Mathilda’s POV

“Mathilda! Hey! Wake up!”

Fredric’s voice cut sharply through my half-conscious state. My eyelids felt unbearably heavy, my head pounding like I’d been hit with a hammer.

“Mathilda! Are you deaf?!”

His angry tone forced my eyes open. I blinked, struggling to focus, and was met with his furious face.

“Y-yes, Mr. Fredric…”

“We’ve arrived, you lazy thing! Go back to sleep at home if you want to!”

The bright New York sun flooded through the jet windows. I hadn’t even realized we’d landed after the long flight.

I tried to stand, but the moment I did, the floor seemed to tilt beneath me. My legs buckled, and everything started to spin violently.

Darkness crept in around the edges of my vision, swallowing the world whole. The sunlight felt like a blade cutting through my eyes until everything went black.

When I woke, I was lying on a bed in a small room. A doctor and a nurse were speaking nearby.

“Excuse me…” I managed to croak, my voice faint and weak.

The nurse quickly came