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remorse at all now? Where is he? What is he doing? Does he have any idea I’m still alive? Would he even want to know?
    I tossed and turned for hours. Spent and exhausted, I remembered the cup Lucas left. It was still on the bedside table. I picked it up and sniffed cautiously. The aromatic vapors had an immediate calming effect and I ventured a sip.
    After finishing its contents, I put the cup back down and stared up at the ceiling. The medicine kicked in and I drifted off, floating in a sea of roses, tears still damp on my face. Memories flowed through my subconscious mind unrestrained, and permeated my nightmares.
    Soft blue l ights woke me up slowly the next morning. Disoriented and groggy, I had no sense of time, or what day it was. I’m still here . Drugs would have worn off by now.
    And I feel strangely happy—relieved I’m here and not back in David’s clutches.
    The door opened and Lily chimed, “Good morning, Anna.”
    My alien arms hovered in front of my face as I rubbed sleepy eyes. What changed during the night?
    “Good… good morning,” I whispered as I sat up, stretching my arms.
    She closed the door behind her and walked to my bed. “How do you feel today?”
    “Surprisingly good, for a dead person. Still in shock. But… confused,” I admitted.
    She l ooked over the empty food tray, sitting on the side table. “I see it wasn’t as bad as you thought it might be?” She beamed. “I told you, your taste buds are different now.”
    I grumbled in response , my inner grouch not wanting to admit she was right.
    “We have more varieties of food in the common eating area. All kinds of seaweed and algae, plankton, fruit, and vegetables.” Lily chatted as if I would stay forever, her professional demeanor somewhat softening. More alarming, she spoke as if I hadn’t left a life behind.
    But who was I kidding, I only left a murdering David behind. I had nothing left to go back to except for two jobs and an endless stream of bills. My hand went to my bare neck. My locket—that’s all I really left behind.
    “I ’m not particularly fond of sea… weed.” With the new day, my disdain was quickly fading. Feelings of bliss begrudgingly pressed their way into my heart. But I didn’t want Lily to know that. Stubbornly, I couldn’t admit I might like this fresh start.
    “ You will be now.” She sat on the edge of the bed. Her smile was contagious and I grinned back at her for the first time.
    What is wrong with me ? Why do I feel so happy?
    I don’t want to feel happy.
    I quickly recovered and replaced the smile with a scowl. But if I play nice, I can learn their weaknesses and find a way to escape . Carefully, I pasted an approximation of a smile back on my face. But I didn’t know who I was trying to fool—her or myself?
    T he door opened and Lucas walked in, carrying the same device as before. “Good morning. Is it okay if I do a quick scan on you?” His cheeriness got on my nerves. I wanted him to be mean and ominous.
    I didn’t want to like these people .
    Clearing my throat , I said, “Sure, I guess so. What is that device?”
    Lily quietly got up and left us alone. I wouldn’t have noticed if the aroma of the room hadn’t suddenly changed from light and fantastically fragrant, to musky and masculine.
    “This is one of our medical scanners. It scans the systems of your body, and tells me what works and what does not, giving me detailed information about your physiology. I want to make sure you are healed, and in good enough condition to leave the Healing Center.”
    Leave? Yes. I should want to leave, right? Be good. “Can you show me how it works?”
    “I’ll show it to you, but to explain it would take some time. How about we save that for another day?”
    Be patient , Anna.
    “Al l right then, go ahead.”
    He activated the device and scanned my body, starting at my head and ending at my feet. After considering whatever it reported, he said, “It all looks good. You are okay to