The Other Side of the Door

I was conscious before I opened my eyes. The air I breathed in was fresh and clean. There was no noise to be heard.

Eyes still shut, I shifted about. I was lying on a bed, or maybe a mattress. It was a significant improvement from the floor, but it wasn't really the most comfortable of beds, either.

The first thing I saw after opening my eyes was a plain, white ceiling. I almost flipped out - I thought that I was back in Carl Cooper's prison cell. But then I noticed the lower, significantly larger window right next to me. It occurred to me that the bed I was lying on was against the wall.

Too tired to move my whole body, I turned my head to the right. There was an opaque, grey door that looked unlocked. Focusing my eyes closer to myself, I noticed that there was a small square table beside me, with some food on it. Thank goodness, they weren't like the plastic-tray-stale-bread food I'd consumed for the past ... month? It was just a small pack of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of fruit juice.

My mouth watered as my eyes made contact with the food, and at that instance I realized exactly how hungry I was. Like a wild animal, I snatched them from the table and wolfed them down - a bite of the cookie, a drink of the juice, a bite, a drink ... I was subconsciously aware of some juice trickling down my chin, but I didn't do anything about it. I was starving.

My legs ached slightly as I put the empty glass and packet back, swinging them out of the bed. I had to walk around for a bit after standing up, as they were pretty stiff. When I looked down, I realized with a shiver that I was wearing an unfamiliar t-shirt and a pair of jeans. They weren't the same clothes that I had worn when I fell. They weren't the same clot...

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...rself out. I shut the door and turn around.

What the heck just happened?

I walked to the kitchen. I could see dad outside in the garden through the window, Alia reading on the swings. Mum handed me a mug of tea when I came in.

"Thanks." I said as I took a sip.

"Where's your friend?" Mum asked.

"She left," I said briefly. "She and Cody and Kenzie, they aren't really on the best of terms."

Mum nodded understandingly.

Almost as if on cue, the doorbell rang again. Running a hand through my hair, I paced towards the door again and opened it, to my two best friends.

"Hey," they said, and I greeted them in return.

"We saw Ashley on the way here, like only a couple seconds ago." Cody said, pulling a face. "Did she come here before?"

"No." I paused for a few seconds. I loved my two friends like sisters, but I wasn't ready to tell them. Not yet.