A scalpel shone under white lab lights. Needles approached, wielded by gloved hands. The flash of a cunning smile, adorned by diamonds and pearls. Pain raced through Anya 's bones and her blood and all she wanted was to scream, but she couldn 't move, couldn 't even breathe, the air was trapped inside her and -

Anya gasped awake. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears, and her sweat-soaked pyjamas clung to her small frame. Alarm blared through her, pushing her into a sitting position, but she moved too quickly, and soon Anya had her head in her hands to try to stop the dizziness from taking over her.

Breathe in,

she tried to remind herself. The air trapped in her lungs during her nightmare struggled to get out, and it resided within Anya 's ribs like a trapped balloon, pushing against her from the inside.

Her hand seemed to move on its own as she reached out for her phone and typed out a quick message, and all the while her lungs were on the verge of bursting.