(Lily POV)

The first thing I notice is the smell.

Antiseptic. Sharp and clean, burning my nostrils like bleach. It cuts through the fog in my head like a knife, dragging me up from whatever deep, dark place I've been floating in. My eyelids feel like they're made of concrete, heavy and unwilling to open. When I finally manage to crack them apart, harsh fluorescent light stabs into my skull.

White. Everything is white. White ceiling. White walls. White sheets pulled up to my chin. The steady beep-beep-beep of machines somewhere to my left. My mouth tastes like cotton and copper, dry as desert sand. Where am I?

The memories...