It was the beeping.

Ringing through her ears. Repeating itself like a haunting lullaby. Engraving itself into her eardrums. Each shrill sending an electrifying wave through her receptors.

She could see nothing, and could feel nothing but the unbearable burning of her skin. Only black surrounded her. And it was in the midst of this uncertainty that she tried so desperately to call out to someone.

But to who?

She did not know anything. Or Anyone. Not even herself.

She didn't even have the capacity to control her own body, so her eyes remained shut, forcing herself to stay in the darkness she was beginning to hate.

Why couldn't she move?

It felt like her body was weighed onto the deepest parts of the ocean, and she could do nothing but feel the racing of her heart and the beeping.

What was that beeping?

Then came the murmurs.

First soft and quiet, barely heard over the shrilling beeping noise. Then louder, steadier, and she begun to make sense of the words coming through her ears.

"... found her in the woods. Apparently she was completely alone in an abandoned cabin."

An abandoned cabin?

A sharp pain attacked the side of her head, making her gasp in protest and soon oxygen was flowing liberally through her lungs.

Her senses flooded all at once.

The chemical smell of alcohol. The itchy bedsheets that clung to her body. The voices surrounding her, some close, some barely audible. And the damned beeping noise that she couldn't get rid of.

"She's waking up. Call Mr. Pheles."

Her throat felt like it had been held over fire, her eyes refusing to connect to her brain in order for her vision to activate. Her limbs began to tremble, prey to the overflow of sensations to a body that had previously been suspended in nothingness.

"Run some tests. Make sure she is alright." An ufamiliar voice reached her ears. However she could not see who it was.

"Emi, how are you feeling?"

She remained silent, trying to make sense of her situation. Why was this voice speaking so close to her?

"Can you hear me? You're out of the woods now. You're safe in the True Cross Academy infirmary. I put up a barrier in your room and I control who gets in and out."

It was a man's voice, she could tell. It lacked any sort of delicateness. It was sharp, grave, condensed.

Had she heard this voice before?

"I understand you might be tired. Don't force yourself. I hope you'll speak to me soon."

This man was talking to her. She could tell as much. Only she had no idea who he was.

She had no idea who she was either.

A broken, rumbling groan escaped her throat, the very act sending waves of pain through her body as she tried to form at least a single word.

"Would you like a glass of water, Emi?"

Emi?

A weak nod was all she could produce, already feeling the lethargy climbing up her body as she tried to fight her exhaustion.

Something was pressed against her lips, and she parted them ever so slightly just before a stream of water passed down her throat.

Immediately a horrible metallic taste overcame her mouth as she spat out half of what she drank.

"Doctor." The man called, worry laced in his words. "She's spitting out blood."

Something soft was pressed against her lips, a rag of some sorts, as someone cleaned the drops of whatever liquid had been given to her.

"H-Hurts..." she managed to murmur between pained intakes of air.

"We'll give you pain medication. Just relax and try not to force yourself."

Everything was fuzzy in her head. She struggled to comprehend what was going around her. Not to mention, she had no recollection of where she was, or who she was, except for the fact that her name was apparently Emi.

In her hazy state she barely managed to hear a desperate voice that seemeed to me coming from afar.

"She's awake?!"

~~~~
Extremely short, but its been so long since I updated, I felt like I couldn't wait any longer. I basically just cut what I had already written in half, so I could develop the other part while you guys read this one :)

I apologize so much for the wait.

Stay safe everyone.