* Italicized dialogue is Korean

* Normal dialogue is English

* Underlined dialogue is Mandarin

It hurt...

I coughed and spluttered, but the formless hand still had an iron grasp over my throat. It took away my air, my judgement, and my security, installing nothing but cold, bottomless fear... Fear that I would die...

It hurt...

I slowly opened my eyes; everything was blurry and it was painful to look into such bright light. I turned my head to the side.

Big mistake.

Pain shot through my entire body. Only then did I realize that various tubes were hooked up to me. An oxygen mask surrounded my mouth and nose; an IV was embedded into my arm, and many others which I had no idea what their purposes were, save for the heart monitor which beeped at a steady pace. I shuddered slightly which sent another wave of pain rippling through my body. I hated hospitals; I hated crowded places in general; and I especially hated needles.

I tore my eyes away from myself to look around the room. A curtain separated the bed next door with my own, but ahead, people were rushing around with papers and whatnot. They were all Asian, like me, but speaking in a language that I did not understand. All the signs were inscribed with characters I did not recognize.   Where the heck was I ?!!

I tried to sit up, ignoring my resisting body. I strained against the pain and someone must've heard the monitor because people looked my way and started calling out orders. Doctors came rushing to my bed and tried to lay me back down. I pulled off my oxygen mask.

"Where am I?!  Who took me here?! I was..." I stopped. What was I doing before I ended up here? Where was I going? Who was I with? What...happened? I couldn't remember... I couldn't remember anything!

"Jinjeong!" one of the doctors said to me. I stared at him blankly. He spoke again.

"Sorry, I have no idea what you are saying," I replied in English, shaking my head.

Bad idea...again.

I cringed at the sharp pain along the back of my neck. The doctor called a nurse over and spoke quickly to her. With a quick nod, she hurried away. The doctor laid me back down onto the bed. I was too shocked and confused to resist. Everything was racing through my mind. I could not remember anything save for my name and a couple thoughts. Where did I come from? I couldn't remember. When is my birthday? I couldn't remember. How old was I? I couldn't remember...

I was shaking by the time another man came into the room. He walked up to the doctor who had summoned him and gave a bow. They exchanged a few words and the man nodded. He turned to me and walked up to my right side while the doctors left after they checked the machines.

"Hello, I am Hyun-woo." He spoke in heavily accented English, but quite fluently. "I translate for the hospital."

"...Where is this place? How did I get here? Why can't I remember anything...?" Questions flowed from my lips like an endless river.

"You are in Korea. You probably don't remember anything because the doctors discovered that you hit your head very hard, so you will most likely suffer amnesia."

"KOREA?!!" I asked, almost bolting upright again, but I caught myself and thought better of it. Hyun-woo nodded.

"Yes. Do you remember where you are from?" he asked. I shook my head. My cluelessness frightened me. It was like a thick, dense fog had clouded my memory; everything was hazey. "Can you tell me what you do remember about yourself?"

"...My name is... Mei Ling... I have a younger sister...And for some reason, a girl in a white dress...with a bouquet of red roses stands out in my head...Red roses..."

"Are you alright?" Hyun-woo asked me.

"Yes, why?" I asked.

"You are crying," he replied. I touched my face and pulled away; moisture clung to my fingertips like dew on tree leaves. I was as perplexed as ever.

"...Why?" I asked.

"It could be subconscious. Tell me, do you remember anything about a fire?" he asked.

"No," I answered. "Why?" He shook his head.

"I was just asking," he said. "Do you remember anything else?" I racked my brain. What happed for me to hit my head so hard? Hyun-woo had mentioned something about a fire...

"Wait...I remember not being able to breathe..." I recalled. It was like a grey hand suffocating me, depriving me of any air. Hyun-woo nodded and motioned for me to continue.

A thick, grey hand... but I could not pull it off... It was like it didn't exist...yet it did at the same time...

My mind blanked.

___________________________

* jinjeong - calm down

Sorry for the short chapter, but I hope you liked it! Please comment! ^_^