“She’s in a state of severe dehydration and malnourishment, sir.”

  My hand grazed the surface beneath me, and I flinched away. It was as cold as ice. I slowly opened my eyes, and the blinding light immediately set off a throbbing headache. Everything felt unfamiliar and foreign. The air smelled harshly of bleach, burning my nose with its sterile sharpness. Where was the smoke-tasting air? My chest tightened.

  “She’s waking up, sir. Shall I prepare the sedation?”

  “Grace,” I whispered, the word catching in my dry throat. My thoughts swam through the fog in my head. “I need to see Grace.” Why wasn’t she here? Where was I?

  “Prepare the sedation but lessen the dose,” a man replied. “When a patient is hypovolemic, putting them under too deeply can cause severe hypotension. The body won’t heal. Give her some pretzels—the salt won’t help the dehydration, but it’ll stabilize her vitals.”

  I blinked up at the light, at the blurred shapes hovering above me. A large figure leaned into view, her voice surprisingly soft.

  “Do you think you can swallow something for me?”

  She held out a small box of pretzels. My eyes locked on them greedily. My stomach gave a monstrous growl in response.

  She handed them to me one at a time, patiently waiting for me to chew before giving another. “If you eat too fast, you’ll throw it up. We want you to keep this down.”

  I didn’t care. It tasted like heaven.

  But then I froze, mid-bite, as a sharp sting flared in my arm. I looked down.

  Small clear tubes were inserted into my wrists and arms, each delivering a slow, steady stream of thin liquid. The tubes protruded into my skin at unnatural angles, and my pulse quickened.

  “What are you doing to me?”

  My heartbeat roared in my ears. I stared at the invasive tubes and tried to rip them out.

  “Please don’t touch those, Alexandra,” the nurse warned.

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  “What are you doing to me?” I repeated, louder this time. The nurse gently grabbed my hands and held them away from the tubes.

  “We’re trying to help you. Please, calm down.” Her voice was calm, but her grip was firm.

  I jerked away from her. Her hands were too cold. The clear liquid, whatever it was, was doing something to me.

  Flashes of fire and smoke flickered behind my eyes. Shattered memories scraped at the edges of my mind.

  She’d been behind me. And then—then there was a flash. Harsh hands. Darkness.

  I stilled and stared at the nurse. “Where is she?” My voice was low and sharp. If she had hurt Grace—I didn’t finish the thought.

  “Where is who?”

  “Grace and my mother!” I snapped.

  “They’re safe.” The nurse gave me a pitiful look.

  I must’ve looked insane—wild hair, wild eyes—but I didn’t care.

  “Where are they?” I tried to sit up, but the nurse held me down. “I need to see them!”

  “You can’t see them right now, Alexandra,” she said, trying to push me gently back onto the bed.

  “What have you done with them?”

  “They are safe.”

  “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE—”

  Then it hit me. A flash. The van. There had been a symbol on it.

  My breath caught. He had been Enforcement. They were dragging me toward one of their vans. I remembered Grace screaming for me.

  “What did you do with them?!” I screamed. I thrashed, trying to throw myself off the table.

  “Calm down or I’ll have to sedate you.”

  “Let me go!” I lunged toward the door, heart pounding, but the nurse caught me like it was nothing.

  She turned her head. “Sir, should we sedate her?”

  “What did you do to them!” I shrieked. My body writhed as I kicked and clawed.

  “They could be dead!” I sobbed. “What if—what if the Legacy got them—”

  “Calm down.”

  I arched my back and tried to twist free. I had to get out. I had to find them. My chest felt too tight. My lungs burned. My thoughts spiraled.

  “Calm down.” The nurse pressed me firmly against the bed, holding me in place as I screamed until my voice turned hoarse.

  “I need to see Grace and Mother,” I cried.

  Eventually, the fight left me. My muscles shook. My sobs softened, and I collapsed against the mattress. Exhaustion settled over me like a lead blanket.

  Warm tears streamed across my temples and dripped onto the cold bed beneath me.

  “That’s it,” she whispered gently. “You’re okay. You’ll see Grace and your mother soon, Alexandra.”

  Calm down.

  My eyelids drooped. My head pounded relentlessly. My entire body ached.

  They let me cry. They stood there quietly and let the water leave me in helpless sobs. They whispered among themselves as if I weren’t even there.

  The room began to spin. I gripped the edge of the bed as if it would keep me grounded, but it was no use.

  A ringing started in my ears. Soft at first. Then louder. Louder still.

  The world tilted. My stomach churned. I curled up and buried my face in my hands, sobbing into the only warmth I had.

  A black curtain pulled across my mind.

  And I was gone.

  But not before the final thought took root and burrowed deep: