Taylor woke up to a headache. For a moment, she just lay there with her eyes closed, her thoughts slow and fuzzy. The bed she was lying in was comfy, and it took her a while to gather her thoughts enough to take any action. Eventually, she opened her eyes and blinked a few times, trying to take in her surroundings. While the room she was in was blurry without her glasses, it was definitely not
her room. The room was painted white, with white furniture, tinted in an orange light by a low sun. The bed she was lying in was also white, and seemed to be a hospital bed.
She groggily grabbed around, trying to find her glasses. Somebody had been nice enough to place them within her reach, and she eventually found them on a side table next to the bed. She sat up and put them on, finally able to take in the room. Yes, definitely a hospital room. Looking down, she saw that she was dressed in a hospital gown. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen. Somebody must have undressed her, then, and put her in this robe. Her thoughts were sluggish. Why had that been needed? As far as she could tell, she was uninjured, apart from a few scraps and bruises. She tried to think back. Why was she in the hospital in the first place?
The locker. All at once, her memories returned, blowing away the fog that had been clouding her mind, as she remembered the events of that morning, the sight, the smell, the feeling of vomit and used tampons on her skin, the laughter of Emma and Sophia. How she had been locked in there forever, as she struggled in a panic, unable to move, with nobody coming to her aid, all those people who had been standing around and saw her getting locked into the filth, nobody lifting a finger or calling a school staff member. She clenched her fists, feeling bile rise at the back of her throat.
She suppressed the urge to vomit, swallowed, and took a deep breath. It failed to fully calm her, but it helped her control the panic rising up within her. She focused on her breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly, until her emotions had quieted down somewhat.
She didn't fully remember what happened afterwards. She had a faint recollection of suddenly falling, and blinding light, before darkness took her. Most likely, when someone had eventually opened the locker, she had fallen out and fainted. That would also explain why she was in the hospital now. How long had she been out?
Looking around the room again, she noticed a clock above the door, showing about a quarter to eight. Given the sunlight shining in from outside, and the time of year, it had to be in the morning, which meant she had been unconscious for nearly a day. Assuming it was still January, of course. For all she knew, she had been unconscious for half a year – no wait, she still had bruises. January it was.
She let herself fall back onto the bed with a sigh. Looking up, she noticed a small sign above her bed. It was a simple piece of paper, pushed into a plastic display case attached to the wall. She had no trouble reading it, even upside down.