The door was slammed open, and the sound made her open her eye. It was open. Thank god it was open.

“[color=skyblue]Quinn, what’s going on? What are you afraid of?[/color]”

She opened her mouth, and for a moment, nothing came out, [i]could[/i] come out. It was still in the air around her. It was still [i]there[/i]. 

"[color=FFE63D]You—you don't—you don't smell it?[/color]" Her teeth were chattering again. "[color=FFE63D]L—like...like bitter m—metal and acid?[/color]" It was hard for her to breathe, the smell hung so thickly around her. "[color=FFE63D]It's—[/color]" She closed her eye again. "[color=FFE63D]It's—[/color]" She didn't want to get out of bed, but the room was too small, too small too small and it smelled like—"[color=FFE63D]Like how water tastes at home,[/color]" she finished with a gasp.

She was getting lightheaded now. Disoriented. [i]More[/i] disoriented than she already was. "[color=FFE63D]It's gray there.[/color]" She didn't know if she meant the water or life. "[color=FFE63D]Mom and—[/color]"

She paused. She didn't want to say it. It felt wrong. She was so afraid. [i]So[/i] afraid. It felt [i]shameful[/i] to feel like this. She didn't know why she was so afraid. Her head was spinning and she went totally slack, opening her eye and staring unseeing at the ceiling. Why was she so afraid? They loved her, didn't they? They loved her, and—and she—she lo—she—she lov—loved—she—she lllll—

Then all at once, it exploded out with a final rush of emotion.

"[color=FFE63D]Mom and Dad said I couldn't go outside because it was dangerous,[/color]" she bawled, a runaway train now that could only pick up speed, "[color=FFE63D]So I didn't, I stayed inside where they said it was safe, I stayed in my room where nobody could hurt me, but I snuck out and then I met youandImetBescaandthey're[i]goingtobesomadatme! Don'tsendmebackdon'tsendmebaaaaaaack!!![/i][/color]" By the end of it her words were garbled again as she bent backwards, her sense of time and place completely shattered. She dug her fingernails into her forehead and let tears run out from beneath her palms.

"[color=FFE63D]I'msorrryyy I shouldn't have left I shouldn't have left I'm—[/color]"

And then the last of her words melted away, all the energy she had left faded, and she collapsed. She didn't even have enough left to sob. She couldn't do anything but let the tears run.