Aria didn't stir.
Her eyes remained perfectly shut, her breathing shallow and even beneath the plastic oxygen mask.
"Okay, very funny," Zoe said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I said the coast is clear. You can drop the act."
Aria remained completely motionless.
Zoe's confident posture faltered. Her arms dropped to her sides.
"Aria?" Zoe whispered, leaning closer.
Nothing. Not a twitch. Not a flutter of an eyelash.
A cold, heavy drop of dread plunged directly into Zoe's stomach. What if the stress of holding her breath had actually triggered something?
"Aria, stop messing around," Zoe said, her voice pitching up with sudden, raw panic. She reached out, grabbing Aria's shoulder and shaking her. "Wake up! I'm not falling for this again! Wake up right now!"
She shook her harder, her chest heaving, the terror completely hijacking her rational brain. "Oh my god, I knew this was a bad idea! I knew we shouldn't have done this! NURSE! I NEED A—"
