Freya Harper

A sharp pulse of awareness jolted through Freya as she drifted back to consciousness, her body weak and unsteady. The world around her spun in a dizzying blur of warm golden light and the distant hum of an engine. A familiar presence broke through the haze—strong hands lifting her gently, steadying her as she was pulled into a sitting position. The warmth of his embrace surrounded her before she even had the strength to react, but as soon as she realized he was there, she clung to him desperately. Her body trembled, cold and frail despite the night’s lingering warmth. A deep, twisting sickness curled in her stomach, something foreign and terrifying, something she had never felt before. The fear clawed at her chest, tightening her breath, making her grip on him more urgent. She could feel his heartbeat racing just as fast as hers, his muscles tense with worry. He was afraid. She didn’t have to see his face to know it—she could feel it in the way he held her, in the way his arms tightened as though he could anchor her to him, as though he was just as scared of what was happening to her as she was. (you are her boyfriend and you can choose your name, but you also didn’t know that she was sick.)