Brightness. If there was ever a time to dim the lights, it would be now. I squint to see where I was, although I should have determined that by the florescent lights. Beeping screams in my ears, making my head spin. Tubes connect my body to machines and strange objects I've never seen before.

"Honey?"

I look up to see a woman with dark bags under her eyes and a weak smile. I feel as if I should know her, yet I don't recognize her. She can obviously read this recognition (or rather, lack thereof) on my visage, triggering a dissappointment deep within her heart.

"You're m-m-y," I stammer, only now realizing something I know I should have remembered. "You're my mother, aren't you?"

I'm not sure what to expect to come out of her mouth.

"No, Hollie, your mother is dead."

Talk about diving right into things...

I look down at my bony fingers, tangling and untangling them from each other. I look up, and all I see is pity in her eyes. She brushes my hair out of my eyes. Hollie, I say in my mind over and over. Hollie, it sounds like the name of some sweet innocent girl.

Am I that girl? Or am I rebellious? Is this even real? Could this really be happening to me?

Hollie I repeat once more in my head.

Something just doesn't feel right. As if something is missing...

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