James's eyes slowly fluttered open, and an agonizing throb immediately erupted in his skull, as if his brain had been replaced with a jackhammer.
He groaned, his head heavy, and he instinctively rubbed his temples. Everything felt... wrong.
His whole body felt like it had been run over by a herd of stampeding horses, and his throat was as dry as sandpaper.
His limbs trembled weakly, and the dryness in his mouth made it feel like he hadn't had a drop of water in days.
Blinking against the pain, he squinted in an attempt to gather his bearings. Where was he? How had he gotten here?
His mind was still a foggy mess, but then a strange sound reached his ears—a rhythmic snoring. He turned his head slowly, trying not to make his headache worse, and blinked in confusion.
Sitting beside him on the bed, with her bright blue hair cascading down her shoulders, was his big sister, Kaela.
