It's An Odd Game We Play

Consciousness came in bursts of light and noise to Aria's exhausted senses. She blinked her eyes open, looking around. She was in a wooden paneled kitchen, with green ivy embossed wallpaper along the walls, and as Aria rose up on her elbows, she realized she was in a cushioned breakfast nook of some kind, surrounded by square windows around her in a circle. She looked out at the forest, curiously wondering where she was. It certainly didn't look like New Orleans.

"You're awake." Aria turned to see Rina approaching her with a steaming mug that she put on the small round table that sat in front of Aria. Rina sat near Aria, helping her sit up.

"Where am I?" Aria said shaking off the drowsiness of her body. "The Academy?"

"No. I brought you to my cottage." Rina said quietly. "It's the on the outskirts of the city."

Rina frowned for a moment, pushing Aria's hair away from her face. "Do you remember what happened?"