My breath wouldn't come back to me as I lay in handy clearing. A boy my age was standing over me, foot raised to kick me in the side. My lungs were screaming, but no air would enter.
"I thought you were a fighter, Aya." The boy sneered. His foot came down right into my stomach, which made me convulse. Instead of bringing his foot up to kick me again, he just pressed it deeper, making me squirm.
After a moment, my vision darkened. Panic washed over me. I was going to suffocate during a practice drill!
Still yourself, Aya. Do not breathe. My thoughts went quiet as the deep voice thundered in my head. Don't breathe? Was he crazy?! I was about to pass out from lack of air and he wanted me to succumb to the darkness?
Despite my hesitation, my body stilled, and I stopped fighting for air. It felt nice, like instead of giving up, I was releasing my responsibilities of finishing the training. I closed my eyes.
"Aya?" A faraway voice called my name. "Aya! Wake up, sweetheart!" Who was so desperate for my attention now?
"Five more minutes.." I rasped. Why was my voice so broken? A jolt of realization struck me, and I sat up abruplty, eyes opening wide. I looked around, but everything was blurry.
Cherry petals, lilac petals, lily petals..
The voice in my head was going on about petals of flowers I'd never seen. Did he even realize I was in a med lab? Did he care?
Of course I care! The voice replied sharply. I guess I struck a nerve there. You wouldn't, were it reversed.
"If you really thought that, you wouldn't have said so." I reply cooly. A beat of silence washed over my words, and then he continued his muttering about those stupid petals.
That was when I realized nobody else was in the room with me. Who had woke me up so urgently? Where even was I? This was not the cave I called my home.
They took you to the medplace.
The medplace? I'd never been. First time for everything, I supposed. "Why am I here again?"
I told you to stop fighting for air, and you listened. Passed out cold in seconds. I thought it better for the both of us if you weren't sending shooting pains to my stomach through our link.
A flash of memories flicked through my mind. The boy I was training with had knocked the wind out of me, pinned me down by stomping his foot into my stomach, and laughed in my face about it. He put me in the medplace! Anger coursed through my veins.
"I'll beat the crap out of him the next time I see him!"
A rumble of amusement rang through my mind. I wish I could see that.
"You could, though. Just come to the Gemshred Caverns!" He didn't have to respond for me to know his answer. "I know, I know. Cloudstrike dragons aren't welcome."
I will see you soon.
I lie back down in the uncomfortable cushion of leaves, moss, and animal fur. I got comfortable, but alarm sang through my fingertips to my toetips. He lived on a different island! "Soon?"
There was no response.