Something bright woke me up.
White. Nothing else.
The light stung my eyes.
A figure emerged from the void
Clothed in white from head to toe,
Face hidden.
Silent.
It walked.
Each step echoed like a heartbeat in an empty world.
Slow. Heavy. Measured.
When it reached me,
It knelt beside me.
Leaning close, it whispered into my ear:
"Wake up."
My mouth moved before my mind could catch up.
"This isn't real."
The figure blurred at the edges.
Like static.
Like memory dissolving in water.
And then it was gone.
I gasped,
jerking upright in the hospital bed.
The nurse standing at the foot of the bed fumbled with her notepad, eyes wide.
Without a word, she rushed out, phone already at her ear.
Footsteps pounded outside.
The door burst open.
Leah.
She stood in the doorway, breathless. Eyes rimmed with exhaustion and disbelief..
************************************************************************
I had just received the news.
My brother had woken up from the coma.
I was downstairs in the hospital, talking to Keith—venting my worries, the kind I usually kept locked inside. About Echo. About how it felt like I was the only one left waiting.
Then the nurse called.
Her voice crackled through the phone, urgent, breathless.
"H-he's awake."
Beep. The call ended.
I didn't hesitate.
I took off running, Keith stumbling after me.
Up the stairs—two, three at a time.
My heart was louder than my footsteps.
I slammed open the door.
And there he was.
My brother.
Eyes wide. Breath uneven.
Fists clutching the hospital sheets, pulling them up to his face like a shield.
He looked terrified.
Shocked.
Like the world had returned without asking for permission
"Where is Riven?" he asked, breath trembling.
Echo...
"Riven's fine," I said. "He had some business in the Time World."
I tried to keep my voice steady. I couldn't let him see the bitter edge tucked behind my smile.
Liar.
Liar.
Liar.
He stared at me, eyes wide, searching for something in my face. Maybe he knew.
"Echo, let's go home..." I said softly.
"To Mom?" His voice turned sharp, almost accusing.
I froze, just for a moment.
"No," I said, ruffling his hair gently. "To my place."