A white gleam illuminated the blurry scene. Was this heaven? No. An antiseptic scent and the beeping sound of a machine gave it away.

With my vision clearing, a hospital room ceiling came into view. I saw the faces of my mom and dad; their joy expressed through broad smiles.

“Aliyah…” my mother began, weeping as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around my neck. “My baby’s awake. Thank you, God.”

“Mom? Dad? What happened? Why am I in the hospital?”

“You were found unconscious and injured outside of the school,” my father told me. “Police suspect there was an altercation on the roof and either you had fallen or were thrown off. No one has been able to explain the claw marks on your body, though. It’s like an animal tried to kill you.”

I stared at the white blanket covering me and tried to recollect my memories. “Why would I be on the roof? Please, tell me everything. Anything.”

My parents turned to each other with distress written all over their faces. I felt the squeezing of my chest at their crestfallen expressions. My father said gravely, “No one knows for sure why you were up there. It’s believed that Valeria attacked you before attempting suicide.”

Flashbacks of the moment began to reform in my mind. I sat in a state of shock and looked at my parents with glassy eyes. It took all the courage I had to ask my next question.

“Is she alive?”

“Yes,” my father replied, gripping onto my hand. “But unfortunately, sweetie, she suffered severe brain damage and has been unresponsive since the fall. There’s a high possibility that she may never recover. I’m sorry.”

And just like that, I felt the pain of losing her all over again. My dad held me close, sharing my heartache.

“I let you down,” he said. “It’s my job to know when people need help. I should’ve seen the signs.”

It may have been his job as a social worker to see the signs, but I had the power to sense it. Yes, Valeria’s difficulties with her home life created an aura of negativity, but it shouldn’t have been enough to attract as many demons as there were on the roof. Something must’ve happened the night before the incident. Something she tried calling me about. I just didn’t know what.

I laid back and let my thoughts wander in silence. My parents sat in the chairs near my bedside and waited until I was ready to talk.

“Where’s Mya?” I asked, curious about my younger sister’s whereabouts.

“She’s at an art gallery downtown,” my mother informed me. “One of her paintings was chosen to be on the show floor. It’s unbelievable how much she’s improved these past few weeks.”

“Weeks? Mom, what do you mean? Mya started showing us her art just a few days ago.”

My father grumbled before my mother took a deep breath and addressed my question. “Aliyah, we planned not to tell you this until you fully recovered, but I guess it’s too late for that now.” She paused, glancing at my dad and back to me.

“You’ve been in the hospital for four weeks.”

I gaped in reaction. The reveal of my absence from the world left my chest heaving and lips quivering. So many days gone. How could I have been asleep for so long?

“Four weeks? Was I in a coma or something? I don’t remember ever being here.”

“You did open your eyes a few times,” my mom said. “But it was only for a few seconds. Maybe you just don’t remember.”

“No, this can’t be real. Mom, Dad, tell me you’re lying. Please. There’s just no way this is possible.”

The sound of the heart monitor increased. “Aliyah, you need to calm down,” my father urged. “I know that was difficult for you to hear, but this is serious. You can go into cardiac arrest if you don’t relax.”

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“How do you expect me to relax, Dad? You just told me I’ve been in and out of sleep for weeks. I can’t keep calm and sit here. I have responsibilities. I have people that need me. I—”

“Aliyah, please. We can’t lose you again. Listen to your father.”

My rebuttal ended at my mother’s words. I exhaled and shut my watery eyes, lying motionless for what seemed like hours as my parents left the room and reentered on several occasions. My heart sank deeper and deeper into a pit of despair until a familiar face called my name and walked inside.

“Lucas,” I gasped, using the small bit of strength I had to tie my arms around his neck after he rushed over to me. “You’re here.”

“Of course I’m here, Ali,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been here every single day. I knew you’d wake up. I’m so happy you’re back.”

My eyes drifted toward my parents, who were standing near the door of the room.

“We’ll be back tomorrow,” my father said.

“We love you,” my mother chimed in.

With my parents exiting the room, Lucas and I were alone, gazing into each other’s eyes.

“Lucas, I’m so—”

His lips pressed against mine, leaving me marveling at his affection. Our tongues then intertwined, taking in the moment.

Breathless, we stared at each other. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” he admitted with a chuckle, taking a seat in the chair by my bed.

I wanted to keep the mood lighthearted, but thoughts of the past led me down a darker path.

“Lucas, I tried stopping Val from killing herself, but a swarm of demons attacked and knocked me off the roof of the school. Val wasn’t trying to kill me. She—”

“I believe you. I knew something else had to be up, but that doesn’t change the fact that you broke your promise, Ali. Not unless you were dragged into it or had an idea that it was Val being possessed.”

My lip curled with disgust. “Wait, so it’s okay if I help when one of our friends is in trouble, but not when it’s somebody else? What the hell, Lucas?”

“That’s not what I meant,” he replied with a sigh. “I don’t wanna start an argument, alright? This is a happy moment for us, and I just want you to know that I’ll support any choice you make going forward; but I want you to be safe. I don’t think I’ll be able to handle seeing you in the hospital like this again. So please, Ali, I don’t wanna be selfish, but think about what you’re doing to me.”

His words caused a heavy confliction to weigh on my mind, becoming heavier the more I tried to think of a solution. All I could do was let go of my frustrations and tell him the truth.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do,” I told him, feeling pain all over my body and weakness in some areas. “But it’s not like I can do anything anytime soon in this condition. How’s everything outside of this place, anyway? Is the city more corrupted?”

“I think so. Everything has gotten weird and depressing lately. The new craze on social media is people posting videos of themselves doing things that should be impossible. A lot of those people who managed to go viral went missing a few days later.”

“I bet the government killed them off. Are you sure the videos are real?”

He confirmed with a nod before slouching back in his seat. “It’s unbelievable. Another thing is that a bunch of people we’re cool with are flat-out miserable now. I lost so many connections because nobody wants to hang out or do anything.”

“The demons must be causing that. They can increase any negative thoughts or emotions you might have until they take over your entire persona. I hope nothing’s happened to Tyler after all this.”

He huffed with his head low. “I hate to tell you, Ali, but that guy’s lost it. I mean, we’re still cool and all, but he’s not the same person he used to be. Val’s suicide attempt hit him hard, and the only time I ever see him is during band practice and gigs.”

“Oh.”

I couldn’t imagine what Tyler had gone through for the past month. Valeria may have been my best friend, but she was the love of his life. She knew him better than I did, regardless of how long me and him have known each other.

I rested back and decided to talk about an easier subject. “So, how is the band?” His grin caused me to sit back up in anticipation. “What, you guys finally decided on a name?”

“Yeah, we’re going with Broken Limitations. The whole group decided the name was pretty sick. Check out our newest song.”

He took out his cell phone and played the band’s latest track. I was more of a Hip-Hop and R&B kinda gal, and the heavy metal instrumentals were a much different sound than I had expected, but I was still overjoyed to hear him on the recording.

“Okay, this is a vibe,” I said, almost wanting to squeal like a fangirl.

“I know, right? It’s like a wave of energy just hit me one night, and I knew for sure this is what I wanted to do with my life.”

The sound of a female voice on the track made me raise my brow. “There’s a girl in the group?”

He muted the song and put his phone away. “Yeah, her name’s Robyn. She’s my co-writer and co-singer. We met about three weeks ago, and I was surprised when she told me she goes to the same school as us.”

I pursed my lips, deciding not to voice my worries when a male doctor stepped into the room.

“Good afternoon. I’m pleased to see you’re awake. Your recovery has been nothing short of a miracle.”

“It’s not a miracle,” Lucas said, caressing my hand. “It’s just her. She’s a fighter.”

“Well, despite her improvement, she’ll need to undergo rehabilitation for a month. I can assign a physical therapist today if she feels ready to get started tomorrow.”

I turned to Lucas and saw his encouraging smile. With him by my side and my desire to purge the demons still somewhat alive, there was only one answer to give the doctor.

“I’m ready.”