"Ryan, wake up now, would you? It's getting quite late."
Someone spoke, shaking Ryan.
"Is he still asleep, Mom?"
"As you can see."
"You should go and help, Sarah. I will wake this sleepyhead."
"Sigh. Well, you can try. I don't think he is going to wake up anytime soon. He must be awake all night in excitement about the upcoming Awakening Ceremony."
"Hehe, yeah, right."
"Anyway, I am going. Wake him up, though; don't let him sleep, even if he says so."
"Ok, ok."
Step step
"Oi, sleepyhead. Oi."
Sounds echoed in Ryan's mind. A conversation between two women. Their voices were soft and tender.
Ryan didn't have the power to move. Even opening his eyes was hard for him, but he could hear. However, the words were echoing in his mind, as he felt like he was drugged or something.
'Women?!'
Ryan didn't know any women.
'... Am I in a hospital?!'
The only thing he could think of was the hospital. But even that felt too far-fetched.
Like, how could he even be alive after getting shot by a gun at point-blank range, let alone?
Ah, just thinking about that fucking psychopath made Ryan's blood boil.
However, still his being alive couldn't be explained.
Maybe...
A miracle. Yes, that was the only thing that could happen. And maybe it did. A miracle happened, saving Ryan.
'But... the conversation between them didn't—'
Before Ryan could complete his thoughts, he was pulled up and shaken vigorously.
'Who—'
"Oi, wake up, or Mom will lecture me instead."
"—Treats patients like this."
"What?!" The girl said, who was still shaking him. "You are a patient. My god, what the fuck were you doing last night to have this strange dream?"
As her words entered Ryan's ear—now clearly. He felt himself getting back control of his body.
The drugged state that he felt earlier disappeared as he opened his eyes.
Blink
"Ah, you are up." The girl said, pulling her face back. "Thank God, you really were sleeping like a log today. When did you sleep? In the morning or what?"
As the girl before him rambled, Ryan's blurred vision adjusted as he found himself in a room. Not a hospital, as he expected, but a room.
And...
The room was like those of his age but from a well-endowed family. It had everything that Ryan so desired.
A desk, a chair, and a comfortable, huge bed.
He could also see gaming equipment. And much more.
As his eyes looked around in surprise, the girl before him, seeing something amiss, spoke up.
"Hey, everything good?"
This time her voice was soft and carried a hint of worry. She looked at Ryan as if wondering if something had happened.
Ryan could feel that the girl was worried for him. For him?
He didn't have anyone who would be worried about him. What the hell was happening?
Wait, first...
'How the hell am I alive?!'
Ryan touched his head and every place, looking more and more baffled.
'No injury?!'
What was happening?
Before Ryan could go into an existential crisis and start questioning every law, the girl before him caught his face and pulled it towards him. His cheeks pressed against her tender palm.
"Ryan."
"..."
"Did something happen? Are you not feeling well?"
Seeing her worryingly asking questions, before Ryan could even stop his mouth, his voice leaked out.
"Do we know each other?"
He didn't know the girl before him. She looked to be around the age of 20 with an otherworldly beautiful face that rivaled models.
She was like those girls you saw at the airport once and would never see again.
"..."
"..."
"Fucker, haha, good joke, good joke." The girl before him said with a twitching smile as she pinched his face, making Ryan release sounds.
"Ouch, ouch, it hurts."
"Huh! Does it? What did you think I was going through when you were joking with your baboon act, huh?"
"Oww, but I wasn't. I really don—"
"Stop and go freshen up, because everyone's about to eat breakfast, and if you don't come, you know what Mom will do."
The girl said, backing away, and then left the room with a last word that felt like a threat.
"Don't whine to me when I don't save you."
"..."
"... What the fuck is happening?"
'Am I in a coma or some shit?!'
Ryan thought, before shaking his head. The pain and the burning feeling on his cheeks felt real. So, he was not dreaming or anything like that.
This was real. And... the girl knew him.
Or, maybe...
'I am part of a prank.'
This was the only thing Ryan could come up with.
Because...
First of all, he didn't know anyone, not even a man, so a girl was too far-fetched. With his isolated life, Ryan would be thankful if someone other than his coworkers knew him.
And...
A girl this beautiful, knowing him and talking with him like this, would only point towards two things.
First, he was kidnapped.
Which was impossible because he didn't have money for them to loot or someone to ask ransom from.
Or
'Maybe it's a fetish of theirs.'
Goosebumps.
Second, it was a prank.
Ryan didn't know what part of his speculation was true, so he just thought of first freshening up. Because he really felt like he slept a lot.
Maybe he was really kidnapped or something, but right now, he didn't have any other options other than following the clue left by the girl.
'Breakfast, hmm.'
So Ryan stood up from the velvet-covered bed, but he felt disoriented in his body, as if his body felt very strange.
But this strangeness was nothing compared to what he had gone through on the bus and was going through now.
So, shaking his head, he moved towards the attached bathroom in the room.
'Here was a bathroom? How the fuck did I know?'
"Man, everything is so strange."
Muttering, he looked towards the mirror, and as his eyes caught the reflection. He felt his whole world turning upside down.
"Who the fuck?!"