Within seconds, I gulp down the entire thing.
“See, silly?” I smile to myself, placing the glass back on the table. “There was nothing to worry about.”
A couple of minutes pass in silence when I realize that—yes.
There’s plenty to worry about.
My eyelids feel weighted down.
They’re heavy. Like reaaal heavy.
And my limbs. I can’t move them. Can’t lift my hands from the armrests.
What’s going on? Why won’t the room stop spinning?
I—fuck. Fuck. I was drugged.
Oh, and it’s only getting worse.
It’s like I’m shoved back, my body collapsing farther into the chair. The cool leather, I barely feel it beneath my hands.
My vision blurs around the edges.
I’m in my body, but I’m not.
Wake up!A voice that sounds a lot like Mom rings inside my head.
“Can’t…” The word is slurred. My lips are numb. “Can’t…”
I try, though. I fight to keep my eyes open, to wiggle my fingers.
It’s a losing battle.
Dammit, I’m barely able to see anything at all now.
When the world starts fading away, a figure comes into the room.
A tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a black suit. A white mask hides his face.
The Restorer.
Or…I might be hallucinating at this point.
Doesn’t matter. I’m going to beg anyway. For the slightest chance I might be spared, by whoever it is—even if it’s a hallucination—I have to try.
“Please,” I murmur, doing everything I can to stay conscious. “Please.”
He shakes his head once. Edges closer. Grows bigger.
I’m definitely not imagining this.
“No.” My breathing is labored. “Don’t. No…”
Then he’s there, blocking out the rest of the room.
The white mask fills my vision. Eyes that are almost black pin me in place.
These eyes, I recognize them. From where?
