Mallory stared at the sprawling city below. Her brain tried desperately to place it, to recognize it in some way, wondering if she’d seen pictures of it before. She turned away from the sight, a little intimidated by the height. She stepped over to the door, opening it hesitantly and peeking out into a brightly lit hallway. “Hello?” she called out, even though there was no one she could see nearby. She stood awkwardly in the doorway for a span of several seconds, wondering if she needed to wait for someone to come check on her. As she rubbed her arms, she realized she had no hospital band – she had no clue where she really was. Waiting suddenly seemed unbearable. Her options were screaming until someone came to check on her or going for a walk.

          On a whim, she chose left, and began walking down the hallway. The flooring was smooth, and looked like granite – lightly marbled. It was cool against the pads of her feet. The hallway curved gently out of sight. There was the occasional door to her left, but she felt like it would be too intrusive to open them. If they were rooms like the one she had woken in, she didn’t think they were going to be much help. Eventually the hallway began to open up more on her right with wide floor to ceiling windows. It looked like there was a central garden or courtyard of some sort, with dense and flowering vegetation, though the flowers weren’t any that Mallory recognized. The wall eventually opened completely – Mallory could smell the heady scent of the flowers, almost like vanilla and roses. The air was warm and humid. Columns lined the granite floor of the hallway, but beyond those columns was moss and dirt.

          She realized that somewhere deep within the garden she could hear people chatting. There was the faint sound of laughter. Although she had been looking for people, she found herself stopping short and hesitating again. Would they know who she was, why she was there? She felt like she was intruding again. A part of her wanted to retreat back to the room and wait patiently, but instead she forced herself to step out into the garden. The moss was damp beneath her feet, but not unpleasant.

          Moving towards the sounds she heard, she found herself coming to a clearing just past the dense vegetation. She stopped to study the people there. She didn’t recognize them all, but her eyes were instantly drawn to Eliza, who sat on the outer edge of the group, looking lost in thought. Isaac sat next to her, his arm draped familiarly across her shoulder. He appeared to be doing his best to pay polite attention to the others in the group, but it was apparent that he was concerned with whatever was bothering Eliza.

          A hand shifted to vegetation shielding her, and she found herself face to face with a smirking Samanda. “Well, what have we got here?” she said, her voice loud.

          Eliza looked up. Upon seeing Mallory, her expression instantly brightened, and she hopped to her feet. “Mallory!” she cried out, throwing her arms around the taller girl. “They said you’d be okay! I kept trying to visit but they said you needed rest…”

          Eliza hadn’t used much force in the hug, but Mallory felt herself stumble and sway uneasily. A hand reached out to steady her.