The realisation hit me and the ground disappeared.
I did not scream this time. I knew I was not in the real world and I knew I would land somewhere, but my heart was aching from what I had just seen and my lungs felt tight with the residual fear of watching that small girl burn. Watching myself burn.
I landed gently, my back settling against grass. I felt my breathing begin to even out slowly and my heart settle from its frantic pace into something quieter. My body was tingling all over, the way limbs do when they have been numb for too long and the feeling is finally returning.
The white noise in my ears started up again, high-pitched and sharp enough to make me wince. It faded gradually, pulling back to a low hum that I slowly began to understand was not a hum at all. It was voices.
