I woke up to the sharp fluorescent lights piercing my eyelids and a relentless pounding into my skull.
The sterlie scent of antiseptic hung heavy in the air, mixing with the faint metallic tang of blood that I couldn't quite place.
My body felt heavy,like it had been dragged through concrete,and for a long moment,I just lay there,trying to piece together why I was here.
The nurse off. How did I even get here?.
I groaned softly,forcing my eyes open.The ceiling tiles blurred above me before sharpening into focus.
A figure shifted nearby-Jane, one of the academy's nurses, her kind face etched with concern as she hovered over the bed.
"What happened?"I murmured,my voice raspy and unfamiliar.
Jane leaned in, her brow furrowed." The janitor found you unconscious in the hallway.Are you okay, Astrid?you gave us quite a scare".
Unconscious?Hallway?my mind scrambled backward,grasping at fragments.I remembered the narrow corridor,the way the walls seemed to close in,the strange pressure.Building in my chest...and then nothing.
Just darkness.
Before I could respond,a voice slithered into my thoughts.Smooth and commanding,as if it had always belonged there:Lie to her.
Mu heart jolted.I sat up fast too fast, the room spinning."What in the world...?".
The voice came again,firmer this time:Lie to her.
I swallowed hard,forcing my expression into something neutral despite the panic clawing at my insides.
"Oh....it must be just stress,"I said, my words tumbling out in a rush." Exams...training,all of it piling up. I'm fine, really.
Jane didn't look convinced.Her eyes narrowed slightly,searching my face for the truth I was clearly fumbling to hide.
She opened her mouth to speak,but I cut her off with a weak smile and reached out to pat her shoulder.
"I'm fine,"I repeated, firmer this time." You can go.I'll rest a bit and head back to my dorm."
She hesitated,lips pressed into a thin line,but eventually nodded and gathered her things.
With one last worried glance over her shoulder,Jane left the room, the door clicking shut behind her like a final punctuation mark on my life.
The second she was gone.I pressed my palms to my temples and whispered fiercely in the empty air."Who the hell are you? ".
A low, amused chuckle echoed inside my head, sending a unwelcome shiver down my spine.
" I'm Raven".
Holy shit. The ghost from the hallway actually had a name.
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered,swinging my legs over the side of the bed."The ghost has a name".
I'm not a ghost,Raven replied,the voice laced with dry amusement.I'm not dead. I'm alive...but not physically.
"Like great,now I have a ghost possessing me," I shot back, sarcasm dripping from word as I stood on shaky legs.
"I'm not a ghost!"Raven voice exploded in my mind,sharp and indignant,the mental shout ringing like it struck a bell.
The force of it made me flinch.