Ishita's finger twitched first. Just a small movement, barely noticeable against the white hospital sheet. Then her eyelids fluttered.
Consciousness returned slowly, dragging her up from a heavy, dark place. She stared at the ceiling for a long moment, confused by the bright lights and the steady beeping beside her.
Her body felt heavy, every breath pulling at bruised ribs. Pain throbbed in her head like a drum.
She was alive.
***
Ishita is awake.
Sasha's voice pushed through the mind-link, and Ruby stopped walking.
Her heart dropped straight into her stomach, and she stood completely still in the middle of the room, her jaw tight, working through the implications as fast as her mind would let her.
The room Ruby had been confined to was small and almost bare. A narrow bed, a single chair, walls that had nothing on them, and a window that let in just enough light to remind her that the world outside was continuing without her.
