Ana's world was cold and hard, and the lights stabbed even through her closed eyes. Her mouth tasted funny: too sweet, like old cough medicine. Her head throbbed dully. Moaning, she went to rub it, but someone was clamped tight around her wrist.

No, not someone—something. Something metal, cool and impersonal. She tugged harder at it, but it didn't move, and her breath hitched.

A voice floated over her. "She's come to."

"Prepping anesthesia now."

Ana's eyes snapped open, and she recoiled against the brights. Through her eyelashes, she saw a team of men and women in blue paper face masks and coats. One, she counted, two three four five. Five of them, and a sixth one at her head. She flinched away from him, but couldn't go far. The metal table had no give, and the metal hands gripping her wrists, her waist, her ankles, they didn't let go.

"Just routine tests," the man at her head said. "Nothing to be afraid of."

His mind was hard and flat, as cold as the metal beneath her. While he spoke, something pinched her hand. She startled and looked down. A long needle stuck from the back of her hand, and one of the blue-coated people pressed a button on it down.

It didn't hurt, but she screamed anyway. Her voice was raw, but she screamed and cried and thrashed. That did hurt; the needle dislodged from her hand. Warm blood dribbled across her skin. One of the blue-coats said something nasty. Tears pulsed down her cheeks. Where is my brother? I want my brother...

Another needle plunged into her skin. A sob burst from her chest, and another, but the third was smaller, softer. Sleepy-heavy sludge ran through her thoughts, weighing her down.

"...be out... just a min... wait and we'll..." The blue-coat's words slid in and out of her ears like mist.

A whimper built in her throat like a bird building its nest. The nest lodged there, cutting off every other sound she wanted to make. The bird fluttered its wings, tickling her throat. Then it settled down and tucked its head under its wing, ready for a good night's sleep...

Blurry blue-coats loomed closer. She flinched, and the bird blinked blearily awake. Don't make me stay here, she begged. Don't leave me alone here. I'm sorry I ran. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry... Her heart beat faster, fighting with her slow-bird thoughts.

Please, she tried to sing at the blue-coats. It came out like a croak, but the nest in her throat broke up a little. Tears pulsed hot against her cheeks. The bird flew away from its crumbling nest, tickling her throat, and she sang louder. Please let me go. Let me go, let me go, let me go...

Her voice warbled. The blue-coats rocked on their heels. Someone reached over and uncuffed one wrist.

"What're you doing?" another exclaimed, but his words were slushy in Ana's ears, as hard to decipher as the blurry room around her. She felt underwater, like she was drowning more by the second.

Please, she whisper-sang, like her mom sang to her when she was little. Please let me go, and we can all take a nap. A nap sounded good. Her eyes were so tired, but she couldn't, wouldn't sleep here, didn't want to be here for another second. Please.

A man curled up in the floor. Two more undid clasps. Others just stood open-mouthed.

Her body felt like bubbles, but she swung her weightless feet over the edge of the table. When she sat up, her head swam and the room blurred even more, like someone was stirring the watery-world. A hand reached for her, but she spun her song into a higher pitch. Let me go, let me go, let me GO!

The hand stilled, and her feet slipped to the ground. She tumbled a few steps forward, past the blue-coat curled in the floor, one tile step at a time. The sleepy-bird came back, closing up her throat, wrapping its wings around her brain. The world tilted around her like a snowglobe, but she caught herself on her hands. The cold of the floor seeped into her fingertips.

Her knees were on the ground now. Good. It was easier to balance that way. She crawled forward even as the world got waterier and the bird's wings curled tighter, cozier, begging her to slow down and sleep.

Her head butted against a wall. She blinked. Blinked again. The door. It was a door. Heavy, bubbly, disobedient arms rose clumsily. She pressed.

Behind her, someone snored, and jealousy washed over her. But not here. She pushed again. The bird dragged her eyes down, but she pushed the door one final time blind.

It swung open beneath her, and she tumbled out onto more tile floor. Different tile floor. Relief swept through her, and she relaxed against the ground. She was out. Jason would find her here now. Jason would save her. She patted the floor fondly. Or she would have. Her hand didn't seem to want to move anymore.

She went to sleep with the blue-coats and the bird.

🧬 🧬 🧬

When Ana woke up, she was in a soft bed. The blankets piled up around her like marshmallows. It was dark, and she was alone.

Alone.

Alone.

She reached out for Jason. With her hand, she groped around the bed. With her mind, she stretched as far as she could, just to catch a hint of him. But the room was empty. Completely empty. He hadn't come to save her.

He hadn't come.

But that couldn't be right. He wouldn't leave her. She'd lost her temper other times. He hadn't left then.

But he also hadn't shoved her away then. Hadn't felt like a cat, ready to sink its claws into someone. Hadn't had that red-head whispering in his ear, making him upside-down and strange, like a reflection in a spoon.

Silly girl, she told herself even as her cheeks wet. Silly girl, she told herself, like her dad would sometimes as he'd tweak her nose. But Dad wasn't here either. He wasn't here, and Mom wasn't here, and Jason hadn't come.

But I can wait for them, she thought bravely, sniffling a little. She swiped her eyes and sat up in the bed and found a light. The room looked a little like the hotels they stayed at sometimes. Maybe her family was all just out, and they'd come back for her soon. She would wait.

Other people came in, but they weren't her family. Startled, she sent them away, the song coming to her lips much easier than it used to.

A clock ticked in the room, but everything else stayed the same. The walls watched her. More people intruded—the wrong, wrong, wrong people. She sent them away. She waited.

She sat up in the bed so long her stomach snarled at her, so long her back ached, so long her eyes burned. She waited. She waited. She waited. Jason was coming to save her.

But Jason never came.