The sun lingered low on the horizon, refusing to fully disappear. It left the Kingsley Hospital washed in a purple twilight.
Inside one of the private wards, the only sign of life was the monitor.
A high-pitched beep. A mechanical heartbeat for the girl who couldn't provide her own.
She looked smaller than she ever had before, swallowed by white sheets and sterile light. Tubes threaded into her arms. Wires traced across her chest.
Her skin had lost its color.
The door clicked open.
A tall girl with dark red hair stepped inside.
She closed the door and stood there for a moment, back against the wood, eyes fixed on the bed.
Her expression was unreadable.
She watched the girl in the bed for a long, agonizing moment. Then, the rigid line of her shoulders finally broke.
She moved toward the bedside, her movements softening until she was hovering over the sheets.
Her gaze dropped to the girl's hand.
