The next day, Meera woke up refreshed with the soft rays of the warm, afternoon sun shining down onto her face through the ajar windows. A crisp, autumn breeze cooled the room, making each breath feel like medicine for the soul.
She sat up as she admired the sun, the plush, white covers falling from the bottom of her chin down to her waist as she stretched her arms as far as they'd go above her head; her auburn hair mangled together like she had a fight in her slumber.
"Did we drink last night, Becca?" Meera asked, her voice raspy and dry, "I don't remember falling asleep." But instead of an answer, she was met with silence. She looked away from the window, and finally realized why she felt so good. She was no longer inside the hotel room near the stadium sharing a bed in a cheap hotel room with her best friend; she was in a hospital room, hooked up to machines to keep her hydrated and her vitals monitored.
Next to her on a small stand was her phone, and she quickly snatched it up to check her texts.
Rebecca: Hey! Sorry I had to leave, I have class tomorrow! Dr said you needed to sleep and not to be woken. I left your train ticket in your purse. I hope it can be exchanged!
Meera didn't bother responding, instead she immediately went back to Ren's Chatter page and checked the chat she started with him.
"FUCK!" she yelled out.
Meera: Kissed I you.
She brought her knees up to her face, hugging them as she hid herself in her lap. "The Goddess of Luck despises me," she whimpered to herself, her phone plopping into the blanket.
"I don't know about that, Ms. Moore." A man interrupted her as she heard him enter the room, his aging voice charming and warm.
"If you knew what's happened in less than 24 hours, you'd agree," she continued to mope around.
"Well, if it wasn't for your friend, you'd be in a bit of a pickle," he continued to try and cheer her up. "I'm Dr. Brink. I heard you screaming in here and wanted to be sure you were okay." He paused, hoping for an answer, but she continued whimpering in her fetal position. "Shall I call a psychiatrist in?"
She shot her head up, "no!" The last thing she needed was to be locked up for a psych hold while her prince was possibly looking for her. "I just need to talk to Ren, please."
"Ren?" The doctor squinted like he was concentrating, his balding head spotty with age, and his stomach plump with delicious meals as his white coat struggled to stay buttoned. "Are they your significant other? The woman before made no mention of-"
"Nevermind," she brushed him off, "am I able to leave now?"
He nodded, "Your clothes are in this bag," he picked a plastic bag full of her clothes from the concert up from the floor and put it on her bed, "your luggage went with your friend. We couldn't store it here, I'm sorry."
Meera looked down at herself, only a hospital gown keeping her from being fully exposed to the old man. She hastily covered herself with the blankets once more, though the doctor didn't bother to care as he kept eye contact with her. "Thank you," she muttered, as he excused himself upon removing all of her hookups, and handing her a piece of paper for discharge.
The moment he closed the door behind him, she wasted no time, bolting from the bed immediately and dressing herself within seconds, including her little rubber "I <3 MM" bracelet. She then fixed her hair into a quick, messy bun to hide the fact she hadn't brushed it while being thankful the hospital had some basic necessities to freshen her breath at least.
And in less than an hour she was walking out of the hospital and onto the greasy, stained sidewalks of Tyaura with no destination in mind, and the smell of stale piss filling her nose from nearby alleys surrounding the hospital; a very different experience from farm life, but she wasn't repulsed.
Without any obligations and an expired train ticket, Meera decided to just start walking and see where it took her. She kept a strong grip on her satchel-like purse as it hung across her, making her feel grounded, let alone was her only possession she had left.
On the outside she seemed like a normal person, loving and living her life as many others that took the day head on. But to her, each day was a fight inside. She despises crowds and she tends to panic when forced to be a part of them, but at the same time, she loves people, and if it wasn't for that, she never would have experienced love.