Heavy.

Everything is heavy.

...not again.

I wake to a lowly lit room, but sunlight's seeping in through pleated curtains on the right side of the wall. With that I can see some interior; every inch of the walls are covered with small squares, no particular pattern obvious among them; across the room is a tall wardrobe in between two dressers, odd pointed shapes protruding from atop the dressers; a lantern floating on the ceiling, probably attached to some string or something; and I'm lying in a bed apparently, a downy mattress kissing my back and a fleecy comforter drawn up to my chin.

How'd I get here? Where is here anyway?

I try sitting up but the heaviness makes me think twice. Bedridden it is. Better than being inside that hospital, at least I'm not there anymore. I think. I mean, this place looks like an ordinary bedroom, but during my time staying in hospitals I've seen people who've lived there longer than me have decked out rooms complete with a number of their personal belongings. It's not a stretch to think maybe I never left that hellscape institution. Last I recall though, I was headed out of the hospital, along with-

"No, she doesn't know about me or my family."

Hushed voices sound way louder when they're the only sounds to be heard in a dead-quiet room, and this particular voice is manifesting clear as daylight.

"...N-nilsa?"

I twist my head from right to left, looking for her. She sounds so close, yet she's nowhere in sight.

I'm not imagining things again, am I?

"Do you think she ever suspected something off about you?"

Another ring of familiarity in my ears, followed by a bitter taste in my mouth. Basil. Twist right, twist left. No one in sight.

"I don't think so. She's never said anything. My dad doesn't care, but my mom and I are usually careful."

Is Nil talking to Basil? What the hell are they talking about? Where even are they?

Frustration beckons me, taunts me into hauling myself up onto the heels of my elbows so I can give my head a better vantage point. And it's worth it. I didn't notice that the door was ajar on my right side. A hallway light is on so I see two shadows cast on the wall, two people facing each other, conversing.

I hear a sigh from Nilsa. "After today...she definitely knows something isn't right. Fuck, how am I supposed to tell her what I am? How do you even start that conversation?"

What the fuck? What does Nilsa mean? She's starting to sound a bit cryptic, like nurse Jarvis.

"I'm sorry you've been put in this situation," Basil comes in. "Jason's...an asshole. And a tyrant."

"No shit," Nil scoffs. "Holy fuck, I can't believe I almost had to throw down with him, and his pack! Luckily you were there too. I didn't have much of plan when I saw those guys. But speaking of that, umm, it seemed like Jason was the one calling the shots...shouldn't that be you, though?"

The silence on Basil's end is palpable. I grasp only bits and pieces of their exchange, but the lack of context is enough to allow the frustration to goad me again.

I push up the rest of the way wriggling and flailing my upper-body, heaviness be damned, and through thick and thin I'm able to drag my back to lean against the pillows behind me.

"H-hey...Hey!" I manage to stammer-shout.

It's loud enough to snatch their attention; the two shadows shift and glide across the wall, getting closer towards the room I'm in, right until a solid figure busts straight through the already opened door.

"Suzie! You're awake? Are you okay?" Nilsa shouts in return.

She hurtles herself at me, her weight suddenly plunging the right side of the bed and her arms encapsulating me in a hug.

I don't reciprocate. Nil's keeping something from me, something that Basil — that stranger — apparently is aware of, but not her best friend? Speak of the devil...

Basil follows through inside, cautious in her steps but keeps her gaze steady on me over Nilsa's shoulder.

"You okay, Suzie?" Nil asks again, quieter this time. "You're dad called me. And he called her too — Basil. He said that your doctor called him, who was saying that you weren't feeling well but you were leaving the hospital? Some gibberish like that."

Of course Fadel called Dad. So that's how Nil and Basil were able to show up when they did.

I keep staring at Basil — teeth clenching behind my lips and eyes barely blinking — who finally concedes and averts her eyes away from me. But I'm not letting the subject drop before it even gets picked up.

"What are you?"

The question is loaded, especially inside this noiseless room, but I don't give a fuck. I'm getting straight answers now. Basil's now rigid sapphire eyes snap back up at me, and Nil tenses against me too. Seems like I've triggered everyone in the room, then.

"It's not so simple to explain," Basil starts, at the same time Nilsa eases out of our hugging, lips trembling as she tries to form a sentence to me.

For a first, I ignore my best friend in favour of the stranger. "I've got time. Explain." Basil exhales quite audibly and takes a step towards the bed. I watch her like a hawk. Just because I need answers from her, doesn't mean I'll let her get so close to me.

"It's blurry," Basil finally says, seemingly after an eternity. "What I am — what we are. It's blurry." I almost ask for clarity on who she means by 'we', because I know she's not talking about me. I'm not like her...I can't be. "Me, Jason, Doctor Fadel..." Basil's eyes quickly dart away from mine, landing on Nil's for a split second before returning to me. What was that? "None of us are human, but, we're not exactly all the same species either."

"H-huh? What do you mean?"

Basil rolls her shoulders, straightens her back. "Well, for starters, I'm a dragon."

I blink, waiting for the punchline. "You-you're-"

"And Jason's a werewolf."

"U-uhm, wha-"

"And Fadel, if you ask him personally, he wouldn't really give a label since he's got a few different abilities. But, most just consider him a 'sorcerer'."

I just blink at her again. And again. No punchline, and no one's laughing. I glance at Nilsa; she's staring shamefaced down at the comforter, chewing on her lower lip.

"It's not just us," Basil continues, distracting my brain from trying to question anything. "It's not every single person, but a lot of people in Rothwood...umm...actually, the world — there's people like us all over. Werewolves, fairies, cyclops' — all sorts of...beings, you could say."

There's a threat of puke climbing up my throat, and my hands grab hold of the comforter, trying to dry themselves of all the nervous sweat accumulating. Why is no one laughing yet? How long can one weird-as-fuck joke go on for? My eyes don't leave Basil. Can't. Even though they desperately want to.

"So," I start, in a tone so calm and quiet I didn't think I was capable of it, "you're telling me that half the people in the world are some kind of freaky supernatural creatures?"

Basil makes a sour face. "Please, don't say that."

"Don't say what?" my voice spikes, calm and quietness fleeting.

"'Freaky', 'creatures'...some even don't like the word 'supernatural'. Kind of implies something...wrong, or evil. To some, anyway."

"Is that not what they are?" I say, bile and frustration fueling me. I think something in me's starting to accept this fucked-up story. Fadel hadn't laughed. Jason and his team hadn't laughed. Nil still looks guilt-ridden for some reason. And Basil...looks as serious as a heart attack. "You basically just said they're not natural, not human. They are wrong."

Basil steps closer again. "Don't say-"

"I'll say whatever the fuck I want to-"

"Suzie, it's true!" My eyes meet with Nilsa's; still abashed yet filled with some resolve too. "Everything she said is true! She's...w-we're...

"What? What are you?" I almost don't realize that I'm grinding my teeth. Nilsa doesn't continue, even with me staring at her all peeved and expectant, pinning her to the spot. I hope I'm hearing wrong. I hope Nil doesn't even finish her sentence. "Nilsa, just fucking say it!"

"Suzie," Basil interrupts. She's much closer to the bed, but I can't even care right now. The heaviness is back, or maybe it never left, but suddenly I can barely keep myself up-straight and my heart's an agitated hummingbird. "You need to calm down — your heart reacts to your emotions. If you get too upset-"

"Shut up!" The agitation's turned into thrashing against the inside of my chest. Sweat's amassing all over; under my arms, my palms, my face-

"Suzie," comes Nilsa's now muffled voice. "Suzie please, please calm down. 제발 (je-bal)." Her voice is cracking, and there's puddles forming in her front of her eyes.

I can't look at her anymore. Partly because everything's getting cloudy. My head's become a string of sphaghetti, unable to manage keeping my head held up. The last thing I see is a disconcerted Basil, watching as my heart unravels me. Watching as everything becomes dark again.