Before Cadence even opened her eyes, the overpowering smell of the clean and sterile environment alerted her that something wasn't quite right. Her eyelids fluttered, and she realized she wasn't alone. Memories came flooding back to her all at once, and she was confused as to why her shoulder and her leg no longer felt like they had been blown to bits. Without fully opening her eyes she said, "How long have you been here?"

"Couple hours," Aaron replied. "How are you feeling?"

She took a deep breath and then opened her eyes. Glancing around the room, she realized that Elliott was leaning against the windowsill across the room. "Oh,...