Darius felt like his eyelids had been glued shut, and his ears filled with water. There were many muffled voices around him calling his name; they seemed to be coming from somewhere distant … very distant. Something about this thought made his eyes fly open, and he sat upright.

And just like that, Darius sat up in his hospital bed. Everyone present gaped at him. No one had expected him to suddenly wake up and sit up like this.

Darius winced at the sunlight pouring in through the windows. He felt like it had been ages since he'd last seen the sun, and he felt exhausted—it was tough staying upright, but he still propped himself up and swept his gaze over everyone crowding around his bed. They were all familiar faces, and they looked similarly exhausted.

Pearl, Kate, Edward, Bridget, and Bruce were all present. He raised an eyebrow and was about to say something when Bruce placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. Darius was again on his back, but it didn't make hi