Iris woke up gasping. Her heart raced, pounding so hard and so loud, as if it wanted to jump out of her chest. She was soaked in her own sweat, yet her body felt ice-cold and shivered uncontrollably. Her teeth was even chattering.
She looked around her familiar dark bedroom, trying to ascertain that everything was real, that she wasn't dreaming anymore. Remembering her nightmare…her breath hitched and she shuddered. It felt so real.
Forgetting her own self was the most frightening feeling that she had ever experienced in her two lives. It felt like she wasn't alive, like she didn't exist, like she was nothing…no one.
She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, focusing on the sound of the falling water from the wall-mounted waterfall fountain to slowly calm her down. It took a long time before her heartbeat slowed and her body stopped shaking. She still felt cold but at least it became more bearable than when she just woke up.
