Slowly opening her eyes and getting used to the blinding white light from the beige ceiling, Irene squinted. Her mind created mental visualizations as to where she might be. She was in a spacious white painted room, Irene looked to her side and saw a colorful humidifier fervently spewing white mists that dissipated into the air.
The familiar scent of a hospital room with a lemon bleach stench along with the scent of assorted flowers reached her nose.
Her eyelids are weak and closes on their own but Irene fought the urge to sleep as she wanted to know where she is. Briefly pursing her cracked lips to regain moisture, Irene weakly sighed. She is frail all over her body.
Lifting her hand, Irene noticed an IV drip attached to her hand and fastened transparent tubes on her wrist using a medical adhesive tape.
She let out an unsteady breath, she faintly read the name printed on the name tag attached to her wrist. "Irene Wu,"
It hit her. Irene realized she may have returned back to her own world considering the modern equipment such as an 85 inch flat-screen television, leather sofas, and the view of the high-rise concrete jungle with bright lights in front of her.
The room slid open, spitting her Aunt Rona holding brown paper bags on each of her hand. Tears began prickling on Irene and Rona's eyes as soon as they realized the existence of one another.
Rona let go of the bags leaving them scattered on the floor and immediately ran next to Irene's bed.
"Oh my goodness. You poor child," Rona gently embraced Irene and wept like it was the end of the world but is feeling the opposite, happiness.
Since Irene is an orphan and her Aunt and Uncle can't bear a child, they treated her more than their own. The news that Irene got abducted shook them to the core and crumbled the couple into bits.
Rona wiped tears off her cheeks and fixed her crumpled clothes, "I will fo and tell the nurses you're awake," and then walked out of the luxury hospital room.
Irene could not help but notice the prominent dark circles under her Aunt's eyes. She immediately looked for her Uncle but he is probably at home taking a rest after taking turns for looking after her. Men in black uniform stood tall outside her room, designated by her company CEO to protect Irene at all costs.
Sitting up straight, Irene reached for her phone on the bedside table.
'The investigators might have got these from the scene,' She thought to herself and aimed the phone in front of her face to unlock it. Her heart sank staring to her own reflection, cuts and bruises dominated her ever alluring face.
Almost dropping her phone, Irene gasped when she saw the time and date on her phone. It is August 9 at 7 in the evening, exactly a day after her press-conference which means…
Color drains from her face, "Time didn't really change that much in our world?" She asked while beginning to question her memories from the things which took place for approximately a week in Rosemoor.
While recuperating, people around Irene thought it would be best not to talk about the kidnapping that happened and anything negative that surrounds the incident to her.
A week passed by so swiftly and Irene is spending her one month unprecedented hiatus in their beach family house somewhere in the northern side of the country. Her agency was generous for once to give her the freedom to decide as to when she will return to her activities.
The esteemed CEO Jerrick Tan, who is only five years older than her, insisted that she should take a more than one month break so that she could fully recover. The ever cold and ruthless CEO is now finally showing some signs of being human by showing empathy and worry over Irene, his most valuable artist.
The strong ocean winds blew Irene's now bleach blond hair as she watch the sunset along with her cousin, Valerie.
"Didn't you really notice something odd about that manager of yours? He is seriously sick in the head. Come to think of it, he has been stealing money from you for a long time and got you abducted and almost killed! I have always had a bad feeling about that jerk!" Valerie shook her head and took a sip in a can of beer leaving red lipstick stain on it.
Irene sighed and for the first time, drank beer. Unlike a week prior, she is now more comfortable talking about the incident. But there is something that's troubling her since the day she woke up in the hospital.
Valerie elbowed her troubled cousin, "You alright?"
"Yes," Irene gave Valerie a quick glimpse and then fixed her sight again on the ball of sun melting on the sea's horizon.
Something is troubling Irene. Not because of the incident nor due to the fact that her trusted manager betrayed her. It was because the question of how she got back to her world.
The last memory she had before waking up was sleeping in the same room with Amiel. He even told her to go to sleep and then afterwards, she finds herself confined in a hospital.
When she regained strength a week ago, Irene asked her Uncle Ryan at the hospital about how and where she was found.
He said, "A group of friends were trekking in the dense forest in the southern part of the country. They saw you lying unconsciously on the ground and then brought you to the nearest hospital."
However, it was not the story Irene was expecting to hear. She somehow lost the memories as to what happened before she made it back on the woods.
"Where did you get that necklace? It's so beautiful. Did a fan give it to you?" Valerie asked after pointing on the purple crystal necklace on Irene's neck that's glittering.