Haven

28. Ready

"...it's not normal for someone to be out this long, is it?"

"Give her time, she went through something quite traumatic."

Be quiet. Norah spoke the words in her mind. The voices sounded as though they were right next to her head, shouting as loudly as possible. Her eyes scrunched tight - the noise was too much - and groggily, she opened her eyes to tell whoever it was to go away. It didn't take her eyes long to adjust; she was lying in a strange room. The curtains were pulled closed and a small amount of light  trickled through. Common sense told her she shouldn't have been able to see so vividly in the dark. She turned her head, looking for another light source but there was none. Her breathing increased painfully.

What was going on? As she inhaled , she gasped, bolting upright. As assortment of scents invaded her senses. Rain, earth, sweat, perfume - she covered her nose, gagging at the overdose.

"She's awake!" A voice shouted eagerly to her left and she scooted away from it, hitting a wall. The sound of her body connecting with the wall sounded like a gunshot and she gasped, beginning to hyperventilate.

Olivia and Cassie rushed in, eyes filled with relief. "I'm so glad you're awake!" Olivia smiled.

Norah winced and covered her ears, allowing the scents to rush in once more. "Why are you shouting?" she whimpered. Olivia stepped closer and her perfume started to make Norah nauseated. Cassie's scent of baking and flour mixed in with it and Norah's chest began to tighten. "Why can I smell you? What's happening to me?"

The sound of her own voice made her eardrums ring and she buried her head in her knees as she started to have a panic attack.

"Go and get him." Footsteps pounded away from her and she flinched as Cassie touched her back. She knew it was Cassie because her scent still remained. But she didn't know why she knew that.

"Breathe, Norah." The voice sounded softer and she tried to obey, wishing the tightness in her chest to fade away. The footsteps returned and Norah could hear two sets. "Quietly," Cassie said.

Another hand touched her shoulder and the bed lowered as someone sat beside her. The smell of pine tinged with earth and sea helped the tightness in her chest recede. She knew that smell. "Norah?"

She knew it was spoken quietly, but it was still too loud. She found she didn't care so much this time though. It was a voice she needed to hear. Looking up, through tear soaked eyelashes, she saw Rylan watching her nervously. She sensed the others leave and Rylan reached over, covering her ears.

"What's wrong with me?" she whispered, at least she thought it was a whisper.

"Nothing, it's just - Norah, I'm so sorry." His eyes were pained. "This isn't how I wanted it to happen."

Memories of the Gathering flashed through her mind -Annie, Madison, Daniel biting her - chest started to get tight once more. "What did Daniel do to me?"

Deep down, she already knew the answer but she didn't want it to be true. Not like this. Rylan didn't say anything but he didn't have to. His eyes spoke more than enough. Sobs wracked her body and Rylan pulled her close, kissing her head as he rocked her gently back into oblivion.

The next time Norah woke the room was completely silent. No voices could be heard, no footsteps pounding through her skull. Rylan's scent lingered and she knew he must have been here recently.

She didn't open her eyes. This couldn't be real. And yet, it was. Her body felt different; every nerve and sense felt alive. Every breath, move and sound was amplified. She looked around. The room was dark. There was no sun shining through the curtain and she guessed it was night time. The room wasn't as clear as it had been earlier - whenever that was - but her sight was still better than it should have been in the dark. No one was in the room, and she stared at the ceiling, trying to remain calm.