I felt my eyes close again and my stomach twisted. I had almost passed out again. I hoped Tiffany hadn’t been punished in any way. Well, if nothing else, I was alive. I might be losing my mind, I might be shocked any minute now, I might die here, I was a failure, but I was alive for now. Tiffany was alive too, that I could be sure of.

  They hurt, but honestly, I’d take the shocks over the weariness. I had been here for so, so long. Now my situation was more hopeless than ever. I was totally alone and I was tired. My eyes felt heavy and dry. I wanted my sister, I wanted to see sunlight and I wanted to go home. Home, to my parents, and the chickens and the cows. I let my eyes close as more shocks stunned me.

  Home, peaceful, calm, home. Where I was surrounded by happy memories, surrounded by places I loved and people I knew. If I ever got out of this place, if I ever saw my sister again, I…I don’t know what I’d do, but I’d do something. My eyes were closing, I was drifting off again.

  I had lost track of time long, long ago. But now I was beginning to lose track of dream and reality. I was being pulled in and out of a nightmare world that lived in my mind. But the nightmares and monsters were following me into the void. I saw them wherever I went. It didn’t matter if my eyes were open or closed. I was surrounded by strange creatures. After a while the darkness began to change colors.

  In theory, that sounds nice and refreshing. But I only found it more confusing. The world would become a red glow, and my heart would fill with rage. I’d kick and fight and shout threats at an unseen enemy, till the shocks pulled me back into my mind. Then, I’d wake to find the world had turned bright blue and an awful taste would fill my mouth. I’d spit and splutter, but the taste only grew. Then the shocks would take me away again. The worst of all was when the world would be filled with a purple mist.

  “Hello?” I opened my eyes. The world around me was black again. I had a little bit of time to heal from the colors. “Hello?” I was hearing things now. Now my eyes were open wide. For the first time since waking up, I could see something in the void. A face. It was far away. I couldn’t make out the features. I had no clue if it was a man or a woman. But it was a face. “Hello?” it said again.

  What was this? Part of my dream? That would make the most sense. I was so lonely that I was creating strange imaginary faces to talk to. If it was real and there was indeed another face there then it was probably a guard, set here to keep an eye on me. If it was real, he had a very useless job.

  I hadn’t seen the colors for a while now. I could still make out the face. Tiffany? Tiffany? Could it be her? I needed to see her; I just needed to see her face and know that she was alright. If I could just see her one last time, I’d be alright in this void. The face was moving closer and closer to me now. Tears came along with the shocks. What if they had put Tiffany in a place like this? No, I couldn’t bear that thought. I shut my eyes.

  "Tyla! Tyla!" The voice pulled at my mind. I knew that voice. It was forcing my eyes to open once again. A blurry figure stood before me. After a few minutes of squinting, it came into focus. I gasped. This couldn't be real.

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  "T-Tiffany?" I gasped. Shocks stung my skin and my mind, but I didn't care anymore. I felt the sticky cold stuff melting away. My hands were free. "What is happening? Are you a dream?" I asked. The more I spoke, the more it hurt. But I had to know the truth. Tiffany didn't answer me right away. She was drifting in and out of my vision. I could tell that she was moving, doing something. "Tiffany!" I said more loudly. I slammed my mouth closed and braced myself for a sharp sting. But I felt nothing.

  "Hold on. You should be able to move now. I know that you're really tired. But we don't have much time, Tyla." That was Tiffany's voice. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to say. Joy and shock filled me, along with the fear that this was just another dream. "Come on! We need to hurry!" she said. Why was she talking so fast? I felt her grab my arm and pull me forward.

  "I-I don't understand!" I cried. My legs were struggling to support me. But Tiffany kept on pulling.

  "You don't have to! Come on!"

  "Can we please slow down?" I felt like I was about to throw up.

  "We're almost there. Don't worry, they're waiting for us outside!" Tiffany said. Where was this dream taking me? Why was I so tired? Who was waiting for us? My whole body felt as if it was about to melt away. I could hear voices shouting and footsteps running behind us. We were going faster now. There was a loud crash, followed by a blinding flash of light.

  Then a heavenly breeze touched my face. I could feel warmth in the air all around me. Had I died and gone to Heaven? Or had we just stepped outside? The voices were louder. They were everywhere. I could see several faces now. I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me away from Tiffany.

  "No!" I shouted.

  "Calm down, Tyla! It's okay!" Tiffany said. Her voice was fading away. It was getting lost in the noises that filled the air. I could see more clearly now. My head was becoming clearer. The fresh air and sunlight must already be having an effect on me. Gosh! I had missed the sun.

  For a moment I let the warmth of the bright light wash over me. For a moment I let my body rest. But soon I was being dragged along once again. My eyes began to roam the area around me. Where had Tiffany gone? At last I spotted her out of the corner of my eye and I reached out to her. I couldn't let her slip away. We needed to stay together. The noise was fading now.

  "Who are these people?" I asked softly.

  "Friends," she said. "Don't worry. You'll be safe soon." Safe? What did that word mean again?

  Safe. It was a nice word. We were heading down a hill now. But I could feel that my body was about to give out on me. What had that room done to me? I couldn't hold on much longer. But I needed to stay here for Tiffany.

  "Just a little bit longer," Tiffany said. I felt her hand on my shoulder. It was like she had read my mind. "There's a car at the bottom of the hill waiting for us," she added. What was happening?

  "I have so many questions for you," I said. "At least I think I do. I-I just can't remember what they are," I said. Tiffany smiled at me. "Are you sure these people are safe?" I asked.

  "Yes. They're here to save you." Save me? But I didn't know them.

  "You can sit down for a little bit," called a strange voice from somewhere nearby. I instantly sank to my knees. The grass was cool and soft and moist. I had become so used to hard stone floors. My eyes were closing now. I couldn't sleep.

  "You can rest now. It's okay," Tiffany was saying.

  "Will you still be here when I open my eyes?" I asked. She took my hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

  "Yes. I promise I will be," she said. But her face was vanishing into the shadows that filled my vision. Then, suddenly, the shadows were gone and I was surrounded by a soft, warm light.