Wake-Up Surprise
Talia
My eyelids fluttered open to a blurry shape hovering inches away. I blinked hard, scrubbing the grit of sleep from my vision with the heel of my palm. Ruby's familiar features materialized, those warm hazel eyes alight with a vibrant energy that stole the air from my lungs.
She knelt over me on all fours, mouth stretched in a mischievous grin that creased her cheeks. Not the sickly, pallid form I'd feared taking her final labored breaths upon arrival. This was my baby sister - awake and radiating pure, unrestrained life.
"R-Ruby?" I rasped, hardly daring to believe.
Her grin somehow widened as she bobbed her head in an exaggerated nod. "Well c'mon, lazybones! Rise and shine already!"
I just gaped at her, synapses struggling to reboot. One heartbeat she'd been a hollow husk tethered to machines, the next...this. Restored to her former vibrant self.
