The Recall Trials

The Next Morning came too fast.

One second I was half-asleep, tangled in a memory of warm skin and running water. The next, the sharp, pulsing alarm ripped through the room dragging us all out of sleep, yanking me out of a half-dream, half-nightmare.

I sat up slowly, eyes squinting in the dim, artificial light.

My eyes cracked open. My body was sore, my neck ached. My whole body felt stiff, like it had folded wrong overnight. Maybe it was the cramped mattress. Maybe it was the weight of everything.

I sat up on the edge of the bed, heart thudding like I’d been running.

My clothes were still damp to my back, still wet from last night’s shower... or what came before it. I ran a hand over my face and tried not to smile, but the memory of her was still there...every second of it, still playing on loop in my mind.

I looked up just in time to see Zaara stretch on her bed across the room, her hair messy from sleep. She tied her hair into a loose ponytail, caught my eye and gave me a sleepy smile.

Good morning," she whispered.

I smiled back. "Good morning."

But before anything else could be said...before I could even catch my breath, the speakers crackled to life.

"GOOD MORNING, CONTESTANTS," the voice announced.