With a gasp and a groan, Sereena's eyes fluttered open. She was disoriented and in pain, her head throbbing painfully. As she took in her surroundings, her mind slowly piecing things together.
"Sereena" it was Lucas who called her
The familiar voice, Lucas's deep, stern voice calling her name, sent a flutter through Sereena's heart. She tried to respond, but her voice came out in a croak, her throat dry and sore.
"Lucas...is that you?" she managed to croak out, her voice barely above a whisper. Her head still thrummed with pain, making it difficult to focus and think.
"Yes, it's me," Lucas replied, his voice echoing through the haze of pain and confusion in Sereena's mind. "I'm here with you."
"What happened?" Lucas asked
Sereena struggled to speak, her voice raspy and faint. "I... I was driving," she croaked, her mind still fuzzy with pain and confusion. "There...there was a truck, and I couldn't stop in time..."
"Truck? What's a truck?"
Sereena's mind was still swimming with pain and confusion, and Lucas's words didn't make sense to her. "What do you mean, what's a truck?" she murmured, her voice still weak and strained.
Lucas's question struck a chord in Sereena's dazed mind. Right, she thought, her memories suddenly clearing a little. They don't have trucks here. They don't even have cars.
"Lucas," she rasped out, her voice a little stronger now, "remember...remember we talked about our worlds? About the differences?"
Lucas's voice was laced with concern as he replied. "Yes, I remember. You told me about your world and how it's different from mine," he said.
"Yeah..." Sereena said, her voice still weak but a little clearer now. "Well, in my world, we have these things... these vehicles called 'trucks.' They're...they're like big carriages that move on wheels and carry heavy things."
There was a moment of silence as Lucas digested this information. "I see," he said finally, his voice thoughtful. "So, in your world, you travel in these 'trucks' instead of walking or riding horses."
"Yeah," Sereena affirmed, her voice still gruff but stronger than before. "We have lots of different vehicles. We even have a...a big flying machine called an 'airplane.' It can take us anywhere in the world in just a few hours."
Lucas was audibly shocked by this revelation. "A flying machine? You mean, people can go up into the sky and travel to other places without needing a horse or a boat?"
"Yeah," Sereena said, her voice still raw but tinged with a hint of humor. "It sounds unbelievable, I know. But in my world, we've come up with all sorts of things to make traveling easier and faster."
"So what happened to you Sereena? You said earlier you're driving this so-called thing Truck, and then?"
Sereena closed her eyes, the memory of the accident still fresh in her mind. "I was driving," she said, her voice quavering a little, "and then suddenly...a truck, a heavy truck, it...it came out of nowhere. I couldn't stop in time, and...and hit it."
She recounted the harrowing incident, the feeling of being out of control, the horrifying sound of metal grinding against metal, and how her body had slammed against the seat and then the side window. The pain and the dizziness had been unbearable, and for a moment, she thought it was the end for her.
"I don't remember much after that...just the pain and the shock," she continued, her voice growing even more faint as she relived the memory. "I must have blacked out...and then I woke up here."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and Sereena could imagine Lucas trying to process her tale. "I see," he said after a moment, his voice heavy with worry. "Are you...are you okay? Are you hurt badly?"
Sereena took a deep breath, wincing as the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through her. "I... I think I'm okay," she replied, her voice still shaky. "Nothing seems broken, but my head...my head really hurts."
Lucas quickly gave instructions to his butler, a man named Edgar, to summon the physician from the Duke's mansion without delay. The urgency in his voice left no room for argument, and Edgar hurried away to carry out Lucas's orders.
As they waited for the doctor to arrive, Lucas's voice remained concerned. "Just hold on, Sereena," he said, his voice comforting. "The doctor will be here soon. Just try to rest until then."
Sereena nodded faintly, her eyes closed in exhaustion. "Okay," she managed to murmur, her voice cracking with pain. She tried to relax, but her mind kept replaying the accident, the panic and the pain making it hard to calm down.
The minutes ticked by slowly, each one feeling like an eternity to Sereena. The pain in her head thumped with every heartbeat, and she tried her best to focus on Lucas's voice, the only thing keeping her grounded.
Finally, there was a knock on the door, and it swung open to reveal the doctor. He was a middle-aged man with graying hair and a serious expression. He wasted no time in approaching Sereena, his eyes taking in her condition with a quick, professional gaze.
The doctor set his bag down on a nearby table and began examining Sereena, checking her pulse, her breathing, and her head wound. Sereena winced at his touch, and Lucas hovered over them, watching anxiously.
The doctor asked Sereena a few questions, and she answered them as best she could, her voice still weak and shaky. The doctor nodded, his face betraying no sign of his conclusions. After a few more minutes, he turned to Lucas.
The news that Sereena was fine and merely had a fever brought a wave of relief to Lucas and Sereena. The doctor explained that the fever was likely a reaction to the shock and trauma she had undergone, and it should pass with rest and fluids.
The doctor prescribed some medication for the fever and a painkiller for Sereena's headache. He advised her to rest and avoid strenuous activity for a few days, and he assured Lucas that she would be okay.
As the doctor packed up his things, Lucas thanked him profusely, and the doctor left, closing the door quietly behind him. Now, Lucas turned his attention back to Sereena, who had closed her eyes again, looking exhausted.
He sat down next to her on the edge of the bed, his gaze fixed on her pale, weary face. He reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair off her forehead, the touch barely there but filled with concern.
"You need to rest," he said, his voice soft and gentle. "The doctor said you'll be fine, but you need to rest and let your body recover."
Sereena opened her eyes a crack and looked up at him, the pain still etched on her face. " I... I know," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "But it hurts...my head..."
"I know," Lucas said, his voice sympathetic. "But the medicine will help reduce the pain. Just try to sleep, and I'll be here when you wake up."
"Lucas... Do you think I died in my world?"
The question caught Lucas off guard, and he tensed for a moment. He looked at Sereena, her eyes staring up at him, filled with pain and fear. His chest ached with her anguish and uncertainty.
Taking a deep breath, he considered his words carefully before replying. "No," he said, his voice firm. "I don't think you died. I believe you're just...lost, somehow."
"L-lost?" Sereena's voice quivered as she repeated the word. The notion of being lost, stranded in a world not her own, was terrifying. "What…what do you mean?"
Lucas reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I mean... I think you're not dead," he said, his voice low and soothing. "I think you're still alive back in your world, and we just need to find a way for you to return."
Sereena's eyes widened at his words, a flicker of hope sparking in her weary gaze. "Return…?" she echoed, clinging to that word like a lifeline. "You think I can...return?"
Lucas nodded, his expression earnest. "Yes, I do," he said. "We just need to figure out how, and we will. I promise you, we will find a way to get you back."
The realization suddenly dawned on her, and she struggled to sit up, every movement sending a fresh wave of pain through her head. "My phone," she gasped out, her eyes finding the device lying on the bed beside her.
With shaky hands, she reached for her phone, the screen lighting up at her touch. It was miraculously intact despite the accident, and a wave of relief washed over her.
"What's that thing?"
Sereena looked up at Lucas, who was watching her with a mixture of curiosity and concern, and realized that she had to explain this to him. "It's my phone," she said, lifting the device off the bed. "In my world, we use it to communicate with each other, to access information, and to do pretty much everything."
Lucas's eyes widened as he looked at the sleek, slim object in Sereena's hand. "It looks so...small," he said, reaching out to touch it hesitantly. "And what do you mean, to communicate?"
Sereena smiled weakly. "Yeah, it's small, but it's incredibly powerful," she said, flipping the phone over in her hand. "And I mean that you can contact people instantly, no matter where they are. You can talk to them, see their faces, send messages, and even send pictures."
Lucas was stunned by this revelation. The idea of being able to talk to someone miles away without using letters or messengers was otherworldly to him. "That's...that's incredible," he breathed, his eyes still glued to the phone. "So, this device can connect you to anyone, anywhere in your world?"
"Pretty much," Sereena explained, her voice growing more animated despite her exhaustion. "It uses something called 'cell towers', which send and receive signals over vast distances. That's why you can communicate with anyone, as long as they have a phone and signal."
Lucas's mind was reeling. The concept of cell towers and signals was foreign to him, but the idea of instant, long-distance communication was incredible. "This...this phone must be quite valuable in your world," he mused, his fingers hovering over the screen as if he was afraid to touch it.
"Yeah, it is," Sereena agreed, her thumb absentmindedly scrolling through the apps on her phone. "It's...it's like an essential thing every person has in my world. Without it, it's like...like losing a part of yourself."
The unexpected vibration startled Sereena, and she looked at her phone in confusion. The screen had flashed briefly with a message about an update, causing her heart to skip a beat. "What the...?" she muttered, her eyes scanning the notification.
As she read the message, her eyes widened in surprise. "It says...it says there's an update of your novel," she said, her voice filled with disbelief. "But...how is that even possible...?"