Lana POV
I had a feeling something was going to happen, and now Maya was nowhere to be seen.
I told Mary about it, but she brushed it off. Though, judging by the way she kept watching Maya throughout the day, I think she felt something was wrong too.
I tried to shake the feeling away. School was almost over anyway.
Mary wasn't with me because she had physics practice, and I was on my way to my next class when someone suddenly pushed me from behind.
I barely had time to react before I hit the ground.
Then everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes, something was crawling on my skin.
Insects.
A scream escaped my throat as I frantically brushed them off.
"No! Get them off me! Get them off!"
My heart pounded wildly in my chest.
The room was completely dark.
I couldn't see anything.
I hated insects.
I hated the dark.
And now I was trapped with both.
I banged on the door and screamed for help.
"Please! Let me out! Somebody help me!"
Tears streamed down my face as panic took over.
I couldn't breathe.
My chest tightened painfully.
The insects continued crawling around me, and every second felt worse than the last.
I heard someone banging on the other side of the door, but I couldn't focus.
My vision blurred.
I tried to control my breathing, but fear had already consumed me.
Everything felt distant.
My body became weak.
The last thing I heard before darkness swallowed me again was a voice coming from a speaker.
Then everything went black.
---
My eyes slowly fluttered open.
The bright hospital lights immediately made me squint.
She's awake!"
Mary's voice echoed through the room.
I blinked several times before realizing I was in a hospital bed.
My head hurt.
Everything hurt.
I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through my body.
"Easy, sweetheart," my mom said, rushing to my side.
She looked exhausted.
My dad wasn't much better.
The worry on their faces made my chest ache.
"What happened?" I asked weakly.
"You were found unconscious in a storage room at school," my dad said.
The memories instantly came flooding back.
The push.
The darkness.
The insects.
The panic.
I felt my breathing quicken.
"Hey, you're okay," Mary said quickly, grabbing my hand.
"You're safe now."
I nodded and forced myself to calm down.
Looking around the room, I noticed Ruby, Lee, and Peter standing nearby.
They all looked worried.
"How long have I been here?" I asked.
"Since yesterday," Lee answered.
My eyes widened.
"Yesterday?"
"The doctors said you suffered a severe panic attack," Peter explained. "You also hit your head when you fell."
I looked down and finally noticed the bandages wrapped around my forehead and arm.
A chill ran down my spine.
Someone had done this on purpose.
Nobody accidentally gets locked in a storage room.
The room fell silent.
My mom gently squeezed my hand.
"You don't need to think about that right now."
But everyone was already thinking about it.
Ruby folded her arms, her expression darkening.
"This wasn't an accident."
Nobody argued.
Peter clenched his fists.
Mary's jaw tightened.
Even Lee looked angry.
Ruby glanced around the room before asking the question everyone was thinking.
"Who would try to hurt Lana?"