Kijani was in a daze, though she was trying to tell herself she was meditating. It was all she could do, as her body was all but useless currently. Her limbs were lead from the paralyzing toxin in her reins. Even if they weren't, the shackles and chains pinning her to the cold wall of the truck they were traveling in would have hindered her almost as well. Once again, she thanked herself for putting so much thought into meditation. It was the only thing keeping her sane. She was scared, yes, more than she cared to admit. But she could tuck the fear away for later, when she wasn't in so much trouble.

The truck rolled on, and she waited, silent, for the destination ahead.

---Hours Later---

The first thing Kijani realized upon waking was that she'd fallen asleep. Somewhere between reciting poetry in her mind and trying to keep her mind away from fear, she'd genuinely rested. It wasn't much of a loss- her body couldn't get any stiffer, and the guards escorting her were too smart to talk freely. 

The second thing she realized was that the truck wasn't moving anymore. They had stopped somewhere. The third thing she realized, when her eyes adjusted to the dimness of the area, was that she wasn't in the truck at all. The last thing she realized, right before a wave of terror rolled through her and disrupted any further thinking, was that she knew exactly where she was now. 

Faint halogen lights overhead gleamed off of metal surgical instruments. The room was uncomfortably cold, the air from above on full blast. All around her, the smell of copper and bleach permeated the air. 

Kijani let out a low sob and shut her eyes, tight, trying to will away the memories starting to flood her mind. “No.” Nauseating terror roiled through her body, and on her right side, an old scar full of bad memories started to burn with fresh pain.

She was back.