Mallory woke slowly. She was in a very warm, very soft bed in a bright room. Her eyelids fluttered open – everything was white. At first she wondered if she was in a hospital but it was quiet and nothing about the décor suggested an overtly clinical setting. There was no smell of cleaners or chemicals. If it was a hospital, then it was a very fancy one and the room was private – a luxury she’d never be able to afford. Strangely, it reminded her of fictional elves in those old Lord of the Rings movies. Soft curtains caught on a breeze, and the faintest sound of faraway chatter caught her ears.

          She searched her mind, trying to remember what had happened. There were flashes of terror, and she could remember the shadow, and the pain – the pain of the knife entering her back. She placed a hand just over her hip, searching for the wound, but there was nothing. Yet she distinctly remembered the way everything had continued to burn even as the knife was drawn out to bite into her flesh thrice more. She winced just thinking about it. Had that been a strange dream?

          What had happened to Eliza? And the others? She remembered the house had exploded and collapsed in on itself, and she had almost been caught in a massive fire…

          Mallory pushed herself out of bed, surprised to find that she felt perfectly fine. She was in loose fitting white clothes, light and easy to move in. Lifting her shirt and twisting, she could see the faintest of scars – five marks. More than she had remembered. She felt a chill – how long had she been laying here to be this healed? “Hello?” she called out tentatively. She knew she should probably leave the room and try to find someone, anyone, that could tell her where she was and what had happened, but the sound of distant chatter drew her to the window again.

          The curtains were sheer and white, gently fluttering in the breeze, which was pleasantly warm. Mallory pushed them aside as she approached, looking down. She was shocked to find she was at a dizzying height – almost as though she were high up on a mountain. Sprawling out below was a city built into the side and base of the mountain. It reminded her of pictures of Rio de Janeiro, haphazardly placed buildings with many winding streets and alleys. Mallory blinked as she realized there were no cars or trucks below, although she could see people moving about their business.