She was struggling to breathe. Struggling with what I just told her. And she wasn't even blinking. Seconds had already clicked by, and she was still…frozen.

Standing a few inches away from the couch she was sitting on, I watched her closely. Trying to see if she was indeed breathing and if she'd blink any time soon.

She didn't. Unable to wait anymore, I snapped my fingers in her face.

“Breathe, Elena. Jesus.”

“Huh?” She looked at me like a lost soul. A sad, broken, lost soul. ...