to them."
"Mia," he said, calling my name as if it was something precious. "You still have a fever. Please, lie back and rest. About your friends… tell me their names. I'll ask around and see what I can find."
I hesitated. "Can I trust you?"
A faint smile curved his lips, though his eyes stayed serious. "Of course. You can think of me as your brother—your neighbor who grew up with you. We were very close when we were young."
I frowned slightly. "But… no one ever mentioned you before."
"I'll explain everything once you're better," he said calmly, adjusting the blanket over me. "For now, just rest. I'll call the doctor to check on you again."
I exhaled slowly, my eyelids heavy. "Alright…" I whispered before sinking back into the pillow, still uncertain if any of this was real.