Heat burned beneath her skin, and her head throbbed violently.
'Seriously? Again?' Aurora almost cursed aloud. 'Why do I always feel like some fragile queen? Why can't I just have one normal day?'
Groaning softly, she struggled to sit up and reach for her medicine.
What should have been a simple action felt unbearably difficult, as though her limbs no longer belonged to her. She tried again and again, fingers fumbling uselessly. Her chest tightened with frustration.
Finally, she gave up.
'Someone will come check on me,' she thought weakly, sinking back onto the bed. Her body felt heavier by the minute, strength draining away bit by bit.
Time passed, stretching uncomfortably long. Yet no one came. Her parents didn't appear. No family member knocked on the door. A faint sense of unease began to creep into her heart. Something's wrong.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, hurried footsteps echoed outside, voices overlapping in panic.
