Day and night bled into one another, an endless, repeating loop. It was a cold room where a blinding, sterile white covered everything—from the walls to the ceiling, down to the bedsheets. It was the kind of place where a person would inevitably lose the flow of time. To an outsider, it might have looked pristine, perhaps even like paradise. To the resident, it was a void.
Click… click… click…
The sharp staccato of high heels striking the tile cut through the silence.
"Doctor, what is his status? Is there still a chance for a full recovery?"
The woman asking was stunning, appearing to be in her mid-twenties. She possessed an air of cold, aloof elegance. Long, smooth purple hair cascaded down her back, contrasting sharply against her pale, porcelain skin. With a figure that rivaled top celebrities, she commanded the room.
"I'm sorry, Miss. We have done absolutely everything we can, but…" The doctor in the white coat trailed off, unable to meet her eyes.
"So… it is a no."
The words were spoken softly, barely a whisper. But before the doctor could offer an apology, the woman's face twisted. Her calm mask crumbled as she looked at the unmoving figure in the bed.
"YOU ARE ALL USELESS!"
CRASH!
She swept a vase off the table, sending shards of glass skittering across the floor. The scream pierced the air, causing the doctor and nurses to recoil in sudden fear.
"Hmm… what's happening?"
A weak, confused murmur broke the tension. It came from the bed.
The patient was a young man, barely into adulthood. His frame was incredibly thin, swallowed up by the oversized blankets, looking fragile as he blinked his eyes open.
The young man blinked, his eyes unfocused. He looked at the ceiling, then at the blurry figures standing around him.
"Water…" he croaked. "My throat… it burns."
The woman shoved a stunned nurse aside and grabbed a pitcher of water from the bedside table.
"I'm here. I've got you," she said, pouring a glass with trembling hands. She lifted his head gently, bringing the cup to his pale lips.
He drank greedily, coughing slightly as the water went down. "Who… who are those people in white?"
The young man tilted his head, his dark eyes scanning the room. He looked at the shattered glass on the floor, then at the terrified doctor, and finally settled his gaze on the woman.
"You have that scary look on your face again, Aunt," he teased weakly, though his breath was shallow.
The woman stiffened, quickly adjusting her dress and composing herself. "I do not. You are hallucinating from the fever."
"I'm pretty sure I heard glass break," he murmured, pointing a bony finger at the debris. "Did the doctor say something mean to you?"
The woman clenched her fists by her side, her nails digging into her palms, but she forced a smile.
"No," she said, her voice tight. "We were just discussing… alternative treatments. But it got a little heated. You know how I get."
"Yeah," the young man sighed, closing his eyes again. "You always worry too much. I told you… I'm fine."