DISCLAIMER: This chapter contains some disturbing scenes. Tread carefully.
Marissa woke up feeling very dizzy. The world was spinning in dark, confusing circles. Her head pounded with a dull, heavy ache. She blinked her eyes several times. Her vision was distorted and blurry for some seconds. She could only see shapes of red and gold. The sickening, sweet smell of the drug still lingered in her nose and throat, making her want to cough.
Slowly, the room came into focus. She looked around. She immediately knew she was no longer in the quiet waiting room of the temple.
The room she was in was different. It was massive and heavily decorated. It looked like royalty. The walls were painted in rich, warm colors with pure gold trimming along the ceiling. Heavy velvet curtains covered the large windows, blocking out the night sky completely.
